Dragged Into Another World Because of My Otaku Friend-Chapter 161: Catastrophe

"Kiyaaak!"

Bob and I screamed in perfect harmony as the swarm of cockroaches came flying straight at us.

"Urgh! My eardrums! Are you two stupid? Why are you screaming like women?" Lee snapped, clearly irritated after enduring constant yelling right beside his ears today.

"Southern Hook Punch!"

Splash!

The head of one of the giant cockroaches exploded into a mess of brown goo as Selene’s fist connected with a thunderous impact.

"Double Assault!"

Swish! Swish!

Mark moved like lightning, his twin blades slicing through two cockroaches at once, splitting their bodies cleanly in half.

"It’s been a while since we fought together like this," Selene said with a playful grin. "Want to see who gets the most kills?"

"Hmph. The winner should be obvious by the end of the day," Mark replied flatly, showing no expression.

"Don’t get your hopes too high."

Selene and Mark dashed forward, unleashing one relentless combo after another as they massacred the cockroaches.

As the blood and organs splattered across the floor, the foul, acrid stench filled the air. The smell was so strong it could make anyone throw up on the spot. My stomach growled in protest, just a little bit before it would vomit the potato soup I’d eaten earlier at the shelter.

Linus, Blackburn, Lee, William, Maya, and the others joined Selene and Mark in clearing out the rest of the cockroaches. Meanwhile, Bob, Lunar, and I just stood nearby, with no intention to join the massacre.

"Why aren’t you joining them? Don’t tell me you’re scared of a that insects," Beltimore said sharply, narrowing his eyes at us. As party leader, he mostly observed the fight, rarely taking part unless necessary.

"O-of course not! It’s just... they already have more than enough people handling it. No point wasting our energy now, right, Alan?" Bob stammered, nudging my elbow for support.

"Y-yeah, that’s right. There’s probably a boss waiting up there, so we need to be in perfect condition to fight." I smiled nervously. You could throw any kind of monster or creature at me in this world, and I can handle it, but cockroaches? That’s a big, big no.

"Hehe."

Suddenly, a soft giggle broke the tension. We turned to the side and saw Lunar quickly avert her head, covering her mouth as her shoulders trembled.

I glanced at Bob.

"Did that quiet girl just laugh at us?" Bob whispered, disbelief written all over his face. Being laughed at by a little girl..., that bruised our pride a bit.

After several minutes, the catastrophe, I mean, the cockroaches, were finally slain. Bob then instructed me to shoot down the clusters of eggs clinging to the ceiling to prevent a future uprising. Talk about species extermination. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"I killed twenty-five of them, Mark. I won! You see now? We’re at the same level, you can’t look down on me anymore, bro!" Selene said excitedly, her face glowing with triumph. Her class, Brawler, suited her perfectly with her personality, fiery and relentless. She’d been chasing Mark since they were kids, always wanting him to recognize her as his equal.

"Huh. We’ve been Rank B for years already, Selene. Show a little respect to your seniors, will you? You still have a long way to go." Lee sneered at her.

"Don’t worry. With strength and resolve, I’ll surpass you in no time." Selene smirked confidently, slamming her right fist into her left palm.

"Don’t push yourself too hard, Selene," Mark said as concern flickering in his eyes. He’d always been wary of her recklessness, a trait she’d had since childhood.

"Hey, hey. Don’t tell me you want me to slow down. Wasn’t it you who said you’d be waiting for me at the top? It’s too late to take that back now." Selene grinned.

I watched their exchange quietly from the side. It was... nice, honestly, to have someone who shared your dream since childhood, chasing after the same goal while pushing each other forward.

Then I glanced at Bob beside me, who wore a distant expression as he absentmindedly picked his nose.

What could I possibly compete with this guy in? It felt like I was ahead of him in almost every way.

I sighed.

We continued our ascent. For the next ten floors, we didn’t encounter any real difficulties. Selene and Mark were in top form, moving like a single force as they perfectly synchronized their attacks, cutting down most of the monsters before anyone else could react.

Meanwhile, Bob and I had pretty much become side characters in this raid. My job was reduced to shooting any monsters that managed to slip past the vanguard.

After about an hour, we finally reached the top floor.

Thump!

Blackburn kicked the metal door open, sending it crashing onto the rooftop floor. The loud impact startled a flock of birds, sending them flapping into the cold air.

Zuuu!

The wind howled across the rooftop, biting deep into my bones.

"That thing... is that the Kaoslith?" Blackburn muttered, his eyes widening. He had heard rumors about the crystal countless times, but this was the first time he’d seen it with his own eyes.

Blackburn stepped closer to the Kaoslith, followed by William and a few others who had never seen one before. I couldn’t blame them. The sight of the crystal was mesmerizing. I, too, once felt that same awe. But now, knowing the truth behind it, all I could feel was disgust.

"Don’t get too close, all of you. Stand back a few steps from that thing," Beltimore ordered with sharp voice. Then he turned his gaze toward us. Bob, Linus, and I exchanged brief nods before moving forward.

"Hey, why do they get to go near it but not us?" Lee grumbled, as irritating as ever.

We ignored him and began examining the Kaoslith.

"This time... it’s a woman. A pure soul," I said quietly, my voice low as I stared at the figure encased within. The woman’s expression was frozen in terror, her body half-consumed by the translucent crystal. Sharp formations of Kaoslith jutted from every cavity, as if the crystal had devoured her from the inside out.

"This is a mature Kaoslith," Linus muttered, kneeling beside it to inspect the formation more closely. "Same structure as the one we found in Lily Town. The mana is dense, but not nearly as overwhelming as before."

"So it’s true, then," Beltimore said, narrowing his eyes at us. "You three were really involved in the Lily Town incident. Alice was right."

"Shhh." I quickly hushed Beltimore. We had no intention of letting the others know about that incident. We continued examining the Kaoslith in silence.

"Beautiful, isn’t it?"

The sudden voice from behind sent a chill down my spine. Instinctively, Bob, Linus, Beltimore, and I jumped back, forming a defensive stance.

The voice belonged to a figure we all recognized, the masked man from the Coldshire Cave. He stood casually, hands clasped behind his back, as if he’d been waiting for us. His presence alone created a suffocating tension in the air, and worse, he was now standing between our group and the rest of the team.

"Tch! This dude again?" Bob growled, raising both his swords, ready to fight.

"We meet again," the masked man said. Only his eyes were visible beneath the mask, but even through that narrow slit, I could see it clearly.

He was smiling.