For a while, only the sound of running feet and heavy breathing echoed.

No one could carelessly affirm or deny it. They could only resent the dire situation before them. The very fact that they had to consider the sacrifice of an injured person as an option troubled them.

“B-before…”

When no one answered, Egru opened his mouth once more.

“I-I’ve cleaned underground waterways before… so I… I think I can find it well…”

He felt blood gushing up his back but ignored it. He thought it was good that he had dressed up nicely for once. He also thought he should wash his clothes by the river sometime, as they were more soaked than expected.

“…Can you really do it?”

“O-of course.”

The Orc Chief asked. Egru tried hard to smile, lifting the corners of his mouth that now barely moved.

“No one is forcing you. We might find another way.”

“N-no. I really want to do this…”

Everyone wore pained expressions. After a short, heavy silence, the Orc Chief spoke.

“…Then let’s move to the manhole. I’ve got some rope just in case, so everyone follow me.”

The Orc Chief’s eyes took in Egru at a glance.

“The longer we delay, the greater the burden will be.”

***

“I said I’ll go instead! I’m small too! I’m as small as that guy!”

“But you’re wide instead! Do you think your muscular shoulders can fit in there?”

Tuunri shouted at Bey. Bey stood his ground.

“Push me down from above! Stomp on me hard!”

“Don’t be stubborn! We’ll all die if we can’t get out underground anyway!”

“What’s the use if someone sacrifices themselves!”

“You think you’re the only one who feels that way? I want to treat Egru quickly too!”

Moisture finally seeped into Tuunri’s voice, which had been tense all along.

“Please…”

Bey opened his mouth but couldn’t make a sound. His small head finally bowed.

“I-I’m all ready…”

The Orc Chief walked out carrying Egru. Rope was tightly tied around Egru’s waist and hips.

“I’ll explain again. The core should be glowing, so there shouldn’t be a problem with visibility. When you find the core, pull the rope twice. We’ll pull you up immediately.”

“Y-yes, I understand…”

“And once you secure the core, I’ll destroy it by force.”

“Is that possible? The formulas might burn you when they entangle you.”

“Even if I can’t, I have to.”

The Orc Chief calmly replied to Tuunri’s comment.

“I-I’ll be back. I’ll be back soon.”

“Wait.”

At Egru’s farewell, Tuunri finally stepped forward.

“This isn’t right after all. Come here, Egru.”

“I-I’m fine.”

“How are you fine! Come here right now!”

“You can still stop, Egru.”

The Orc subordinate, who was keeping watch for approaching fireballs, added.

“No one will force you.”

The Orc Chief nodded approvingly.

“It’s a crude method, I’m ashamed. If I could do it, I would have.”

“I-I’m fine…”

Egru, with his pale face, spoke without showing any pain.

“I-I’m quite tough, you know.”

“…I wish you luck.”

Egru nodded and rubbed his hands on the dirt. His hands, which needed to grip the rope, were covered in slippery blood.

“Ah…”

But even for Egru, the manhole size was small. Still, he pushed in little by little.

“Nngh…”

The wound where the arrow shaft was lodged got pressed. Blood burst out, and flesh was tightly squeezed.

Everyone turned away, unable to properly see the horrific sight. Only the Orc Chief directly faced the pain before his eyes.

“Hang in there.”

“Huff, huff…”

The pale green silhouette finally burrowed completely into the underground waterway.

“I’ll lower the rope now. Hold on tight. The passage might be wider than the entrance, so you might swing.”

The Orc Chief, nimbly unraveling the rope, turned back and said:

“Can you buy us some time?”

“How? What method is there?”

“I don’t know. Can you try luring the fireballs?”

“Damn, I knew it would come to this!”

Despite their words, Tuunri and Bey ran off in the opposite direction. The Orc Chief turned back to the underground waterway and asked:

“How is it? Are you descending well?”

It was then.

“I-I see strange letters…”

A terrified voice rose from the underground waterway.

“In-inside a square box-like frame… th-they’re glowing…”

“It’s a hallucination. In extreme situations, auditory or visual hallucinations can occur. Keep your wits about you.”

“B-but…”

Egru in the underground waterway reached out as if entranced.

“It feels like I could touch them…”

The pale green hand passed through the frame where the letters were glowing. Unlike steam or smoke, there wasn’t even a feeling of brushing against anything.

“Oh, I-I guess it really is a hallucination…”

“See?”

“Yes…”

Egru grabbed the rope again. It was better this way. His vision was too blurry to see the letters properly anyway.

Egru looked up. The round, faint light was getting farther away. The rope was smoothly heading towards the bottom.

‘N-normally…’

He would have had to climb down and up entirely by his own strength. It felt like he was doing chimney cleaning comfortably.

“Ah…”

Just then, the barrier core came into view of his amber eyes.

“Wow…”

It was a beautifully glowing stone in various colors. Squiggly worm-like characters were swirling around the core as if embracing it.

“A-amazing…”

Egru carefully picked up the core and pulled the rope twice.

“?”

But for some reason, the rope didn’t move at all.

Egru pulled the rope a few more times with his numbed hands. His already insufficient breath grew rapid.

“The door is open―!”

It was then that a faint shout was heard from above. The sound of many people running reverberated through the underground with thuds.

“H-hey…!”

He tried shouting upwards, but no one answered. Egru guessed his voice must have been too weak.

Normally, he might have tried climbing up alone like when cleaning chimneys, but he had no strength left.

“?”

Strange. He thought he heard Levian’s voice for a moment. It felt like someone calling his name.

‘Th-that can’t be…’

Whatever the case, something must be happening up there. It seemed he would have to get out by himself.

Egru carefully tucked the barrier core into his pocket. He tried to put strength into his legs, which were convulsing on their own. A burning sensation spread throughout his body from his stomach.

Something hot kept flowing down his skin. His vision swam, and his diaphragm stiffened.

Egru gasped for breath. His leg strength had completely given out. He decided not to check his wounds. If he faced them properly, it felt like it might be irreversible.

His eyelids were heavy. His vision flickered like a dying light bulb.

Egru instinctively fumbled slowly in his breast.

“Ah…”

That’s right.

He had dropped the cheese pouch.

His sense of reality grew distant.

Egru just wanted to see his brother.

***

“The door is open―!”

The garbage dump’s door opened before the barrier was even deactivated. But it was a door they couldn’t exit through even if it was open.

With so few survivors now, they had to avoid confrontation with the Imperial soldiers.

The demons tensed and prepared for battle.

Surprisingly, only one human entered through the opened entrance.

Whether his hair was originally red, or if it was because he was covered in blood from head to toe.

A man entirely in red approached, shouting something. He didn’t seem to even notice the fireballs that were still wriggling around.

“What! What!”

Tuunri screamed.

“What on earth is that! Is it some kind of human weapon this time?”

“This might actually be good.”

The Orc Chief, confirming the absence of Imperial soldiers, pulled Egru up in one breath.

The Imperial soldiers all hesitated at the entrance. They seemed reluctant to enter the barrier. They were aware that once they entered, they couldn’t leave again.

“If it’s just one person, we might be able to handle it somehow.”

Egru was already unconscious. Light burst from the blood-soaked pocket. It was the barrier core.

The ‘strange letters’ that now no one else could see glowed alone by Egru’s side.

<system>

‘Unknown’ error occurred. Forced termination of system hibernation.

<system>

Warning: HP is critically low. Prevent loss of life force.