Living My Third Life In Danmachi

Chapter 4: Liliruca Arde

"A race that looks similar to humans but is much smaller is often called halflings, little folk, or hobbits. Honestly, unless you have a very niche preference, you don't come across this kind of thing often."

— The Last Storyteller

"So, they're basically a naturally 'loli' or 'shota' race? Wait, then what if a little folk woman has a large chest?"

— The Deranged Ruler of Nature

"What else could it be? A busty loli. Poplar-chan is love!"

— The Last Storyteller

...

The first real obstacle that made dungeon exploration significantly harder for me was the 'Killer Ant,' a monster that started appearing from the 7th floor onward.

This creature had several annoying traits. When injured, it would call for allies, and even before that, it had sharp claws and a tough exoskeleton, which made it a real challenge to deal with, especially since I was unarmed.

Up until now, I had managed to make progress thanks to my combat experience, which was different from the average adventurer's. But in the end, I was still a rookie adventurer, with stats far below even other novices.

"Still, that doesn't mean I can't kill it."

If it calls for reinforcements, I'll take it down before it gets the chance.

If its claws are sharp, I'll endure a few scratches or dodge them.

If its exoskeleton is tough, I'll just use even greater force to break it.

Monsters generally resemble living creatures, making it relatively easy to identify their weak points.

The Killer Ant is no exception.

Oh, right. Monsters, species, whatever—I've never seen anything survive after having its head or heart destroyed. Just beat them up, and it's over.

I charged toward a Killer Ant as it raised its upper body. I ducked under its swinging claws, closed the gap between us, and grabbed the thin section connecting its head to its body. Yanking it to the ground, I quickly climbed onto its lowered head, fist raised high.

I grabbed hold of its antennae tightly, then brought my fist down with all my strength.

The blow, delivered with a clenched fist at my limit, struck with a force akin to hurling a massive boulder.

It was the ultimate technique from my previous life.

"Strong Fist: Extreme Strike."

With a resounding smash, the Killer Ant's head took the first hit from my fist, followed by a second impact as it slammed into the ground.

The creature showed no further signs of movement.

"One down… Damn, my back…"

Climbing down from the back of the Killer Ant, its head crushed and lifeless, I grimaced as I felt a sharp pain in my back.

It must've been from that claw that grazed me earlier when I dodged. I thought I'd avoided it by a paper-thin margin, but my body didn't move as precisely as I wanted. Maybe I need to give myself a bit more leeway next time.

"Ugh… Aaaaargh!"

"Damn it!"

As I was casually gathering the magic stone from the Killer Ant, a scream echoed from deeper within the passageway.

Curious, I looked toward the source, and immediately, a familiar sensation crept over me.

There are a few things I'm extremely sensitive to, and two of them are life-threatening danger and killing intent.

The difference? Well, think of it as the line between an accident and a deliberate attempt on my life.

Just then, two male adventurers came running from the direction of the noise. As they spotted me mid-sprint, they briefly glanced at me before rushing straight past, not even slowing down.

And then…

Behind them, a swarm of over a dozen Killer Ants came flooding down the passage.

"Ah."

So that's what this is.

Let's see… Oh, right, now I remember. There's something called a Monster Parade.

Eina had mentioned it so many times it almost became a lecture. (Though, to be fair, I'd zoned out for most of her explanation.) What stuck with me was the gist: if you mess up, it's like MPK in a video game.

A swarm of Killer Ants, each of them with stats higher than mine across the board. They clattered their fearsome mandibles together, glaring at me as if they were about to tear me apart.

"...I thought my chunibyo phase was long gone, but apparently not."

Monsters, those adventurers from earlier—it doesn't matter who. Anyone threatening my life will end up a corpse. No exceptions, even in this life. The only deaths I allow for myself are natural causes, illness, or suicide.

The situation looks bad, but it's not unmanageable.

Time to dive in.

The first Killer Ant raises its upper body in front of me. I kick its jaw upward and shove it hard, knocking it completely over. Jumping on top of its fallen body, I brace myself, now surrounded and facing off against the rest of the swarm.

First, I stomp hard on the thin connection between the fallen Killer Ant's head and body, snapping it clean. One down.

That leaves 16. Including the one I already killed…

"17 versus 1, huh? Sounds just about right."

There are exactly two things I can confidently say I excel at: chaotic fights against overwhelming odds,

and killing people.

That's why the skills I've manifested perfectly reflect those traits.

As several Killer Ants charge at me simultaneously, I kick one's body to create distance and punch another to stagger it. In fights against multiple opponents, only a few can attack you at the same time. Monsters are no exception.

In fact, their size often causes them to trip over each other, becoming a hindrance to themselves.

The key is to kill them one by one, no matter how long it takes. Gradually reduce their numbers until their count hits zero. That's how you win an outnumbered fight.

Snap, crush, smash, break, strike—I dodge frantically, block incoming attacks, and counter with precise, lethal blows.

By the time the dust settles, I've taken down every single Killer Ant.

"Time to retrieve the magic stones."

I quickly gather the stones. Not that there's much to collect—some opportunistic adventurers even target monsters just for the stones, leaving scraps for everyone else. I manage to scrounge up one or two at most.

I've taken a few hits myself, but patching up wounds isn't my priority right now.

My priority is…

"Finding those two bastards who dumped their monsters on meeeee!"

...

Run.

Run, run, run!

The fight had only lasted about five minutes.

Considering how much they ran, those bastards were probably resting somewhere safe by now.

"Spineless cowards who don't even have the guts to die but are happy to let others die instead!"

They're the type I hate the most.

If they'd lived a cushy life and never experienced anything outside the ordinary, I might have been able to sympathize.

But adventurers? People who willingly step into life-or-death situations? Trash like them, who avoid risking their own lives and instead sacrifice others, don't deserve to live.

If they'd at least had the will to fight for their lives—cornered like desperate prey, even if it was reckless and futile—I might have let it slide. Hell, I might have even helped them.

But what was that?

Nope. They're getting hunted down. I'll choke the life out of them and toss them to the monsters as food.

I'm not joking.

Seriously.

Beyond that, the very fact that they tried to kill me is infuriating. I don't care who the strongest in Orario is—if even they killed me, I wouldn't accept it. But to have my life threatened by trash like them? That's a rage I can't swallow.

Eventually, I found them near the passage to the upper levels.

They were catching their breath and chugging potions, completely off guard. Perfect.

I leaped forward, wrapping my thighs around one guy's neck mid-air and twisting my entire body with all my strength, snapping his neck in one swift motion.

Unless someone's wearing full plate armor like a knight, the neck is always exposed, and a hard twist can snap it clean. Just like Steven Seagal in those old movies—quick, brutal, and lethal.

"Huh?"

"Too slow, bastard."

Watching his comrade collapse, Trash Adventurer B froze in confusion. Without hesitation, I grabbed his face in an iron claw grip, twisting his head slightly to expose his temple.

Then, without a word, I unleashed Strong Fist: Sky Strike!

My clenched fist landed a direct blow to his temple, and the impact sent him hurtling into a protruding section of the dungeon wall. His head slammed against it, leaving a streak of blood before he crumpled to the ground.

"Haven't killed a person in a while… feels almost nostalgic."

The sensation was both familiar and oddly foreign. In my life before this, killing was an everyday affair. But in my peaceful reincarnation, it was rare. Yeah, living in a slice-of-life world is nice. My Youth Romantic Comedy is the best, after all.

...Still, I guess I'm—

"Hi-HIEEEEK!"

"Huh?"

Lost in thought, I failed to notice someone approaching. Climbing up the passage was a small figure—a pallum carrying a bag far too large for her tiny frame. She froze, staring in horror at the two corpses and me standing over them.

"Someone once said if you kill all the witnesses, it's called assassination. Was that Assassin's Creed?"

"Eek… AAAAAHHH!"

Now that I think about it, these two adventurers were part of a group I'd seen before. A cat-person woman, this pallum, and two human men—they were a four-person party I'd encountered earlier.

Judging by the situation, the cat-person must be dead, leaving only this pallum as the lone survivor. Unfortunate for her.

As she turned to flee, I dashed forward to grab her and twist her neck. But as I reached out, her oversized hood slipped off, revealing her face beneath.

Big brown eyes stared up at me, wide with fear.

I instinctively froze.

She couldn't have been more than ten years old. Tiny—too tiny.

Of course, it wasn't her age that made me stop. What truly halted my hand were her eyes.

"What's this? Are you hoping to die?"

The pallum girl, trembling like a leaf, stared up at me with those empty, hollow eyes—eyes that stopped me in my tracks.

Eyes devoid of life, resolve, or hatred. They reminded me of the eyes of women I'd seen in the past, after they had been violated. In professional terms, 'rape eyes.'

"I don't kill people who are just waiting to die. Go on, get out of here."

"…Why?"

"Because you're just waiting to die, aren't you?"

No courage to live,

and no courage to die.

People like that, who live empty lives just because they exist, I call them 'suicide hopefuls.' If they ever found a painless, easy way to die, they'd probably take it without hesitation.

"If you want to die but don't have the guts to do it yourself, why should I bother doing it for you? That's just disgusting and leaves a bad taste in my mouth. So, leave while I'm still letting you."

"…Why won't you kill Lili? Lili might tell someone about this… might report it to the Guild."

Unless the world has completely fallen apart, murder is always one of the greatest crimes in any society. What I just did is no exception. The Guild, Orario's de facto legal authority, would slap a bounty on me and hunt me down.

But so what?

"If I said I'm not going to kill you, then I'm not going to kill you. I always keep my word."

"That's… strange, coming from a murderer."

"If I'm going to keep killing people, why not upgrade the title? Call me a 'killing demon' instead of just a murderer."

"Hiiik!"

Honestly, my previous life was far too peaceful. To not kill a single person and die of natural causes? What a ridiculous way to go.

I decided not to kill this little kid, but to be honest, I can't shake the fear of what might happen later.

In that case, I have three choices: make her an accomplice, kill her, or...

"Hey, how about we strike a deal?"

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