Esther looked around. Complete and utter chaos. People were running everywhere, trying to take any piece of ration they could.
After a while, the panic died down and everyone formed groups. It seemed that people who spoke the same language were huddling together. They had their backs against the invisible wall of the exit, trying to escape as soon as they were able to.
Other groups picked up their weapons and eyed the monsters hole warily. One look and the Fox-girl could see that apart from a few people, no one was really used to wielding weapons.
Esther frowned. Through the screaming voices, she could hear grunts and growls of monsters coming from the exit hole. Looks like nowhere is really safe.
The mood was definitely getting better. But Esther knew that the worst was yet to come. She tapped on Freya’s shoulder.
“Still can fight?”
“Y-Yes…” She nocked an arrow on her bow. “R-Ready when you are.”
There was another group of people near Esther. She noticed that they dropped their weapons on the ground, fell to their knees, and clasped their hands together in what she assumed to be a prayer. They looked like the others, sure, but their clothes were different. It looked like clothing designed to deal with extreme heat. At least, that was what she thought when she saw the white towel that they kept wrapped around their head.
Normally, she wouldn’t even care about them, but… the more people picked up weapons, the better.
What are you doing? Get a weapon and prepare. “뭐 하는 거야? 무기를 챙겨서 준비하세요.” She tapped her foot and pointed to the pile of weapons before them, making her intention obvious.
The man at the front opened one eye. He gnashed his teeth and hissed in anger. “闭嘴！上帝会保护我们所有人！”
I guess that’s a no. Esther shrugged. She kicked a pair of Cestus toward Freya. She then kicked more arrows toward her.
[Monsters will be released in three minutes. The way out will be unblocked in three minutes.]
It was almost time. Esther beckoned Freya closer and stood in front of her. “Stay behind me and kill when you can.” If level zero was anything to go by, then she guessed that the more monsters she killed the better. And by the sound that was coming into her ears, she could tell that Goblins were going to come.
Suddenly, a man with sharp features stood in front of Esther protectively. He spoke fluent Korean. Esther had to process what he said for a few seconds to fully understand.
“Kids? Dammit, kids are here this time? Get behind me!”
Well… “We can take care of ourselves.” Obviously.
The man shook his head. He readied his broadsword and pointed it at the monsters hole. “Dammit, I really failed last time! To care so much for my own life that I didn’t even notice these two kids dying…. Police-ssi! Over here!”
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
A hulking man with a large metal shield stepped up. His skin was almost as black as the night sky, and his height was simply staggering. Esther didn’t know how she didn’t notice him until now….
Like the handsome man with sharp features, he also spoke Korean.
“Stay back. Although I’ve only known Mr. Numbers for a few minutes, I can tell you that he has the best of intentions for everyone here.”
If they want to die so badly….
Esther took a few steps away from the monsters hole and took Freya with her. All the while, she viewed the titles of the handsome man named Kim and the black-skinned man named Trevor.
[Valiant Policeman], was the title of the bulky man.
While Number’s title wasn’t so simple.
[082 101 103 114 101 115 115 111 114]
Number? What?
An “explanation” appeared before her.
[The one who returned]
[50% increase in all stats until the end of the Tutorial]
I can see what titles do? Esther gazed above Freya’s head. She’d been curious as to what her title meant for a few minutes now.
[Color Maniac]
[The one who’s curious about fabric colors]
[Can see what color any piece of clothing is, regardless of whether or not it is obscured]
Reflexively, Esther covered her crotch. Inching closer to Freya, she asked, “What colors are my panties?”
“Huh— eh? White—”
But it was too late for Freya. Esther had already given her looks of disgust. Freya drooped her shoulders dejectedly.
Realizing that she was probably a bit too harsh, Esther approached her again and asked, “What would happen if you unequip the title?”
“W-Well, the cube told me that I-I can’t see colors through things anymore.”
“Good.” She put a hand on Freya’s shoulder. “Unequip it as soon as you get a new one. Understand?”
“Y-Yes!”
[Monsters will be released in fifteen seconds. The way out will be unblocked in fifteen seconds.]
It’s almost time. Esther sat down on the ground and leaned against a wall; not really concerned. She beckoned Freya to sit down too, to which the Dryad agreed.
[Timer completed. Unblocking….]
With a loud boom, the invisible barrier cracked. Countless red eyes could be seen in the darkness of the monsters hole. Soon, an innumerable amount of goblins rushed out; all equipped with swords, spears, and shields.
“KYAHHHHH!”
A woman’s scream woke everyone up from their stupor. They quickly ran through the exit and into the light. But the ones that exited first were screaming on the other side, making the ones who hadn’t hesitate.
Meanwhile, Number and Police were doing better than Esther had thought. They alternated between attacking and defending, killing monsters as they came. Ah, they’re killing everything.
But even that didn’t stop some of the monsters from slipping past them. One goblin in particular felt the need to target Esther.
“No! Run!”
Esther shook her head at Number’s desperate shout. She took a step forward and bashed the goblin on its head, making it fall down to the ground in pain.
Hmmpph… Not enough strength. She stomped it on the face until it stopped moving.
Ignoring the shocked faces of Police and Number, she stepped up and unsheathed Requiem.
“Stealing all my kills? [Moon Arch]”
One simple slash was all it took for all the goblins present to be cut in half. But Esther didn’t stop there. She dashed into the monsters hole, intending on using her fifteen seconds to its fullest.
Freya followed her suit with her bow already loaded.
On the outside, Number was staring at Esther’s back, completely shocked. He nearly dropped his sword to the ground as he muttered,
“...Demon Sword Maiden?”