Chapter Fifty Seven: Fake Friends

In this world, some of my wishes always come true. Wishes that mean the difference between life and death and wishes from the bottom of my heart. These wishes always come true without fail. But something about them doesn’t feel right to me. Like, “Why hasn’t Leila come back yet?” Is it that I haven’t wished for her from the bottom of my heart? That can’t be right. Mysteries keep piling up around me in this world. The truth is I’m almost no different now than the first day I arrived when it comes to understanding this place. I barely know anything about it. I think that’s mostly because I don’t interact with many people. But what can I do? I was only able to get where I am now because my aura disappeared. The people of this world are not really what I’d call good people; interacting with them might only bring me regret. That memory aches painfully in my brain. I don’t want to be betrayed again by someone claiming to be my ally—someone like Orthin, I mean.
They were the party I saw yesterday: two boys and two girls. All of them human.
The girls are both flat-chested. Sorry — I meant they both have long hair.
Starting with the red-haired leader of the party. His name is Deram. He seems to be about eighteen years old, two years older than me. His red hair falls back neatly against his neck. He looks like he’d be a real woman-killer if he were in my world. Though I don’t know if that’s true here as well, considering most people are quite beautiful. He carries a sword just like me and his outfit is completely red from head to toe. So much for having red hair.
The second boy has blue hair. His name is Sikk and he’s a bit younger than Deram. His hair is shorter, and I’d say his looks are fairly average. Good to know I’m not the only average guy around. He uses a bow and arrow.
The third is a girl. She is about the same height as Deram and dressed in black, a shirt that exposes her arm muscles. For a girl, she clearly has more muscles than anyone in the party. Her name is Tsua and she is the same age as Sikk. She wore thick gloves on her hands. She must be a close-range fighter.
The last is Falme — the beautiful, short girl with big eyes and long blue hair who’s the youngest of them all. She held a staff about her height. She has a slim body, just how a girl should. She wore blue clothes with a skirt that falls just below her knees. I’d say she’s dressed for a date rather than an adventure, but I’m sure the clothes are protected with magic.
Since Falme and Sikk both have blue hair, does that mean they are siblings? I’ll have to ask later on.
After they all introduced themselves to me, they struck a pose straight out of a comic superhero panel and declared in one voice, “All of us are known as the ‘Four Elementals!’…….!!”
“Four what?” What a weird party name.
I understood what they meant by the Four Elementals soon after they told me about their magic.
Just like how he’s dressed in fiery red, Deram, the leader, uses fire magic. Sikk uses ice magic. Tsua uses earth magic. Falme uses water magic. Their levels are twenty-one, sixteen, sixteen, and eighteen respectively. Falme seems to be a higher level than Sikk and Tsua. Cuteness rules!
I understand all that, but isn’t ice just frozen water? Is it really considered an element?
The leader brushed it off jokingly when I mentioned that. “So you caught up, huh? ……… actually there used to be five of us. He was a lightning user but he quit for certain reasons. We tried coming up with names after he left, then agreed to settle with this one. So don’t worry about the name itself.”
“Is that so…..?”
They all nodded simultaneously before moving closer to me with curiosity. “So…..!! What is your magic and level!? Are you perhaps a lightning user!?”
Oh crap! What do I tell them!?
Should I lie? But they’ll find out I can’t use magic in no time. And I’ll be kicked out of the party if that happens. I have no choice but to tell them a mixture of truth and lies.
“I actually stopped using magic a long time ago. Something happened that I don’t want to remember. Now I only fight using my sword. As for my level, I did defeat the winged freezer just a few days ago. I don’t know if it has increased since then.”
Could it be that they don’t believe me? Their faces all show utter disbelief and surprise. They must think I’m crazy.
“You defeated the freezer!!!??” “Just who are you!?” “How strong are you!!??”
Ah! So it wasn’t like that………..
“I’m not really all that strong.” I acted humble while they kept asking about my adventures. I have a lot to tell if we’re talking about monsters. Good thing they got too excited and forgot to ask about my magic.
“Now let’s go! I’m certain that we’ll clear a lot of levels with Sora on our side!” Deram led the way and we all followed.
I walked behind the four of them. A warm, deep happiness wrapped around me. To think I’d finally gotten the chance to go on adventures with friends — I was so happy I could cry.
But my happiness turned to grief in less than a minute after we entered the dungeon.
“Huh? We were supposed to get transported to the 15th floor after clearing the 14th yesterday. Doesn’t this floor look like the first one?” Deram stopped as soon as he passed through the black veil.
“Yeah, you’re right.” “This is definitely the first floor.” “Did something go wrong?”
In front of us were green plains exactly like the place where I fought the slimes. I knew the reason behind their disappointment but was too scared to speak up. In the end, I could only lie to them again.
“T-The first floor, huh? It’s my first time in the dungeon so I guess that’s why I started here.” Hopefully they’d understand.
“Your first time? But didn’t you say you defeated the freezer?”
“Yes. But that’s in the Nightmare Forest. I only came to the capital recently.”
“The Nightmare Forest!?” they all shouted in surprise.
“.…….. Uh yeah.”
“That’s so cool!” “It’s so dangerous we’ve never been there before!!”
Deram suddenly puffed up with confidence. He smiled boldly and tapped my shoulder with his left hand. “I’m glad we got to you first. I’m sure our adventures will be lots of fun.” His smile was so dazzling it felt blinding.
They had so much trust in me thanks to all the lies I’d fed them. What will happen if they find out I’ve been lying? I have to try my best to keep up. As soon as they defeat the slimes with their magic, I’ll take over once we get to the next floor.
But that wasn’t possible. My movements became very slow the moment a slime appeared.
“Let’s leave the boss to Sora. We’ll back him up.”
Because of their experience on the first floor, the boss came out right after we entered. The only reason they got stuck on the first floor was because of me. The dungeon recognized that and sent the boss so they wouldn’t have to waste time on a floor they’d already cleared.
I’m sorry, guys. This is happening because of me.
The slime that appeared this time was not like the ones I’d fought before. It was larger and wore a helmet. I didn’t know much about monsters, but I figured the helmet would increase its resistance to physical attacks.
“Do it!” “Show us how you fight!”
They nonchalantly cheered for me from behind.
“What’s this?” My foot froze as I stood between them and the slime.
They became quiet and watched from behind me.
Move!! I told myself to move!!
But my body didn’t obey. I felt as though an incredible weight had been placed on top of me. It felt the same as the time I tried to fight Kervas.
In a panic I muttered, “No………. it can’t be……….. everything was normal just yesterday. I know I wasn’t able to defeat a slime before, but my movements and abilities were all functioning. What’s going on?”
It grew quieter as the slime approached. I could hear them whispering about what I was doing. It was only natural. They were so excited seconds ago, yet now I couldn’t deliver what they’d been waiting for.
“Why take my powers at a time like this!? Why!!!!!!” I yelled in frustration.
By then, the green slime had already closed in on me. I was too heavy to get away in time. It gulped me down the instant a hole opened up in its body.
“What’s the meaning of this?” Deram, along with the others, asked angrily on the stairs by the dungeon gate.
I was saved by them after the slime swallowed me. All it took was a single burst of Deram’s fire magic to kill the boss slime. I was dragged out of the dungeon immediately after and thrown on the stairs.
They all looked mad at me.
“I’ll ask again. What’s the meaning of this?” “I want to know as well. How weak can a person be to get defeated by a slime?” “Didn’t you boast about defeating the freezer?” “Was that all just a lie?”
“No…… I really did defeat the freezer. What happened today was………”
Sikk cut me off as I spoke. “Enough of that! And to think I acted all friendly towards you when I don’t even like you.”
“Well you’re not the only one. We all tried acting like we liked him so that we’d have it easy. What else did you think? Isn’t that so, leader?” Tsua joined in as well.
They……….. were all pretending?
“Let’s not worry about that right now. I want to hear his reason for tricking us……. just how weak are you really? Was it fun to lie to us like that? I know we pretended to like you but as long as our goals are the same, isn’t it okay to pretend to like each other? How can you explain what you did?”
“I’m…………… not weak.” Looking down at the ground, I insisted.
“So you say……… let’s forget about him and move on.” Deram ordered, facing the black veil.
“Please no!! I’m sorry I lied, but I’m really not a weakling! I defeated the freezer, I swear!! Please believe me!!” I miserably begged, calling attention to myself.
I even held onto Deram’s leg in my crouching position. Tsua kicked my hand away with a powerful strike. “Stay away, you fool!!”
They ignored my pleas and carried on when……………..
“L-leader………?” Falme softly spoke. “C-can’t you give him one more chance?”
“Listen, Falme. In this world, you only need to concern yourself with the strong.”
“That’s it!” An idea suddenly hit me when he said that.
“I………. I’ll show you the loots I got from fighting the freezer!!” I shouted.
“The freezer?” The other adventurers going in and out of the dungeon made noise at my claim.
Deram quickly turned back to me. “So you say you can prove to us that you fought the freezer by showing us the loots? Just so you know, freezer drops aren’t something you get easily even if you have money. I can’t wait for you to show them to us.”
“Deram, don’t buy that crap. He’s only trying to stall us.” Sikk protested. His eyes showed contempt toward me.
“No! I will bring them!”
“Okay then. See you tomorrow morning. If you are late by even a second then don’t ever show your face to us again. Let’s go home, guys. Our adventure is ruined thanks to him.”
They all left without so much as looking at me.
….……………… this happens when I finally thought I had made friends…………. why? Why me?
And I was just talking about not wanting to get betrayed by others. The people of this world are all scum…………………… but at the same time, I need those scum.
What do I do? I don’t want to go on adventures alone anymore. I have no choice but to follow them around until they see me in a new light.
The next morning I ran out of the house without eating breakfast. Along with me were four stones and four freezer wings. They’ll have no choice but to believe me if they see this.
I arrived at the dungeon at precisely seven in the morning. We were supposed to meet around eight, but I was so eager to prove I wasn’t a liar. Well, I did lie a bit, but the important thing is that my strength is real.
To think I’d desperately try to prove my innocence to a bunch of people I only just met. This is a typical example of how people without friends live in my real world. I never thought I would experience something like this here.
After about two hours of waiting, they finally arrived. Walking leisurely up the staircase, they pretended not to notice me. Even as they passed by, none of them glanced at me. I knew what they were up to, but I couldn’t let them go just like that.
“Hey…….” I called out pathetically.
Pathetic! I’m really pathetic, aren’t I?
“Oh so it’s you?”
Don’t act like you didn’t see me standing.
The four of them then simultaneously glanced at the wings I’d wrapped in a blanket. They refused to say anything after seeing them.
So that’s how we’re playing it? The reason they decided to ignore me until I called out was probably to show their lack of interest in my claims. Now they were doing the same so I wouldn’t think they were easy. But alas, I know better.
“The wings I mentioned……….”
“Oh, the wings………….” “There was something about that, right?” “I really forgot, you know?”
How dare you try to act all innocent!?
Deram then took the wings from my hands and unveiled them. “Holy…….!! They are real!!” He lost all composure after verifying their authenticity. Not only him, but they all lost their cool and grabbed a pair of wings each.
As if dividing them, they each took a pair of wings and a stone for themselves.
What are they trying to pull off? I did promise to show them, but I never agreed to give away my hard-earned items.
“So yeah. I guess you are officially part of our party now. Why don’t we leave the adventure for tomorrow? I think we should sell them for now and see how it turns out, right?”
“What a wonderful idea. Leader, you are very thoughtful when it comes to these things.” “Let’s hurry!”
They all excitedly took my loot without a shred of consideration for my intentions.
This feeling………… what’s this swelling frustration inside me? I feel so frustrated but there is nothing I can do about it. I want them to take me along with them.
I get it now. This is how people with fake friends live. They live knowing full well that the people they call friends aren’t friends at all. They give them what they want to keep the fake friendship going. Something like that which I’d always thought was funny is now happening to me. Even though I know all this, I still can’t bring myself to end this pitiful friendship.
Is this how you want me to live my life? Girl in black or whoever it is that brought me into this world.
It’s all your fault I’ve fallen so low like this. If only I had been able to defeat those slimes, then I wouldn’t need people like this to help me clear the first floor. And now that my weakness—my inability to use my abilities on races—has kicked in, I have no choice but to let them do the fighting for me. What’s the point of all this? Why take away my strength in the dungeon as well? Wasn’t it supposed to prevent me from fighting the races? What’s the point of stopping me from fighting monsters as well? How cruel can you get?
[Everything is for everything.]
Huh? Not this stupid phrase again. “Just shut the hell up!!!” I screamed at the voice in my head.
The Four Elementals stared at me blankly. They pretended nothing had happened and continued their conversation. The other adventurers on the staircase didn’t avert their eyes from me that easily. I shouted pretty loudly.
I see now. So you’ll put up with everything I do as long as you get things from me, is that it?
“Here.” Deram handed me his sword.
“Huh?” I asked.
“Hold it. I feel uncomfortable holding the wings with the sword at my waist.”
Wait! Is this what I think it is?
“Hold mine too…” Sikk handed over his bow and arrows as well.
No!!! What in the world are you doing!? I might have fallen as low as to have fake friendships, but I won’t allow you to make me your slave!
“What are you waiting for? Take them.”
“Wait. Shouldn’t I hold the wings and stones?”
“NO. If you don’t want to hold our things then this whole friendship is over.”
He said it plainly. I will never……………….
“Haha!!”
A cheerful atmosphere returned. In no time, the items were sold and the money divided right in front of me.
The wings sold for four gold coins and the stones sold for two gold coins each. They all got away with six gold coins worth of my items. The man they sold them to probably knows they were worth more, and because they didn’t haggle; he bought them cheap. I’m sure Wrok would have bought them for more.
“I’ve never gotten so much money in my life.” That’s literally what their faces said after receiving it.
I didn’t get a single coin. Not that I care much for the money, but their attitude is unforgivable.
And so we ended up in a tavern northwest of the sacred land and northeast of my house.
Their pouches were full of coins. They extravagantly ordered beer and expensive food without a single thought about how the money was gotten.
To think I would sit and watch as my hardest-earned money was spent shamelessly. I blame it all on the person who took away my ability to fight monsters. I wouldn’t need these idiots if it weren’t for that.
Even though I’ve been practically given money since coming to this world, I don’t like seeing it spent like this. But I have no choice. I should just think of it as me paying them to clear the floors for me. That’s right. I’d be able to calm myself that way.
The tavern was lively, unlike the inn Etis runs. It was almost crowded with adventurers of all races. Most discussed their exploits and the dangers they’d met. The beer and food looked high quality. I didn’t order a thing as I sat opposite the fools.
In the end they spent about fifty silver coins before we left. That’s enough to feed someone for five whole days. They were all drunk, even though Sikk and Falme are clearly minors.
Why did I waste my time following them? I should’ve gone back home after the adventure was postponed.
They drunkenly walked holding each other’s shoulders out of the tavern. Their inn was apparently just a few blocks away. It was the middle of the day, but they were too drunk for their own good.
“You know what?” I got their attention by standing in front of them and facing them.
“Hmm? We know what?” Sikk, who was more drunk than the others, muttered.
“At first I thought you guys might be useful in some ways, but I was wrong. The friends I wanted are those who’ll clear the dungeon with me, not people who only go on adventures for money. If adventuring is only for the money, then I for one would never do it. I have enough money to live a leisurely life for as long as I want. You all should be ashamed of yourselves for neglecting what’s really important. I’m sure that’s why your other friend left. He just couldn’t put up with your stupidity. Keep the money because I don’t need it. But know this: as long as you risk your lives for money, you’ll never find any joy. Risk your lives to get stronger and to protect those who are important to you. I hope we never meet again.”
With that, I turned around as they all stared at me in disbelief. I did what I wanted to do; now it was time to go back to my lonely adventure life. My time with them had lasted only a day, but it was the worst adventure I’d ever had. I regretted letting my desperation for friends get the best of me.
Deram angrily called after me as I left, “Hey……… come back here!! Who told you that you can leave!? I said come back!”
It was a good thing Duddul was home when all of this happened. He would have gotten a bit dangerous with them.
Come to think of it, Meila was trying to tell me something yesterday when I got back, but I was so occupied with thoughts of making them believe me that I didn’t listen. I really shouldn’t force myself to make friends. The ones I have are kind to me and that’s all I need. I may not have friends to go on adventures with, but the most important thing is that I have friends who like me despite knowing who I am.
Not knowing the way home from the tavern, I retraced my steps to the dungeon then followed the straight road I’m more familiar with.
Now that I’ve left their party, there is one thing I absolutely must know. Why was I unable to fight that slime? What happened to my powers when I was able to fight the first slimes? I’ll go back into the dungeon for as long as it takes until I figure that out.