Chapter 85: Hill, Winning by Doing Nothing

Leaving behind those words, Aduofa and Yadimo ran off at full speed without looking back.

“Brother…”

Siloque didn’t glance at Hill.

Scared out of his wits, he followed the two, close behind.

The three figures grew distant, eventually disappearing from her sight.

Danger closed in from behind.

Hill recalled his instructions, activated , and vanished from view.

“Vmmm—”

The Abyssfire Dragon Remnant rumbled low, like thunder, steady and deep.

Its right foreclaw stepped out of the room, blue-white flames in its eyes burning toward the end of the corridor.

By the skeletal dragon’s claw, a Jade-Haired Girl held her breath.

***

Aduofa and Yadimo ran fast, already halfway to the door at the end of the corridor.

Siloque wasn’t far behind, maintaining a five-meter gap.

When it came to running away, this was his specialty.

“Hahaha! How could normal people just abandon their companions like that?”

“Just consider it a necessary sacrifice.”

Yadimo sneered.

Aduofa explained to Siloque, but it sounded more like he was convincing himself.

Their “we’re saved” expressions showed no guilt, as if they truly believed this was the best choice.

Bang! Crack!

A sharp sound.

“Wow!”

“Eh?! What is this…”

A glass bottle shattered behind them, drenching them from head to toe in a pungent-smelling liquid.

There was only one person who could have thrown something at them in this situation—

“What are you doing!”

Yadimo turned and shouted at Siloque behind them.

He and Aduofa tried to wipe the liquid off, but it wouldn’t come off no matter how hard they tried.

Not far away, the dark-haired boy brushed imaginary dust from his hands, staring at Aduofa and Yadimo like they were a pair of lice.

“Are you trying to get us killed?! We should be escaping together! What the hell is this liquid—damn, why won’t it come off…!”

Suddenly, Aduofa realized what it was, his face turning ashen.

“N11 Rage Water. It’s a tool for attracting monsters! Are you trying to kill us?!”

“If you have time to get mad at me, Aduofa, why not just run farther away?”

Siloque imitated him, spreading his hands innocently.

“Ah, how wonderful. You two are trash spawned from a game, so if you die, I won’t feel a thing. I’ll even eat breakfast with more appetite the next day.”

“What are you saying?! I even saved you, and you repay me like this?!—!!”

“Aduofa…this is bad.”

Yadimo didn’t need to warn him. Aduofa had already noticed.

One, two, three…

Seven Skeleton Soldiers emerged from black voids, surrounding the three.

It felt as if Siloque had summoned them.

They gathered around him, but their hollow eyes ignored Siloque, instead locking onto Aduofa and Yadimo.

“Chii-u.”

Aduofa’s mind was no longer on Siloque.

He was already calculating escape routes between the gaps in the Skeleton Soldiers.

Because he could feel it.

The air was trembling.

Something even more terrifying was drawing closer.

“I modified that N11 item a bit with some other tools. Not only can’t you wipe it off, but it also maximizes monster aggro.”

“Whoaaaaargh—!!”

The roar of wind and monsters blasted their eardrums.

A shadow flickered through the dust.

The Abyssfire Dragon Remnant hurtled around the corner, wild winds following its advance.

To Aduofa and Yadimo, the scene before them resembled a solemn painting—

A fearsome dragon remnant, blue flames spreading from its wings behind a girl (?), blasting apart the walls.

Skeleton Soldiers standing at attention, as if at the center of the world.

A black-haired girl (?) with a stern expression stood unmoving, brown coat and long hair whipping in the wind, her eyes sending chills down the spine.

It wasn’t until the Abyssfire Dragon Remnant passed over the girl’s head that the stunned Aduofa and Yadimo realized time was still moving.

Don’t be ridiculous.

Impossible.

Haha, I must be dreaming…

Their breathing was off, tongues dry, incoherent thoughts popping up and vanishing.

Survival instinct moved their legs again. Escape.

“You actually dared hurt my adorable sister, you two.”

Siloque brought three fingers of his left hand together, pinky slightly raised, pressing them to his face with a wicked smile:

“Die.”

“Ruuuuooooaaaaargh—!!”

The Abyssfire Dragon Remnant’s roar shook the walls, joining the Skeleton Soldiers in charging at the fleeing Yadimo and Aduofa.

Watching the monsters and the two vanish into the distance, Siloque let his calm mask slip.

“So hot—!! Hot, hot, hot! It’s burning!”

He quickly dropped to the ground, rolling to extinguish the lingering BOSS fire clinging to his coat.

Luckily, his coat was made of Swift Wolf Hide.

The dragon’s fire burned like hell, but didn’t leave any real injury.

***

When did Hill first start paying attention to her brother?

Hill always thought she was someone who said she liked what she liked, hated what she hated, and never hid her feelings.

…Though sometimes she might tell small, harmless lies.

She liked her mom and dad, liked games, liked chatting with friends at school, liked playing badminton, hated math homework and wood ear mushrooms—those were totally unacceptable—but liked the meals her brother cooked.

So, when did her brother start feeling special?

If she really thought about it, it was strange.

Her feelings toward her brother used to be similar to her parents.

He never played with her, and only ever replied with “ah,” “oh,” or “mm.”

Not exactly cold, but distant and unfamiliar.

She thought that if she was friendlier, he’d become less gloomy, so she started hitting him with her head.

He dodged every time, making her bump into doors instead.

After enough times, it didn’t seem like a big deal.

And so, he kept avoiding her.

For weeks, for years.

Until that day, he caught her.

Siloque caught her.

Even with blood trickling from his lips, face pale, and legs shaking from dislocated bones, he held her head, whispering gently:

–I’m home, Hill–

For the first time, she thought her brother’s smile looked beautiful.

Her feelings created new ripples, forging a new bond between them.

Gradually, she started looking forward to seeing her brother.

The excitement grew and stabilized over time.

It wasn’t the kind of feeling like “I like you,” or “I want to be with you.”

Her feelings became so intense it was more like “I want him to belong only to me,” or “If possible, I want to hide him away from everyone else.”

That’s how special he was to her.

Her thoughts returned to reality.

So, the brother who once caught her head-on—

Would he run away in fear now?

Did her brother abandon her?

Was Hill abandoned?

“How could that be, idiot.”

Hill smiled confidently.

“Hill!”

A tall figure with a long ponytail appeared around the corner, skidding to a stop.

The reassuring voice was a bit hoarse but clearly that of a girl, her worried expression obvious.

Taller.

To others, her slender frame might seem frail, but from this angle looking up from below, she seemed tall—a presence that belonged to Hill alone, her brother.

Seeing Siloque glance around, she realized she was still in stealth and deactivated her skill.

“Sorry! If I didn’t act well enough, I was afraid they wouldn’t fall for it…”

Siloque helped Hill up, then handed her a Magic Potion to cure abnormal status.

“Yeah! My body feels all numb, brother.”

“Did you think I’d abandon you and run away?”

Hill tilted her head, eyes wide with innocent confusion.

“? No, I never thought that at all.”