Chapter 5 – Priest Supreme

Rea​ｄ on​ ​K​&a;tЯeａdi‌&n;ǵCａｆ​ｅ

In the past, someone once asked me a question.

Have you ever been true to your life?

Have you ever tried to live a better life?

At the time, I kept my mouth shut and didn’t answer, but now I could respond with confidence. In this world where the game had become reality, I could say with more certainty than anyone else.

I’m doing my best.

Today’s party hunt began as usual.

The party of four was the same as before: two warriors whose names didn’t matter, the mage Isolin, and me, the priest Supreme.

The start was smooth. Thanks to the synergy we’d built over the past few days, we were confident—until we decided to hunt wolves.

We hunted wolves and succeeded easily. Feeling no particular difficulty, we decided to lure more wolves, which led to our current predicament.

“T-the wolves! They broke through!”

“Warriors! Do something!”

One wolf, which the warriors failed to hold back, broke away from the pack and charged toward Isolin and me. I, who had struggled even against a single deer, stood no chance against a stronger wolf.

Isolin and I turned and started running. Our short legs pitter-pattered as we fled.

 

We ran and ran and ran. But the distance between us and the wolf closed rapidly. If this continued, the wolf’s sharp teeth would sink into our back.

The sound of the wolf’s paws, its rough breathing, and its barking grew closer. I didn’t need to look back to know that if I stopped now, it would be over.

“D-do something!”

“Eek!”

At that moment, Isolin, running beside me, stumbled and began rolling on the ground. Our eyes met briefly. As her small hand reached out helplessly, the massive wolf pounced on her.

Bark, bark—!

“Kyaaa!”

The wolf gnashed its teeth, trying to bite Isolin, but her staff blocked its attacks, leaving it snapping at the air.

 

For a brief moment, countless thoughts raced through my mind. But my body was already moving.

 

I swung the mace I had been holding, just in case, and it flew toward the wolf’s head with a heavy thud.

Whoosh—! Thwack—!

 

Clang—!

 

The attack landed perfectly. The wolf staggered momentarily, and Isolin used the opportunity to crawl out from under it.

 

Her forehead was slightly torn, blood dripping down, and her body was covered in dirt. Isolin, frowning deeply, hide behind me and spoke urgently.

“J-just buy me some time! Once I finish casting…!”

 

Honestly, it was an unreasonable request. How could I, a small girl, protect someone my size from a wolf bigger than me?

I was confident—confident that I’d die in a second.

So, I turned and started running.

 

“Ah! Take me with you!”

 

And Isolin ran too. I didn’t have time to think about what happened to the warriors left behind. I had to survive first.

I ran with a pitiful expression on my face.

Pitter-patter, pitter-patter.

 

“Huff, huff!”

 

“Eek!”

 

Bark, bark—!

 

The game of tag with the wolf continued until we escaped the forest, its territory. Along the way, my skin was torn by branches, and I tripped over rocks, but we eventually made it out of the wolf’s domain.

 

Grrr—!

 

At the forest entrance, the wolf growled fiercely before turning and retreating.

In RPGs, monsters couldn’t leave their designated areas. This was one of the ambiguous game-like elements at play in this world.

“I-is it gone…?”

“It’s gone. We’re safe now…”

Despite my reassurance, Isolin kept staring at where the wolf had disappeared, still uneasy.

We were safe now. There were no aggressive wolves around here. I sighed deeply as I cast healing spells on Isolin and myself, both bleeding and covered in dirt.

[Heal!]

A green energy flowed from my fingertips, gently enveloping us. The torn wounds began to heal, and our health quickly replenished.

But what about those two? Once I confirmed my own safety, I began to worry about the warriors’ well-being.

 

Zeblin and Palm Tree.

 

Fortunately, their health bars in the party window were stable. They weren’t dead, but that didn’t mean I wanted to venture back into the wolf-infested forest with just Isolin.

 

“What do we do…?”

 

“…”

 

Putting our heads together didn’t yield any solutions. Isolin and I lingered at the edge of the forest.

 

About 30 minutes later, the bushes near the entrance rustled noisily.

 

“Gasp…!”

 

Isolin and I jumped in fright and hid behind a large tree. We readied our weapons, preparing for a possible fight.

 

I prepared to cast a healing spell, and Isolin readied a fireball. But as the wind blew faintly, dispersing the tension, two battered men stumbled out.

 

Drenched in sweat, blood, and dirt, the two warriors smiled faintly when they saw me. Perhaps it was a sigh of relief.

 

“H-heal, please…”

 

“I’m in so much pain…”

 

Without a second thought, I ran to them and poured healing spells on them. Their torn skin mended, and color returned to their pale faces. Even their broken nails healed.

 

“I told you, didn’t I? Don’t push yourselves. What were you thinking, pulling more monsters than you could handle? Do you want to die?”

 

After their wounds were treated, Isolin, the party leader, began scolding them. She climbed onto a small rock, crossed her arms, and nagged relentlessly.

 

The two grown men had no response to the little girl’s scolding. They simply bowed their heads, acknowledging their mistake.

 

“And if you lose aggro, you should run back immediately! Supreme and I almost died because of you!”

(tl: Aggro – to draw aggressions of others towards yourself)

 

Isolin swung her crooked staff wildly, as if reliving the moment we were chased by the wolf. She puffed out her small chest like a bird trying to intimidate its enemy.

 

“Sorry…”

 

“There were too many wolves… We couldn’t get back…”

 

“I don’t want to hear excuses!”

 

For a while, Isolin berated the two warriors. Like an adult scolding children. Her pink twin tails swung wildly, but not a single curse word left her mouth.

 

“Do better next time!”

 

“T-that means…”

 

“Don’t tell me… You’re…”

 

“Of course, only if Supreme forgives you.”

 

Isolin was a very generous person. How many people could forgive those who had put them in mortal danger?

 

I looked up at the two warriors, who were staring at me with pleading eyes.

“Hmm…”

I crossed my arms and fell into thought. I tapped the ground with my small foot and furrowed my brows for no reason.

Everyone makes mistakes. They had simply made a mistake. No one is perfect.

But our lives had been at risk. If luck hadn’t been on our side, we could have been torn apart by the wolf and turned into mush. There was no guarantee something like this wouldn’t happen again.

“Hmm.”

I had made my decision. I would travel with them only until we reached the big city. Once there, I’d find a new party—a more reliable one with Isolin.

“You’ll do better next time, right?”

 

“Yes! This won’t happen again! We won’t push ourselves!”

“Thank you!”

 

To others, I must have looked like a saint with a kind heart. I smiled contentedly; arms crossed.

 

Zeblin, Palm tree, Isolin, and I formed a nearly fixed party for hunting.

 

First rule: Never push ourselves.

Second rule: Never break the first rule.

 

As long as we followed these two rules, the party wouldn’t be in danger. After about another week, when everyone’s levels had risen significantly, we finally began preparing to head to the big city.

 

Warrior Zeblin LV.8

Warrior Palm tree LV.7

Mage Isolin LV.6

Priest Supreme LV.5

I didn’t know why others risked their lives to improve their stats. I didn’t want to know.

I was only moving for my own goals.

To live a better life.

If possible, I wanted to achieve dreams I couldn’t in the real world. Fall in love, get my own house. And if I had the time, explore this world further.

 

I liked this world more than the original one.

 

“Everyone ready?”

“Yes!”

“Potions, lunchboxes, blankets for sleeping—everything’s packed!”

“Yeah.”

All the party members responded lightly. We didn’t need bulky travel backpacks. Everything could fit in our inventories.

“Then let’s go!”

And so, the party of two adult men and two small girls left the starting village.

It had been over two weeks since the game became reality.

[Tip: Players who clear the ‘Spiral Labyrinth’ can acquire special abilities.]