Chapter 30: Brika’s Decision

Chapter 30: Chapter 30: Brika’s Decision

Brika stared at the floor as if she were being scolded. She said nothing, not even trying to argue against Victor’s words, which made Victor himself let out a tired sigh.

Even though his voice was still somewhat shaky, he said:

"Besides, I didn’t save your life just so you could start thinking about suicide at the first opportunity. We have a deal, and until this scenario ends, we’re both going to live. You watch my back, and I’ll watch yours, just like you did a moment ago."

Victor was sure he couldn’t contribute much strength to the team, but he had the gacha system’s items, which could help him in any scenario. All he had to do was use his head and the right item in the right situation.

Brika gave it serious thought, something Victor honestly couldn’t believe. What was there to think about? This was a life-or-death decision! If she chose to die, Victor would die too when he had to face those things alone.

He needed this goblin girl to have enough willpower to make a decision. Of course, he didn’t know what she’d gone through to become so pessimistic, but he didn’t care much about that, because all he wanted was to live, even if it meant dragging her along with him.

"Didn’t you introduce yourself as a warrior? Why don’t you act like one?"

Brika opened her mouth as if she wanted to immediately argue against those questions, but she stopped herself, got up from the floor, and looked at Victor, lifting her head since she was much shorter than him and could still see him in the darkness.

"It’s impossible to reason with a stubborn idiot."

Victor raised his eyebrows.

"Me? A stubborn idiot? You must be imagining things. All I’m doing is what anyone in my position would do, and that’s survive. Before I came to this stupid game, I was already surviving on the streets. This is nothing new to me."

It didn’t matter if he ran into lunatics carrying switchblades or heard the terrifying sounds of gunfire echoing through the alleys. Being a stubborn idiot was what had allowed him to survive for so long.

He didn’t think that would necessarily work in this multiversal game, but he had to try at least. What would become of him if he gave up right at the beginning? He’d never get anywhere in life.

"That’s why I’m telling you this: come with me, and let’s survive. You don’t know me, and I certainly don’t know you, but I know that if we work together toward the same goal, we can both keep moving forward. We just have to figure out how."

Because of the darkness, Victor couldn’t make out Brika’s expression, but he could sense her hesitation in her soft breathing.

A few brief seconds passed before Brika finally deigned to answer.

"You’re very naive."

"Or maybe I just have hope," Victor added.

Brika laughed, but this time it wasn’t the dry laugh she’d been giving him before. It was a more amused laugh, so to speak. In fact, it was quite pleasant to hear. It seemed that Victor’s words genuinely struck her as funny.

As always, Victor gave her a strange look and didn’t know what else to say. He’d spent every last bit of his willpower saying those words after being so terrified. He even thought he deserved a standing ovation for speaking from the heart like that.

"Hope, you say... It’s been a long time since I last heard someone talk about that."

"Well, it won’t be the last time you hear it, so pack your things and let’s continue toward the next scenario."

Once again, Brika fell silent. Victor was tired of waiting for her in the darkness, so he bent down and picked up the flashlight. Then he pointed it at Brika’s face, making her frown.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she complained.

"Nothing. I just thought you were taking too long. If you want to go along with this, I’ll wait for you downstairs."

Victor went down the stairs, praying he wouldn’t hear Brika’s gun go off, then sat in the chair across from the table. He waited there for a few seconds until he noticed the half-eaten cup of instant noodles.

The food was cold, and the noodles had swollen, but they still looked edible. As he watched the flames dancing in the kitchen stove, it occurred to him that Brika had left him that half of the meal because of what he’d gone through hours earlier.

He was the one who’d said all those things about hope and survival, yet now he was the one sitting there reflecting, unsure of what he would do if Brika agreed to keep moving forward.

After finishing the cup of instant noodles, the last one he’d obtained, he heard the stairs creak. He turned his attention toward them and saw Brika.

’She’s a difficult person to understand,’ he thought.

And no matter how difficult it might be, he had to understand her if they were going to survive together, because this wasn’t just about "teamwork."

"We should hurry," Victor said.

He got up from his seat and went to retrieve his bag full of items. Brika sat on the stairs to wait for him. She didn’t seem to have anything to carry, since everything she’d used so far had come from her System window.

On the other hand, Victor noticed the new Daily Summon notification from the gacha system, leaving him unsure whether to use it now, just as he was about to leave, or wait until they found another safe place.

He turned his attention back to Brika for a moment and silently considered his options.

"Let’s go," he said, having made his decision.

Brika stood up and headed for the door first. Victor followed her, and they both stepped outside. But the moment they did, they had the strange feeling that something was watching them from a distance.

Gripping his weapon tightly, Victor looked toward the rooftops of the houses, which he couldn’t actually see, though he could smell them. That’s when he realized he’d overlooked something.

What happens when one of those monsters stays completely still?

It becomes undetectable.