How to Live as a Genius Scholar in another World

Chapter 13 – Sewer Reconnaissance Request (4)

—–CROW—– 

“—Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!”

“—Hikyyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”

Fear!

We were completely consumed by fear!

Francesca and I screamed together.  Human reason was so fragile in the face of primal terror.

“Throoooow!!!!!”

But even in that state, we fulfilled our duties.

I threw Francesca with all my might towards the metal grate, and she flew, spilling various items from her poncho.

“Oof!!”

Francesca landed on the ground, using her ample bosom as a cushion. Then, with almost automatic movements, she pulled out tools from her pocket and began working on the grate.

But I couldn’t watch her anymore.

“Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!!!”

It was climbing! This bastard was climbing onto my head!

It couldn’t bite through my armor on my waist or shoulders, so it was aiming for my exposed head.

I finally understood why soldiers historically wore helmets even without armor.  I desperately wanted a helmet.

My research grant was screwed. I would definitely survive and upgrade my head’s defense first.

“Get off my comrade, you vermin!!!”

Gentrick came to my aid as I thrashed around. His sturdy wooden shield slammed into the bug clinging to my back.

*Whack!!*

*Splash!!*

With a slightly sickening sound, the katydid-roach fell off my back and into the sewage.  I almost cried with relief as the heavy feeling on my waist disappeared, and I flailed wildly.

“Damn, that shield is amazing!! So cool!!  I love you, Gentrick!!”

“I don’t feel flattered at all hearing that from a man!!”

Men didn’t need helmets. A reliable shield was all that mattered.  This was why every party needed a tank.  Gentrick, the human shield.

Then, with perfect timing, Tirsi aimed her wand behind us.

“Oh flowing ice mana of the north, create a shield in this moment of peril!!”

Look at that fast chanting speed. Even the ghost of an outsider rapper would be slower. Tirsi proved with her tongue that a person’s abilities could be heightened in a crisis.

That was almost chantless casting.  It took her less than a second to recite that long spell.  Tirsi could put “1-second spell casting” on her resume.

*Crackle—Crash!!*

The sound of ice freezing was chillingly exhilarating.

A large wall of ice completely sealed off one side of the wide sewer passage, including the drain.  It was a huge shield.

“Yes! We blocked it!!”

I couldn’t help but shout in joy.

“Did we get them all?!”

—*Thump! Thump! Thump!*

Of course not.

A dull thudding sound echoed.  The horde of katydids, their compound eyes fixated on their prey, were throwing themselves against the ice wall.

“Bastards!  Clingy men aren’t popular!”

“They’re not bastards, they’re bugs!”

Gentrick made an accurate correction.  Wow!  I had a master’s degree, and I didn’t even know that!  Katydids weren’t canines, but insects of the order Orthoptera, family Tettigoniidae!  That was the wisdom of experience!

“I-it won’t last long!!”

I was about to retort to the wise old Gentrick, but Tirsi suddenly made an even more absurd statement.

“What?!  Please try harder!!!!  If that breaks, we’ll all be bitten to death by bugs!!!!”

I screamed at the top of my lungs.  Was it even possible for a Bronze-tier mage to be unable to block Iron-tier monsters properly?

Actually, it was possible.  I wasn’t confident I could win a fight against 20 Iron-tier thugs even if I reached Bronze.

“I’m sorry!!!!!  It’s not about strength, it’s about the time limit!!!!”

Tirsi shrieked, clinging to her wand. Damn it, then there was nothing we could do. She must have reduced the duration by increasing the range to block the entire passage.

*Clang!!*

I was wondering if it would be better to run and create distance while the shield held, when Francesca jumped up, spreading her arms.

“I opened it!! I opened it!!”

“Oh! Well done!! Excellent!!!!”

Gentrick rushed towards the grate at Francesca’s words.

I was terrified, thinking the old man was going to abandon us and save himself, but Gentrick grabbed the heavy metal grate instead of the short Francesca and lifted it. He created an opening for his comrades to escape!

“Come on in!!”

“Mr. Gentrick, you’re amazing!!”

I scooped up Tirsi, who had collapsed from exhaustion, like a sack of potatoes, and ran towards the opening.

…*Crack!*

And when we were almost at the grate, a terrifying sound came from behind us.

—*Crash!  Shatter!!*

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!!!!”

I ran faster than I ever had in my 28 years of life. Tirsi and I desperately jumped into the drainage passage.

*Screech!*

*Clang!*

Less than a second after we jumped in, Gentrick slammed the grate shut. The large katydid-roaches, unable to stop their momentum, crashed against the metal bars.

*Thud, thud, thud, thud!!*

Large compound eyes and insect abdomens filled the space in front of the grate in an instant.  Why the hell did the movements of these damn bugs sound like machine gun fire?

“Aaaaaaaaagh!!  So gross!”

I shuddered, my back itching.  Was the foreleg of the one that clung to my back still there?

No, more importantly, what if they pried open the grate and came inside?  The grate had a hinged structure. Even if they weren’t intelligent enough to open it, they might be able to force it open by pushing and shoving.

“Eek!!”

Tirsi, breathing heavily, seemed to have the same thought, and she fired a spell without even chanting, as if venting her frustration.

*Crackle, crackle!!*

Ice arrows, with the force of missiles, embedded themselves in the grate.

The arrows were pure chunks of cold, without any physical force.  They didn’t push the grate open, but froze it solid, trapping a few katydid-roaches that were clinging to it.

—*Twitch, twitch.*

The insect legs that had been wriggling outside the grate froze and stopped moving.  The entrance was completely sealed.

Ah, now that was impressive. Silence returned as the katydid-roaches stopped moving.

*Drip… drip…*

The sound of dripping water echoed loudly.

We stood there, mouths agape like zebras next to a sleeping lion, and finally relaxed our shoulders when we were sure we were safe.

“W-we’re alive… I thought I was going to die…”

“I completely and wholeheartedly agree.”

I replied to Francesca’s whimpering with heartfelt emotion.  I really thought I was going to die. Who would have thought I’d be running a spectacular marathon with ancient crickets in a sewer?

Francesca looked at me with teary eyes as I responded with full empathy.  Wow, her breasts were huge.

“A-actually, I kinda peed myself a little…”

“I don’t agree with that.”

Don’t try to make me your pee buddy.

“Hmph…”

“Haha. It’s okay. I used to wet myself during quests when I was younger.”

Gentrick chuckled.  It wasn’t something I wanted to know, but he had carried us hard today, so I let it slide.

And after reporting on the status of our underwear, we all looked at Tirsi as if it were the most natural thing to do.

“…What are you looking at?”

Our Bronze-class party leader avoided our gaze, her face red. Her charming legs were pigeon-toed.

I nodded gravely, like an archaeologist who had just unearthed a great mystery.

“It’s okay. My nose is blocked, I can’t smell anything.”

“Let’s go back!! We need to report to the guild!!”

Tirsi, clutching her wand, shrieked.  We didn’t press her further.

It was impossible to continue the reconnaissance in a place infested with those motherless and fatherless killer bugs.  We needed to report to the guild and the guard station and have the place properly disinfected.

“Let’s do that. I don’t know why there are so many monstrous bugs here.”

“Those are bugs that normally live in sewers…  There usually aren’t this many, though…”

Francesca said, looking at the flash-frozen katydids, but I honestly didn’t care. What good would it do us to know?  If they were curious, they could call in some otherworldly Pablo to analyze them.

Gentrick sighed and looked up at the ceiling.

“Phew. Anyway, let’s go. We can go up to the surface through here.”

“Yes. I want to go back to the inn and rest.”

“And buy new underwear on the way.”

“…Why are you looking at me when you say that? I’m perfectly fine.”

We grumbled as we walked towards the surface.  It was a day where the rainbow bridge had descended right in front of us, only to be pulled back up.

How was this an Iron-tier quest? I almost died.

***

We crawled out to the surface through the emergency exit.

The exit door was designed to be opened only from the inside.  We came out without any problems and shed a few tears as we breathed in the fresh air under the blue sky.

“Everyone, gather here.”

Tirsi said, putting down the lantern and map carelessly. We looked at each other, puzzled, but followed her instructions.

Once we were gathered, Tirsi took out her wand and chanted a spell.

“Begone, remnants of impurity that defile the body. This is the wind of purification, the gentle breeze of the south.”

A cold breeze blew up and down as she finished the spell. I instinctively closed my eyes, but the wind quickly stopped.

“W-what was that?”

“A purification spell using wind magic.  It removes bad smells and light dust.”

Tirsi explained to a bewildered Francesca.

“It’s more effective than commercially available deodorizers.  Honestly, I wouldn’t have been able to go in there without it.”

“Oh! It’s true! My armor doesn’t smell at all!”

Gentrick said happily, sniffing his armor.  I also brought my armguard to my nose, but then realized there was no smell anyway since it was made of metal.

Still, my clothes didn’t smell like the sewer at all.  Neither did the mask.

Damn, magic was awesome.  I knew runes, maybe I should learn magic too.

“I’ll return the lantern and map and report to the guild. You can go ahead.  Since we stopped the request midway, you’ll get paid after the situation is assessed.”

Tirsi said, gathering her things with a tired face. Gentrick stepped forward.

“Are you going to return them to the guard? Then give them to me. I’ll take them for you.”

“No. This is the party leader’s responsibility.  Everyone’s tired, so please go ahead.”

“Hmm…  Then I appreciate your consideration.”

“Yes. I’ll be going now.”

Gentrick backed down at her polite refusal. Tirsi bowed to us.

“Mr. Nord and Ms. Francesca, thank you for your hard work today.  Goodbye.”

“Yes! Ms. Tirsi, be careful going back!”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Tirsi turned and left after the farewells.  Her straight posture, despite her exhaustion, left a strong impression.

Francesca stood there for a while, then whispered to me.

“…She might be going to buy new underwear.”

“…I don’t know if her underwear has reached Gold class, but my vision is starting to turn yellow.”

I finally understood what it meant to feel lightheaded from exhaustion.

Or maybe it was because I had been in a dark sewer for hours and suddenly came out into the sunlight.

“Oh, right. Here’s your mask.”

I returned the mask I had taken off as soon as we came out to Francesca.

“I was going to wash it and return it, but thanks to Ms. Tirsi, it doesn’t smell at all. Or should I properly wash it and return it later?”

“No. You can give it back now.”

Francesca chuckled and put the black mask in her pocket. Gentrick also took off his mask and greeted us.

“Then I’ll be going too. See you again, youngsters.”

“Yes.  Goodbye.  Ms. Francesca, goodbye as well.”

“Be careful going back!”

Having gone through a near-death experience together, the initial awkwardness had completely disappeared.

Old Gentrick left coolly, and Francesca ran off with a bright smile. I also started walking back to the inn.

“Damn, I’m going to die.”

I was exhausted. I needed to go home and sleep.

Even if it was someone else’s home that I was paying for.

***

I returned to the inn and slept until the next morning.

I was as tired as I used to be after pulling all-nighters in graduate school, but it wasn’t surprising.  I had almost died and come back to life. It was as natural for my body to want rest as it was for balls to sag in the summer heat.

I woke up, brushed my teeth, washed my face, and returned to my room.

“Right, I need to exercise.”

My morning started with Professor Brammaton’s basic strength training.

I’ll omit the details of the exercise routine. Let’s just say it involved heavy stones and perseverance.

“Phew…”

A proper amount of muscle abuse contributed to the vitality of life. Muscle pain?  That was cured by more exercise.

‘It’s a shame there’s no place to run freely like a track field.’

The only downside was the difficulty of jogging.  There were many people walking around Sardis, even early in the morning.  There were many obstacles to running on the streets.

I was looking for a wide-open space like a park, but I hadn’t found a suitable place yet.  It was unfortunate.

—*Thud, thud.*

I finished my daily exercise and went down to the first floor. I wasn’t wearing my armor.  I planned to go to the bathhouse after breakfast.

“Oh, you’re up.”

Dorca, who was wiping the tables, greeted me as I came downstairs.

“Good morning. I slept well and feel refreshed.”

“Morning?  The sun’s been up for a while. It’s already lunchtime.”

Dorca chuckled.

We had dropped the honorifics a few days ago.  It felt like Dorca had suggested it first because he was too lazy to use them, but his face was too scary to refuse, so I just agreed.

“My mornings start early, so half my day is already over.  If you’re trying to sneak in a free breakfast by pretending it’s still morning, give up. It’s time to pay.”

“Damn it.”

Was it even allowed to cancel free breakfast because of a time-out?  It wasn’t even a hotel breakfast.  That policy was ruthless.  I clicked my tongue and flicked a 1-copper coin from my wallet.

“What a waste of money first thing in the morning.  I have to pay for the bathhouse too after I bathe.”

“Hahaha. What can you do? Oh, but the breakfast dishes are all gone.”

“What?  Give me my copper back.”

Why was this bastard taking my money when the food was gone?

“There’s soup and bread.  Since you paid a whole copper, I’ll give you a big loaf of bread. Keep it in your room and eat it whenever.”

“I don’t have any dishes in my room.”

“Then buy some.”

“Why is there something to spend money on every 10 seconds?”

Damn renting life. There were too many expenses.  It was like pouring water into a bottomless pit. I would have been screwed if I hadn’t saved up some money.

“It’s unusually quiet today.”

I sat at the table and looked around the first floor. I was the only person there.

“What’s going on? Did they finally open a new inn with better service and run by a kind, beautiful woman?  I should have gone there.”

“Shut your mouth before I get rid of this moldy bread.”

Dorca said, bringing the soup.  Steam rose from the bowl placed on the table.

This inn sold leftover meat soup from breakfast as stew at night.  It was like a gomtang restaurant in this world.

“Anyway, why is it so empty? Usually there are at least a few old men wasting their lives drinking in the afternoon.”

“Those customers are all adventurers, and they’re out working.  You’re an adventurer yourself, haven’t you heard the news?”

“What news?”

I thought maybe they had struck gold somewhere, and Dorca’s answer was close to that.

“Dungeons and ruins have been popping up since last night.  Three in total, one for each Adventurers’ Guild.”

—–CROW—–