Ch. 211

I glanced at Terdius sitting across from me while doing knitting that had now become familiar.

'As expected. Just as I predicted.'

Terdius's knitting skills were even more terrible than when I first did it. Perhaps because his hands were large and thick, he didn't know how to properly utilize the thread. Even though I had properly taught him the method.

'Fortunate... no, why am I saying fortunate?'

Was it because whenever I made others knit, they all did better than me? It seemed I had developed unnecessary inferiority complex in useless areas. Thinking that, I turned my gaze from Terdius.

'I should focus on what I need to do now.'

How much time had passed like that? When I had achieved about half of today's goal.

"I'm finally starting to understand the method."

Terdius's low voice was heard. What now? When I raised my head.

"...Huh?"

I saw Terdius knitting at a far faster speed than me. Am I seeing this correctly? Am I seeing wrong?

"Am I doing well, Leviathan?"

Terdius was continuing to knit so fast his finger movements were almost invisible. And with the correct method too.

Because of that, for a moment I wondered if it was Zain sitting in front of me, not Terdius.

Terdius's speed was even faster than skilled Zain's.

'What the hell, this bastard.'

I thought he was as bad as me. No, I thought he'd be even worse than me!

"Why no answer?"

Terdius was even looking at me properly while knitting. Meaning he was knitting without even looking at the next stitch.

'That's something even I can't do yet...!'

Somehow feeling bad so I didn't answer, I could see Terdius's lips rising faintly.

"Ah, oh my. Leviathan, you—"

"Don't brag, Brother."

The moment Terdius tried to continue speaking, I deliberately cut off his words.

'Frustrating. Really frustrating.'

Why are there always people like this? Damn talented people.

"Right. I won't."

At my words, Terdius just smiled contentedly without any other words.

Right. It was my complete defeat.

'Damn. I shouldn't have ignored that guy.'

I had forgotten. Though Terdius looks like that, he's the original protagonist. The protagonist of this world who inherited all kinds of talents and received protagonist buffs.

'...Ugh, how annoying.'

To think he'd have talent for knitting too on top of already having talent like using cheat codes.

In the end, frustrated, I concentrated on knitting without even making eye contact with Terdius until the carriage stopped.

***

Even while the seemingly meaningless knitting continued, the carriage moved steadily. After spending time getting off in a quiet forest midway for camping, eating meals, and such, before long the carriage reached its destination.

"Thank you."

I expressed thanks to the coachman who operated the carriage while handing over a money pouch.

"Oh my! To give me this much. Thank you."

"Not at all. Please return carefully."

"Yes, yes. I hope you two also complete your journey safely!"

The coachman hurriedly pulled the carriage away and disappeared. And only then did I look at where we had arrived.

The place where the carriage dropped us off was in front of the only village near Perda Desert.

Because Perda Desert was such a dangerous place, people didn't live near it.

But only this village existed near the desert. And this was precisely the waypoint we had to stop at before entering Perda Desert.

"...Small."

Terdius, who was looking at the village, let out a brief impression. The village with the name 'Skelth' before our eyes was a place where about thirty small houses were gathered.

"Do you have business here too?"

At Terdius's question, I nodded slightly and answered.

"Yes, for now. Let's go."

Though we hadn't entered the desert yet, the entire area of Skelth village was dry like a desert.

Hung on houses throughout the village we entered were sickles and hoes for farming. Still, since the environment itself was a place where at least some plants could be cultivated, farming seemed to be done throughout the village.

But separate from that, for some reason most plants inside the village didn't look to be in very good condition. And it wasn't just plants that weren't in good condition.

"...This doesn't seem like a village in good condition."

Upon entering the village, Terdius spoke, perhaps having already finished checking the surroundings.

As he said, this village's condition wasn't very good. Though it looked more so because the surroundings were desolate, the village itself had no vitality.

—These people... couldn't they drink water properly?

Even Kyros, who came at some point, added his impression.

'It seems so.'

The village people occasionally visible were not only emaciated but had rather dry lips and skin. Their lips were especially parched and even cracked.

"Wh-who..."

When we calmly entered the village, one rather thin elderly person with a bent back spoke toward us. But the elder couldn't continue speaking properly, perhaps because his voice didn't come out well.

"We are travelers passing through. If it's not rude... would it be okay to stay briefly?"

I politely greeted and asked the elder. Then the elder made a groaning sound and said.

"I am Hemun, elder of this village."

After swallowing once, the elder barely continued speaking.

"I want to welcome you, but unfortunately our village's current condition isn't good. As you can see, we're suffering from drought, so villagers are barely surviving too."

As expected. After hearing Hemun's words, I immediately opened my inventory. Then Hemun's eyes widened greatly.

It seemed so because I was taking out things from empty space.

Well, I'm used to such gazes now.

"Here's water. Please drink."

Before leaving the temple, I had packed plenty of water in inventory. So there was enough to remain even after distributing to all the village people.

And there was even more quantity for Terdius and me to drink inside Perda Desert.

'If it's really insufficient, I can install a portal and go to the temple.'

Thinking that and handing water to Hemun, his eyes widened greatly.

"R-really giving it?"

He asked back unbelievingly. Not only that, village people wandering around approached us at the sound of 'water.'

"Yes. Please drink. Other people there too, please come. I'll distribute water."

I drew a business smile and took out plenty of water from inventory. When I handed water bottles to adults, children, everyone without distinction, they gulped down water.

"Here, kid."

While I was getting water for people, Terdius was also handing his portion to a child who hadn't received water.

Watching people fill their bellies to satisfaction with water like that, I said.

"We aren't simple travelers."

"What?"

At my words, Hemun, who had finished consuming water first, asked with eyes that now had some vitality.

"We are people from Kyros Church. I'm the Church Leader, Leviathan, and this is Holy Knight Terdius."

"Ah, so you were God's messengers...! Really thank you! O God Kyros."

Hemun and the village people praised us like saviors.

[All residents of Skelth village have become Kyros Church believers!]

Even the message that appeared appropriately was perfect. I smiled contentedly and asked Hemun.

"Ah, by the way, when did this drought start?"

"Ah, that... about a month ago."

"A month?"

"Yes. Originally our village was near the desert but was a village abundant in water. Because there was water flowing underground. However... a month ago, a suddenly appeared 'tomb' covered the well that was our village's water source."

"A tomb, you say..."

"There, can you see that place rising high?"

Hemun pointed to a place beside the village. There was ground rising round and bulging like a tomb.

"Originally our village's well was at that location. But a month ago, the well disappeared due to a suddenly created tomb."

"Then why didn't you relocate?"

Terdius, who was handing water to people, asked Hemun. Then Hemun hummed.

"We were originally vagrants. The time it took to settle here and establish this much was 20 years. We couldn't bear to abandon the foundation of life we had built."

I fully understood Hemun's feelings. Because they wouldn't want to abandon the place they barely settled.

"And we thought that as long as the tomb just disappeared, even if the well collapsed, as long as the water source was intact it would be fine. So we tried entering inside the tomb several times, but inside... there were monsters shaped like skeletons."

What Hemun was talking about was definitely skeletons.

"Fortunately they seem unable to come outside the tomb, but unless we eliminate those creatures, our survival will become difficult."

Hemun said with slumped shoulders. I smiled toward such Hemun and the village people.

"Don't worry. We'll handle that tomb."

***

"P-please be careful!"

Hemun and the village people looked at us with worried eyes. I waved lightly to them and headed in front of the tomb.

"I'll take the lead."

"Yes, please do."

Following behind Terdius, I headed toward the tomb. When I stepped foot in the pitch-black entrance wide enough for two adult men to pass.

A quest appeared.

[You have discovered the hidden dungeon 'Hidden King's Tomb'!]

[Hidden Quest 'Defeat the Skeleton King' has occurred!]

[Hidden Quest Triggered!]

[Hidden Quest <Defeat the Skeleton King>

Content: Skeletons buried underground for long years awakened due to powerful magic nearby! Defeat the wicked Skeleton King and restore peace!

Objective: Defeat Skeleton King

Upon Success: ???

Upon Failure: -]

[Will you accept?]

[Yes/No]

Looking at the quest, I smiled contentedly. As expected, I found it properly.

'I can finally obtain that item.'

And I also knew what the 'powerful magic nearby' written in the quest description was. The huge and powerful force inside Perda Desert.

'...Well, setting that aside.'

I looked at the pitch-black tomb interior and took out a lamp from inventory. Then the surroundings brightened up completely.

"Shh."

Right then, Terdius ahead signaled me. Meaning to kill my presence.

Rattle—

Simultaneously, a sound like bones fitting together was heard from ahead. Along with that, three skeleton soldiers appeared before us.

Pow!

Terdius quickly kicked and struck the three skeletons.

With his strike, the skeletons collapsed to the floor.

However.

Rattle—

The skeletons that seemed dead began assembling their broken bones and rising again.

Watching that, I told Terdius.

"Brother, take out your weapon."

Comments