Side Story Death Marathon
"...How many time is this..."
"...Eighth, no ninth I think..."
"...We've gotten really used to dying now huh hahaha..."
"...Don't say it with that dead man look..."
Hello there, we're currently tackling a commission we took at the adventurer guild... Urp, the shock from dying is still lingering, I wanna throw up...
After many many sessions of magic beast culling, I'm now Level 18, Levia is Level 14.
Since we'd gotten relatively strong and all, I thought it'd be nice to take on a commission about helping people every once in a while and found one that piqued my interest.
According to our client, his daughter came down with [Chronic Mana Deficiency] syndrome two years ago. She's now constantly running short of mana, and weakened to the point she can't even have a good quality of life.
It's an extremely rare disease no common antidote potions can cure.
There's no telling how many years it's gonna take to recover naturally, she could even be dying first before that, yet this syndrome can't be cured with normal methods.
You need either the highest grade all curing Panacea, or a medicine concocted specially to cure the syndrome but the former easily costs two, three houses and it's so rare there's no easy way to get your hands on it around these parts.
There is no info on its whereabouts either. The client tried to look up individuals from Medical Care Guild and Alchemist Guild who might have one but he came out empty handed.
Fortunately, the raw material for the special medicine one can be obtained in a nearby area, so this option has a good chance of success.
The area in question isn't inhabited by powerful magic beasts, even newbie adventurers can possibly get this material.
However, the path there is, simply, dangerous.
The route has so many naturally occurring death traps you'd think someone, somewhere set them up...
Who made this death route anyway! Is it the goddess! I was grateful for her sending me here but I won't forgive her this time around!
<<Let's not vent your misplaced anger. Besides weren't all those deaths preventable if only you came prepared and kept your guard up. This happens because you lack the fundamental of adventurers.>>
Warn me about these dangers will you! I feel like I'm gradually losing something important in me whenever I die! Is it the number of my remaining lives!?
<<It's just your mind playing tricks on you, there is no limit on your death. No pain, no gain right? Trial and error it is.>>
Heck this is more trial and dead! Don't you know safety first?!
"The first time we died was thanks to that crumbling ground on top of a cliff, wasn't it."
"Yup, we fell together, forgetting to even use Air Step."
...Then when we got revived at a nearby revival altar, there was this super annoying announcement, 'O hero lololol, how could you die pfft lolololol'.
Apparently a past hero made this altar and recorded the line that would get played whenever a hero is revived but they couldn't hold back their laughter resulting in that infuriating announcement. That past hero is a troll!
<<I'm not sure you're one to talk Neora-san, what's with your harem objective and all...>>
Aah, I can't hear you.
Heck, feels like these past heroes were all true to their desires and acted on them.
They reproduced miso, soy sauce, curry and even this kind of joke facility all over the world. They were way too free.
So that's how uneventful my first death was, recalling that gives me an indescribable shiver.
No, I guess for the first and second. We died again over there.
Even though I know we'll get revived right away, there's this bizarre dread of actually experiencing death you think will never happen to you.
...But our client's daughter might die if we gave up halfway, and she'd die for good, unlike us. We gotta press on and complete this commission while braving our fear.
"Then on our second try, we managed to pass that area and came across a river with a very strong current. We slipped when we tried to jump over."
"The rock there was really slippery, ended up getting washed away by the strong current and dying..."
It's like that scene in a certain super hell village... Does anyone even get this reference.
Afterward we kept risking our lives, or rather dying multiple times before we eventually reached the spot where the raw material is.
Which is the head of a huge anaconda-like magic beast, [Elemental Snake].
Meaning we have to beat it to get it.
The snake itself isn't strong Stat-wise, just fighting it would be a cinch but the issue is in its nature.
Its huge size belies its timid nature as it keeps running away from us.
Being a snake and all, it can go in gaps and twists impossible for us to venture in, driving it into a corner is an ordeal in itself.
We attempted to kill it quick and got lured into an area full of poisonous swamps and vegetation with blade-like leaves, dying in the process. The snake seems to have a full knowledge of the topography here, it's easily slipping past all those danger zones unharmed.
Then as we kept trying again and again, our deaths reached two digits before we knew it.
Frankly, I don't think I can go on anymore. Wonder if this is how those protagonists in death-return stories feel...
But I won't give up. I can't give up.
"I ain't ever giving up until I made that darned snake pay...!"
"I will never forget that face as it watched us dying in that natural trap just before we cornered it for good...!"
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
The two of us grumbled our grudges as we braved through precarious paths.
Saving the girl and completing the commission are one thing, but more than those, our main driving force now is to see that snake suffers.
Remembering the face of that giant snake made me feel a surprising amount of hatred welling up from within me, overwriting the dread of dying.
'Hatred breeds nothing' is invalid this time around. Grudge being my motivation may be unbecoming of a hero but I don't care. I'll never forgive you, dangitallll!!
"Now then, it's our tenth try. Let's see who's gonna die this time you darned snake...!"
"Fufufu... We've gotten a good grasp on your behavioral pattern and this area's terrain by now... You're done for...!"
<<The two of you look the very picture of undead. It's really scaring me...>>
『Ss, ssssss.....!』
I agree, we really do look like vengeful spirits. Hellro instead of hero. Uh forget it.
The expression on the giant snake looks daunted if I'm not just imagining things.
It must be experiencing an unknown sense of terror, being targeted by two people who keep coming back from death.
"Your head is mineeee!!"
"I'll cut it off for good!!"
『Sss, shaaaaaaaaaa!!!?』
"We've... brought the medicine..."
"Hiii!? O-oh you're the two who took the commission... Are you all right?"
After defeating the giant snake, we asked an apothecary to make the medicine and brought it to the client's house.
Physically and mentally exhausted as well as reeling from the shock of dying so many times, we must be emanating a hard to approach aura right now.
"Pardon. The path there was more precarious than we anticipated..."
"I-is that so, please excuse me for screaming as well, thank you... I'm so grateful of you two, Olivie can be cured now...!"
I think Olivie is the daughter's name.
Whoops, gotta tell him about the medicine's side effect.
"Excuse me, I need to give a warning before your daughter takes that medicine."
"? Is there a problem?"
"Apparently the medicine has a side effect that makes its taker lose a bit of their life force. Letting her ingest it when she's weakened may be dangerous. It's a good idea to either let her take a recovery potion together with the medicine or have someone cast healing magic on her afterward... Would you like me to?"
"A-are you sure? Not only have you fetched the medicine, you would even go so far..."
"We're in together on this boat ride. We might as well see it to the end."
"Boat ride...? I-is that right, thank you very much."
...Hm? He looks confused at that saying, wonder why?
<<Probably because Japanese proverbs don't really get conveyed here~. Some proverbs did get popularized by past heroes but nobody knows other kinds.>>
So I just made myself look like a fool saying random stuff huh. I wanna die.
Now then, let's get to curing the daughter shall we.
The old man led us to his daughter's room where a long silver haired beautiful girl is lying on the bed.
She's bedridden and constantly weakened from the mana deficiency.
When she noticed us, she put on glasses left on the table next to her bed and spoke.
Whoa, huge. And I don't mean her height, they're enormous!
Aaa I'm sorry Levia, forgive me, don't pinch my back, please don't pinch my back so hard owowowowow!!
"...Good morning, dad... And they are...?"
"Olivie, everything is going to be okay now. These kids brought your medicine. You'll be cured now...!"
"I-I will...? T-thank you so much... I've been feeling weaker by the day. I thought I wasn't going to make it...!"
Olivie-san thanked us while tearing up.
Yup, thank goodness. This is worth dying many times over.
<<Please don't phrase it like that... Hm? Hmmm!?>>
Shaddup... What's wrong? Something bothering you about Olivie-san?
<<W-why don't you check her Status...!?>>
What's up with you all of a sudden... Wait, does she have another chronic disease on her?
I checked her Status while feeling anxious. Let's se...?
Olivier
Level 15
Age: 17
Race: Human
Job: Sage
State: Chronic Mana Deficiency Syndrome, Mana Shortage (Large), Weakened (Small), Hunger (Small)
[Attributes]
HP (Health): 111/256
MP (Mana): 24/321
SP (Stamina): 21/128
STR (Strength): 100
ATK (Attack): 100
DEF (Defense): 115
AGI (Agility): 97
INT (Intelligence): 278
DEX (Dexterity): 125
PER (Perception): 101
RES (Resistance): 122
LUK (Luck): 51
[Skills]
Wand Art Level 3, Martial Art Level 2, Offensive Magic Level 6, Support Magic Level 4, Recovery Magic Level 4, Elemental Magic Level 1, Space Magic Level 1
...Eh, [Sage]?
I've seen a lot of people so far but never one with [Sage] Job.
Heck, what's up with that super high INT!? It's not as high as mine now, but it's way higher than mages on the same level.
<<It's a super rare Job that can only be obtained if you learn four kinds of Magic Skills before coming of age! It's so scarce you can probably count on one hand the number of people that have this Job in the entire world!>>
Really?
...Maybe I could invite her to join our party after she's taken her medicine.
I won't pressure her to agree, but her Stats are simply wonderful. Hope she's receptive.
Then as a member of my harem I will enjoy those bouncy owowowowowow!! Levia it's tearing! My skin's tearing up if you keep that up, I'm begging you, stop!
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