Elegy

Anyone would stay alert in an unfamiliar environment.

Especially Tang Qi, who knew very well that Kobolds were a race accustomed to using traps in tunnels.

With his nerves stretched taut, his five senses were far sharper than usual.

So the instant he heard a faint rustling by his ear, coming from overhead, his hairs stood on end as if pricked by needles. He instinctively threw himself backward.

"Rumble!"

He realized that the soil overhead had seemingly lost its support, causing the gravel in the upper layer to crash down and pile up before him, forming a wall of loose stone.

Fortunately, he had pulled his legs away in time. They were only splattered with a little dirt and sand; he had not been trapped in place.

"What's going on over there!?"

The commotion startled Black Snake. A wall of rubble now separated them, so his voice came through the gaps between the stones, somewhat muffled.

Tang Qi straightened up with lingering fear and said anxiously:

"Looks like they don't want me getting through."

He soon heard a blunt weapon striking the pile of rocks, followed immediately by another thunderous collapse.

"Clip his goat beard! How many more rocks are up there?"

The Dwarf cursed—

Once they chiseled a gap through this wall of rubble, the stones accumulated in the soil would quickly fill it again. They would probably have a hard time returning the way they came.

"Go look for another route!"

Black Snake shouted,

"Kobold tunnels extend in every direction. Enter through another opening, and we'll meet up at the end eventually."

Jackal rolled his eyes, then suddenly suggested:

"Boss, these Kobolds clearly can't stop you guys. Why don't I just wait for you at the entrance? Saves me from getting lost in here and making you unable to find me."

Black Snake considered it for a moment and felt that Jackal had a point.

They had already confirmed it was a Kobold nest, and Star Plum's location was more or less certain. What came next would not be difficult to handle.

And if there really was a problem the two of them could not solve...

Bringing along two more half-baked amateurs would only create more trouble.

"Then wait by the campfire from earlier. Keep watch around you, and don't die in a Kobold nest—otherwise, people will laugh at you even after you're dead."

"You still don't trust my swordsmanship?"

"I'm reminding you that two fists can't beat four hands. If there's any conflict, wait until you're somewhere safe before settling it!"

Black Snake meant to warn him, but ultimately gave no further instructions.

He merely whispered a few more words to Gravel, and the footsteps faded away shortly afterward.

Tang Qi quickly rose to his feet, crossbow in hand.

He warily watched Jackal, who was looking at him with a mocking gaze—

The other man deliberately tapped his palm with the flat of his sword, as though appraising a pig waiting to be slaughtered.

Afraid that this vicious dog might suddenly attack, Tang Qi could only seize the initiative first.

"Black Snake made it very clear. The tunnels lead everywhere, and any opening could have an ambush waiting inside. If we start infighting here, neither of us will be able to deal with a Kobold siege."

His instinct for danger made his heart rise to his throat. He was so tense that sweat had unknowingly soaked through his back.

Jackal spat coldly and gritted his yellow teeth.

"Are you threatening me? I can kill you right here, leave this cave, and then there won't be any danger to speak of!"

"Of course you can do that. I can't fight back against you."

"Hmph?" Seeing him yield, Jackal could not help giving a dismissive snort.

"As long as you can make sure there won't be pursuers behind us—

If a group of Kobolds has already gathered by the campfire, then even if you can escape their encirclement alone, you'll probably be badly wounded.

I'm a good shot. Helping you deal with one or two Kobolds won't be a problem, and you'll have it much easier if danger comes."

Tang Qi's tone gradually softened, completely losing its former edge.

"Listen, I don't want to die, and neither do you. Right?

No one wants to die in a cave without sunlight;

No one will bring flowers to mourn at your grave."

He softly hummed a tune at an appropriate moment, as though easing the tense atmosphere—

The cave was extremely dangerous for two half-baked amateurs like them. Anyone with even a little self-awareness would know what to do.

Jackal stared at Tang Qi in silence for a long while.

Tang Qi simply set the light crossbow on the ground and raised both hands to show he meant no harm.

They stood very close together. If they fought in this narrow tunnel, he would have almost no chance of winning.

Whether he put down the crossbow or not made little difference.

Yet it was precisely this submissive attitude that pleased Jackal even more.

"Then you'd better pray there really are Kobolds outside."

With that, he turned around on his own and boldly exposed his back.

Only then did Tang Qi pick up the light crossbow.

Jackal let him do so.

For some reason, he actually trusted this Poet a little.

After all, even he was not confident he could face a Kobold siege alone. The other man had even less chance of doing so.

And Black Snake's warning had been right—

Even if they were going to fight among themselves, they should first make sure they were somewhere safe.

There was conflict between them.

But they both cherished their lives.

More than another person's fear, Jackal now needed a whole and capable helper.

But once this was over, no matter how this Poet worked his irritating mouth, Jackal would turn a deaf ear and crush the throat that made those sounds—

Of course, he would not kill him. He rarely killed anyone at all.

"Death only brings the fear of one's final moments. Oppression is what buys lasting despair."

That was the way of survival in [Black Reef Port].

This harbor city at the westernmost edge of the Lord Alliance, beside the Boundless Sea, had always been a cradle of greed and criminals.

Jackal did not miss it.

But whenever he looked at his missing little finger, he realized that he could never escape the mark it had left upon him—

The "rats" born in Black Reef Port found it hard not to attach themselves to the city's gangs, large and small.

Running errands, gathering information—someone always had to do the dirty work for important people to make a living.

The spies planted by rivals often came from such people as well.

Jackal was not that spy.

But the gang leader believed there was a spy among his men.

Jackal had merely happened to become the example made of a chicken to frighten the monkeys, pinned to a long table as his little finger was chopped off with one stroke.

"Boss, I really am not a traitor!"

He still remembered defending himself with every argument he had.

"I've worked under you since I was six. Without your support, I would have died in [Rat Alley] long ago. How could I possibly betray you!?"

The gang leader nodded and had a physician reattach his severed little finger.

Then he chopped it off again.

"Why!?" Jackal had wailed in confusion.

"Your voice is too loud."

He still remembered the gang leader's explanation.

"People who fear me won't loudly argue for their own innocence.

They'll only kneel at my feet and beg for my mercy."

A person who had always lived in fear could only gain enough security by being feared by others.

The gang leader was like that, and so was Jackal.

Only...

Why am I thinking about this?

Jackal noticed that the flickering memories before his eyes were gradually fading.

A sweet, fishy taste spread across the tip of his tongue.

The blockage in his throat prevented him from making a sound for a long time.

Only then did pain gradually arrive, allowing him to glimpse the crossbow bolt lodged straight through his neck.

Blood from the arrowhead dripped into the tunnel, mixing with dirt and sand into a small pool.

At last, he understood.

Everything he had just seen and heard had been the final flashes before death.

The hatred in his heart flared like dry firewood touched by flame, then turned to ash along with his fading life.

Only then did he realize that magic had influenced his emotions.

It had made him trust this Poet, even for that brief instant!?

When had it happened!?

He suddenly recalled the few lines Tang Qi had softly hummed...

"Watch your ass, right?"

Suppressing the urge to vomit, Tang Qi fired another arrow into Jackal's buttocks, pinning him completely to the ground like a nail.

Amid Jackal's cry of pain, he continued the melodious tune:

"No one wants to die in a cave without sunlight,

No one will bring flowers to mourn at your grave;

If you still hold hope of surviving,

Remember the mocking smile of this elegy."

Jackal understood everything, yet no longer had the strength to shout and ask why Tang Qi was a Spellcaster.

He could only force out a weak breath through his unwillingness and confusion.

"Kill me... and you'll... die in the siege too..."

Tang Qi's reflection showed in his unfocused pupils.

Even at death's door, he could not understand why this Poet, even more fragile than himself, had dared to strike in secret.

"Unless I can be sure those Kobolds won't crawl out of the tunnel."

Tang Qi did not mind explaining his motive.

But Jackal, sprawled in the passageway, had already fallen silent.