Chapter 15: The Bridge of Death
Leonard carried the injured woman. By now, she had become alarmingly light. Most likely because she had lost a life-threatening amount of blood.
"Can you hear me? What is your name?" He called out, attempting to keep her conscious.
"A—Arabella..." She replied, her breathing unusually heavy.
"Arabella, I’m sorry we weren’t able to retrieve the bodies of your companions. We might be able to later." He said in a soothing voice.
"It was probably for the best..." Her voice grew weaker.
Leonard’s eyes narrowed. Arabella was still obscuring her face with her hood, and he wasn’t able to assess her condition properly.
He reached out with his free arm, only for her to stop him with a trembling hand.
"P—Please don’t... The hood must stay on."
He found her reaction puzzling. After all, he was just trying to help her. Still, he respected her wishes and took a step onto the Bridge of Death.
With each stride he took, grains of gravel broke away and fell into the abyssal darkness below.
The Haunted Catacombs was a dungeon that had become famous as a place for novice awakeners to gain experience.
Because most dungeons were said to contain multiple Bosses, with only one actually being the True Boss, no one had been able to seal this particular dungeon despite it being explored for so long. Rumors spread that even deadlier monsters waited beyond the Bridge of Death, or more precisely, in its depths, where anyone who fell from its sides was never seen again.
Goosebumps spread over his body, compelling him to stare ahead instead.
Meanwhile, Winston did his best to support Martin and guide him along the way.
"Better hurry up ahead." Martin suggested once they reached the midpoint. "You are unharmed, so you can overtake us and request aid from the awakeners already at the restoration site."
"And leave you alone?" Winston hesitated.
"My injury is shallow, and there are no monsters that can ambush us in this open space. Don’t you want to help your teammates as soon as possible?" Martin reasoned.
Unable to find fault with that logic, Winston complied and made haste.
Left alone, Martin looked down at his bleeding leg and let out a sigh.
"I went a little overboard. For future reference, there is no need to make the wound so deep." He murmured to himself before pulling out a healing potion and gulping it down in one go.
Instantly, vitality surged through his body, accelerating the restoration process as his skin mended and the wound closed within seconds.
"As good as new." The man nodded, speeding up his pace.
Royal Trade was already an influential company that sought to spread its authority even further.
For its next expansion, it set its sights on the popular Velmura brand, planning to secure its acquisition through a strategic marriage between Harley, the daughter of its owner, and one of Royal Trade’s lesser-known heirs... Martin.
However, that was where a problem arose. Although the arranged engagement had been broken off, Harley appeared to still secretly harbor feelings for Leonard, even if she tried to mask her true intentions.
That simply couldn’t be allowed to stand. First, they sent Daniel, Martin’s older brother, to witness Leonard’s awakening process and later hired an adequate assassin to deal with the trouble.
Yet strangely, the hitman never reported back, and Leonard still drew breath. And so, Martin decided to take matters into his own hands.
At that moment, Winston overtook Leonard, raised his hands, and shouted.
"Is there anyone?! Help!" He cried at the top of his lungs, not stopping in his tracks.
"Winston?" Leonard whispered, his eyes widening. "If you are here, then where—"
Interrupted, he felt a sudden push from the side.
"Royal Trade sends its regards. Harley is rightfully mine." Martin declared with a smirk. "So, kindly die for me, m’kay?"
Leonard’s eyes blazed. His body exhausted and dragged down by both his and Martin’s share of the monster loot, coupled with the weight of the woman he carried in his arms, pulled him downward.
Unable to retaliate, Leonard fell past the edge of the Bridge of Death, right into the abysmal darkness beneath.
In that moment, a chill ran down Winston’s spine. He turned just in time to see his comrade falling, and his face turned deathly pale.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" Winston roared at the top of his lungs, his face flushed red from rage.
Martin’s demeanor changed in an instant, his confidence replaced by false horror.
"M—Me?! Nothing!" He denied the allegations.
"You pushed them!" Winston wasn’t buying the act.
"B—Baseless accusation!" Martin played his part perfectly. "They fell on their own! Did you actually see me push them?! I’ll have you know, accusing me without any evidence can land you in jail for years!"
Winston gritted his teeth and looked down into the darkness below. Awakeners often called whatever lurked at the bottom a death zone that even the strongest Level 9 couldn’t face.
At that moment, people attracted by the earlier shouting arrived from the other end.
"Does somebody need help? What happened?" The leader of the party asked.
"It’s our friends!" Martin exclaimed. "They accidentally fell over the edge!"
The party members exchanged knowing glances. "Our condolences... they are not coming back alive."
Winston felt the world spin. How had everything gone so wrong in a few seconds?
Leonard, who was already injured, had fallen straight into the death zone.
Was there anything Winston could do?
He had family back at home, loved ones, and their bakery business, which he helped sustain. With the haul he carried on his back, he would be able to ease their burden significantly.
Everything would be fine if he simply turned away and pretended this never happened...
Winston’s palms curled into fists.
"True courage doesn’t mean being unafraid... it’s about facing what we fear..." He murmured.
The party that had arrived to lend aid noticed his movements too late.
"Sir! Step away from the edge!"
Winston didn’t hear them. He was the reason Leonard had fallen, and it was only right that he made amends.
Inhaling deeply, Winston steeled his resolve and willingly jumped into the death zone.
Comments