Fake Survivor 11

Chapter 11

---

Edited by: Kanaa-senpai

---

 ”I’m grateful for your help.”

 The one walking beside me is a member of the armed group that was escorting the carriage.

 They seem to be adventurers, and their group appears to be a merchant’s caravan.

 Just as I had worried, when I revealed myself to them, they immediately became cautious, but after seeing the dead goblin I was dragging, they quickly relaxed their guard.

 It seems that the lead horse had been poisoned with a paralyzing toxin, and the arrow was probably stolen from someone, judging from the artificial arrowhead.

 I decided to sell the goblin’s belongings, except for the magic stone, to the merchants, since I didn’t need them.

 After a while, the horse, which had received treatment for its injuries, was able to move again, and they resumed their journey. I decided to accompany them and gather information about the adventurers.

 ”Hey, you’re from the north, right? Are you headed to the Dungeon City?”

 ”Yeah, that’s right.”

 For now, I just mentioned that I’m from the north, and said that I’m heading to a lucrative land, hoping to gather information about Dungeon Town.

 ”Hmm… well, if you’re lucky, you might be able to make a profit, but if you’re not, you’ll be brutally kicked out, so I wouldn’t recommend it.”

 ”Is that so?”

 ”Yeah. Adventurers in other towns and villages have their rewards taxed, but in Dungeon City, you have to pay a fixed amount every month.”

 ”Is that so? But what about individual circumstances where you can’t pay? Isn’t that unthinkable?”

 Injuries or illnesses can happen unexpectedly, making it impossible to earn a living.

 ”As far as I’ve heard from rumors, there’s no limit to how much you can earn. If you’re lucky, someone might even take care of the expenses for you.”

 ”But if that’s the case…it seems like we’d be at the mercy of that person, doesn’t it?”

 ”Well, if you don’t like it, you can always leave. If you want to stay in the Dungeon City, you have no choice but to accept it, don’t you?”

 ”If that’s the case, what’s the point of staying in Dungeon City?”

 ”Well, if things go well, you can earn a lot, and if you get high-value magic items, you might even get tax exemptions until you die…and if you bring those magic items back to the city…”

 ”I see.”

 As I listened to their conversation, I thought to myself, “If I have the power of the Dragon, I can probably manage to make a living in the Dungeon City.” Just then, I overheard some information from someone else.

 ”But, you know, to make it big as an adventurer in that place, you need to have something from the ‘Ceremony of Blessings’, right? If you don’t have that, it’s pointless, isn’t it?”

 ”If it’s just a shallow area, maybe…”

 ”But the strong guys will just wipe out the monsters in no time, and the number of monsters will decrease, making it hard for newbies and weaklings to make a living.”

 ”Hmm, well…”

 From what they said, it seems that the dungeon in the Dungeon City has a big gate as its entrance, and inside, there’s a vast cave system. If you go down a certain path, you’ll encounter stronger monsters.

 The cave system is all connected, and there’s a map of the explored areas. Apparently, the shortest route that deep-divers take has very few monsters.

 So, it’s a dungeon that’s all connected, huh?

 I had expected that there would be types who move between floors using stairs or warp devices, but it’s convenient that having a map reduces the chances of getting lost.

 If it seems dangerous, I can just turn back.

 Even if I couldn’t make it as an adventurer in the Dungeon City, I could still live by doing some other job that doesn’t involve selling things, since it would be troublesome if people found out that the things I made were Imitations.

 Well, let’s give it a try.

 The merchant group I helped out was going to stay in a village for a few days, so I spent one night at the same inn as the guards, and then we parted ways the next morning. After a while, I saw a large town centered around a big river.

 The town was bigger than I had heard, and many people were walking along the road that connected to the entrance.

 Although the scale was impressive, the unique feature of the town was the large river flowing from north to south, which I hadn’t seen in any other human settlement so far. I guess it’s safe to assume that this is the Dungeon City.

 What caught my attention was a town nearby, which was connected to the Dungeon City by a branch river. Although it wasn’t as big as the Dungeon City, it was still a pretty large settlement.

 There was also a forest nearby, so it wasn’t unusual for a settlement to exist here.

 Perfect, I’ll descend into that forest and head to the Dungeon City on foot.

 If I suddenly appeared in the city with so many people watching, I’d definitely stand out, so I thought it was better to blend in.

 Thinking that, I descended into the forest, released my Magic Armor, and put on my backpack, becoming a normal adventurer heading to the Dungeon City.

 The gate of the Dungeon City was wide enough for 7 or 8 horse-drawn carriages to pass through, with half of it used as an exit.

 The gate was about 5 meters thick (� 16.4 feet), and it seemed like there was some kind of inspection process in the middle

 When it was my turn, I was told to show something or touch a round crystal ball on a pedestal.

 When people touch it, it radiates a white light.

 Those who leave the city seem to show something to the person in charge, and if they have a pass-like item, they show it, and if they don’t, they’re supposed to touch that orb.

 I’m curious about the true nature of that orb… but I’ll find out when it’s my turn.

 As people enter, they go through a baggage inspection, and if they clear it, they can enter the city.

 I line up in front of the gate and observe the people coming and going.

 There are various people, like merchants and adventurers, but I only see one woman who looks like a warrior.

 Generally, women who take on jobs that require strength are rare, and conversely, that means she must have some kind of power.

 I only caught a glimpse of her from behind, but… she’s wearing leather armor and carrying a dagger, so maybe she’s not that physically strong.

 There are guys talking to her from behind, around 10 of them.

 Since there are various conversations going on around me, I couldn’t hear what they’re saying from where I am… but the woman seems to be ignoring them.

 One of the guys puts his hand on her shoulder and forces her to turn around.

 …Huh.

 She’s a beautiful young girl around 15 or 16 years old with a strong spirit.

 The guys who were talking to her from behind seem to know her face and are trying to chat her up.

 However, she looks annoyed and is trying to say something… probably a refusal.

 But the guys don’t seem to be listening, and they’re surrounding her, grabbing her arms or something.

 I mean, the group of around the same number of people who were in front of her earlier might be friends with those guys too.

 She’s trying to shake off the guys’ hands with that expression, but somehow, it’s difficult… and her mouth is even sealed shut.

 This is bad.

 The guys are surrounding her, and the inspection officials can’t see her from where they are. The people near that group aren’t noticing either, and they’re not making a move.

 Are there no guards on the gate? When I look… there are, but they’re not noticing her situation from their angle.

 …No choice.

 I don’t want to stand out, so I’ll just do it quietly.

* * *

 ? ? ? Perspective

 Ugh, what a pain.

 As soon as I lined up, the guys behind me started talking to me nonstop.

 They’re recruiting for their team, but… they’re hinting that they have connections with those guys.

 I’m just a lone girl.

 I thought it would be better to stay close to the Dungeon City with more people around, so I wouldn’t get bothered by those annoying guys… but I was too optimistic.

 In reality, everything was fine until I reached the gate, but after they called out to me and I turned around, they started persistently inviting me.

 ”Hey, join our team. We’ll split the profits fairly.”

 ”Yeah, you might be a burden in battle, but you can make up for it with your body.”

 ”Why don’t you just stay at our inn instead?”

 ””Indeed…””

 They’re saying whatever they want, but their equipment is nothing special.

 My equipment might look mediocre to those guys, but…

 I’m not weak enough to be a burden, but I don’t want to tell them that.

 I’ve already decided to refuse.

 Plus, if they’re staying in this city, the chances of running into them are high, so it’s better not to use any resistance methods.

 I thought, “If I get hurt, it’ll be a pain to deal with, so let’s just calm things down.”

 But that thought was short-lived…

 ”Are you saying you don’t want to do it?”

 ”Yeah, it’s fine. Hey, I’ll even let you have some fun, okay?”

 Gasp!

 ”Ugh… just a minute… mgh!”

 Before I knew it, my arms were grabbed from behind, and my mouth was gagged with a cloth. The guys started fondling my butt and chest…

 Can they really do this in a crowded place like this? I thought, and tried to look around as much as possible, but there were quite a few people surrounding us, and no one seemed to be trying to stop them.

 Or rather, I didn’t know they had a friend before… I didn’t notice it because they didn’t have all the equipment like the guard.

 ”Hehe… we won’t let you off that easily. We’ll knock you out and take you to our hideout.”

 ”Ugh…”

 I tried to struggle, but I didn’t have the strength, and my hands were about to be tied up behind my back, like a prisoner.

 Were they after my wallet or my chest? Either way, it looked like I was going to lose both.

 No, this wasn’t the time to be thinking calmly about this.

 I wanted to resist, but with my mouth gagged, I couldn’t do anything.

 What was I going to do? I thought, and just then, something strange happened to one of the guys.

 ”Ugh!”

 ”What’s wrong? Haha, did you finally snap?”

 The leader-like guy was laughing, but that smile quickly disappeared.

 ”Guh…”

 ”What!?”

 ”Ah… guh… my neck…”

 ”What’s going on? Guh…”

 Before long, all the guys were clutching their necks in agony.

 When I looked at their necks, it seemed like they were being strangled by some thin string, but I couldn’t see anything.

 As the guys continued to writhe in pain, the people around us started to get restless, sensing something was off.

 ”Ugh, guh… WHOA!? Cough, hey! It disappeared when I moved away!”

 One of the guys started to move away from me, saying something had disappeared, and the others followed suit, moving away from me all at once.

 ”Cough, what’s going on? I had your mouth shut, so it can’t be magic… Must be a skill or a magic item, right?”

 ”Eh.”

 But I don’t have either of those things. I wonder if I should pretend to have them…?

 But if I can’t use it again, it’ll be obvious… I didn’t do it, so if they investigate, it’ll be exposed right away.

 As I’m thinking about what to do, the guards finally notice the commotion and come over from the gate.

 ”Hey! What’s going on?”

 ”…Nothing. I just got tired of standing in line, so I moved away.”

 The leader of the guards looked at me suspiciously, probably because my excuse was pretty weak.

 ”Huh? What’s going on… Wait! You’re from the ‘Gem Snake’?”

 Gem Snake? What’s that supposed to mean?

 As I’m wondering about that, one of the guards speaks up.

 ”Don’t cause a ruckus here. If you overdo it, you’ll get in trouble. You’re still low-ranking, and even your superiors would choose to cut you loose rather than cover for you.”

 The guys look at each other, and the leader speaks up again.

 ”…Pfft, fine. Let us through first.”

 Normally, that kind of demand wouldn’t fly, but the guard responds unexpectedly.

 ”…Nope, there must be some issue. Let’s investigate. All of you, follow me.”

 ”Ah, okay. Let’s go.”

 The guys don’t resist at all, and they’re led away one by one.

 From the way it looks… I guess the guys’ demand was accepted?

 As the person involved, I’m fine with being left out, but who are those guys, anyway?

 They’re making some pretty outrageous demands, and they might be connected to someone with a high social status or something.

 When I think about it, I wonder what kind of people they are, and what kind of power they have to be able to do that.

 Thinking that, I take a look around…Among the people avoiding eye contact and looking away, I notice a guy with exceptionally cool equipment who’s also turning a blind eye, and it catches my attention.

---

Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!

Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.