Even took three dry gulps. As he listened to Baron, a cold shiver ran through his chest. Baron's description disturbed him, but the thought of his own future left him utterly lost.
Baron lowered his voice to a whisper. "Listen, friend, maybe you don't remember because of your memory loss. Mermaids are this world's most terrifying nightmare! Sailors live in constant fear of them. They are impossibly beautiful—otherworldly. They lure you with enchanting songs, and then..." He doesn't complete the word.
Baron lowered his head, his body trembling at the thought. He continued, "These Mermaids are a thousand times more dangerous than Orcs! Orcs are just mindless beasts. A skilled adventurer group—say, B or A-rank—is enough to wipe out this entire Orc village. But if an S-Rank team goes into a Mermaid's den under the sea, more than half of them won't make it back alive."
Even thought about the storybooks he had read. There, Mermaids were always shown as kind, graceful, and romantic. He never imagined that in this harsh reality, they could be such horrors.
He usually read power fantasies, wish-fulfillment, or adult web novels. Occasionally, he'd browse intellectual manga like Attack on Titan. But no novel had ever described Mermaids as this bloodthirsty.
When Even first learned a Mermaid had saved him, he was secretly thrilled. He felt a strange romantic spark. But now that he knew the truth about the Mermaids of this world, he couldn't hide his terror.
It was blood-curdling. To think—he had been touched by a creature whose very name made hardened warriors shake! At the time, he didn't know the danger, but now his face turned pale. His limbs felt numb.
Baron looked at him with pity. "Are you sure she saved you? Or is she just saving you as her next meal? Because whatever a Mermaid touches, she never lets go."
Even shook his head violently, his eyes trembling. He whispered, "I don't know..."
His subconscious dived into a horrific fantasy. What if the Orcs hadn't arrived? When that Mermaid was pressing her lips to his to give him air, would she have taken his life right after?
...
A gruesome scene came alive in Even's mind—the moment the Mermaid finished giving him breath, she pulled away. Her beautiful face instantly twisted into a cruel, monstrous form. With blood-red eyes, she stared at Even's limp body. With a demonic smile, she bit down hard on his throat, tearing the flesh away in one jerk. Being unconscious, Even couldn't resist; his body just twitched a few times in agony before going still.
The System's grumpy voice echoed:
[Finally, death! Now I have to stay in darkness forever waiting for a new Master...]
...
Even shuddered and tried to shake this 'what-if' thought out of his head. It was stupid to waste time on something that didn't happen. He thought, whatever happened, happened for the best. If the Orcs hadn't pulled him from the water, he might have been digested in that Mermaid's belly. By tricking the Orcs, he had at least bought some time!
But then, his old habit of 'over-thinking' kicked in. He glanced at Baron. 'This guy tried to kill me just a moment ago! Should I trust him?'
But he calmed himself. 'No, in this unknown world, if I don't trust my own kind, how will I survive hundreds of monsters?'
At that moment, the familiar sound of heavy footsteps echoed from above. Even knew who it was—the Orc guard who had gone looking for the laptop.
By now, the last traces of twilight had faded, leaving everything in pitch darkness. The orange and yellow glow of the sky was replaced by thick black clouds. The pit was so dark that it was almost impossible for Even and Baron to see each other's faces.
The heavy footsteps stopped right at the mouth of the pit. When the Orc poked his head in, Even couldn't see his face because of the dark. Only a raspy voice drifted down: "Hey! I found that weird object of yours!"
By now, the old ghost of addiction in Even's head had quieted down. The thought he had earlier—watching videos by the blue light of the laptop to calm himself—had vanished into the air like tea steam after feeling the barrel of Baron's revolver and hearing the truth about the Mermaid. There was no time for the luxury of watching videos now.
Still, he composed himself and looked up. "You found it? Then give it back to me."
Even wasn't thinking about videos anymore; he was thinking about survival. Once he had his companion back, he had to find a way to escape this pit by playing a new game with the Orcs.
"Are you crazy? That's impossible!" Hearing the Orc's words, Even was shocked.
"What do you mean!?" Even shouted.
"Yeah, some idiot Orc tried to chew on that weird thing of yours, thinking it was food. But after one lick, he realized it wasn't for eating. No one can figure out what it is, so it's been dumped in the storehouse for now."
"Then why didn't you bring it from the storehouse? Without it, I can't give you that 'heavenly pleasure'!" Even tried to tempt him.
"I don't need that pleasure!" The Orc's blunt reply made Even's face fall. The guard added, "I'm not that stupid. I once saw an Orc steal something from the storehouse, and the Leader beat him so badly the poor guy didn't survive. I'm not going to die, man!"
'Damn it! This is a nuisance. I keep having to use my brain. Will my bad luck never leave me?' Even thought for a while. Since these Orcs were naturally idiots, complex plans wouldn't work. He had to take the simple route.
He said with a tone of disdain, "I didn't think you were such a coward!"
"What? What are you trying to say!" The Orc sounded angry and suspicious.
"I mean, fine, you can't bring it. But you can at least take us there!"
"No way! I can't take that risk."
"That's what I'm saying! I'm trying to give you something people in my country go crazy for, and you're refusing it like an idiot? Lord! I've never seen such an unlucky fool in this world."
The Orc guard hesitated, but didn't give in. "No, no, no! No matter what you say, I can't take you there. I won't risk my life."
Even was in big trouble. This guy wouldn't agree! If he couldn't get out of here, escaping was out of the question; they'd be in a stomach before sunrise. To escape, they first had to get out of the pit. But he was tripping at the very first step.
Even tried one more risk. He realized the Orc's weakness was 'fear.' He asked calmly, "Fine, forget it, what else can be done... anyway, did you meet the Leader?"
"No," the Orc replied shortly.
That was it! That was enough! When Even asked that question, he had two plans. If the Orc had said 'yes,' Even might have changed the subject to festival preparations. But since he said 'no,' a door opened for Even.
Even said in a grave voice, "Really! The Leader came to us just a little while ago. He was furious not to see you here on duty."
Hearing such a blatant lie, the cowboy Baron was stunned. He looked at 'fat' Even with surprise but stayed quiet, understanding the situation.
"What!!!" The Orc guard gasped. His limbs began to shake with fear, and he almost ran off to find the Leader.
Even quickly stopped him. "Wait! You're in such a hurry to die."
The Orc stopped and turned to Even, confused.
Even now mimicked the Leader's voice, adding with authority, "The Leader said—when that rascal returns, tell him he ordered you to bring both of us to him. He's very hungry and wants to eat healthy meat soon. But first, he wants to see that strange thing the other Orcs picked up. He ordered that you must bring that object from the storehouse when you come. The Leader is very angry; you know what happens if you go empty-handed!"
Even spoke as if he were delivering a direct command from the Leader. The Orc guard was now in a double bind—stealing from the storehouse was forbidden, but disobeying the Leader's direct order meant certain death.
The Orc asked in a trembling, fearful voice, "Th-then why didn't you say this before!!?"
Even's heart skipped a beat, and his mouth went dry. But he quickly recovered and gave his fat head a little tap. Then he said with an indifferent shrug, "Sorry, I completely forgot!"
The Orc was so terrified that he didn't dare ask any more questions. Simply put, his brain had shut down. Fear drives people crazy, and it does the same to beasts or monsters.
In moments of extreme terror, whatever they are told to do or believe, they follow blindly. The ability to doubt disappears—no matter how clever they might be. In fact, the weapon of 'fear' is enough to make anyone a complete slave.
Today, Even realized that if he didn't get scared and kept this confident act while telling blatant lies, there was no one in this world who could stop him.