Another World’s Highest Guild Leader ~I’m the weakest in the guild, but I can’t quit the guild because of the heavy love of all the guild members~ - Chap 31: [Pandy's side] Hurry and Reach the Goal, Taking the Women by Force...

“What do you mean by ‘begin‘…”

“You think you can escape from the ‘Labyrinth of the Ruined Marsh’?”

From their words, it’s clear they’re leaving me behind.

“Is this the right time to be bargaining? We have something we need to take care of, don’t we?”

“There’s nothing you need to do with us. Have you gone crazy?”

“It’s the quest, that quest! We have to fulfill it assigned by Zois-san!!”

At the leader exchange meeting, we were told to fulfill our assignments without fail.

The Devil’s Triumphant Return, who reigns at the top of numerous guilds, receives high-difficulty assignments that match their skills.

“Those three, Yuma, Lafia, and Lofia, are enough for that.”

“Ugh…”

Indeed, with the Devil’s Triumphant Return, they could easily handle it with a few people.

Pandy has no choice but to escape from here on his own.

“In about five more minutes, the numbness should wear off, and you’ll be able to move as usual. I hope you can survive.”

“Wait…!”

Ali, Fel, Alma, and Lulu disappear into the depths.

Pandy also tried to chase after them, but his body wouldn’t move as he intended due to the numbness, and he collapsed dramatically.

“Darn it… I won’t forgive them for sure…”

Completely free from numbness now, Pandy walks through the ‘Labyrinth of Ruined Marsh’ alone.

…Once he gets through this, he’ll violate them immediately.

Thinking such things, a monster appears in front of him.

— It’s a slime.

“Tch, what a joke, trying to scare me…”

He kicks it away in irritation. The slime is squashed with a splat and stops moving.

How long has he been wandering alone? Pandy’s face grows increasingly grim.

“Ah, damn it. I really hate mazes like this…”

No matter how much he walks, the stone-crafted scenery remains the same. The unchanging view and lack of signs that he’s nearing the goal only increase his frustration.

“….ooo…ooo…”

“Ah!”

Pandy holds his breath at the sudden sound of a monster’s moan.

What kind of sound is that…? What’s around this corner?

He peeks cautiously and finds a hunched-over monster.

“Is that… a ghoul?”

A ghoul, otherwise known as a man-eating demon.

It has rubbery, elastic skin, walks on two legs but hunched over, and has an ugly appearance. It approaches with a weeping, raspy voice. Their diet consists of animal carcasses, waste, and human corpses.

“Ooo…oo…”

They are tenacious creatures, and he doesn’t want to waste unnecessary energy here.

Fortunately, it hasn’t noticed me yet. If I dash, I can get past it.

That’s what I thought, planning to run in the opposite direction.

“Whoa!”

Suddenly, I trip over something tangled around my foot. Looking down, the front part of my left ankle is submerged in something gooey—inside a slime.

“Damn it! Done in by such a small fry!”

Slimes are monsters that even beginners deal with.

While they are quickly dealt with if you stay calm—even a child can do it—I’m panicking now, making it hard to free myself.

My feet become more entangled in the slime despite trying to forcefully shake it off.

“….ooo…ooo…”

“!?”

My loud exclamation changes the ghoul’s direction, and he moves toward me.

This is bad. At this rate, how long will it take to reach the goal…

“Let go of me! Damnit, damnit, damnit!”

I frantically try to shake my feet free.

But far from freeing myself, the infuriated slime tightens its grip on both my legs with terrifying force.

It feels like my legs are being twisted and crushed like a rag.

“Aggh!?”

…Ah, my legs are being crushed.

Slimes are the weakest among monsters, said to be defeatable even by children.

But that’s only if you can defeat them before they catch you.

Once caught, their slippery fluid clings all over you, making it hard to break free.

“You… bastard! Ha!”

I tore myself free and kicked it away, but—I hadn’t noticed the ghoul swinging down a knife.

“Aghhh, it hurts!”

The knife plunges into the back of my hand.

Panic takes over for a moment.

A flash of fear crosses my mind, thinking I might be killed immediately.

“Ha! Take this!”

However, he is also a seasoned adventurer.

Regaining composure, he snatches the knife that had stabbed him and plunges it into the ghoul’s face.

This alone won’t defeat it, but it creates enough openings.

A gap wide enough to draw near and slash it with his greatsword.

“Die, die, die, die, die, DIE!”

He slashes relentlessly as if venting his stress.

Soon, the ghoul stops moving.

“Ha, ha… I’ve been too cautious because of this damn ‘Labyrinth of the Ruined Marsh.’ The rest will be a breeze if I don’t run into any monsters. Everyone else is in the same boat. Maybe I’ll ambush them at the goal, hehe…”

He’s already fantasizing about reaching the goal first, then taking his time to have his way with each arriving team member.

“Heh, hehehe…”

With a sloppy grin, he moves on quickly.

Who knows how long this optimistic attitude will last?