LSP – Chapter 24 – Rewind

Next to me, Akari stretched herself. 

From the wide-open sides, I catch a glimpse of something white and soft-looking thing inside her tunic.

“Alright.” (Akari)

It bounces back.

“Well then, shall we quickly get going?” (Akari)

・・

“In that case, let’s divide into teams!” (Finn)

“I must protect Catherine-sama.” (Wen)

“Shari will protect Onii-chan!” (Shari)

“Wait a moment!” (Akari)

Akari grabs hold of me and whispers.

“Are you putting me in the same group as the uncle?” (Akari)

“But…” (Finn)

I’m at Level 2, Shari is at Level 5, and the other two are at Level 4.

“In terms of level balance, wouldn’t this be better?” (Finn)

“I don’t think so.” (Akari)

Akari gazes at my face. I always think to myself, but she has such a beautiful face.

“Everyone except Onii-chan is at the same level, right?” (Akari)

“Is that so?” (Finn)

I look at everyone’s levels. Indeed, everyone except me is at level 4.

“This time, choose me!” (Akari)

“This time?” (Finn)

Is she talking about last night’s conversation? Well, it’s bothersome to upset her again, so maybe I should just go along with it.

◇

[Shari and Wen side]

“Catherine-sama is so beautiful.” (Wen)

Wen brings up a topic. He doesn’t really know Shari well. They only met briefly during the yakiniku, after all.

Shari nods.

“Onee-chan is beautiful, strong, knowledgeable about many things, tall, and has big breasts…” (Shari)

Wen senses that he has stepped on some kind of bothersome landmine.

“I’m just a nuisance to everyone, dull-witted, ignorant, always told to keep quiet, short, has a small chest, and even earlier, Onii-chan chose Onee-chan over me… I might as well be dead.” (Shari)

“Shari-san will become beautiful soon too.” (Wen)

“Is that so?” (Shari)

“After all, you are Catherine-sama’s sister.” (Wen)

“But Onee-chan is an elf.” (Shari)

“Right, that’s true.” (Wen)

Wen looks back.

“But…” (Wen)

Shari waits for the next words.

“What’s wrong with being of different races?!” (Wen)

(Um…) 

“!” (Wen)

Wen turns his gaze towards the depths of the cave.

“It seems like a troll has arrived. Please hide over there.” (Wen)

“Understood?” (Shari)

Shari secretly casts <Attack Boost> on Wen.

“Grrrr!” (Troll)

A troll leaps out. Wen intercepts it, slashing his sword in a single motion.

The troll’s right arm swung down and gets severed. The arm flies and leaves a mark on the wall. The fingers of the fallen arm twitch and move on the floor.

(Today’s troll is kinda weak)

◇

[Finn and Akari side]

“Set up torches around this area. And Onii-chan, wait here and get ready to charge with your spear when the troll comes.” (Akari)

Akari applies stealth to herself and heads off to scout the area. Without using <Presence Detection>, it’s difficult to detect her. The blessings they possess are basically cheat abilities unique to each of them.

・・

A roar can be heard from deep within the cave. 

*Gwoooo*

A sound echoes against the rocky walls.

In the depths, magic missiles sparkle. It’s Akari!

Light footsteps come running swiftly, followed by heavy footsteps.

Enraged by the magic missiles, the troll charges forward. Akari starts running. The troll may appear sluggish, but perhaps due to its massive size, it’s surprisingly fast.

The troll seems to be catching up to Akari. She readies her spear. There’s still some distance between them. Will she make it in time?

No, let’s go for it!

“<Teleport>” (Finn)

It is not actually teleportation, but rather high-speed movement.

The spear pierces through the troll, penetrating it. A large hole opens in the troll’s chest, and it topples forward due to its own momentum. I narrowly avoid being crushed by its massive body. The troll crashes heavily onto the ground. A spear is protruding from its back, with the tip facing upwards. It has completely pierced through.

“There’s another one coming!” (Akari)

I grab the spear and pull it out from the troll’s back. From the depths of the cave, heavy footsteps can be heard. Akari fired four magic missiles towards the approaching figure.

“Gwoooo!” (Troll)

The troll’s roar echoed through the cave. Within the flickering light of the torches, the colossal shape of the troll emerges. It raises an angered roar and charges towards us. Good. Keep going just like that. I ready my spear, aiming at its approaching, massive figure. This time, I won’t use <Teleport>.

I meet the charging troll head-on with my spear. I plant the butt of the spear on the ground and support it with my foot. Adjusting the angle, I prepare to intercept its assault. The troll lunges towards me.

The troll’s head impales itself on the spear. It slowly topples over and collapses.

“Oil!” (Akari)

Akari pours the prepared oil onto the troll. Finn also brings oil and pours it on the troll. Then, they press a blazing torch against it.

Within the flames, the troll’s arms move. It grabs the spear lodged in its body and hurls it away, trying to grasp something. Then it collapses. Bubbling amidst the flames, it gradually fades away.

“Wait, what about the previous one!” (Akari)

I quickly set the one that had its chest pierced on fire as well. The hole in its chest was already partially regenerating.

・・

“That one earlier was what they call a ‘train¹‘, right?” (Finn)

“Well, yeah.” (Akari)

“I was getting nervous, thinking it might catch up to us.” (Finn)

“There’s no way it could catch up to me, right, Onii-chan?” (Akari)

I wonder how it would have turned out. Whether she was truly running at her full speed or just putting on a show. If it were me, I probably would have been caught up due to a lack of stamina.

I pick up the spear. It’s a bit scorched, but I hope it’s still in good condition.

“How many trolls are left?” (Finn)

“Probably two.” (Akari)

I have one more use of <Teleport> remaining.

“We’ll manage somehow. We can take down one of them like before, and for the remaining one, we can pummel it together.” (Finn)

“Oh, by the way, I think I dropped my dagger while I was running earlier.” (Akari)

Seems like she was indeed in a hurry.

Come to think of it, when I was counting the remaining bottles of oil in my backpack earlier, I found a dagger² I have never seen before. The sheath looks tarnished, but the blade is shining brightly and without a hint of rust.

“How about using this dagger?” (Finn)

◇

[Shari and Wen side: Wen PoV]

“With this, it’s four down.” (Wen)

Wen sets the trolls on fire, and they disappear amidst the bubbling foam.

“Shari-san, your mace skills are quite impressive.” (Wen)

“It’s nothing special.” (Shari)

And… during the fight with the trolls, I noticed that when Shari touched me, my wounds started to heal.

“No, it’s nothing.” (Wen)

I choose to ignore it.

“Anyway, let’s go treasure hunting.” (Wen)

“Treasure hunting?” (Shari)

Shari’s eyes light up.

“The trolls might have been hoarding something.” (Wen)

Trolls have a tendency to hoard treasures. It’s a common trait among many faes. Although the treasures they hoard may not necessarily be valuable to humans.

In the depths of the cave, various items resembling trash are scattered around. Wen starts arranging them on the floor.

“Most of it seems to be garbage… but there are a few coins, some gold and several black coins that seem to be silver. And there’s also this… I wonder what it is.” (Wen)

There are dozens of gold coins, dozens of black coins that appear to be silver, and a gemstone about 2cm in length. The color is not clear under the torchlight. It has a small metal fixture attached to one end.

・・

[Shari and Wen side: Shari PoV]

“Now that we have done some treasure hunting, shall we head back? Catherine-sama must be waiting.” (Wen)

“I hope Onee-chan is ok.” (Shari)

“Catherine-sama is stronger than me. Aren’t you worried about your Onii-san?” (Wen)

“Onii-chan will be fine.” (Shari)

(…As long as I’m alive, he will be fine…”)

◇

[Finn and Akari side: Finn PoV]

Akari returns from her scouting.

“Looks like there are still two more trolls.” (Akari)

“If possible, I would like to lure them out separately.” (Akari)

“That would be ideal, but…” (Finn)

The trolls might be getting cautious by now.

“In that case, if it’s just one troll, we will defeat it like before. But if two come at once…” (Akari)

“If they come at once…” (Finn)

“We’ll have no choice but to focus on one of them.” (Akari)

“That’s true.” (Finn)

“The problem is their regenerative ability. We will have to burn the one we defeat immediately.” (Akari)

Well, there is no other choice.

“Ugh!” (Akari)

Akari comes running back. The torch and oil are prepared.

“Gwooo!” (Troll)

“Gwheee!” (Troll)

Two trolls come running after Akari.

“Over here!” (Finn)

I hold the torch and wave it, trying to divert the trolls’ attention.

The distance between Akari and me is less than 10 meters. I grip the spear with both hands. There are two trolls. Which one should I go for…

I aim for the troll closer to Akari.

“<Teleport>” (Finn)

In an instant, Finn teleports and slammed into the troll.

・・

[Finn and Akari side: Akari PoV]

“Dogugasha!” (Troll)

Right behind Akari, a sharp crashing sound echoes. I quickly jump aside to avoid it, and there was a tumbling troll at the spot where I had been running. The spear lodged in its chest is broken and shattered. And I see Onii-chan, who was hit by the troll, being sent flying.

“Onii-chan!” (Akari)

Upon hearing Akari’s voice, the uninjured troll changes its direction.

The troll approaches. Akari takes a deep breath and prepares herself…

“<Magic Missile>!” (Akari)

She chants a low-level offensive spell. While not extremely powerful, it has a very short casting time and can be used frequently. Four arrows of light sparkle and hit the troll. Magic Missile never misses its target. The troll momentarily flinches, but then reaches out towards Akari.

“<Magic Missile>!” (Akari)

Four more magic arrows pierce into the troll. This is the final volley. Is it defeated?

The troll drops to its knees in front of Akari… but its wounds begin to heal.

A stone comes flying from the side and hits the troll. It’s not thrown with human-like speed. The impact creates a crushing sound where it hit. The troll gets angry and turns towards the direction the stone came from, diverting its attention away from Akari.

“<Stealth>!” (Akari)

Akari’s figure blends into the darkness of the cave and disappears.

The troll, having lost sight of Akari, headed towards the direction of Finn who threw the stone. Finn continues to throw stones, but he cannot inflict any serious injuries on the troll. The troll’s regenerative ability is strong.

As the troll closes in on Finn, it places both hands on the ground and raises its head to howl—a threatening gesture. Meanwhile, a hand extends from behind, unnoticed by the troll. In that hand is a dagger held in a reverse grip. The dagger pierces the troll’s throat, and the arm moves sideways, slashing through its throat. The troll collapses forward, crumpling to the ground.

From the troll’s back, Akari jumps down.

・・

[Finn and Akari side: Finn PoV]

The two of them proceed to burn the two trolls. As they do so a sudden surge of energy fills his body. A level up! Wait, why now?

It seems that the trolls grant experience points not upon defeating them but rather when they are burned at the end. With their regenerative ability, the trolls can be defeated endlessly if not burned.

“Alright, Onii-chan.” (Akari)

“Hmm?” (Finn)

“It’s time for treasure hunting!” (Akari)

Akari diligently arranges the remaining items, creating a pile of debris.

“Hmm, there doesn’t seem to be anything.” (Akari)

Well, there are gold coins, aren’t there!

“Well, never mind. Let’s go. <Appraisal>!” (Akari)

Oh, she used her cheat.

From the pile of debris, a wooden stick is singled out. It’s like a consolation prize.

――

Finn: Level 3 (up!) (Human: Reincarnated)

– Blessings: Level check, Level transfer, Presence Detection, Spear, Throwing, Hand-to-hand combat, Teleportation, Mental Resistance, Stamina Enhancement (new!)

Shari: Level 4 (down!) (Human)

– Blessings: Healing (2x effective on Finn), Protection (2x effect duration on Finn), Attack boost, Mace, Rewind

Akari: Level 4 (Elf: Reincarnated)

– Blessings: Appraisal, Elementary attack magic, Stealth, Cold resistance

---

Image of the trolls they encountered

“Looks like there are still two more trolls.”
~ Link to source

---

TL notes:

Thanks for reading!

So in case you haven’t caught on, they rewind back to before they cross the bridge. It seems like Finn doesn’t remember what happened before the rewind, and it isn’t clear if Shari remembers or not. But apparently, Shari’s level decreases every time it triggers, and items that you get before the rewind can be kept.

Also I only just noticed when Shari pointed it out, but Finn literally can’t die unless Shari dies first. Well with exceptions like old age, I guess.

---

Footnotes:

1. Nope no clue what it means, can’t find anything.
2. The dagger is from a troll killed in the previous chapter, before the rewind.