Consciousness slowly returns.
……Did I black out for a moment? For how long?
My ears are muffled and my vision is all gray.
Spitting out the dust that had filled my airway, I checked my body's condition first.
'No pain, at least.'
Too early for relief. There are cases where the pain comes late even after a serious injury.
As expected, after a few seconds passed, my whole body began to ache as if beaten.
'Whew.'
Even so, I was relieved.
It felt like mostly bruises, so moving didn't seem to be much of a strain.
Before long, some enormous shape came into view through the dust.
'……Fucking prick.'
So it finally dropped dead.
I let out a sigh as I looked at the octopus bastard's corpse.
Its official name was 'Black Octopus That Binds and Crushes,' wasn't it?
Honestly, it was so enormous that even now I couldn't tell whether it was completely dead.
'I think I saw a status message saying it had dropped dead, though.'
I felt like I'd seen a few other messages besides that, too—
"Ugh……."
My body swayed.
Symptoms close to anemia. Checking my condition again, I soon realized my flank was damp.
Feeling it on reflex—good grief. It was soaked with blood.
It seemed enough blood had leaked to soak the bandage sodden; probably the aftermath of moving my body so violently.
'I think I got hammered a few times while rolling around, too.'
Is this what they mean by pain that becomes real once you notice it?
The pain I'd dismissed as bruising swelled in size in an instant.
I forced down the groan rising in my throat.
For a player, there was something to prioritize even over first aid.
'Items first…….'
The octopus bastard's corpse was crumbling away and vanishing, and before long, two items were left sitting there alone.
A whip shaped like a tentacle, and a raw stone.
Tentacle Whip
Grade: Unique
It never breaks. Getting hit by it won't hurt much, but it may make you angry, so be careful.
A Unique item?
'No wonder it was so filthy hard.'
This octopus bastard was boss-class.
Unique-grade items only drop when you kill a boss monster.
But why is the item description like this?
'If it doesn't hurt when it hits, it doesn't seem meant to be used as a weapon.'
……Is there a use I don't know about? Or is it just the developer bastards messing with me?
Feeling less than thrilled, I turned my eyes to the next item.
Unlike the <Raw Stone of Talent> I'd obtained earlier, this one had a bluish tint…….
If this thing was a boss monster, I could roughly guess what item this was.
Trait Blooming Raw Stone
Grade: Grade 4
Randomly blooms a Trait of Grade D or above.
'As I thought.'
This time, it's a haul that could be called a jackpot.
The <Trait Blooming Raw Stone> is, literally, an item that randomly blooms one of your character's Traits…….
In FoS, Traits are far more important than ordinary stats or Talent values.
At least in this game, they're the element with the greatest influence on the direction of your build.
'Not that it's an item you can just use freely, though.'
As written in the description, the Trait that blooms is random.
Meaning one is drawn at random from among the hundreds, thousands, or more Traits that exist.
What if a Trait opposed to your build direction comes up?
'A straight course to a ruined character.'
Of course, that's only if you use it as is.
Combine a Trait Blooming Raw Stone with a specific item, and it upgrades into a higher-tier item. To put it in extreme terms—
Use a sword as the material, and it becomes a <Warrior Trait Blooming Raw Stone>…….
Mix in a fruit that raises intelligence, and it transforms into a <Mage Trait Blooming Raw Stone>. That kind of system.
'Getting the materials is a bit rough, granted.'
Still, it's far better than just using it, so I'm keeping it for now.
"Whew……."
To think I'd get one Talent raw stone, one Trait raw stone, and even a Unique item at the tutorial stage. The <Instant-Death Route> indeed?
Of the countless runs I'd played, this was a record-breaking start.
Only after gathering up all the items did I take the bandages and antiseptic from my breast.
I'd meant to carry out my belated first aid…….
"M-Mr. Kaindel…… urgh."
The mage's voice reached me.
Seems this one had saved his life too.
"You all right?"
"M-my leg won't move……. If you could help me……"
Somehow, that made me uneasy.
When I went toward the voice, the mage greeted me with one leg pinned under an iron cage.
"Hmm……."
It looked bad. The corner had gouged into his thigh and blood was pouring out, and it didn't seem the kind of thing that simply moving the cage would fix.
"Hugh, hngh, hk……."
The mage was drooling and weeping from the pain. Even so, he spoke in a trembling voice.
"Mr. Kai, ndel…… in, in my left bag…… there's a potion……"
A potion?
I hurriedly opened the bag to check, and there really was a potion.
Slosh.
Three bottles of it, no less.
"I'm using one bottle."
"Pardon……?"
"I'm hurt too. I can't put any strength in."
The mage, slightly startled, accepted once I showed him the blood soaking my flank.
"Y-you must only use one bottle……"
Fussy, aren't we.
I immediately opened the potion's cap, removed the blood-soaked bandage, and poured it over the wound on my flank.
SSSSSSSS—
"Hnngh……."
My head buzzed numb.
It felt like pouring hydrochloric acid rather than a potion—in my original world, I'd have screamed disgracefully.
Since it carries out rapid regeneration and disinfection of the wound simultaneously, this much pain is only natural, I suppose.
Gulp.
I poured only half on the wound, and tossed the other half into my mouth.
I figured this would be more effective than sprinkling it over my whole body.
At that, I felt pain like my entire body was being beaten with a club, and before long, it vanished.
'……The effect is killer.'
I thought I'd been bruised all over, but it felt like everything had become perfectly fine.
It hurt so filthy bad that I'd rather not use it if I could help it, though.
"Mr. Kaindel…… now……"
"I know."
At the mage bastard's urging, I lifted the iron cage.
The fairly heavy cage lifted more easily than I'd expected.
I hadn't noticed until just now, but somehow my body seemed to have grown lighter.
'Ah.'
Come to think of it, I think I saw a message that my level had risen. What's my level now, I wonder?
THUUUD.
Once the iron cage was moved aside, the mage bastard finally checked his wound.
"Urrp……."
Then, his face immediately turning wan, he said to me.
"I-I'm sorry, but could you pour the potion for me……?"
You're really something else.
Of course, I now owed him a debt of one potion, so I granted the mage's request without complaint.
SSSSSSSS—
"Gyaaaaaaaah……!"
Bastard. Such theatrics.
Of course, the wound being as severe as it was, the pain must be great too.
'Anyway, will this potion cure it completely?'
Unlike my relatively minor injury, the mage's leg had been on the verge of being severed entirely.
But making my worry moot, new flesh sprouted rapidly from the leg, pushing out torn cloth, metal fragments, and blackish blood in the process.
'Don't tell me this……'
Just in case, I checked the potion.
High-Grade Potion
A potion that restores a large amount of health.
So it really was a High-Grade Potion.
A consumable that instantly fills a whopping 50% or more of your HP…….
'That's not something someone at this bastard's level should have.'
And not one bottle, but three.
What on earth is this guy?
"Kaindel……."
At that moment, I felt a faint breeze, and at some point, the spirit summoner sister was standing behind me.
"You made it."
"Yeah……."
She wasn't entirely unharmed.
She was bleeding, as if she'd struck her forehead.
"Hngh, hnk…… y-you're alive……. K-Kria…… h-here, drink this……."
Seeing her, the mage bastard held out the remaining potion to his sister.
So that timid bastard had given me the side-eye about using only one bottle because he'd saved the last for his sister.
Is this what they call sibling love?
'……Anyway, what now?'
Originally, right after the train overturns, you face a flood of Magic Beasts—but those Magic Beast bastards had been wiped out in the fight with the octopus bastard.
Have I secured time to catch my breath, at least?
'As if.'
With a cold laugh, I picked up the scythe.
"……Mr. Kaindel?"
"I'm going to scout the surroundings, so stay here. Keep your presence hidden as much as possible."
"U-understood."
This was no situation for lounging around comfortably.
There might still be living Shadows or Magic Beasts, and it wouldn't be strange if there were other threats besides.
I advanced, carefully surveying my surroundings.
"Cough……."
Goddamn dust…….
The train had overturned so spectacularly that my vision was still hazy.
I couldn't see the surroundings well, but the same went for any opponent. Now was the ideal time to move.
Rustle.
The instant I sensed a presence, I dropped flat.
Close enough that my chin nearly touched the ground.
A ridiculous sight, but I had no room to think about that.
Grrrrrr……!
A Magic Beast's cry?
With the feeling that it somehow sounded familiar, I carefully advanced toward the source of the sound.
'That's……?'
A Shadow.
The octopus bastard I'd killed.
'How is it alive?'
The system had said it was dead, and I'd witnessed the main body turn to dust and scatter.
After observing a little longer, I was able to figure out that Shadow bastard's identity.
'An individual separated from the main body.'
There was no body—just one severed leg, writhing and struggling.
Probably the type that's recognized as an independent individual the moment it's separated from the main body.
An especially annoying mob type, even in FoS.
'Still, finishing it off doesn't seem like it'd be hard…….'
Left alone, it would die before long, but there's no reason to leave a risk factor lying around.
Of course, contrary to that thought, I didn't act right away.
Krrng! KRAAAAK!
Because there was already something fighting hard against the octopus leg.
A thing bravely swinging its claws even while looking like a rat wrapped up by a snake.
[Lv.19 'Blade Weasel']
It looked familiar. This was one of the Magic Beasts that had fought the Shadow alongside me on the train.
Crack, crunch……!
Even an octopus with one leg left had considerable crushing force, it seemed—I could hear bones creaking in the weasel's small body.
The weasel swung its claws and bit the octopus with a pained face, but it didn't have much effect.
"……"
I watched that sight, then stepped in at the right moment and cut the octopus leg.
SLASH!
The mantis scythe, sure enough.
The octopus leg, split cleanly in half, dropped to the ground with a splat, writhed a few times, and vanished in an instant.
KRAAAAAK!
The freed weasel rolled across the ground a few times, then glared at me.
Looking thoroughly on edge.
I glared back at the thing, scythe in hand.
But the thing, which had been hissing away, soon tilted its head.
Gyak……?
Every time it twitched its black nose, I could see its long whiskers quiver.
Before long, it slowly approached me, so I held the scythe out in front of me in warning—
……!
The weasel backed away, then scurried up onto the wreckage of the broken train.
Standing there, it looked down at me…….
Kyuu…….
Its eyes were opened so wide they looked ready to roll right out.
It looked so shocked that I even felt a strange sense of guilt.
And then.
Scurry!
In an instant, it vanished beyond the train wreckage.
"……What?"
A Magic Beast fleeing.
Not unheard of in the game, but somehow the feel of it now was a little different.
I glared into the pitch darkness, but the weasel never came back.
'Should I track it?'
The thought crossed my mind briefly, but I soon shook my head.
This was no situation for taking my time. Let's head back for now.
Carefully surveying the surroundings again, I returned to where the two siblings were.
But.
"Mr. Kaindel! You're back! Over here!"
"Aha. So that's him?"
The atmosphere had changed drastically from when I'd left.
Loud and boisterous. When I'd left, it had definitely been just the siblings, but now the headcount had grown.
A man I'd never seen before asked me with a smiling face.
"……I hear you're the leader of this party. Is that right?"
I checked the name above the crown of his head, and a laugh slipped out at once.
"Ha."
This goddamned game.