Surviving without God

Eddie had just died.

Gunther, unable to believe his eyes, checked the message several times. The contents did not change. An icy tremor ran from the nape of his neck all the way down to his calves.

“...What? How the hell?”

He had stepped outside barely ten minutes ago. Judging by his walking speed, he should have only just reached the entrance of the underground bunker. Gunther had already eliminated every gang member along the path himself. What could he possibly have died from out there?

Stray robbers from the Lower City loitering near the bunker? A surviving gang member Gunther had missed?

Absurd assumptions. No matter how injured Eddie was, he was a Contractor. And one specialized in tanking. Moreover, the female Contractor from the combat unit had been with him.

“...Damn it.”

The narrow steel corridor of the underground bunker. Gunther froze for a moment, seized by sharp confusion. At that instant, a face surfaced before his eyes.

“I trust you! I believe in you!”

Brody—looking at him with complete trust when she had asked for help in the search. The scene of him promising he would absolutely bring Eddie back resurfaced, tightening his chest.

“Get a grip.”

Gunther clenched his teeth and shook his head. Self-reproach and panic could wait. An unknown threat had revealed itself. He could not hesitate and waste time. His gaze darted between the depths of the bunker and the passage leading to the exit. Soon he acknowledged:

“.......”

Taking care of the Mother as originally planned was no longer possible. The bunker was still full of gang members. If he recklessly pushed forward, he would be caught from both sides and die without accomplishing anything. Therefore, there was only one conclusion.

“I’m going back to the entrance.”

The instinct forged through dozens of deaths rang like an alarm bell. The smell of death seeped right under his nose. Gunther’s eyes grew cold.

In that case, there was only one choice. He had to decide how to use the impending death and what benefit to extract from it. Yes. The unknown threat that had killed Eddie—he needed to uncover its true identity.

Tap—tap—

Gunther cast aside hesitation and turned around. Without wavering, he dashed down the dark corridor where Eddie had disappeared.

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.

.

It was unexpected. Until the staircase leading to the exit came into view, he encountered no one. There was no sign of Eddie’s corpse, no trace of a struggle.

“Looks like he was taken out outside.”

The killer was most likely still there. And for some reason, had not yet stormed inside.

Tap—tap—

Gunther took the stairs in a single bound. He was ready for an ambush, but until his entire body emerged outside, no blades, arrows, or magical bullets flew at him.

Woooosh—

...Only the sharp early-winter wind lashed against his cheeks.

Step—

After taking a few steps, Gunther stopped. The metallic smell saturating the air. The scene in the vacant lot was exactly as he had expected.

[Activating “Art of the Pure Heart”]

The first thing he saw was Eddie’s corpse, lying with his throat half-slit. Blood, thickly spread across the ground, emitted faint steam. Even in that state, the hand that had not let go of the sword twitched convulsively.

“He was finished in a single strike.”

Gunther’s gaze naturally shifted further. Now he understood why the killer had not rushed inside and remained outside instead.

— Kh-h-h... It’s my fault, my fault! Spare me!

The female Contractor was already no longer breathing, and two non-combatant men were screaming under torture. He could not make out the words, but Gunther instinctively felt they were talking about him.

— Hm-m, is that him? This guy came alone?

The corpulent man directing the torture chuckled and looked at Gunther.

Expensive clothes and jewelry. And vulgarity contrasting with them. Through the fabric stretched tight by obesity, chaotic tattoos showed faintly. Gunther recalled the description from the documents Brody had given him.

“...The gang boss?”

The boss took a drag from his pipe and pointed at the two men writhing on the ground.

— Get rid of those. They’re no longer needed.

...No longer needed? Contractors? At that moment, when Gunther narrowed his eyes at those unexpected words, a tall, lean man standing beside the boss moved.

Swish—

Paired daggers rose with an indifferent face. The throats of the two screaming men were slit instantly. They probably did not even have time to feel pain. Gunther’s gaze fixed on the man’s forehead. More precisely, on the deep X-shaped scar right in the center.

“...The guy Eddie warned me about.”

Yellow eyes, like a beast’s, slid over Gunther. A grim and sharp bloodlust mixed with the stench of rot pressed down on him. But Gunther did not hold his gaze.

“.......”

The presence of death did not emanate from the scarred man, nor from the gang boss, nor from the line of officers. Gunther’s gaze froze on the enormous carriage parked behind them.

Its size suggested it was meant to transport large beasts. It was covered with a thick tarp, hiding its contents, but its purpose was easy to guess. And standing before it were two figures.

— Hm... Sir Patrick. Take a look at this one. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

— ...He has quite a fierce look.

They wore neither cassocks nor armor, yet Gunther recognized them instantly.

“Paladin and Priest.”

...At that moment, the entire picture became clear.

Of all days, Luthien had come today to retrieve the Mother they had left in the gang’s care. One could infer that from the strangely oversized carriage—and be certain after witnessing the merciless execution of the Contractors who had served as feed. They no longer needed Contractors. The corner of Gunther’s eye twitched faintly.

“...Of all days.”

Luck was clearly not on his side.

— This one... what shall we do with him?

The self-assured gang boss ran up to the Paladin and Priest, bowing obsequiously.

— Just give the order. I’ll catch this moth who dared ruin such a blessed day like a stray dog and throw him at your feet.

His tone was full of flattery, but the two did not even spare him a glance, looking only at each other.

— When I first received the report, I thought it was “Night Raven”... but there’s no mask.

— Indeed, Sir Patrick. Seems to be just a fool who rushed to save a friend.

— However... at this level of skill, if we feed him to the Mother, the result might be interesting. What do you think?

— I agree. Let’s make him feed.

Gunther’s fate was decided. Capture him and feed him to the Mother.

— Hey.

The Paladin nodded at the gang boss with a gaze devoid of any trace of knightly virtue.

— Keep him alive. The efficiency of the “meal” will be higher.

— O-of course! Hey, you lot, grab him!

Gang officers, gripping daggers and maces, began to approach slowly. The scarred man drew his paired daggers expressionlessly. Gunther stood still, watching the enemies close in.

“This... is bad.”

The calculation finished quickly. The scarred man alone was already troublesome. Even if he used all his trump cards and killed these men, he would not withstand the combined assault of the Paladin and the Priest.

“Chance of victory — zero.”

If he did not end his life now, his finale would be being eaten alive by the Mother. Gunther’s hand slipped inside his coat, searching for the suicide dagger.

“In the next life...”

...Crunch—

However, the hand that reemerged was empty.

Clang—

Fingers suspended in the air tightened firmly around the hilt of the long sword, “Ladenbach.” Along with it, flame flared once more in Gunther’s eyes.

“No, not yet.”

There was still something to gain in this life. Since there was no danger of being captured alive (and remaining in this iteration), suicide now was not the best option. That would simply be escape.

Of course, he was afraid too. Death was approaching him in a horrifying form.

But he was a Returner. A being who must treat death with calculation, not emotion. If he yielded to fear and turned back now, he would pay a far greater price in future lives. Gunther drew a deep breath, organizing his chaotic thoughts.

“I have to find out.”

Their strength, tactics, methods, and the state of the Mother. Only by gathering precise data could he create a foothold for a counterattack in the next life.

Shhh—

Gunther exhaled quietly. The hand that had stopped trembling drew the sword.

.

.

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Bang—

Gunther’s body was thrown to the ground. From the impact that knocked the air out of him, his fading consciousness flickered weakly again. Forcing his eyelids open, he saw before him—

Rustle-rustle-rustle—

A black shadow covered the floor. Rapidly crossing dark-brown arthropod limbs.

Click—click—

The soul-chilling grind of mandibles right beneath his chin and dozens of eyes staring at him like a swarm of flies.

“Damn it.”

How many people had she devoured? The Mother was far larger than expected. Gunther exhaled briefly and lifted his gaze upward. ...A cheerful humming reached his ears.

— Hm-hm...

Above the tall opening. The Paladin and the Priest looked down at him with interest. In their eyes was cruel anticipation, like spectators watching a bleeding gladiator. A sadistic desire to see him scream and beg for mercy.

“Go to hell.”

But Gunther did not flinch in the slightest. In his entire life, he had begged for mercy only when his salary was withheld. Instead of fulfilling their expectations, he forced his staggering body upright.

Stand—

And ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ raised both fists. A brief silence. Mocking laughter exploded overhead. But Gunther’s face remained calm.

“This is enough.”

The Mother’s characteristic data had been gathered. The task was complete. ...Now only one thing remained — to resist with all his strength until the very end. In his own way.

“See you later, bastards.”

Gunther smiled faintly and pushed off the ground first.

Crunch—crunch—

At that very moment, enormous fangs pierced his abdomen. Swallowing unbearable pain, he struck the spider’s carapace with all his strength.

Screech—!

Of course, it was not enough. Ignoring the blows raining down, the spider began tearing at his body with her fangs. The sensation of flesh being ripped apart spread like fire. Gunther resisted desperately, but he could not match the speed at which his strength drained away.

Slurp—

Powerless, he was wrapped in sticky webbing by the Mother. It seemed she intended to suck him dry alive.

— Ha-ha... look at how he writhes.

— The greater the pain, the sweeter the offering. He’ll do nicely for that.

The minor Contractors no longer stimulated the Mother’s growth. And then, at an unexpected moment, quality “feed” appeared—how could they not rejoice? Just as the delighted laughter of the Paladin and Priest echoed through the feeding chamber—

Whoosh—!

A suddenly flying dagger pierced Gunther’s throat like lightning. With dimming eyes, Gunther looked toward the direction from which it had come. Absolutely nothing.

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.

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Ding—!

[You have died]

[Counting Death Records]

[13/99]

Ding—!

[#13 Life of a Cornered Rat]

[How can you be this unlucky... Gunther, you walked straight into the trap yourself. Will you be able to escape successfully?]

[Calculating Karma...]

[Karma of the thirteenth life: 110]

[Current Karma: 453]

[Accumulated Karma: 1775]

Ding—!

[Personal Scenario, “Brody’s Request”, reactivated]

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[Returning to Save Point #4]