Musou Knight: Crow of Cinders-Chapter 27: Shit, I Woke Up

Chapter 27 - Shit, I Woke Up

"CAAA!"

The fire crow stared at me. This was the ultimate trial. Would he eat me, or would he help me?

Cow-Cow inhaled deeply and opened his tiny mouth. A fireball burst out, lighting up my face.

Dude. I had a question. Was he cooking me?

"CAAA! LIVE!"

Thank goodness he wasn’t going to eat me. I almost had a heart attack.

He was the only one I would never complain about shouting in caps. Because of his presence, I decided not to give up living... yet. My ambition, my pottery ambition, had yet to be fulfilled. I wanted to make pots, no pun intended.

Also, thank you for coming back, Cow-Cow. I almost cried.

Bathing in Cow-Cow’s flame, I closed my eyes and focused on recovery. Not that I could manipulate flesh or blood flow, but at a time like that, I just wanted to rest.

Something dropped from my half-burned leather armor. It rolled to a stop in front of me. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

The dragon seal that I didn’t get to use. This was my regrets. I should have used it before I attacked Zoli. The result would have been different.

Meh. Too late now.

Sleepiness overwhelmed me. All previous tension died down, and my serotonin hit me like a truck.

If I fell asleep here, would I ever wake up again?

The thought made me worries. However, the exhaustion disabled my thoughts. My mind slowly turned blank.

Good night, Cow-Cow. See you tomorrow, if I woke up.

.

.

.

Well, shit. I woke up.

I thought I was dead, but I was alive.

Cow-Cow was sitting on my face, but he had reverted to a black crow. His chubby, chicken-like features were gone. Had he burned through his musou energy too?

If he lost weight, how long had it been since he last ate?

How long had I been sleeping?

I tested my fingers and tried moving my limbs. The pain in my nails was gone, but my neck and back felt wrong. My legs stretched fine, though my knees and other joints ached.

What about my chest and ribs?

Breathing didn’t hurt. I touched my chest next.

Okay, IT STUNG LIKE HELL!

Excuse the caps, but IT HURT.

I pushed myself upright, which woke up the birb. Cow-Cow pecked my nose and stared into my eyes. His eyes were wet.

"CAAA!"

He must have been overjoyed. What a loyal dude. I was glad that he hadn’t eaten my eyeballs yet.

"Sorry. I guess you chose not to eat me, huh? What are you? My guardian angel?"

"CAAA! MY ASS! FEED ME!"

My disappointment was immeasurable, and my day was ruined. This guy behaved like a cat I used to owe.

"I know, I know. Sorry you lost weight."

"CAAA! FASTER!"

"Yes, master. Right away."

As I talked, the senses in my mouth returned to me. I couldn’t help but cough.

My throat was parched. I got some sand or dirt all over my tongue and teeth. After spitting out the grains, I rubbed my desert-dry gums.

The caerulex ore still glowed bright. I wished I could harvest it, but I had no tools or strength. Maybe when I could come back later, I would collect everything.

Dragging my half-broken body, I turned toward the path Zoli and the others had taken. I wanted to follow, but retracing steps meant risking another encounter.

Fortunately, there was another path. I looked up.

I had no choice. The climb would be a torture, considering my current injuries. I hoped I had enough strength to pull through.

Since I knew that the passages in the mine would be pitch black, I turned to the caerulex ore and prepared myself. I bit down on a few glowing ore pieces and held them in my mouth, using them as a flashlight. Cow-Cow did the same. Grabbing the wall, I started climbing.

Then it hit me.

I was forgetting something.

The dragon seal!

I spotted it on the ground. I got back down and shoved it into my ruined armor even though it was the wrong storage spot.

GODDAMMIT. MY CHEST HURT.

Forgive me for the caps. AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!

It took me minutes to adjust my mental strength. I suppressed the urge to scream and climbed the cliff.

After reaching the hidden cave, I spat out the glowing ore and cursed myself. How did I even get into this situation in the first place? What went wrong again? How had I even survived that hammer attack? How did Zoli canceled my bullet time?

A thousand questions plagued my mind as I rested. For a moment, I hallucinated, seeing the shadows of myself and Zoli fighting.

I rested for hours after the climb.

Cow-Cow sat beside me, blinking, staring into my eyes.

Dude, my eyes weren’t food. Don’t even think about it.

"CAAA! GET UP!"

"...I know. I’m trying, but I barely have strength."

"CAAA! FOOD!"

I sighed. My master had spoken. No more laziness. I forced myself to stand. With glowing stones as my only light, I pressed forward.

Mazes without enemies felt like field trips. Following memory, I reached a miner’s resting area. Tools, crates, and ore stacked so high. Railroad tracks stretched onward, promising easier navigation.

But my attention wasn’t on the ore.

The crates.

Destructible crates!

In games, crates dropped buffs and random gear. I couldn’t ignore the chance. Food could fix my injuries, and Cow-Cow would be thrilled.

I grabbed a rusty pickaxe and smashed a crate.

Please.

Food.

Three seconds later, an item appeared.

It was an armor piece. Not food.

Cow-Cow and I groaned in unison. Still, this was better than my shredded outfit. I stripped and donned the new set of armor.

The armor was a common-grade cloth armor for mages or light-unit characters. These were early-game junk, providing no protection. However, it came with two extra quick slots.

It could have been useful if I had a system. Without the system, the clothes offered two hidden pockets inside my sleeves. Weird design choice.

Still, it felt lighter than my busted leather armor. Five kilograms gone. Good riddance.

I placed the dragon seal and glowing stones beside Cow-Cow and kept going. Two more crates waited.

I smashed them both.

Second crate: speed buff talisman. Useless, but fine.

Third crate: a plate of fine steak.

Jackpot.

"CAAA!"

Cow-Cow and I high-fived in spirit. I tore the steak in half, tossed him a piece, devoured mine in seconds.

Australian Angus beef. Delicious.

It couldn’t be considered a full meal, though. One plate was not enough to fill half of my stomach. Now I needed water.

The food worked as intended. My back and neck relaxed. Chest pain subsided. The swelling was gone. Some lingering ache remained, but tolerable.

My HP bar wasn’t full yet, I guessed.

Getting some electrolyte, my brain resumed some functions. I remembered a game guide.

Every campaign map hid one or two permanent boost items. The first scenario map of Lia, aka this caerulex mine, had two drops: a maximum HP booster and a maximum musou gauge booster.