Chapter 18
The situation in every cave, along with each contestant’s condition, was being projected live onto the giant screen, so the accident at the preliminary venue was quickly discovered by everyone.
The rescue team arrived immediately, but the situation did not look good.
After Ansius had lifted Yomi high up, the staff came over and led him and the other contestants to the waiting area.
While they were waiting there, all the contestants realized that something had gone wrong at the venue.
Meikai, who was in the same waiting area, had originally been muttering to himself with a dark expression. But the moment he noticed the live footage for Contestant 17 on the screen, his face changed dramatically. Ignoring the staff trying to stop him, he desperately rushed toward the cave.
Yomi looked toward the live image inside the screen’s frame.
Contestant Number 17, the one stuck inside the cave, was someone he had seen in the lounge before—the blond man who had apologized on Meikai’s behalf. His name was Harvey. He was more than three meters tall, and at this moment he was jammed inside an extremely narrow fork in the tunnel. Because he had panicked too much, he had actually reverted to his original form—a male lion—which only caused him to become stuck even worse.
Even through the screen, everyone could feel his pain.
The other contestants had already come out one after another. The host and the staff were explaining things to the audience while trying to disperse part of the crowd and maintain order…
Most of the audience refused to leave. They were all extremely anxious to know more about the contestant’s safety, and some spectators with rescue experience even volunteered to go over and help.
With an accident happening, the scene was naturally somewhat chaotic. Ansius came over and brought the confused Yomi to sit by his side, asking whether he wanted to go back first.
Normally speaking, with the rescue team present, nothing should happen.
Yomi shook his head. He wanted to wait until the man was rescued before leaving, otherwise he would keep thinking about it in his heart.
Over by the cave, Meikai was so frantic that he kept demanding to know what had happened from the organizers.
Harvey was stuck inside, and the rescuers were already working. No matter how anxious he was, he could not go in and interfere with the rescue.
A staff member comforted him, saying, “There’s no problem with this cave. In the past, contestants even taller and stronger than Number 17 have all come out safely… We also don’t know the exact cause yet. Please wait patiently. We will do everything we can to rescue him!”
Meikai had nowhere to vent his anger. All he could do was pin his hopes on his friend being rescued as quickly as possible while going over to stare at the surveillance feed.
The passageway in front of Harvey was even narrower, so the only way to rescue him was by dragging him backward from behind. The rescue workers who entered the cave tried every possible method and still could not pull him out. Harvey’s original form nearly blocked up that whole stretch of passage, and a person of normal build could only barely approach the rear of his tail.
The rescuers repeatedly asked Harvey how he had gotten stuck.
“I don’t know… I was crawling, and then my leg suddenly hurt really badly, and after that I couldn’t move,” Harvey said with difficulty.
“Could it be caused by some physical illness or injury? For example, a condition like a sudden growth of tumors or bone nodes during the competition?”
“No, my body is healthy. I even had an examination before signing up…”
“Then it’s probably a temporary problem inside the cave. Right now we can only touch your ankle. Can you move your leg or foot on your own?”
“I can’t…”
Harvey’s entire original form was wedged inside there. It was far too difficult to inspect a specific area. The rescue team studied the internal map again. The passage where Harvey was currently stuck was indeed somewhat narrow, but based on the size of his humanoid body, he normally should not have gotten stuck while crawling through it.
“It was probably just that his posture was slightly off at first and he got caught a little. Then he panicked and reverted to his original form. Naturally, the body of his original form isn’t long and slim like a humanoid one, so he instantly got jammed much worse… Let’s think of a way to save him first!”
After discussing it, the rescue team continued setting up machines to send in for the rescue.
Because Meikai was Harvey’s friend, and because his build was smaller than that of most Snaran, the rescue team called for him to go in together with them.
Meikai wanted nothing more. After entering, he followed the rescuers’ instructions and tried to soothe Harvey, who was in agony.
Harvey’s original form was stuck inside. His body, compressed in that environment, could no longer revert to humanoid form. In order to loosen his body, Meikai crawled into the gap above him. But after getting halfway in, he could go no farther.
The lion below let out a painful groan… Meikai was under two meters tall, but his frame was not small. With him wedged into the gap above, Harvey only grew more and more uncomfortable.
Afraid things would become even worse, and because this was his first time experiencing something like this, Meikai was so frightened that he hurriedly crawled back out. Maintaining as much calm as he could, he continued helping the rescue team pour lubricating oil around Harvey’s body.
But it still had no effect.
The rescue continued for nearly an hour. Because the place where Harvey was stuck was simply too tricky, and because his original form almost completely filled the passageway, the rescuers could only approach him from the rear. Seeing Harvey’s condition getting worse and worse, the helpless team leader said, “This is bad… Get protective equipment in there as fast as possible. Tell Number 17 to protect himself as much as he can, and prepare to blow open the cave.”
The moment Meikai came out, he heard those words, and for a second he failed to react at all.
Very soon, when he saw people carrying protective armor inside, the string in his heart finally snapped.
He remembered that in a competition several years ago, there had also been a contestant who got into an accident and simply could not be rescued. In the end, they had chosen to blast open the cave. Although the contestant had survived, he was never again able to return to humanoid form.
No… absolutely not!
Having been bullied and mocked since childhood for being short, Meikai knew better than anyone the pain of being different from others. He hated everyone in the world—but Harvey was his only friend.
At this moment, his pride meant nothing.
When his attempts to persuade them failed, he became so desperate that he dropped to his knees and pleaded hysterically, “Please, try again! I’m begging you… just give it a little more time, please try again…”
Someone inside the cave shouted, “He’s about to lose consciousness!”
The team leader pushed Meikai aside and began arranging the scene. “If I give you more time, then I’m taking time away from him. We can’t delay any longer. Do you want him to die? No one wants to give up on him, but there’s no other choice…”
“……”
Meikai’s lips moved. His hope had completely died. With wet eyes, he still wanted to say something when he suddenly heard someone behind him say, “There should be a way.”
!
Meikai swore this was the most beautiful voice he had ever heard in his life!
All this time, Yomi had been observing the situation inside. He stepped forward and pointed at the surveillance image from inside the cave as he said, “This spot here—around the position of his hind leg—should originally have a small protrusion, but it’s hidden by his original form right now.”
As he spoke, he also opened the cave map on his light-brain and showed it to them.
“Number 17 probably got stuck because he didn’t notice that little bump. I suspect there’s a stone buried inside it, or maybe some kind of sharp foreign object? At the time, in order to get out quickly, he must have sped up. Look—there are armor plates on the front of his clothing. When he scraped past, with enough force, it’s very possible that he scratched open or shattered the outer layer of that bump, exposing the sharp thing inside. One of his following legs would have been pierced immediately. Because of the pain, he wouldn’t have been able to move forward, and while twisting around, he got stuck even worse. If he also couldn’t back out, then the thing catching him was probably barbed. After he transformed back into his broader, sturdier original form, the pressure would have made his entire body completely unable to move… If we deal with that ‘barb,’ we might be able to drag him out.”
Everyone was stunned.
The rescue team leader came back to himself first and immediately pulled up the internal map again and enlarged it. Sure enough, there really was a tiny little protrusion there… It looked like a small rounded bulge. They had not failed to notice it, but no one would ever have thought such a round, tiny bump could cause the person inside to get stuck.
And the bigger problem was this: even if they now knew that, no one could reach the part where Harvey was stuck. Even Meikai, who was relatively short, could not last long inside the gap. And if he ended up stuck in there too, that would be even worse.
“I can try going into Number 17’s gap,” Yomi said. “But it’s my first time, so I don’t have any experience.”
There were still tear marks on Meikai’s face as he stared at Yomi in disbelief.
“Really? Th-then that’s wonderful! What you discovered is a huge help to us!” The team leader wiped his sweat, speaking quickly. “We absolutely will not let you go in alone. I’ll go with you! Whatever needs to be done, I’ll tell you, and I’ll do everything possible to ensure your safety.”
Just then, they saw a tall man striding over, the low pressure around him enough to make people shiver.
When Yomi saw Ansius arrive, he lifted his wrist and showed him the bracelet. “Wait for me a little. I’ll be done soon.”
He was showing him his safety sphere.
The moment he saw that bracelet, Ansius’s steps paused. He stared at Yomi and thought for a few seconds. Then, without saying a word, he personally tied the rescue rope securely around him, checked it several times, and then tightly gripped the other end of the rope, not allowing anyone else to interfere.
Yomi put on the protective gear. Just as he was about to go down, Meikai, pale-faced, walked over as if wanting to say something. But before he could open his mouth, Yomi had already slipped right down in one quick motion.
When he reached the right distance, Yomi crawled into the gap between the stone wall and the lion. He was able to get in very deep all at once, and he switched on his flashlight to inspect the inside.
Because he was much lighter than Meikai, Harvey’s reaction was very small.
The team leader was too large to go in very far. Speaking through the communicator from not far away, he said to Yomi, “Please do your best to keep him conscious, and be careful.”
Yomi answered, then began spreading oil along the places where the lion’s body was pressed against the stone wall while talking to him: “Are you still awake? You mustn’t fall asleep, or if your vital areas get injured during the rescue and you don’t make a sound, no one will know.”
Harvey was drenched in sweat from pain. He could not see who was lying on top of his back, and only assumed it was a small-built rescuer. Having already decided that he probably would not get out properly anymore, he seemed to harden his resolve and gritted out, “I can’t move at all. You should just blast it… If I die, tell Meikai for me that a person’s life isn’t decided by the wrong people.”
Yomi kept brushing lubricating oil onto the top of his head. “He’s up there. You can tell him yourself.”
Harvey froze, then let out a bitter laugh.
Once Yomi had finished applying the oil, he began feeling his way down along the stone wall, searching for the spot with the protrusion, asking at the same time where it hurt most.
Harvey said, “Everywhere that’s pressed against the stone wall hurts. It hurts so badly it’s numb. My back right leg hurts the most.”
Yomi moved to the area of his back right leg and carefully searched through the gap.
During that time, Harvey stopped making any sound. Remembering what the team leader had said, and afraid Harvey might die, Yomi opened his mouth to ask what kind of work he did. Then he remembered not everyone even had work, so instead he asked, “Number 17, what do you usually do?”
Fortunately, the lion’s body moved slightly, and he opened his mouth to answer vaguely, “I… Meikai and I used to work in sales at the same company. Later, that company went bankrupt. We couldn’t find suitable jobs, so we took out our savings and started a little stall business together…”
Yomi, holding a tiny chisel, knocked away below. “So you’re a boss.”
“Haha… just a street stall. Meikai isn’t tall, but he’s very good at business. With him controlling expenses, our stall always turns a profit. My brain isn’t as good as his, but when I’m around, thugs don’t dare come and cause trouble.”
“After all, you’re a big lion,” Yomi said. Taking advantage of his small size, he moved a little farther forward and started chiseling at the stone wall near Harvey’s hind leg. “By the way, what do you sell?”
Harvey laughed again, sounding as if he had gotten into the rhythm of chatting. “Mostly food. Breakfast and dinner. Boiled eggs sell the best, because they aren’t expensive, and they’re nutritious and filling, so a lot of people buy boiled eggs.”
Yomi had not expected to obtain unexpected business information at a moment like this. He muttered, “Not bad. If I don’t have work in the future, I can use my little pushcart to sell tea eggs.”
“…Tea eggs? What are those?”
Yomi was just about to answer when blood suddenly began seeping out from the stone wall in front of him. He knew that part of Harvey’s hind leg was embedded into the nearby rock wall, so he quickly told the medical staff above to be ready. Then, taking the hemostatic bandage handed over by the team leader, he first bound the exposed wound, then took out the toolbox and told Harvey to keep talking about that period of struggling to build a life while he kept his head down and chiseled away… Ten minutes later, the lion let out a muffled groan, and his body suddenly loosened.
Yomi said, “Try moving backward.”
Harvey had no hope at all. But thinking about how this little rescuer had listened to him talk for so long, he still did his best to stretch backward a little… and his hind leg really could move!
Even he himself could not believe it!
The team leader saw it and shouted excitedly, “He’s out! Pull, quick!”
Carrying the small tools, Yomi ran from the lion’s back to the lion’s head. He directed Harvey, whose eyes could barely stay open, to push backward with all his might.
When Harvey’s whole body finally withdrew from the place where he had been stuck and was pulled away, Yomi acted like a little commander, planting his hands on his hips and shouting into the communicator, “Once you start pulling, don’t let go, because there’s still rescue personnel behind him! One-two-one, pull hard! One-two-one, pull hard! One-two-one…”
The people outside had no idea why he was shouting “one-two-one,” but when they discovered they somehow had more strength the more they shouted, they immediately started chanting along with him.
The sound shook the heavens.
Harvey dazedly opened his eyes. He felt himself rapidly rising upward. Lowering his gaze, he saw a tiny little figure below, shouting something in a grave, commanding voice.
That little person… looked somewhat familiar…
Once the distance between them widened, he saw the other party extremely clearly.
It was… Contestant Number Five, Yomi!
At that moment, Yomi was wearing a special safety helmet—because if he wore a normal helmet, his ram horns would be painfully pressed against it, he had originally not planned to wear one. But Ansius had borrowed a tool on the spot and poked two little holes in the top of the helmet, perfectly allowing the horns to stick through.
At this time, the rope around Yomi’s body was also pulling him upward. He wiped away sweat while straightening the helmet on his head. Beneath it, two bright, lively eyes blinked out, looking extremely serious.
After Harvey was pulled out of the cave, his body was completely intact. He had only lost too much blood and fainted. The medical staff immediately rushed over to treat him.
Meanwhile, to one side, Meikai had been staring fixedly at the cave surveillance feed. He seemed to have completely forgotten who the person he had originally cared about most was. His soul had drifted away from him long ago with that repeated cry of “one-two-one.” He stood motionless in front of the monitor, staring at the cave that no longer contained Harvey.
He had forgotten everything. In his eyes, there was only that figure even smaller than himself.
That tiny figure floated upward like a bird, higher and higher, as though nonexistent wings were trembling toward him.
For one instant, Meikai thought of the heavenly bird he had seen in a picture book as a child. The bird had pulled him out of the mud, and together they had passed through the clouds and then left this world forever.
In the next second, his illusion vanished. There was no bird. There was only Yomi.
Yomi would not pull him up, nor would he fly away from this world. He was so small, it seemed he could not go anywhere at all.
He was blended into this world, yet utterly unlike it.
Very soon, Yomi disappeared from the surveillance screen.
Meikai’s eyes felt hot.
The endless cracks that had clung to him in the past now shattered completely all over the ground. And from those fragments, there grew a wingless bird. Standing on tiptoe, that bird avoided the shards, took a few steps forward, then turned its head and gazed at him from afar.
Trembling, Meikai turned around.
He looked at Yomi, dirty all over, being hurriedly carried out of the cave by a man. Then his lips shook, and at last he could no longer hold it in. He burst into loud sobs. In front of the astonished gaze of countless people, he crouched down, crying so hard he could barely maintain his human form, yet still clearly forced out three words:
“I’m sorry…”
