Chapter 382: Russell’s “Bony” Backbone

“What do you mean, is there a problem?! The problem is huge!”

Russell jabbed a finger at Hulim Heyerar’s forehead.

“You did this on purpose! Totally on purpose—wait a second! That’s......”

Russell’s eyes suddenly zeroed in on the adventurer badge pinned to Hulim’s chest.

He stroked his chin with his right hand, his eyebrows furrowing into a deep frown as he leaned in to examine the badge from side to side.

“......I swear I’ve seen this badge design somewhere before?”

THUD——!

A heavy blow crashed down on his head, driving him straight to the floor.

“OW!”

Clutching his skull tightly with both hands, Russell rolled around on the ground for a moment before springing back to his feet in a rage.

He glared daggers at Eileen.

“Eileen! What the hell was that for?!”

“Russell, you absolute idiot,” Eileen snapped, rolling her eyes. “That’s a Rank A Badge! The badge of a Rank A Adventurer! You moron!”

“Ehh——? Rank A......”

Russell whipped his head around to stare at Hulim, then back at Eileen.

He raised a trembling finger and pointed directly at Hulim.

“Her?!”

“......”

Hulim’s expression darkened instantly.

With his back turned to her, Russell was completely oblivious to the dangerous glint in her eyes.

Two seconds later—

CRACK!

The sickening sound of a finger snapping echoed through the guild hall.

Then, a bloodcurdling scream pierced the air, reverberating throughout the entire building.

“AAHH——!!!”

......

Several minutes later,

Russell was still lying on the floor like a corpse, clutching his broken finger. His body twitched occasionally in pain.

“Honestly, you brought this on yourself,” Eileen lectured him unceremoniously, standing over his prone form. “You’re so punchable sometimes, Russell.”

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“Sniffle...... I know I was wrong,”

Russell whimpered, holding up his mangled finger for all to see.

“Can someone please fix this first?”

“N-O-P-E——”

Eileen refused him flatly, drawing out the word for emphasis.

“Waaaah......”

The poor man could only lower his broken finger dejectedly, resigning himself to his fate.

“Whatever, let’s ignore this loser. Speaking of which, Hulim—you skipped straight past Rank B and got your Rank A certification? That’s so amazing!”

“It’s only natural,”

Lucian chimed in with a nod of explanation.

“Once you pass Rank B, the guild’s requirements for an adventurer’s administrative capabilities take a backseat. Raw strength becomes the primary criterion for advancing in rank. And Hulim’s power has long since reached the Rank A level—so it’s only right she received the certification directly.”

“Really? I had no idea about that!”

Eileen gasped in genuine surprise.

“......”

Hulim fell silent. She hadn’t known you could skip ranks either.

“Erm, that’s the kind of thing the guild only tells you after you officially get your Rank B badge...... But never mind that. There’s something else I’ve been dying to ask—”

Lucian fixed Hulim with a serious gaze, his tone turning solemn.

“Hulim, tell us the truth. What are our chances of surviving this?”

At his words, the other two members of Team Silver—excluding the still-whimpering Russell on the floor—fell silent as well, turning their attention to Hulim with anxious expressions.

“......” Hulim’s eyes swept slowly over the three of them before she spoke, her voice grave. “If it’s just the magical beasts from the collapsing dungeons, we can hold the line. But—”

“If Karimal really does come to attack, everything will become infinitely more difficult. Most importantly, countless people will die—me included, and all of you as well.”

“......” Lucian closed his eyes slowly, a look of grim understanding crossing his face. “I see.”

“Hulim, thank you for being honest with us. But we’re not going to die easily. I’ll lead my team through this battle, and we’ll all come out alive.”

“Sniffle...... Surviving or not is the least of my worries right now......”

Russell lifted his broken right hand off the floor, his face contorted into a pathetic grimace.

“Eileen, please! I’m begging you! Just fix it already!”

“NO! WAY!”

Eileen rejected him once again, her voice firm.

She even turned to Lucian and Frots and said,

“Let’s go. Leave him here.”

“Sure, why not.”

To Russell’s utter disbelief, Lucian nodded in agreement.

Then, the two of them actually turned around and walked away.

“Wait a second! Hold on! You heartless traitors!”

Russell stretched out a hand toward the retreating trio, his voice filled with righteous indignation.

“If you want your finger healed, go beg Hulim nicely,” Eileen called over her shoulder without turning around. “She’s the only one who can fix it.”

Frots did glance back, though.

Russell’s eyes lit up with hope.

“Frots! I knew you’d never abandon me! You’re the most loyal one in the team!”

But to his crushing disappointment, Frots simply gave him a thumbs-up.

“Good luck apologizing, Russell.”

“......” Russell froze completely, watching helplessly as his teammates vanished into the crowds of the guild hall. “Dammit! You cold-blooded monsters—!!”

“Hahaha! Russell’s such a wimp~!”

“Right?! Lying on the floor yelling ‘help me, help me’ like a baby!”

“Pfft~! You’re doing a perfect impression!”

The snickers and jeers of the surrounding adventurers made Russell’s face turn as red as a tomato with rage.

“Hey! I can hear you, you bastards—!!”

“Hahaha! He’s so mad~!”

“Let’s get out of here before he gets up and bites someone~!”

The onlookers scattered quickly, leaving Russell alone on the floor.

“I’ll remember this! All of you!”

Russell was seething with anger—but there was nothing he could do about it for the moment.

He couldn’t figure out what Hulim had done to him. A simple broken finger shouldn’t hurt this much, or leave him completely unable to move.

With that thought, Russell had no choice but to lift his head and meet the gaze of the young girl standing not far away.

“......”

“......”

“Uh...... Wait! Don’t leave! Hold on! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! Please don’t go! Don’t leave me here—!!”