'W-What the hell, what do I do now?'
His immediate thought was to run.
The expedition had failed.
Due to the mysterious creature, he still had to flee.
'This isn't a cowardly idea, I'll get killed if I try, but what can I do by myself? I need at least one of us to escape and tell the rest of the world about this disaster!'
That was his most realistic judgment.
No one could accuse him of selfishness.
But.
"Mmph."
There was a faint groan.
Startled, Raymond stepped forward a little, surveying the fallen from afar.
'They're alive!'
They were all stirring faintly.
They weren't dead yet.
For a moment, a great conflict raged within him.
If he didn't run, there was a good chance he would be one of them.
But if he ran, all those people down there would die.
'What do I do? What do I do? Damn it!'
It was out of character for him to risk death for his patients.
It scared him more than anything.
He didn't want to be eaten by a demon.
But.
'Damn it! I don't know! Activate, Eagle's Eye!'
He swore and activated the skill.
He wanted to make sure they were okay first.
'Let's see if I can help them or not. If I don't think I can, it would be foolish to risk my life in vain...'
But was it misfortune or fortune?
Raymond had a clue.
He saw pink spots on people's bodies.
There were hives, swollen lips, and eye sockets.
'No way, this is why they collapsed?'
A diagnosis flashed through his mind.
He wasn't sure.
But if the reason he'd just guessed was correct, he could save them.
A cure that was only available to Raymond in this world, a cure that was only possible through medicine.
'Shit! That's scary!'
Just then, a horrifying sound echoed from inside the cavity.
"Keeeeeeeeeeee!"
It was as if the creature that had been so still had begun to move.
He didn't have time to think about it anymore.
'Ugh, I don't know, just get them out alive, they're all going to charge me ridiculous rates!'
Raymond quickly pulled a box out of his backpack.
It was a box full of tiny syringes and a vial of clear liquid.
'If my suspicions are correct, this should cure them!'
He quickly filled the syringes and rushed forward.
[You risked your life for your patients!]
[Manifesting 'Heart of Steel'!]
[Have a strong will and heart!]
The skill triggered, but it didn't completely quell the fluttering of his heart, which was still too frightened, but at least he was out of his semi-panic state.
'Suck!'
Raymond sucked in a breath as he stepped into the boundary where Mason had fallen.
'A curse?! No, it's not a curse!'
Suddenly, his vision blurred, and his consciousness faded.
His stomach lurched and his breathing became ragged.
This is why they fell. Raymond bit down hard on the flesh in his mouth.
He could smell blood, and he could barely hold onto consciousness.
'Wake up! If you pass out, you're dead!
With a shaky hand, he picked up the syringe and jabbed it into his muscle. The clear liquid was injected intramuscularly through the needle.
'Please, I hope it's for the reasons I suspected!'
If not, it's over.
They would all be fed to the demon.
And then.
After an agonizing few seconds.
Raymond's vision cleared again.
"Ah!"
His stomach churned, his breathing became labored, and the hives on his body were washed away.
'So it was an anaphylactic shock after all!
Raymond cheered inwardly.
Anaphylactic shock was an emergency allergic reaction in which a hypersensitive substance caused a person to go into shock.
In other words, that demon was releasing a hypersensitive substance that caused anaphylactic shock!
'I'm glad I spent the money to get the epinephrine.'
Raymond patted his chest.
After saving Baroness Smyden's life the other day, he realized he needed epinephrine and paid a high-priced alchemist in the magic tower to extract it for him.
'It cost me over 1,000 pence for a vial, so I thought it was outright theft.'
The treatment of anaphylactic shock was simple.
Epinephrine was injected into the muscle.
This causes the blood vessels dilated by the anaphylactic substance to rapidly constrict, and the shock is reversed.
"Wait a minute!"
Raymond first injected Lord Valton with epinephrine.
He then injected each in turn in order of seniority.
The reason was simple.
They were in the worst shape.
'Conversely, the healers can be treated later. They're the ones who collapsed in the back and are in the best shape.'
Healers like Mason were the last to be exposed and would likely recover naturally over time without treatment.
'Let's heal the knights first, so we can beat the monster!'
He injected all of the royal knights.
"Mmph."
"Ugh. What the hell is this?"
The knights groaned as they recovered from the shock.
"You've been poisoned by the demon's poisonous substance! I've cured you all, you can get up!"
Get up and help me defeat that terrifying demon!
Raymond clenched his fists as he looked at the slowly approaching demon.
It was a bird-type demon. It looked like a hideous peacock.
It seemed to be emitting a toxic substance from behind its colorful wings.
'I've cured the knights, there's nothing to worry about now!'
Raymond, who was strong, trusted the knights behind him and called out curiously.
"You demon! How dare you play tricks on me! I'll catch you, skin you, and sell you! Knights, come on, catch that evil demon!"
But there was no response, and Raymond, looking back, realized his mistake.
No one had gotten up from their seats yet.
"Excuse me, knights, do you have to get up to...?"
"Ugh. I'll get up!"
"Ugh. I don't have the strength..."
The knights were all trying to get up with their shaky hands on the floor.
But their strength didn't return, and they kept falling down.
'Uh... this isn't it?'
In retrospect, it made sense.
They were in critical shock, on the verge of death, and there was no way they were going to come back to life right away.
They were all powerful knights, so a little...
Given two or three minutes, they'd be back to full strength in no time, but there was no time for that.
"I... Can't we have a peaceful conversation? Your feathers are very nice indeed."
He pulled out all the stops and tried to talk to it, but of course, it didn't work.
"Keeeeeeeeeeee!"
It only made more harsh cries.
Raymond gritted his teeth and pulled out the healer's self-defense mace from his belt.
"Get away from me! Or I'll beat the shit out of you and roast you!"
"Keeeeeeeeeeeeee!"
Tadak. Tadak.
Like an ostrich stomping its feet, the creature began to charge.
Straight for Raymond.
"Watch out, Baronet!"
"Argh! Help! I don't want to die!"
Then something amazing happened.
Raymond instinctively twisted in terror, and the creature's charge was dodged with a flick.
'Huh?'
The knights' eyes widened at the sight.
It was almost a boar's charge, and Raymond had dodged it so easily.
Raymond's eyes widened as well, amazed that he had dodged such a fearsome charge.
Then, a message popped up.
[Crisis!]
[The self-defense skill, 'Healer's Self-Defense', is activated!]
[Healer's Self-Defense]
[Classification: Self-Defense Skill
Rank: Unique
Skill Level: D
-Gain the power to defend yourself when your life is threatened!
-Temporarily increases your stamina by 10 and your senses by 5 during threatening situations!]
[Stats]
[Stamina: 32 → 42
Senses: 29 → 34]
And that's not all.
[Your opponent is stronger!]
[The perks of the 'Achievement: Dwarf Who Defeated a Giant' will manifest!]
[You become 'slightly' stronger!]
FYI, the Dwarf Who Defeated a Giant achievement was for defeating Toms, the Tyrant of the Bay Area.
He forgot about it, but it had a perk that let him unleash his strength against stronger enemies.
[Stats]
[Stamina: 32 → 42 → 45
Senses: 29 → 34→ 37]
'Huh? Huh?'
Raymond panicked.
The creature began to charge once more, the anger having kicked in, and with even greater speed than before.
"Keeeeeeeeeek!"
"Dodge, healer!"
Valton called out, finally managing to get to his feet.
But Raymond could not dodge as he had earlier.
The distance was too close.
'N-no! Help me!'
The sharp beak swooped down, aiming squarely for his head.
Dead.
Raymond's head went white with terror.
"Aaahhhhh!"
He instinctively swung the mace in his hand, and it struck.
It struck the charging creature squarely in the head.
The creature staggered backward, then slumped in its position.
"Aaaaah! Help...! Huh?"
There was a moment of silence.
Raymond stared at his hand and the creature in disbelief.
The creature purred and glared at Raymond, but it didn't get up from its position.
Instead, it dropped its head and let out a faint groan.
A single blow from the mace had stunned it.
There was a moment of silence as the unexpected happened.
'...What, what, was that a weak demon?'
But its charging momentum was no less than that of a boar.
'Did the heavens help me because I'm a good person?'
Meanwhile, the knights who witnessed the scene had similar questions.
'How did he fight back in that split second?'
'Coincidence?'
'Was he lucky?'
They couldn't help but think so. Raymond was no expert in swordsmanship, and to execute a precise counter in such a time-sensitive situation was beyond the capabilities of most knights.
At the very least, he had to be a 'Mana User' level swordsman.
'No way. No. The way he wielded the mace was completely sloppy. It must be a coincidence.'
'He's such a good person, the heavens must have helped him.'
That's what the knights thought, but that wasn't what mattered now.
More importantly.
Raymond was their savior.
From deciphering the mysterious poison. To defeating (?) a demon by sheer luck.
If it weren't for Raymond, they would have been wiped out here.
Pow!
Just then, Valton, who had finally recovered his strength, approached and cut off the creature's breathing.
"Are you all right?"
"Ah, yes. Yes."
After looking at Raymond for a moment, Valton made a sudden move.
He bowed his head in front of Raymond!
"Thank you, Baronet, you saved us all!"
"Ah..."
"What are you doing, all of you, not thanking the Lord Baronet!"
The knights had not yet recovered their strength, but they shouted as best they could.
"Thank you!"
With that cry of gratitude, Raymond had become the expedition's benefactor.