Chapter 44: A Tiny Bit of Revenge

Original: Chapter 44: A Tiny Bit of Revenge

A face I never wanted to see again is right in front of me.

One of the group who abandoned me in a Danger Zone (Red Zone) right after school started. Red-haired, with upturned eyes that look a bit scary. I forgot her name.

I quickly check her weapon and armor.

She’s wearing something like Western plate armor on her upper body. Her weapon is an impressive spear. She also has a shield on her arm. She looks every bit a hardcore player dedicated to dungeon conquest.

“Why did you ignore me? We’re in trouble here.”

“No reason.”

Simply because I didn’t want to talk. I knew perfectly well nothing good would come from a conversation.

…Huh? I just noticed. The people this girl is friendly with are also nearby. They’re sort of hiding behind the tree right next to us.

However, one of them is in a pitiful state. Lying on their back.

They seem to have bruises from being beaten on their face, stomach, and legs. Their skin is turning purple, and the nosebleed is bad. Also, I can’t see clearly, but some teeth might be broken.

What should I do? I can only think ‘serves you right.’

“Did you notice? Kurosu’s HP is only down to 2.”

I didn’t know. Actually, so that girl’s surname is Kurosu. I think I knew, but I completely forgot because I had no interest in them.

“We don’t even know if it’s safe to move her.”

Well, you could try and see.

“A Raging Orc got her. It was insanely strong.”

Wow, well done! Really well done, Raging Orc. Thanks to you, I feel a bit better.

Somehow, the Raging Orc was a real star today. Thanks to it, these people I despise got a taste of pain. I’m genuinely happy.

Sigh… But the déjà vu is strong… Didn’t we just have this kind of development earlier? I can already guess what these people are going to ask of me.

“…Sounds like you all had a rough time. Well, shouldn’t you heal her quickly?”

I tried to get ahead of it.

“We can’t. We don’t have any potions left. So, come on, hand over a potion. You must have at least one spare, right?”

“What about your friend’s potions?”

The red-haired girl looks extremely irritated.

“Be-cause, we already used all of ours, that’s why we’re asking you.”

Huh…? I was being relied upon? I don’t recall hearing words like “please,” “could you,” or “would you be so kind.”

Well, I guess they just lack that kind of vocabulary.

“Sigh… I have just one spare.”

The red-haired girl’s eyes lit up. The other girls also turned hopeful eyes toward me.

“If you have one, hurry up and hand it over—”

She holds out her hand with a smile. She seems to take it for granted that I’ll provide the potion.

But you know, you should think about this carefully.

Why do you assume I’ll give you a potion?

You abandoned me. You abandoned me—left me behind in an extremely dangerous Red Zone and walked away laughing.

Nothing has ever scared me more. Nothing has ever made me feel more helpless. Do you have any idea how miserable I felt being chased by that frog? How much I cried until I got home? Have you ever properly imagined how sad I felt?

I stared coldly at the red-haired girl’s outstretched hand.

“100,000 Pon—”

“…Huh?”

“100,000 Pon. I won’t budge a single Pon.”

“What?”

“I’ll sell you the potion for 100,000 Pon.”

“Excuse me?”

I was glared at with a vicious look. Not just the red-haired girl. The girls behind her too. Their intense stares practically screamed they’d jump me right now if they could.

Honestly, it’s scary.

It’s different from fighting monsters. It’s a different kind of fear.

Personally, I don’t want to fight. Even if I could win, it would just leave a nasty, irritating feeling afterward. If I’m going to fight somewhere like this, I’d rather have another battle with a monster and get that clean sense of satisfaction.

“If you’re not buying—. Bye-bye.”

There doesn’t seem to be any benefit in continuing this conversation, so I averted my eyes from the red-haired girl and took a step forward.