Surviving in the Labyrinth City of the Reverse World

29 – Scumbags #3

“One, two, three….”

There were seven scumbags. There were seven trash trying to kill the inexperienced adventurers and kidnap the boys.

“No boys. Only seven women.”

Wasn’t it customary for there to be one boy and two women in a party?

Based on the knowledge I had, it was absurd. They all looked fine, even though they should have been devoured by the darkness of the labyrinth.

Seven scumbags roaming around without a single boy. Is it really possible?

I was curious, but I didn’t have the luxury to ask someone.

“You damn scumbags!”

The only person who could possibly answer my question was Lauren.

Lauren was busy fighting the scumbags. She was stabbing and slashing at them with her dagger.

Whack!

“Just because you have nothing better to do, you do this kind of sh*t!”

The vulgar cursing was a bonus.

“Grr…! Why are they so fast…!”

“You rat bastard!”

The bandits were completely overwhelmed. Lauren’s claim that they mainly operated on the fourth floor seemed to be true.

One by one, they were taken care of, displaying overwhelming skill.

“What should we do about this beast?”

One of the bandits shouted. However, no one paid attention to her words.

They couldn’t afford to listen.

Lauren was not the only explorer here. There was also Suwoo, an indispensable member of the White Tiger Clan.

“The stench is unbearable… How many children have they killed…”

Suwoo’s yellow eyes glared fiercely. He didn’t hide his claws in the face of blatant evil.

Slash!

“Ah!”

For a moment, the bandits’ attention shifted to Lauren.

Suwoo swiftly swiped his arm at the defenseless opponent’s chest, leaving behind a sharp, red grid pattern with his claws.

“Grrr…!”

Blood splattered. The bandit, unable to withstand the impact, fell down.

Lauren took care of two, and Suwoo dealt with one. In less than 20 seconds, almost half of the bandits had lost their lives.

“W-What is this…! A b-beast…! How can it use the ‘Beast Soul’ in the labyrinth!”

Suwoo’s upper body was already covered in white fur. He had absorbed the ancient soul only on his shoulders and arms, enhancing his strength to the first level of the ‘Beast Soul.’

But even that was enough to deal with the bandits.

The bandits desperately tried to escape. Lauren wasn’t one to just watch them.

The “dagger throw” unfolded brilliantly.

Thunk!

“f*ck…!”

The bandit fell, a dagger lodged in the back of his head.

The remaining bandits glared at us, swallowing their saliva. Though their momentum had already been broken, they somehow managed to raise their thorny defenses.

They were struggling to survive.

“Do you know who we are? Huh?”

“We’re the followers of the Eumma! If the sisters find out, you’ll be…!”

Lauren stepped forward confidently. With the force to gouge out eyeballs, she pulled out a new dagger from her bosom.

At that moment, the bandit who had been holding the boy shouted.

“If you come any closer, I’ll kill him.”

“P-Please… spare… me…”

A dagger was pressed against the boy’s throat. He was a hostage.

“You f*cking b*tch…”

Lauren flinched. Unable to get any closer, she stopped in her tracks.

The terrified boy pleaded, tears streaming down his face like droppings.

“P-Please… spare me… I… I don’t want to die…”

His words were of no use in the current situation. His plea only worsened the situation.

I understand. I, too, experienced a similar attack by wolves when I first opened my eyes in this world. I understand all too well.

It’s frightening and terrifying.

So I want to save them.

“It can’t be helped.”

It’s impossible to completely control emotions in a situation where you could die.

In fact, just enduring without passing out was already a miracle.

If the boys had lost their minds in panic, the fallen female explorers would have been devoured by the darkness of the labyrinth.

The boys were doing their best for their party members.

“Those damn b*tches. You shouldn’t touch the kid.”

Lauren and Suu gritted their teeth.

They, too, were adults who valued the sacrifice of the boys. They could only be angry at the evil of the wanderer.

The wanderer spoke.

“You shouldn’t touch the kid? Why not? Even in the Empire, they’ve already drafted boys and sent them into the labyrinth.”

The wanderer pressed a blade against the boy’s neck and let out a sinister laugh. It was a disgusting laugh, completely different from the smiles of Lauren and Suu.

“Those bastards who will die someday. We’re just sharing, isn’t that wrong?”

“…Crazy bastards.”

“Don’t move. If you move, I’ll kill you.”

They moved cautiously. It seemed like they were trying to take the portal to the second floor.

If they continued like this, they would lose sight of the children.

“hehehe, just as I expected, big sister.”

“We’ve killed a lot…Well, those who will die here won’t be missed for long.”

“Even though we intentionally came up to the first floor, all four of them died. Sigh.”

The surviving bandits lead the boys towards the portal. They divide themselves as hostages, so that even if someone is ambushed, the rest can kill.

‘What should I do…’

One of the bandits, with empty hands, approached Lauren and swung a fist at him.

Smack! Bam!

“You bastard. You were fine when my brothers were killed, right? Kyack, hmph!”

He could have avoided it. But instead of dodging, Lauren took the blow with his face.

It seemed like he thought that if he provoked the bandits here, the boys could get hurt.

“Wait a minute.”

Lauren’s face was a mess. While the enraged bandits were gasping for breath, he drew their attention.

“Well….”

His eyes met with the boys who were being held captive.

“I, I can take their place….”

“No, you can’t.”

Soo interrupted me. We’ve never had a moment like this together.

For the first time today, he stood in my way.

“It’s absolutely not allowed.”

Soo said firmly. For some reason, he felt unfamiliar.

“…But I can’t just let the kids go….”

“I care more about Ray.”

It is a tragic sight to see boys being abducted right before my eyes, but I prioritized my own safety. I believed it was better for two unknown boys to die than for me to lose my life.

That’s what I argued in front of everyone.

“You, this is too much!”

Naturally, there was backlash. The captured boys and the female explorers who communicated with them cried out for help.

There is only one way to save the boys here. I must become the hostage.

“To prove my worth.”

I took a deep breath and spoke up.

“I have a ‘Soul Protection’ skill at Rank B.”

There was a lot of explanation packed into that short sentence. In summary, it meant that I was better than those two, so let them go.

The bystander who understood my words stroked his chin with interest and spoke.

“Rank B? If you’re really Rank B, you’re much better than Rank F or Rank E. There’s no reason we can’t meet your demands.”

“…Please let them go.”

“You have to come first. And you have to prove yourself.”

“Isn’t it enough to prove that I have a demi-human in my party?”

“Not enough. Come closer and strip from your pants.”

The bystander pointed his dagger at my abdomen and threatened. Unable to bear it, Swu rushed at the bystander.

“Swu!”

I stopped Swu in his tracks. To give a more emphatic warning, I released and activated “Soul Protection” for a second.

The darkness of the labyrinth raised its head for a moment and then disappeared.

“Ray…!”

Swu, who was deeply shocked, looked at me and choked up.

“I have no intention of dying.”

I am not the kind of person who clings to life to the point of sacrificing others. I am not that selfless of a hero.

I think I can save the children with my plan, so I’m going to give it a try.

I spoke slowly as I took a step.

“…The bread Swu made was really delicious. It’s a shame I won’t be able to eat it anymore.”

“Don’t go… I only have Ray… that’s all…”

Farewell.

Swu grabbed onto me, tears streaming down their face. They didn’t even hear what I said in their ears.

“Please… I can’t go on without Ray… I need Ray…”

Swu lost their composure and slumped down. Lauren patted their shoulder, trying to comfort them.

“Aren’t you sad? Ray has made the decision to sacrifice and leave! You can’t stop them, but…!”

“So what can you do? Besides whining! What can you actually do?”

Lauren snapped. It seemed like they couldn’t stand Swu’s tantrums any longer.

In that instant, Lauren and I made eye contact.

Leaving crying Swu behind, I approached the bandits. They said they would release the children after checking my belongings.

“But what if I become a hostage in this situation? What will happen then?”

There was no guarantee that they would keep their promise to release me.

“I have to act quickly.”

The timing had come early.

I untied the waistband of my pants and stood in a relaxed position in front of the bandits. I lifted my pants up, revealing the contents hanging from my groin.

“Oh…!”

“It’s so big!”

The bandits, who were holding onto the boys one by one, exclaimed in awe. I seized the opportunity and used my artifact.

Unleashing three charged “Magic Arrows” simultaneously with the [Avella’s Arrow Bracelet] and [Theos’s Protection Bracelet]–

Phoof, phoof!

Yellow magical arrows, generated behind me, pierced through the bandits’ foreheads in an instant. Two bandits, whose hands were occupied holding hostages, lost their lives in a pitiful manner.

“Swuu!”

At the moment the “Magic Arrows” killed the bandits,

Lauren called out to Swuu and rushed forward. She swiftly retreated, taking care of the freed boys.

“You’re going down too!”

The bandit who survived by dodging the “Magic Arrows” finished assessing the situation. He immediately swung his dagger.

Tereung-!

Unfortunately, a translucent barrier, “Barrier,” protected me. The dagger couldn’t penetrate the magic.

“Damn it…!”

Phew-

The bandit’s last words were a curse. With those words, her head disappeared.

Swuu, who had approached unnoticed, had severed the bandit’s head and neck.

“Kaen!”

“Sister, nooo!”

A Touching Reunion.

Lauren, who had been watching that sight absentmindedly, approached me and gently stroked my head.

“I should praise you for this. You managed to shoot down three ‘Magic Arrows’ and capture the bandits. Impressive, isn’t it?”

“Promise me you won’t do something reckless like this again, Ray!”

It was entirely my responsibility to calm down Sou, who was whining more than the kids who barely survived.