Hassle (Part 3)

---ANGGA---

It's been 20 minutes since they entered the portal.

The entire squad, 22 people, is fighting in this narrow cave.

"Fire magic! Use fire magic!"

Shouted the squad captain while swinging his sword in the middle of the battle. He led from the front and gave commands to the entire squad.

Angga watched the chaotic fight in front of him, where Hunters of role Fighters and Tanks were battling goblins and orcs.

He saw Ayu stabbing a goblin until the sword pierced through the goblin's back.

The Fighter Mages stood with their magic staffs, protected by the Fighters, casting fire spells as commanded by Arjuna.

They unleashed the fire onto a giant Orc standing in front of them. The Orc wore a crown made of bones and wielded a massive wooden club.

This giant Orc was undoubtedly the Orc King, the strongest monster on this dungeon level.

Angga glanced at the watch on his wrist, displaying words in bold uppercase letters:

MAGIC POWER LEVEL IN THE AIR:

C+

A low level, meaning there weren't any particularly strong monsters around them. The magic in the room only came from the squad's mages.

"Healer! Oi, healer!"

He looked up, focusing on the source of the voice calling out to him.

"Healer! Please come here!"

A woman was lying on her injured friend, who had a wound slashed from the shoulder to the abdomen, and her friend was calling for him.

Angga immediately ran toward the source of the voice.

"What happened?"

"She got hit by an orc's axe."

He quickly took a cloth from his bag.

"Place this on the wound to stop further bleeding."

"O-okay," said the woman as she took the cloth from his hands and placed it on her friend's wound.

Blood flowed and began soaking the cloth, the red color slowly consuming the pristine white fabric.

"We need to make sure the wound is clean first," Angga said, taking an alcohol bottle from his waist pouch and dripping it onto a cotton pad he had prepared in his hand.

One of the myths about healing magic is that it can be used instantly without preparation.

Healing magic cannot simply be used without thought. Wounds must be cleaned and checked to ensure no foreign particles remain inside.

For instance, if there's a stab wound, he must make sure there are no stones or debris inside. Otherwise, those would get trapped in the skin once healed.

"Healer! We need a buff here!"

"Relza! My shoulder's dislocated!"

"Healer! Healer!"

In the midst of battle, the healer has the most critical role to remain alert.

Fighters are the foundation of a Hunter squad, but the healer's task is to ensure that foundation stays standing.

"Healer! We need help here!"

"Healer! I need healing!"

"Healer…"

Over time, the calls would diminish as the battle progressed.

"Hahahahaha! These goblins are giving us an easy fight!"

"Huh… it's finally over."

"This wasn't hard."

Eventually, the battle ended. The goblin and orc forces were defeated, most killed by the squad.

Arjuna stood atop the Orc King's body, his sword drenched in the green blood of the vile creature.

It seemed… there were no casualties among the Hunters. In battles like these, he was used to preparing for one or two deaths in his squad.

Fortunately, this time, no lives were lost.

Angga shifted his thoughts away from death—he didn't like dwelling on it.

He immediately checked on his squad, who were taking a break before continuing their expedition deeper.

That included Ayu, who was sitting and cleaning her sword of goblin blood.

The remaining goblins had fled, and they decided not to give chase to conserve energy.

During breaks like these, soldiers would eat a food they bring from home or loot the bodies of the goblins for valuables.

Meanwhile, Angga's task wasn't over. He had to help some soldiers recover.

Arjuna, as the squad leader, also didn't rest. He could be seen among the troops, encouraging and motivating the exhausted soldiers with his charisma.

Several minutes passed.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

The sound of approaching footsteps echoed, drawing the squad's attention.

Their scout returned after being sent out a few minutes ago.

"There's nothing ahead, just a massive gate."

"No split routes? Just a straight path?" Arjuna asked, puzzled.

"None, just a straight path for 500 meters."

Experienced Hunters knew that caves inside portals like these should have branching paths.

Sometimes, squad captains must choose which path to explore.

But just one straight path? That was odd.

"So, what now, Captain? We're moving forward, right?"

"W-what? Of course, we are."

Despite the oddity, portal exploration couldn't be done halfway, especially with such small loot so far.

"Five more minutes of break, then we move forward," Arjuna called out loudly to the entire squad.

The entire squad heard him and took the remaining time to prepare further.

"I'm relieved no one died."

Angga turned in surprise to see Ayu suddenly sitting beside him.

"Are you okay?" Angga asked with a frown.

"Huh? Yeah, just my right leg is sprained."

Angga quickly examined her injured right leg.

"How is it?"

"My healing magic can fix this, but I doubt we have much time."

His healing could reduce recovery time from several days to a few hours.

Even so… with the expedition ongoing, he couldn't use his healing magic continuously.

"Ahh… so you'll have to carry me."

"Why?"

"I don't trust anyone else to carry me."

"Can't you trust your other teammates?"

"Nope."

"You don't trust anyone else in this squad but me?"

"Exactly."

Angga touched his forehead with a bitter smile. For someone who seemed like an extrovert, why…

"Let me find someone to help you—"

"No, I want you."

Angga sighed. Why did someone have to disrupt his work like this?

"Why me? Ugh, I still have my medical duties."

"Just carry me while walking. When you work, you can gently set me on the ground."

"Still a hassle."

"Come on~ as fellow outcasts in this squad, let's help each other."

"That's…"

Angga wanted to say, "You're right," but for some reason, he felt too embarrassed to let the words out.

The other squad members were mostly groups from other squads who already had established relationships.

Even Arjuna seemed to have several acquaintances in the squad.

Only Angga and Ayu appeared truly unfamiliar with the others.

"Come on~" Ayu kept persuading him while holding his arm.

"No—"

THUD!

Arjuna slammed his sword sheath onto the ground so hard that all the squad members turned toward him.

"We're moving forward. Those who can't walk will be carried by those who can. The injured will walk at the back. Those fit to fight, stay ready."

Arjuna then turned his back, followed by several squad members behind him.

Slowly, the Hunters got up, some assisting the injured.

Angga could only give Ayu a bitter smile as she looked at him with hopeful eyes.

"Hahh… I'll carry you," he said with a sour face.

"Yay."