CHAPTER 23

"What's your name?"

"Rain."

"Hmph, I knew from the start you'd be irritating. Turns out your name suits you perfectly! You really are like an annoying downpour, you little brat."

"Actually, my name is Sun."

"W-What?! Don't lie to me! Your identification tag will say everything."

As the bickering continued between Archer Rem and Rain, they ventured deeper into the heart of the Red Ridge. The further they went, the fewer people they saw, and eerie cries began to echo around them.

Two potions clinked against Rain's belt, and he gripped a staff in his hand.

Bart assured him that he'd protect him, telling him not to be scared. But Rain's silence wasn't due to fear—it was because of a deep and overwhelming sense of déjà vu.

"..."

The stifling heat of the Red Ridge, the ever-chatty party member beside him… Suddenly, a fleeting image of the backs of a hero's party crossed his mind, and a dull ache settled in his chest.

"Brother, this is your first adventure, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"Do you know the habits of Rat-Spiders?"

He didn't.

Once, he had hunted the "Ancients," those who served the Abyssal Lords. He had never felt the need to learn about the monsters left behind on the continent.

"You only need to know that they have a ruling class and a subordinate class," Bart explained.

According to their explanation, Rat-Spiders were divided into Queens, Soldiers, and Workers.

"The Workers are pests that gnaw on trees, but they flee at the sight of humans. The only ones that attack humans are the Soldiers."

"And the Queen?"

"She forms a colony and commands the Rat-Spiders under her. Taking down the Queen is equivalent to killing a thousand Rat-Spiders at once."

Rem, who had been skillfully tracking Rat-Spider traces hidden in the underbrush, scoffed.

"Don't even think about hunting one. Only high-level adventurers like Bart and me, working in a proper party, can even attempt that. Not that they come to the surface anyway."

Yeah, no intention of hunting one.

At least, not until he found out about the bounty for slaying a Queen Rat-Spider.

Rat-Spiders were large, grotesque creatures.

As their name suggested, they had the head of a rat and the body of a spider.

But they were more cunning than rats and inspired more primal disgust than spiders.

"Uryaaaah!"

A sharp axe blade cleaved through the air, slicing into the monster's flesh and sending a spray of blood flying.

Squeeeeeak!

Squeeeeeak!

The sound of something piercing through the air followed—an arrow whistling toward its target. The moment the noise stopped, an arrowhead embedded itself squarely in the forehead of a rat, causing it to convulse in its death throes.

"Yes! That makes twelve!"

The moment they arrived at the hunting grounds Rem had scouted, he and Bart immediately went on a rampage, slaughtering the Rat-Spiders. Even by Lin's standards, their skills were exceptional.

"Bart! There are too many adventurers! Don't even think about resting!"

"I know!"

Adventurers were known for sharing information, so the hunting grounds were packed, with parties spread out at roughly 50-meter intervals.

—Whoa, how much money is all this worth?

—Is this what printing money looks like?!

Leaning lazily against a tree, Rain yawned as he watched the chaotic battle. It was unbelievably boring.

"Are you sure I don't have to fight? We're splitting the profit four ways."

The support priest, Sammy, smiled as he read his holy scripture under the shade of a tree.

"Yes. Just light the campfire later. Or conjure some drinking water."

"That's it?"

"They never intended for you to fight when they invited you into the party."

"What do you mean?"

Rain replied indifferently, lying down on the grass with his hands behind his head. It was unbearably hot.

"They just wanted to help you. That's the kind of people they are. They did the same for me."

Sammy explained that he had needed money to take his priesthood exam, and those two had overheard his situation at a bar and insisted on helping him.

"I already earned enough for my exam, but I stuck around. Being with them feels like basking in the love of the gods."

So that was it.

They were the kind of people who helped others. Good people. Just like Rista.

—Let's go, Lin.

Now that he thought about it, the way Bart smiled earlier reminded him of Rista.

Wait a second.

"Sammy, do you know about Tureina?"

"How could I not?"

"Is Tureina considered a heretic by the church?"

A heretic… Sammy tilted his head in confusion, then furrowed his brows as if recalling something.

At that moment—

Aaaaaagh!

A horrifying scream rang out. The adventurers, who had been fighting so fiercely, all froze in place.

Boom…! The ground trembled under the weight of something massive.

When the adventurers turned to look, their pupils dilated in sheer terror.

Something huge. Something terrifying was approaching.

Its blood-soaked jaws clamped down on a helpless adventurer, whose agonized screams echoed across the battlefield.

"W-What the hell?!"

"N-No way!"

It was massive.

Beyond massive.

They had expected them to be the size of an adult man, but this one was at least twice as large as Bart.

"A Q-Queen?! On the surface?!"

Seasoned adventurers felt cold sweat trickling down their backs. Inexperienced ones shrieked and ran for their lives.

"No! Don't turn your backs on it!"

Silver-ranked adventurer Bart shouted desperately.

"Rat-Spiders are a different kind of threat when under the Queen's command."

According to The Adventurer's Chronicles by the great adventurer Lutheim:

"Normally, they are nothing but a disorderly swarm. However, under a Queen's leadership, they move as a synchronized slaughter machine—more precise than even the mechanical devices of the Dwarves."

As if to prove the statement true, the Rat-Spiders' eyes gleamed with a terrifying phosphorescent glow, branded with the Queen's insignia.

Those who hadn't seen it—or those who failed to heed Bart's warning—were the first to die.

Rat-Spiders pounced on the fleeing adventurers, sinking their fangs deep into their throats.

"This is why rookies are a pain…!"

Rem uncorked the flask at his waist and downed every last drop.

Seeing that, Rain unconsciously whistled.

"Alcohol? Kie's Archery…?"

The foundation of Drunken Archery was, of course, intoxication.

The stronger the drunkenness, the more powerful the archery techniques became. Drinking an entire bottle at once meant pushing its power to the very limit.

But there was also risk—he could vomit mid-battle or pass out completely.

'Interesting. Let's see how good you really are.'

Then, in a flash, three arrows were notched at once.

Swoosh!

Each arrow wobbled oddly in flight, but they all struck the exact same target—the heads of the Rat-Spiders attacking the adventurers.

"Stop standing around and fight! Unless you wanna die!"

Rem's roar snapped the terrified adventurers out of their daze, and with shaking hands, they gripped their weapons once more.