"Ah! Ah! Ah! What the heck? Why are they only chasing me?!"
The mine was dark and cramped. Riyao was practically running for his life, his soles scuffing rapidly against the rough stone floor as he dashed along like a whirlwind.
Behind him, a dark mass of Ore-Eating Giant Rats bared their sharp incisors, followed closely by swarms of Shadow Spiders dragging their long, thin legs. The dense crowd of monsters seemed to have locked onto him, sticking to his trail and refusing to let go.
He was frantic inside. Clearly, in terms of strength, he was thick-skinned and durable; even if he were actually mobbed, he wouldn't take a scratch. But seeing this messy, slimy swarm of monsters charging solely at him was visually disgusting enough to make his skin crawl, let alone how uncomfortable it felt.
Erza chased after them, swinging her sword to slay the monsters, but the creatures didn't fight back at all. Their minds were set on one thing: chasing Riyao relentlessly.
"Erza, hurry up and slash them! My safety is in your hands!"
"Senior Riyao, slow down a bit!"
"No way! I don't want to be gnawed on by rats; it's too gross!"
Erza leaned on her knees, gasping for breath as she wiped the sweat from her forehead, watching helplessly as Riyao led a massive swarm of monsters in circles around the mine.
"Senior Riyao, I can't keep up. I'm too tired..."
"Huh? Fine, then throw the sword to me!"
"Okay."
"Watch out! Riyao."
Erza raised her hand and threw the longsword toward Riyao with all her might, but her foot slipped and her aim went wide. The longsword flew straight toward Riyao's head. Startled, Riyao's eyes widened, and in his distraction, he tripped and fell flat on his face, the longsword whistling just over his head.
His momentum sent him sliding a long way across the ground, his cheek even scraping against the rough ore.
"Senior Riyao, look out!"
The Ore-Eating Giant Rats and Shadow Spiders swarmed over him instantly, completely burying Riyao.
The next second, a dazzling golden light suddenly erupted in the dim mine. Riyao activated the Hundred Battles Technique, golden patterns spreading across his skin and over his entire body.
He grabbed an Ore-Eating Giant Rat by the tail and swung it in a fierce circle, instantly smashing the surrounding monsters away.
"So filthy! I'm covered in filth!"
Riyao attacked furiously with his fists, green bodily fluids splashing all over him.
Erza gripped her longsword, her eyes full of admiration. "Senior Riyao is so amazing. I have to work hard too!"
With that, she charged forward again, swinging her sword to slay the monsters.
Riyao was having an exceptionally hard time. It wasn't that the Ore-Eating Giant Rats and Shadow Spiders were particularly strong, but every time he punched back, the severed limbs and shattered rocks would bounce back from the recoil, hitting his vital points one after another. It made his offensive choppy and frustrating to the extreme.
"Ah, so annoying... Ugh, ptooie!"
(ﾒ ﾟdishﾟ)ﾒ
He finally reached his limit. He poured all his magic power into his right foot, lifted it high, and stomped the ground with all his might.
Boom!
The violent force exploded instantly, shattering all the surrounding Ore-Eating Giant Rats and Shadow Spiders, sending green fluids flying in every direction. Riyao was dyed green from head to toe, and Erza didn't escape either; the half of her body facing him was likewise covered in green liquid.
ㅍㅍㅍ
Before they could even react, another loud rumbling came from above. Loosened rocks came crashing down, burying Riyao under a pile of stones, with an old wooden board happening to stick out diagonally in front of the pile.
Erza was stunned for a moment before she hurriedly rushed forward to pull the rocks away, shouting anxiously as she dug: "Senior Riyao, are you still alive? Hang in there, I'll dig you out right now!"
Riyao's muffled voice came from beneath the stone pile: "I'm a little bit 'dead'... These rocks are jammed right against the joints I need to move. I can't find any leverage."
"Oh Erza~ To think that in my life, I've slain dragons and butchered demons, only to end up meeting with such misfortune in my later years."
Erza's hands paused for a second before she continued digging, replying speechlessly, "Setting aside the dragons and demons for a moment, Riyao, how old are you even? 'Later years'?"
"Eh? You're not calling me'Senior Riyao' anymore... So, love does fade, doesn't it?"
A vein popped on Erza's forehead. She clenched her fist and slammed it hard onto the stone pile.
"Ow!"
Riyao let out a scream, but that strike also happened to shake loose the rocks jamming his joints. His soot-covered head popped out from the stone pile, and his eyes met Erza's.
The next second, they both broke.
"Pfft—Hahahaha! Erza, you look so funny all green and gross!"
"Hahaha... you're no better! When you laugh and show your teeth, it's even more ridiculous!"
Riyao laughed until he was weak, lacking even the strength to lift his arms. Erza reached out, grabbed his arm, and struggled to pull him completely out of the stone pile. Covered in green filth and dust, they supported each other as they walked out of the abandoned mine in a sorry state.
Riyao hung his head and glanced at the green juice covering him, sighing helplessly. "Let's go to the stream nearby and wash off first. Otherwise, if we go back like this, I won't be able to show my face... actually, I can barely even see my face right now."
Erza also looked down at her armor and clothes, which were covered in filth, and nodded silently. She had only one thought: a girl needs her dignity; she had to wash.
At the stream, a scene occurred that would make one's nose bleed.
With adolescent boys and girls, something is bound to happen.
For instance, Riyao's foot slipped, his body suddenly lost balance, and his face slammed straight into a nearby rock. After a dull thud, two streams of blood immediately flowed from his nose.
"I'm done. Something dirty is definitely following me. Today is just too unlucky!"
Erza covered her mouth, trying hard to suppress her laughter. "Pfft, I'm professionally trained; I usually don't laugh."
The two of them cleaned the stains off their bodies by the stream, tidied themselves up a bit, and returned to the guild together.
Along the way, Riyao remained on high alert, focusing with one hundred percent of his mental energy, wary of any accidents that might pop up at any moment. Erza silently moved to the side, maintaining a safe distance from him, fearing she might be caught in his bad luck again.
Finally back at the guild, Riyao stopped at the main gate, contemplating whether he should even go in. The 'accidents' inside were magical, which was far worse than the accidents along the road.
Just as he was thinking, he was sent flying by Gray, who had been launched from inside. Erza watched from the side, stunned. Riyao scrambled up from the ground and ran straight home without looking back.
"Erza, go find the old man and turn in the request yourself. I'm heading back. See you tomorrow."
Gray sat up from the ground, looking completely bewildered as he watched Riyao run off into the distance. He asked, "What's with Riyao?"
"He's been very unlucky today. He's probably afraid that entering the guild would lead to an even bigger accident."
"Hahaha, serves him right. That's what he gets for being so mischievous every day."
Gray stood up and walked back into the guild, while Erza also went inside to report the mission details to Makarov.