"Ppodong!"
A hole appeared in the wall in front of Lloyd. Ppodong stuck his head out of it and smiled at Lloyd, who had collapsed just in front of the wall. Lloyd called out in utter disbelief.
"Ppodong…?"
"Ppodong!"
"Is that really you?"
"Ppo-do-dong! Ppodong?"
Ppodong nodded eagerly and began his tale of recent events.
****
While Lloyd was engrossed in mine excavation, Ppodong had been bored to death. Since Bangul was helping out on that job, Ppodong was left with nothing to do and spent his days just goofing around in his room. He liked it at first, but the boredom started to feel wretchedly dull. After a few days, the boredom became unbearable, and Ppodong walked out of Lloyd's room to wander around the estate.
On his journey, he bumped into Lloyd's mother, who was tending to the flowers in her garden. With a warm welcome, she said, "I'm very grateful. I was, in fact, concerned about my garden lately since some mice have been causing trouble. They must be your cousins; could you go find them? Please tell them to stop, that I would like to keep my flower garden beautiful. Can you do that, Ppodong?"
Ppodong accepted right away since he had nothing else to do anyway. Excited and bolstered by this new mission, he rushed into the grass. After Ppodong scavenged the estate and its surroundings for some time, he spotted the group of mice and met the chief. Ppodong made what he thought was a quite decent offer to the chief.
"Ppodong? Ppo-do-dong! Ppodong?"
He proposed that the mice clan stay away from the baroness's flower garden.
But the chief of the mice said, "Squeak! Squeak? Squeak, squeak!"
The chief did not understand Ppodong at all.
Due to the language barrier between the two of them, the deal collapsed, and that triggered a war between the mice and the hamsters. It was Ppodong that waged war and bravely charged forth. Every time he saw them in the garden, he pressed and bounced and rammed the mice family.
The mice went berserk every time Ppodong laid into them, scattering in fear from the terrifying hamster. Today was unlike any other as Ppodong pursued the chief mouse, but he was proving to be faster than Ppodong expected.
The chief mouse just barely escaped Ppodong's reach every time. Their chase led them through the flower garden, its entrance, the village, and the foot of the mountain until they ultimately found themselves in the mines. Before he knew it, Ppodong had entered the mine and had reached the ant cave.
"Ppodong?"
Ppodong didn't know where he had ended up. Plus, he lost the mice and prepared to turn back. Ppodong would have returned home if he didn't hear a familiar voice nearby just then.
"Hah! Whew!"
Technically speaking, it wasn't a voice but a gasp. Still, Ppodong recognized the owner of the pained vocalization right away.
"Ppodong!"
It was the same guy who summoned him into this world and took him under his wing. It was Lloyd.
"Ppodong? Ppo-do-dong!" Ppodong exclaimed in pure hamster joy, but Lloyd did not answer and simply panted for air somewhere nearby. His breathing was followed by the sound of shoveling.
"Ppodong?"
Ppodong cocked his head to the side and thought, Lloyd must be digging up the ground somewhere! I can help him then!
"Ppo-do-dong! Ppodong!"
Standing still, Ppodong intensely studied where the sound was coming from. Lloyd was near… He's on the other side of where I was standing!
As his little paws swiftly dug at the earth in Lloyd's direction, his chubby little hamster butt swayed each time the wall of earth thinned down. Just as his tiny paws began to sweat, Ppodong poked his head through the wall of dirt and reached Lloyd at last.
"Is that really you?"
"Ppodong!"
Ppodong casually waddled over to Lloyd and rubbed his backside against him. It was when Lloyd could even smell Ppodong's unique hamster scent that he became convinced Ppodong was real.
"Woah, how did you end up here?" What a pleasant surprise. I thought we were going to die in here. The drowsiness was slowly fading away thanks to the small hole that Ppodong made, which was letting in fresh air.
The headache is still there, but… This place still lacks oxygen. Although it was better than nothing, the small hole worked only to prevent the situation from becoming a disaster. It's better than dying, Lloyd thought as he wiggled his fingers. He was grateful that they moved at all when he wanted them to.
"Hey, Ppodong? I have a favor to ask you."
"Ppodong?"
"Can you bite my nose? I need to wake up."
"Ppo-do-dong?"
"It's all right. That won't kill me."
"Ppodong?"
"I mean it. Come on."
"Ppodong!"
Ppodong climbed on Lloyd's shoulder. He stood on his hind legs and placed his front paws against Lloyd's cheek and promptly bit his nose.
"Ppodong!"
"Ack!"
The pain stung more than he thought it would, causing his body to shudder in response. But the pain successfully jostled him out of the numbing stupor.
"Y-yes… Th-thank you!"
Lloyd flashed a smile at Ppodong, who flashed the high-five sign back at Lloyd as he stood up on the human's shoulders. After some struggle, Lloyd got to the wall on all fours. Once he took several gulps of air through the small hole in the wall, his mind cleared. I need to save that guy as well. Lloyd turned around and crawled back to Javier, who was several feet away from him.
Javier was knocked out cold, but he was still breathing. With immense effort, Lloyd dragged him to the air hole. Grabbing him by the collar, Lloyd lifted his body and brought his face near the hole. A few seconds later, the color in his pale face returned. Okay, time to get out. The place seemed ready to collapse at any time. With heightened urgency, Lloyd struggled to get to his feet and picked the steel shovel up off the ground.
He could not use the Asrahan Core Technique anymore due to the penalty imposed on him for using the surge of latent power. But he had some physical strength left in his body. He stabbed the wall with his shovel in one feeble motion. Stab.
The shovel merely dug into one centimeter of dirt, but that was enough. Lloyd leaned over and pressed his body against the shovel.
Thud… Pushed forward by the weight of his body, the shovel dug deeper, slowly and gradually, until the dirt wall started to give way.
Thwack! The shovel suddenly burst through. It finally penetrated the foot-thick wall. It worked! Lloyd flexed his muscles and leaned forward a little more. The pressure of his weight turned into a weapon.
Crash! He pushed at the wall with his shoulder and pressed against it with his entire weight. Finally, the wall crumbled.
"Whew!"
It got him covered in dirt, but he didn't care. Air rushed into his lungs as he took another deep breath, much more than what he barely got from the tiny hole. He felt invigorated.
"Can you please open your eyes now?" Lloyd grumbled as he again carried Javier on piggyback, who felt heavier now for some reason. He wondered if it was because Javier was passed out or because of his own exhaustion. Nonetheless, Lloyd ambled toward the exit. I need to walk slower at a time like this. My steps must be measured. No unnecessary exertion. Gird my loin and thigh. This is how you moved heavy objects when you're tired. Forcefully tensing your muscles would only lead to faster exhaustion. The heavier the object, the slower you should move. The more tired you were, the more technique you needed to employ.
Back in the days when he visited the job center every morning, Lloyd carried heavy bags of cement and bricks on his back. I even carried tiles and bricks on my back and went up and down four-story apartment units! This is nothing! He clenched his teeth, every synapse of his mind focused on walking. The path toward the exit could be found easily as Ppodong led the way. He simply focused all his heart and mind on each step. One foot in front of the other. Soon he'd be walking out the door.
Sometime later, an unexpected message popped in front of him.
Ding Dong.
You were able to overcome physical limitations in extreme circumstances through impressive skills of improvisation.
This experience is having a strong effect on your Asrahan Core Technique.
[A new skill option has been opened.]
Skill Option 3: Power Saving Mode—Even in extreme exhaustion, you can use the Asrahan Core Technique, albeit weakly. Mana amplification rate is fixed at 10 percent in this state.
Eh? What now? Lloyd blinked in surprise. He had never imagined a skill option like this would be available. Its effect was felt immediately.
Zi-zing! The mana of the double circle, which was dormant due to exhaustion, started to rotate again. The rotation was at 10 percent of usual, but that was enough for him. Having suffered from severe fatigue, this bit of mana was enough for him. It was like sweet rain on a dry day.
Mana is being absorbed again! The Asrahan Core Technique was automatically working again, even though he didn't will it. His body absorbed a small portion of mana around the area, causing it to rotate around the circle and nurture various parts of his body. He was revitalized. I can do it! I can get out! His steps became faster and more vigorous. He walked on and on, never stopping, despite having Javier on his back.
Lloyd's surroundings began to change. The number of glowing mushrooms started to lessen. Yet the area didn't get any darker. That was because a swinging torch illuminated the path for Lloyd straight ahead of him.
"Over there! It's Master Lloyd!" Someone shouted, followed by dozens of frantic footsteps. They rushed forward to support him. The baron was among them.
"Are you fine? Are you hurt anywhere?" The baron held Lloyd's face and asked, his voice full of alarm.
Lloyd chuckled.
He wasn't in the right mind to answer the question. I'm alive, he thought as all the pent-up tension in his body began to release. A smile escaped him. His eyelids shut. Hah, it's been a long day. He used to experience this feeling when he was living in the dorms. Overwhelmed by exhaustion, he collapsed in the baron's embrace. This long, hectic ordeal was finally over.
****
Many days later.
Lloyd was still sleeping, and nobody expected that he'd sleep this long. Even after two days, he hadn't opened his eyes. He was perfectly fine, save for some over-stretched muscles and ligaments. He had no signs of sickness, either. After the doctor came to check up on Lloyd, he explained to the baron and baroness that he was simply taking a rest, as his body was suffering from severe fatigue. The baron and baroness were often in his bedroom, so as to stay beside him every moment they were free.
This was especially the case with the baron. He had not hesitated to kill the beast ants, and he led the way to clear the path that led to the underground ant nest. Although he broke his arm in the fight and suffered from a fever, he refused to be bedridden all the time. He rushed to check up on Lloyd. The baroness was just as doting as her husband. She held down the fort while the baron recovered, taking over the responsibilities of the barony. She personally visited the soldiers injured in the fight against the ants, praised their efforts, and supported their recovery.
Meanwhile, a heartwarming rumor slowly spread across the fiefdom.
It was about Lloyd.
The rumor claimed that this formerly quite brutish young master had evacuated the workers when the giant ants appeared. He then stayed behind with Javier to keep everyone safe. As if that wasn't enough, he bravely charged into the ant nest, saving Javier in the process. Many witnesses verified the rumor. They were the evacuated workers and soldiers who saw Lloyd hobbling out with Javier on his back.
The young master had risked his life to protect the people in his lands and never gave up on his loyal knight. The men in the fiefdom raised their fists in respect, the women found their hearts fluttering as they heard of Lloyd's heroism, and the soft-hearted elders wiped tears from their eyes.
When Javier first woke up, the baron and the baroness called to him and asked what happened down in the tunnels. As the loyal young knight related his story, the couple reacted in shock, regret, and relief.
And everyone waited, hoping sincerely that the young master would regain consciousness and return to good health.
At long last, four days after his rescue, Lloyd did wake up.
[All of Baron Frontera's subjects were deeply moved by your heroic courage and sent their praises.]
[For that achievement, you have been awarded a large amount of Bonus RP.]
Translator: https://bettertranslation9.wordpress.com