Work Smarter, Not Harder (Part 4)

Ethan's lungs burned as he dodged a swipe from the mutated Blight. His cudgel felt like a toothpick compared to the monstrous creature they faced, and each time he swung, it felt like hitting a brick wall. His blows barely registered on the beast, and frustration gnawed away at him. 'I need to think… There's got to be something we can use against this damn thing!'

Around him, the adventurers fought on, but the battle was clearly wearing on them. Roland's sword strikes had slowed, his once-steady hand now trembling while his breathing had quickened. Thorne's warhammer connected with a sickening crunch, but the Blight barely staggered from the blow. Meanwhile, clutching her injured side, Zara grimaced with each movement as she tried to stay out of the creature's reach.

And then there was Layla, dancing in and out of range, her strikes swift but lacking the precision needed to bring the creature down. Ethan's suspicion of her lingered, but he shoved it aside for now. 'There's time for that later. If we survive.'

Suddenly, an idea struck him. The mutated Blight was tougher than the others. Still, its body should be similar enough to them for the Blightbane Pellets to poison it. 'If I can get it to swallow enough at once… Maybe they could weaken it enough for us to finally kill it!'

"Keep it distracted!" Ethan shouted to the others, who were too caught up in their own attempts to survive the battle, to question him. He sprinted to the side, rummaging through his pouches until he found what he was looking for. One of the pouches was still full, and he could only hope they would be enough. After all, they were his last hope.

He quickly unbuckled the pouch from his belt and stared at it like it was a grenade. If this worked, it might just be enough to tip the scales in their favor. If it didn't… Well, they wouldn't have long to worry about it.

"Hey! Over here!" Ethan yelled, waving his arms to get the creature's attention. The Blight turned its glowing green eyes toward him, and for a moment, Ethan wondered if he'd just made the worst mistake of his life. But there was no time for hesitation. He held his ground and waited for the beast to come close, and when it opened its maw to roar, Ethan tossed the pouch straight down its throat!

The mutated Blight snapped its jaws shut, the pouch and the pellets it contained vanishing into its gut. For a brief, terrifying moment, nothing happened. Then, the creature shuddered violently, its body spasmed as the magic-infused pellets did their work.

"Now! Hit it with everything you've got!" Ethan shouted, and the adventurers didn't need to be told twice. With the Blight seemingly paralyzed from the pain, Roland lunged forward with a fierce battle cry, driving his sword into the Blight's neck. Thorne brought his warhammer down with all the force he could manage, breaking one of the creature's legs. Despite her injury, even Zara managed to land a series of quick, precise strikes along its side.

As the onslaught continued, eventually, the Blight let out a final, gurgling roar before collapsing into a heap of broken limbs and oozing sludge. The adventurers stumbled back, panting and covered in grime but alive. The mutated Blight was finally dead!

Ethan stood there, breathing heavily, watching the creature dissolve into a foul-smelling puddle. Relief washed over him, but it was soon replaced by a lingering sense of unease. Layla approached him, wiping sweat from her brow.

"Nice work, Ethan," she said with a tired smile. "That plan of yours really saved us."

He nodded, forcing a smile in return. "Yeah… Just glad it worked."

But that nagging suspicion flared up again as he looked into her eyes. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to her than met the eye. Yet now wasn't the time to confront her. 'I don't have any proof. And what if I'm wrong? Maybe I'm just paranoid of women after Mei.' Ethan thought as he sighed.

"Let's get back to the city," Ethan said, turning away from her. "I've got a mission to turn in."

The group gathered their things, and Ethan cut off a trophy from the mutated Blight before it fully dissolved. Then, they began the trek back to the city, battered and bruised but victorious. As they walked, Ethan's mind churned with thoughts of what had just happened. The Blight had been stronger than anything he'd expected to face, but more troubling was Layla's behavior. Her hesitation, her seemingly deliberate mistakes… It all added up to something, but what?

By the time they reached the gates, the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon. The adventurers bid their farewells, thanking Ethan once more for his quick thinking before heading off to report to the Adventurer's Guild. Layla lingered for a moment longer, giving him one last look that was impossible to read.

"Take care, Ethan," she said softly before disappearing into the crowd.

Ethan watched her go, the questions swirling in his mind, growing with each step she took. 'Well, it's not like I'll be seeing her again anytime soon.' There was only one thing left to do. Report back to the Heroes Hall and see what reward awaited him.

As he walked through the city streets, the weight of the day's events hung heavily on his shoulders. Yet beneath the exhaustion was a flicker of something else. Anticipation. What would the DPER make of his success? After all, they didn't seem optimistic about his chances in the first place.

He pushed open the massive doors of the Heroes Hall and stepped inside. The sights and sounds of the grand chamber greeted him, but this time, they felt different. This time, he was returning not as a novice but as someone who had survived the dangers of this world.

Ethan approached the mission desk, his heart pounding in his chest. The scarred man in the black suit looked up from his work, his sharp eyes narrowing as he took in Ethan's appearance.

"Back already?" the man asked, his tone unreadable.

Ethan nodded, placing the remains of the mutated Blight on the counter. "Mission accomplished."

The man's gaze lingered on Ethan for a moment before he gave a curt nod. "Very well. Let's see what you've earned."