Chapter 122 – Cliff Climbing

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After that, I slept twice in that cave.

My MP recovered and I was able to heal my wounds, but as I could not make a fire, I could do nothing but drink water. I had caught a few paralyze bats, but could not bring myself to eat them raw. And so amidst the rocks, I was drained of energy, and tormented by hunger.
The dragon did not show itself though, but I was still haunted by the fear that a fire would attract it.

That being said, I had reached my limit. I had to make a decision. Still, there was some hope.

The temperature. The breeze that blew through the cave had been bitingly cold near the lake at the bottom. But it had become more mild, and the temperature was rising. That made me think that I was near the exit.

“Just a little more. I just need to go a little farther.”

There was no one around me. And so there was no need to talk out loud, but I couldn’t help it. Even though I had the Nightvision skill, it was dark, and spending so much time alone in the cave…fighting my fear of the dragon and hunger…I was starting to feel like I was crazy.

Just a little more. How long had it been since I said that? It could have been a short while ago…or much longer.

It was when I started to think this, that the scenery began to change. The slope had become more steep. There were boulders piled up that seemed to have rolled down from above.
It would be a disaster if they crumbled, but as they were large, my weight was not likely to make them move.

While it would be difficult to climb, it would surely lead to the surface. With a sigh, I reached up. And then I saw it. It was so faint, but I could not mistake it in the dark.

A light.

“YES!”

I wanted to make a fist in the air, but my hand was on the rocks. The light ahead was far, not even a ray. Still, it gave me hope.

With renewed determination, I continued to climb up. But progress was slow with one leg. Still, as I got closer, so did the light increase.

My hands were so weak now that I could barely grip the rocks. I hooked my arm around them and pulled myself up. Once I had climbed up the final boulder, my face was hit by the wind.

Beyond the slope, there was a sky bathed in the colors of evening!

If my legs weren’t in this state, I would have dashed out. I used my sword as a cane and moved one step at a time. From the exit, I could see the forest.

I’m finally out! Outside!!

“…!!”

I wanted to shout with joy, but that might attract monsters. And so I just made a tight fist and thrust it up towards the sunset.

The crack that was the exit was part of a cliff. I could see other mountains around me. This was undulating terrain. And it was not familiar to me at all. I had no idea where I was.

In any case, right now, I had to get away from the cave. When I looked up from the edge of the cliff, I saw that it went up for about ten meters. As for below, it was about twenty. As going down would be difficult, I had no choice but to climb.

But when I reached up towards a cavity to cling onto, my hand started to shake. Even the leg that was not whole would have to work hard. With all four limbs, I pushed my body up.

“Oomph.”

The wind was strong, and I suddenly lost my balance. There was no safety line. If I fell, I would be hurt badly.
However, the cliff didn’t go down in a straight line. There was a slight slope.
And so I leaned my weight against it and pulled myself up while gripping the protrusions in the rock.

“Phew.”

I sighed as I put a foot on a small tree that was growing on the side of the cliff. Just a little more now. And I would be freed from this climbing. I had never climbed so much in my life. I will forever remember the lesson I learned here today. ‘If you descend, then you must climb.’

“Arrrghhh!”

My hand went on the edge and with my last bit of strength, I lifted up my body. And on the flat ground, I collapsed with my arms and legs extended, breathing heavily. The sense of accomplishment and the relief of escaping the cave now washed over me.

When I looked up at the night sky, the stars shone. I turned my head to the side and saw the green grass and trees.

I had seen nothing but rocks for so long, that all the green looked like food. And since I had lived in the forest for quite a while, I knew which plants could be eaten. I picked some antidote herbs and chewed on the leaves. The fresh bitterness spread in my mouth. These were definitely better when cooked.

“Water.”

Still, I swallowed it down with magic water, and then picked more plants to eat. I would only make a fire once I was far enough from the cave.

While making my way down, I found a good branch which I turned into a walking stick. While my hunger was not as strong as before, grass did not give you much strength. And so I searched for something else to eat as I made my way down the forest mountain.

“Awwwoooooooo…”

I heard something howling in the distance. And then in reply, other howls echoed from other locations. They must be some type of wolf monster.

“Awooooooooo…”

This time, it sounded closer. Perhaps it had found me. I started to walk faster. I had no armor or prosthetic leg. To be honest, I didn’t know how well I would be able to fight if it came to it. Still, I didn’t expect to make it out of the forest without any encounters. I had to be prepared.

I heard the quick footsteps. Apparently, they had caught up. When dealing with multiple enemies, it was dangerous to be on a slope where they were above you. And so I moved to a relatively flat area and unsheathed my sword.

“Me-zroi-tar-mez-rei. Protection.”

Without armor, protection magic was my only defense. Several shadows rushed through the forest. Were they trying to surround their prey? Thankfully, I could see them with my Nightvision skill. As for their number…five…six.

But they were just forest wolves, so even while missing a leg, I was confident. I put down the tree branch and thrust my sword into the ground.

“Grrr…”

The forest wolves started to run in a circle, as if to see what I would do. With one hand, I held the hilt, and the other was placed on the pommel.

Hmm? There was one more in the far back. A big one. Even from a distance, I could see that it was twice as large. Was it a direwolf? It must be the leader of the pack.

“Grauu!”

Taking advantage of the distraction, two wolves attacked me at the same time from the left and right.

Clinging tightly to the hilt, I lifted it like a lever. The charged up Mine Breaker felt incredibly lightweight for a two-handed sword, and it effortlessly countered the approaching wolf from the right, slashing upwards with ease.

“Kyau!”

And without losing momentum, I slashed at the one from the left.

Then another two came without a moment’s delay.

“Oomph.”

I hopped away on one leg. And then the three that were coming from behind changed direction and attacked.

I expected as much. I swung my sword to the side while dodging, keeping the two in front in check while cutting down one of the wolves behind me.

“Woah…”

After swinging, I thrust my sword into the ground to regain my balance. And like that, I glared at the other two. They slowly started to back away.

“Awwwooooooooooooo!!”

Came the howl from behind them, and they retreated even more. So it was finally here.
Under the light of a crescent moon, the large wolf appeared. I had not seen one in a while.

“Grrrrrr.”

It was cautious now that I had killed a few of its own. It lowered its stance and growled. I held my sword ready and waited quietly.

And like that, we stared for quite some time.

Neither wanted to back down. It wasn’t about glory or pride. It was just a matter of eating or being eaten. A battle of survival.

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Ossan Boukensha no Jimichi na Isekai Tabi