Chapter 87. Drifters #2
A woman known as the only hero of SageWorld and the strongest human.
Iara Yoon.
After her defeat to the Pig King, she was trapped in a dark prison made of mud.
And without being able to do anything, she had no choice but to watch the horrific scene of nine humans being slaughtered.
Iara resented her own helplessness, realizing once again that she had been a frog in a well.
Then, suddenly, she recalled the comrades who had fled.
Those who had followed her with empty words of loyalty.
As soon as Iara fell, without a moment’s hesitation, they abandoned her and ran away.
It was her first experience like this.
Everyone had always believed in her to the end.
No matter the situation, they had steadfastly protected her back.
To the people of SageWorld, Iara Yoon was like a great shield that would never break.
And for good reason. Iara had never been defeated.
She was the strongest woman in the world.
‘…For them to run away the moment I lost means that was their true nature all along.’
What they had trusted and relied on wasn’t Iara herself, but only her strength.
If they had been with someone else instead of Iara, if that person had been in danger in their original world, they would have abandoned them without a second thought and run away.
The bitter realization of their true nature came over her.
‘I told them not to follow me in the first place, but still, it stings. I never imagined they would abandon me without a second of hesitation.’
Ha ha…
Iara let out a hollow laugh.
Of course.
The sense of betrayal wasn’t as overwhelming as it had been at first.
When she was first abandoned, she had been so filled with rage that curses had naturally spilled out, but as time passed, she was somewhat relieved that at least her comrades had survived.
‘Yeah, it’s fine as long as they made it out alive.’
Deciding to forget about her comrades, Iara sighed deeply and raised her head, looking around at the others.
‘…More than that, everyone here looks terrible. No one seems to be in their right mind.’
The prison was filled with people paralyzed by fear.
Normally, Iara would have comforted them, but she didn’t even have the energy for that now.
It wasn’t because she was drained from betrayal and defeat.
It was because the situation was utterly hopeless, with no sign of hope in sight.
‘I guess I have no choice but to quietly accept death. No one here could possibly defeat those pig monsters.’
Perhaps if it were a different kind of monster that inhabited this place, things might have been different.
But Iara knew that monsters had no reason to help humans.
If the monsters did offer help,
it would only be because they intended to steal the prey for themselves.
Just as Iara, like the others, was about to sink into the depths of despair,
‘…Huh? What’s this?’
A strange sensation swept over her as she felt all the strength drain from her body.
‘Have I gotten weaker…?’
It wasn’t just her imagination.
She had definitely become weaker.
Startled, Iara asked the others around her if something was wrong with their bodies.
No one was able to answer her properly.
Everyone was still in a state of panic.
Even without hearing a reply, Iara surmised that none of them seemed to be experiencing the same symptoms as she was.
Did the pigs do something to my body?
Or maybe I damaged my brain when I hit my head earlier?
Countless thoughts raced through Iara’s mind when,
［Shhhhsshh!］
［Shhshhh!!!］
Suddenly, a commotion could be heard from outside the prison.
Hearing the noise, Iara’s heart pounded.
For a moment, she wondered if her comrades had come back to rescue her.
But,
［Squeal!］
［Squeeeaaal!!!］
Hearing the pigs’ agonizing screams, she immediately erased that thought from her mind.
‘Could it be that other monsters have attacked?’
Curiosity gripped Iara, and she tried to get a glimpse of what was happening outside the prison, but her view was blocked by a massive Pig King guarding the prison, making it impossible to see what was going on.
‘Can’t it just move out of the way…’
At that moment, the Pig King guarding the prison began trembling, and with a roar, it charged forward.
‘Oh, now I can see… huh?’
Suddenly, a sight unfolded before Iara’s eyes that she could hardly believe.
A new type of monster, the likes of which she had never seen before, was slaughtering the numerous Pig Kings as if they were mere bugs.
She was speechless.
It was an unbelievable scene.
Was there always something stronger?
What kind of monsters were they, that they could kill such powerful pig monsters in a single blow?
Filled with awe, Iara watched the battle with her mouth agape.
Then, her attention was captured by a figure standing out among the monsters.
In the middle of the chaos,
［Dad! Can I drink all the blood?］
“Leave one alive. Merino said she can make something tasty using the blood.”
A human man was standing calmly with his arms crossed.
The man glanced around, then turned his gaze to the prison, locking eyes with Iara.
“Ah, there they are. The Drifters.”
The moment Iara saw the man, a small flicker of hope sparked in her eyes.
***
After wiping out all the Pig Kings,
I brought the Drifters who had been trapped in the prison to my hideout.
Ten F-ranks.
One woman who had been B-rank but had weakened to D-rank.
The eleven Drifters, who seemed to have gone several days without food, ravenously devoured the takoyaki Merino had prepared without any hesitation.
“Enjoy your meal!”
At first, they had been too terrified of our monsters to do anything, but once food was placed in front of them, their attitudes shifted completely.
Well, survival comes first, after all.
“It’s delicious…”
“Sob, sniff.”
“Thank you… truly, thank you!”
I also generously handed out drinks I’d pulled from Jafan.
They might choke otherwise.
【Mysticism】─😭
【Pururu】─Eat lots.
I had set aside the Pig King meat separately.
After all, serving humans pork from pigs that had eaten humans might make them uncomfortable.
It didn’t bother me, but still.
Anyway, while they were eating,
［Rest assured! You’re safe now! Doodoomba!］
the cute hedgehog, who had been chosen as their representative, reassured each of the Drifters.
She repeatedly mentioned that we meant no harm.
The reason I didn’t personally step in was simple.
Approaching people who were trembling in fear with my bulky physique would likely do more harm than good, whereas a cute hedgehog would be much better at getting them to open up.
Most people find it easier to open their hearts to cute animals.
Oh, and by the way, even though Iara Yoon thanked me, she still kept her guard up for quite some time.
It seemed she thought we might have brought them here to eat them.
Luckily, since we weren’t showing any signs of hostility, her wariness gradually began to fade with time.
Once the Drifters finished their meal,
I called in Melody Fox to sing them a lullaby.
［Kyuoo, ooouu, ooo, oouu oooouuu~］
They had gone through something terrible, so I figured I should let them take a nap.
There was no rush to talk.
*
*
*
Once all the Drifters woke up from their nap,
I gathered them in one place and explained everything about this place, just like I had done for Merino.
I included an introduction to myself, as well as information about explorers and Drifters.
We talked for a long time.
Then, one by one, the Drifters began introducing themselves.
The ten Drifters were all from a world called Normalia.
From what I gathered, it seemed to be a world not too different from Earth.
【Bubble Bubble】─They’re all regular folks.
【Yumi】─They were dragged there even though they’re regular people… It must have been like hell…
【Rizenova】─It was hell when I first came here too. This Ancient Labyrinth is dangerous no matter who enters it.
And the last one.
【Mysticism】─Aira!
【Bubble Bubble】─It’s not Aira, it’s Iara.
【Pururu】─Ara ara~
【Yumi】─That name sounds Korean.
The woman named Iara Yoon was from a world called SageWorld, and she introduced herself as the hero who once possessed the strongest power among humans.
She spoke in the past tense because, after arriving here, she realized that she had been a frog in a well.
【Pururu】─Hmm? Didn’t Geon say she was B-rank?
【Yumi】─Yes, she’s nerfed to D-rank, but her real danger level is still B-rank.
【Pururu】─But what kind of hero is B-rank?
【Mysticism】─🧐
【Bubble Bubble】─It’s possible in her world.
【Yumi】─Pururu, you talk a lot for an F-rank.
【Pururu】─You’re an F-rank too, you brat.
【Mysticism】─🤭
By Elemencia’s standards, a B-rank wouldn’t even be considered a hero, let alone a warrior.
But in another world, it was entirely possible.
B-rank is by no means a weak rank.
I’m B-rank now, too.
Even the S-rank monsters have weakened to B-rank in this place.
If a B-rank monster appeared on Earth, it would be nothing short of a disaster.
I continued talking with the Drifters while sketching Iara’s appearance into my notebook.
“Why are you drawing me?”
“Just because.”
【Pururu】─Why is he drawing her?
“Because she’s B-rank.”
【Pururu】─So you draw anything with a high danger level?
【Rizenova】─A Drifter guidebook.
【Bubble Bubble】─How many guidebooks do you have?
【Yumi】─Monster guidebook, Assistant guidebook, Drifter guidebook. That’s three. Are there more?
【Mysticism】─The more guidebooks, the better!
—
■ Iara Yoon
– Actual Danger Level: B-rank.
– Current (Nerfed) Danger Level: D-rank.
– Ability: Magic.
– Notable Information: Hero of SageWorld.