Escape - Chapter 21.2
Chapter 21.2
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“It has to be Geto.”
Eric blew out a long breath, his bangs lifting from his forehead, and muttered in annoyance. The deeper they went, the higher the temperature climbed. True to his northern origins, he was vulnerable to heat.
“The sound came from this direction. Shall we go this way?”
“Judging by the temperature, the core of the lair seems to be in that direction, but…reuniting with him takes priority.” Eric answered brazenly, not bothering to hide his relief.
‘He really is worried about Geto, right?’
Adeline barely suppressed the question that was about to escape her lips. They were standing before a fork in the path, so navigating was simple.
They just had to choose between the narrow tunnel and the wider one. Just as they were about to turn towards the wider passage…
“…Help…”
A woman’s plaintive cry suddenly echoed from the narrow tunnel. Both of them stopped and looked at each other. A soft sob, hic, hic, as if about to break at any moment.
“Help me.”
“Did you hear that?”
“…Yes.”
In the tense silence, they listened intently again. “Help me, I’m here.” As if aware of their presence, the woman pleaded again. Her sweet voice was barely a whisper.
“It seems there’s a player trapped in the Serpent’s Lair.”
“Of all places…”
‘In the heat.’
Adeline was certain that was the unspoken ending to his sentence. Eric looked not just annoyed, but genuinely irritated.
Adeline looked up at his handsome face and couldn’t help but giggle. He turned sharply, staring intently at her. His blue eyes sparkled beneath his damp bangs.
“Why are you laughing?”
“No, nothing. You just seem really annoyed.”
“…And you find that amusing.”
“Yes. My personality is a bit…unpleasant.”
At Eric’s dumbfounded expression, Adeline laughed harder. Then, she pulled out a handkerchief and offered it to him. He seemed like a simple person pretending to be complex.
“Here. It’s going to be even hotter in there.”
He took the handkerchief without a word. The shadows cast by the orb of light danced across his face.
His face, illuminated by the faint light, was redder than before.
‘He must be really hot.’
Before he could thank her, Adeline gathered her long hair and tied it up, stepping into the narrow tunnel.
As expected, the tunnel was stiflingly hot. The woman’s cries grew louder, then abruptly ceased. At the same time, Adeline stopped.
“Guild Leader, could you shine your light ahead?”
As Eric stepped forward, the bright light revealed the dead end of the narrow tunnel. And, sitting with her back to the blocked wall, was a woman.
“Are you alright?”
The redhead sat with her head bowed. At her stillness and silence, Eric took a few steps closer and asked. She seemed to be holding something.
“We heard you calling for help outside. If you’re trapped, we can…”
Eric, who had approached within arm’s reach, stopped mid-sentence. Realization flashed across his eyes just as the woman raised her head.
“He…lp…me.”
There were no eyes. Where her eyes should have been were only empty, black sockets. What she held was an empty sling.
Lamias (A-Rank) has appeared.
“Serpent’s Lair truly is the worst.”
He muttered the words like a sigh.
“You’re…not just…leaving…are you?”
The woman fumbled on the ground, then pulled herself up. Her upper body was that of a human woman, but her lower body shimmered with snake scales.
“A Lamia…At this rate, we’ll run into Medusa next.”
“Zeus, I’m…so scared. I can’t…sleep at night…or during the day.”
“Who’s Zeus?” Eric retorted dismissively and turned around without hesitation. Then, he froze.
Adeline was gone. To be precise, where Adeline had been standing, several narrow passages now branched out.
The terrain had changed.
Eric furrowed his brow in annoyance and ran a hand through his hair. Ever since entering Serpent’s Lair, he felt like he’d become a professional complainer.
Of course, Bruja or Geto would scoff if they heard that. Eric was always irritable.
“You can’t…just leave me.”
Letting out an exasperated sigh, Eric slowly turned his head. Over his shoulder, he saw the Lamia, still crawling on the ground, pressing something to her face.
She was putting in her eyes.
“For a game, they’ve got the mythology down pat.”
Skill: Zeus’s Touch – Astrape (Level 5) activated.
“Wouldn’t it be a bit tragic if she fought me, then?”
As he snapped his fingers, the dark cave was momentarily illuminated as bright as day, and lightning struck.
The bolt, piercing the woman’s torso vertically, was followed by a series of strikes before a scream could even escape her. It was a full-power attack, with no attempt to gauge the situation.
Tears of blood streamed from her newly inserted eyes as the Lamia shrieked. Eric continued to rain down lightning bolts with a smirk.
Lamia, loved by Zeus, yet killed along with her children due to Hera’s jealousy. Even in a virtual world, it was a tragic end for her to be killed by Zeus’s weapon.
“Have I caught the gaming bug?”
Eric scoffed, looking down at the charred monster corpse. An A-Rank monster that might have given ordinary players a hard time had the misfortune of encountering a very disgruntled Ranker.
The smell of burning protein filled the air. The realism, the feeling of having actually killed someone, even in a game, made him uneasy.
Eric turned away with a cold expression, pushing the thought aside. His priority was finding his scattered guild members.
