Mono breathed a sigh of relief.
Good thing; if Sam could jump across, he would feel even more useless.
Of course, he wasn't jealous of Sam; it was just that if Sam felt she could handle the upcoming obstacles on her own, then his role would be much smaller.
A small role meant no longer being needed.
Mono didn't want to suffer Sam's betrayal before he had the strength to protect himself.
Mono walked to the edge of the broken bridge.
This bridge was almost identical to the one in the game; although it was broken into two sections in the middle, the portion of the bridge on their side was still hanging in mid-air, connected by ropes.
As long as the ropes were pulled, the hanging bridge deck could be leveled.
Then, the distance across the ravine would be shortened.
As long as one stood on the raised bridge deck, they would definitely be able to jump to the other side.
"Hey, come over here," Mono called out to Sam.
Sam walked over.
"I'll pull the ropes in a moment, and you take the chance to jump to the other side, okay?"
Sam nodded.
Mono walked to the bridge pier, and seeing the hemp rope as thick as an arm, a hint of distress flashed across his face again.
Why was he always the one doing the heavy lifting?
Of course, Mono also understood that Sixth Master was stronger than him.
Only if she reached the other side first would it be possible for her to catch him when he finally jumped across.
If it were him, he might not necessarily be able to hold onto her.
So, considering the goal of both of them reaching the other side safely, he was indeed more suitable for this drudgery.
But Mono was still frustrated.
Next time there was a chore, he would insist she do it no matter what.
Having made up his mind, Mono grabbed the hemp rope and once again exerted every ounce of strength, pulling it backward.
"Clack, clack, clack~"
The hanging wooden bridge was pulled and finally began to move slowly, gradually shifting upward along the bridge path.
Finally, with Mono's face turning red from the effort, the wooden bridge was finally leveled.
"Hurry!"
Mono shouted hastily.
Sam took two steps back, then sprinted toward the bridge deck.
At the edge of the raised broken bridge, her slender legs kicked off, exploding with immense force as her body leapt toward the opposite bank.
*Thump~* She finally landed steadily.
Mono finally couldn't hold on any longer and let go.
The wooden bridge that had been leveled began to hang down once more.
*Thump!*
The bridge deck crashed against the cliff face, causing a shower of falling rocks.
Mono panted for a while.
"Come over quickly, I'll catch you~"
Sam's voice came from the other side.
She gripped a wooden stake with her right hand, leaning half her body over the cliff, stretching her thin left hand forward as far as it could go.
Mono started running, but as he reached the edge of the cliff, he stopped again.
This scene seemed somewhat familiar.
"What's wrong? Jump over quickly~" Sam was a bit puzzled.
She didn't know why Mono had suddenly stopped.
"Um, are you sure you can catch me?" Mono asked, looking at her.
Sam was stunned for a moment.
Then she nodded. "Of course I can, I will catch you."
Mono nodded and ran toward the opposite bank again.
But at the edge of the cliff, he suddenly stopped once more.
"Hey, what's wrong with you? Why aren't you jumping?" Sam was still holding out her hand as best as she could.
She was confused by Mono's behavior.
Mono ignored her and just glanced down into the abyss.
Below was shrouded in mist, its depth unknown.
When he played the game, he wasn't nervous at all; if he fell, he could just reload his save and start over.
But this was f*cking reality; would he be able to keep playing if he fell?
Besides, the person on the other side was Sam.
That unpredictable Little Girl.
Handing one's life over to a mentally unstable Little Girl—no one but a madman could do that.
Mono didn't think he was a madman.
"Uh, wait a minute, I think I can find a long wooden pole so I can crawl across."
As Mono spoke, he was about to turn around.
Hearing this, Sam finally understood something.
She hastily shouted:
"You... wait!"
Mono stopped in his tracks. "What, do you have something else to say?"
Sam's expression was indifferent, making it impossible to read her emotions.
Mono only heard her ask, "You... don't you trust me?"
The moment Sam said those words, she regretted them.
It seemed she really wasn't a trustworthy person, but why did she feel sad for a moment just now because of Mono's hesitation?
Did she actually care about what others thought of her?
Sam shook her head, driving the chaotic thoughts from her mind.
The words were already out, and there was no way to take them back.
Hearing this, Mono laughed:
"Hey, are you joking? I've always seen you as a friend; how could I not trust you?"
Of course, Mono wouldn't admit that's what he was thinking.
He wasn't a fool; why would he admit he didn't trust her, which would only be detrimental to their current friendly cooperative relationship?
Hearing this, Sam, who had just calmed down, was stunned again.
"Fri... friend?"
She stared blankly into Mono's eyes, murmuring to herself.
Mono nodded:
"Of course, we're friends, aren't we? Otherwise, since we're not related, why would I save you? So stop saying such silly things, okay?"
"I'm just worried you won't be able to catch me, definitely not worried that you'll screw me over," Mono said with a straight face, lying through his teeth.
He was afraid of being screwed over, but he wouldn't say that even if it killed him.
Sam finally snapped out of it and said to Mono again:
"Mono, trust me, I can do it. Jump, o...kay?"
Back in the Hunter's Wooden Cabin, she had felt the weight of Mono's body.
She was completely confident in her ability to catch Mono.
So she spoke with great certainty.
On the other side, hearing Sam suddenly call his name, Mono was stunned.
This girl was calling him that for the first time.
Moreover, looking at her serious eyes, she seemed quite sincere.
Mono really couldn't think of any reason why Six would abandon him now.
After all, he still had some value to be utilized.
After hesitating for a moment, he finally nodded.
"Alright then, I'm jumping. Don't be as careless as last time. If I fall, it won't just be a sore butt," Mono muttered.
Hearing this, a trace of awkwardness flashed across Six's face.
She naturally knew which time he was referring to; back in the Attic, she had actually caught the key on purpose.
That incident had indeed been a small trap for Mono.
Thinking about it now, aside from having a bit of a foul mouth, Mono had almost never done anything excessive to her.
This made her, who usually didn't care about anything, feel a rare sense of shame.
Six spoke up:
"I will catch you."
Mono nodded and backed away once more.
He wiggled his butt, twisted his waist, cracked his neck, shook his body, loosened his hands, did a few push-ups, some stretching, a few jumps, and even a few sets of radio calisthenics...
Six: "..."
Finally, Mono took a deep breath, stepped out, and began his sprint.
His last step landed accurately on the very edge of the cliff.
Thud!
The heavy footfall caused dirt and stones to tumble down.
Mono's figure leaped high into the air.
"Here I come! Ahhh~" A intense rush of excitement flooded Mono's brain once again.
The sensation, which was impossible to fully experience during the game, caused his adrenaline to surge, and he felt his heart thumping wildly.
Finally, following a parabolic arc, Mono's figure reached its peak and began to descend.
The falling sensation instinctively stimulated his senses.
"Ahhh~" Mono shouted again.
Just when he thought he was about to fall...
Slap~
A small hand accurately gripped his hand and immediately pulled tight.
Mono looked up and saw Six's eyes, which seemed to be looking at him with a hint of a smile.
"I caught you," Six said to Mono, as if emphasizing it.
Or perhaps it was to prove that what she had just said wasn't a lie.
Mono felt that she seemed somewhat happy.
He found it a bit strange.
However, this position still didn't make him feel at ease.
He quickly spoke up:
"Alright, pull me up quickly. Don't tell me you can't hold on."
His life was still being held in Six's hand.
Six nodded and, with a surge of strength, pulled Mono directly up.
Mono fell into her arms, then slowly crawled up, panting for breath.
The move just now was truly too thrilling for him.
After calming his heart, Mono led Six forward once again.