How to Cross the Desert (4)
"Well...that's all I can do for now."
The old man was the first to receive treatment.
Regia carefully bandaged his injured arm.
Perhaps the pain had subsided thanks to her efforts, as a gentle smile graced the old man's lips.
His aged lips expressed his gratitude.
"Thank you for your help. I don't know how to repay this kindness..."
"Kindness? It's nothing..."
"You're better than the village doctors. You have skillful hands."
"Th-thank you."
The girl shyly averted her gaze.
I, who had been hovering nearby, chimed in.
"Well done, Miss Regia."
"Yes?"
"You were adept at handling the injury, and you had a variety of medicines prepared. It felt quite professional."
"Please, Young Master, you flatter me..."
"I'm just stating facts."
Indeed, the treatment was flawless.
Perhaps due to her experience gained while traveling the continent alone, she seemed quite proficient at treating minor injuries.
I shrugged at the humble girl's reaction.
"As expected, Miss Regia is weak to compliments."
"Ugh."
A blush crept onto her pale cheeks.
Regia was particularly susceptible to praise, often blushing at even the slightest flattery.
Judging by her reaction, it seemed genuinely burdensome for her.
"...It's nothing to brag about."
Was it because of her low self-esteem, as always?
The protagonist bit her lip for a moment before forcing a smile and turning her head away.
Her expression was tinged with bitterness.
"They're not even useful..."
Her emerald eyes blinked translucently.
A shadow briefly flickered across their surface. It seemed she was recalling unpleasant memories.
Before I could react, the girl changed the subject.
"By the way...Sir?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you happen to know where we are?"
"I thought it was strange...Don't you even know where you are?"
"Well, the thing is..."
Regia briefly explained the situation.
The old man learned of our predicament. He was momentarily surprised, then let out a sigh and muttered.
"A teleportation accident...you're quite unlucky."
"And when I woke up, I was here."
"Goodness me."
I listened quietly to their conversation, careful not to interrupt the flow.
The old man gazed at us with pity in his eyes.
He offered to repay the help we had given him by sharing the information he knew.
Of course, it wasn't very helpful.
'This isn't the world we knew.'
This was another dimension, the setting of the book [How to Cross the Desert] that had swallowed us.
Whether we had actually entered the book, or simply been transported to a dimension inspired by it, was unclear.
But one thing was certain: this was not the world we knew.
Therefore, the information the old man provided was useless.
"I-I've never heard of that country's name..."
This was the kind of response we received.
Regia's face was filled with confusion.
There was no way she could know the cities, countries, or continents of a novel she had never read.
Confused by the unfamiliar place names, she soon concluded that this place was on the outskirts of a continent far removed from the Empire.
It was a reasonable assumption.
It was more plausible than the idea that we had entered a book.
I nodded in agreement with Regia and spoke as if seeking a solution.
"First, we need to get out of the desert."
"If we can reach the nearest city...we might be able to contact others or ask for help."
"Exactly."
As we were conversing, the old man, who had gotten up, interjected, as if offering to help.
"As it happens, I'm crossing the desert."
"Are you heading to a city, by any chance...?"
"There's a city straight ahead. I'm heading there. If you don't mind, how about we travel together?"
"Well, well...that's good news."
"We would be grateful if you could help us...!"
We readily accepted his offer.
I subtly curled my lips into a smile.
The old man was a key figure in this field, a pivotal being.
To successfully complete the episode, we had to safely cross the monster-infested desert.
Before we set off,
"But...Sir, why are you trying to cross the desert?"
Regia asked softly.
Without a moment's hesitation, the old man smiled gently and replied.
"Because someone is waiting for me."
His blue eyes shone with an unparalleled transparency.
***
In the original game, there were about 60 hidden episodes.
Most of them were Easter eggs, providing minor items upon discovery.
However, some were different.
They presented fields of considerable difficulty.
Users had to meticulously analyze the stages and strategize to clear them.
Each episode offered only one chance.
Unless the game was restarted from the beginning, re-entry was impossible.
Naturally, failure yielded no rewards.
In short, it was content for hardcore players.
Among those hidden episodes, one stood out as the most notorious:
[EP???. How to Cross the Desert]
-The Door that Opens to the Sky, the Boy who Spends the Night with the Stars-
How to Cross the Desert.
The stage was simple: escort the designated NPC safely to the destination to fulfill the conditions.
Of course, that didn't mean the difficulty was easy.
It was infamous among users.
[Category: Free Board]
[Title: How to Cross the Desert is Seriously...]
Is it always this hard?
I don't know how many times I've reset because of this.
[The patterns are especially nasty]
-> No, seriously, how many scorpions are there?
-> Even if you gathered all the scorpions in the Sahara, it would be less than that.
[You have to memorize all the patterns]
-> It's much faster to clear it by referring to the guide's video.
-> Damn it, another guide... I should start worshipping them.
-> Panic's guide is seriously awesome.
-> No, Panic's guide is not allowed.
[I can't handle the last wave]
-> I keep failing there too…
Repeated monster attacks.
Players had to endure recurring waves while simultaneously moving towards the destination.
It was a veritable death march.
Unfortunately,
'It's the same now that the game has become reality.'
The path to the destination was incredibly treacherous.
Swarms of scorpions poured out.
We carefully cleared our surroundings as we advanced.
Perhaps because it was still early, we hadn't encountered any major obstacles yet.
"Haaah...!"
With a gasp, I swung my sword.
A jet-black line sliced through the air.
The sword strike cleaved through a moment in time.
Immediately after,
Slice-!
The head of a scorpion charging towards us split in two.
Thud, it lost its balance and collapsed.
I took a breath, leaving behind the blood splattering at my feet.
"Whew..."
It was our fifth encounter.
I was starting to feel my stamina reach its limit.
As expected, without using the [Liar] ability, my overall efficiency dropped significantly.
The silver lining was,
'Maybe because it's the early waves...everyone's keeping up well.'
It seemed we were still at a manageable stage.
Although Regia looked exhausted, she was trying her best to fight the scorpions.
She was determined not to be defeated helplessly.
Of course, it always ended with me finishing them off after she stalled for time...
"You can step back now, Miss Regia."
"...Thank you."
Every time I said that, Regia would wear a complex expression.
As if she felt a strange sense of deprivation.
The girl bit her lip tightly.
It seemed she was frustrated that she couldn't be of much help.
"..."
I silently turned my head.
My gaze landed on the old man, standing atop the scorpion corpses.
He held a crossbow in his hand.
"Hmm...I think we've cleared the area for now."
His old lips muttered.
Surprisingly, the old man displayed exceptional shooting skills.
He sniped from afar and coordinated attacks at close range, creating openings for us.
He was a pretty decent ranged attacker.
"You seem to be in good shape, Sir."
"Of course. How else could I have set foot in this desert?"
"I suppose so."
The sky was now tinged with red.
The day was coming to an end.
The maximum number of monster waves that occurred on the first day of the episode was five.
Counting the previous battle, we didn't have to worry about any more incidents today.
We prepared to camp.
"We need to fill our stomachs...but all we have around here are these scorpions."
The old man sighed briefly.
He cut off the tail of a scorpion carcass and offered a piece to us.
It was raw meat, dripping with blood.
"This is the only edible part of a scorpion. It tastes like rotten chicken...but you'll get used to it."
The old man opened his mouth as if to demonstrate.
However, his attempt was quickly thwarted.
Thanks to Regia's desperate intervention.
"W-why are you trying to eat it raw?!"
"There's no other way, is there?"
"I'll cook it for you! I-I know a way to start a fire, even without magic!"
"Hmm? If you can do that..."
In the end, the girl succeeded in persuading him.
She took out crude tools from her bag and skillfully started a fire.
Soon, she even cooked the scorpion tail until it was crispy.
Thanks to her, we avoided the disaster of having raw meat for dinner.
"It's...somewhat edible when cooked."
"It's certainly not terrible. Being warm seems to lessen the strange texture."
"I-I'm glad..."
The girl breathed a sigh of relief.
Her eyes, which had been darting towards us, returned to skillfully handling the fire.
I watched her for a moment.
When our eyes met, she offered an awkward smile.
"Hehe...I learned these things while traveling the continent alone."
"You saved us from a terrible meal."
"I have to be of some help."
Regia's complexion wasn't good.
It was particularly gloomy.
Perhaps it was due to her frustration with her own powerlessness, or her cowardly self.
The girl murmured in a barely audible voice.
"...Because I couldn't be of any help today either."
It was a fleeting sentence, but I was sure that's what she said.
Her voice sounded as if it would break at any moment.
"It's time to sleep."
"..."
"You said we should also decide on the watch order... S-should we go to the elder first?"
Regia got up and dusted herself off.
Then, as if nothing had happened, she put on a bright smile.
A smile worn like a mask.
I stared at it for a while.
***
The red sunset eventually dipped below the horizon.
Darkness followed the disappearance of the sun, and then the holy starlight gently illuminated the sky.
The scenery was bathed in a tranquil glow.
Night had fallen upon the desert.
It was time to close our eyelids for a while, to prepare for the fierce tomorrow.
"..."
We decided to take turns keeping watch.
The order was decided fairly through rock-paper-scissors.
I was first, Regia second, and the old man last.
While the other two slept, I quietly kept watch.
"It's chilly."
I rubbed my cold hands together.
In front of me, a magic lamp glowed faintly.
Although it was a meager light compared to the darkness that had descended upon the desert, the stars twinkling in the sky provided enough visibility.
I blankly felt the cool air.
As I was lost in thought, I heard a sound from beside me.
Swish, swish.
The sound of footsteps on sand.
I turned my head slightly to see a girl with pink hair standing there.
It was Regia, looking somewhat withdrawn.
"Miss Regia."
"Young Master...?"
"It's quite late... You must not be able to sleep, seeing as you're awake."
"...Yes."
I smiled faintly.
Then, I patted the spot next to me and said,
Pat, pat.
"Why don't you sit here for a while?"
"..."
Her green eyes blinked weakly.
With a gentle smile, I extended my hand towards the hesitant girl.
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