Surviving as the Second Main Lead: Second Lead's POV

Howard happily minded his own business when it happened. A small mine exploded, causing a small explosion and making monsters aware of his position.

In Howard's defense, he had not meant to step foot on that mine, but it happened without him knowing. And now he was running away from the monsters and right into the city's heart.

‘Fuck. How do I even call for help in this situation? These monsters will just not leave me alone.’

Howard needed to find shelter to call for help. He was also in no position to take these monsters on since he did not have any weapon on hand that would not be recognized.

‘What should I do now?’

Howard cursed as he headed into the nearest abandoned building. The smaller monsters followed after him, not minding the dark and crampy space they were being made to crawl into.

But finally, Howard’s lucky break came and he hid underneath a small desk. It was just low enough to keep him out of the monster’s sight and Howard did not delay sending out a signal for help.

It would take some time for help to arrive so Howard would have to survive until then.

One of the monsters managed to pierce the table Howard was hiding under and the claw missed him by a few inches. He had gotten so lucky to be avoided by these claws.

The monster looked surprised but then left the room. And Howard decided to go out in the open.

A small black blob followed after him and Howard was suspicious about its intentions. But it did not harm him so Howard decided to leave it be.

The monsters managed to find him as soon as Howard entered an open space and he knew he would not be able to avoid fighting any longer.

He held his small blade in his hand and was about to unleash his skill - a single strike when the monster threatening him fell dead.

A clean cut had managed to serve the huge monster’s neck clean and the thread shined with blood in the daylight.

“Alright, we have secured this area. Horas, you are up for the last part of this clean-up.”

It was Instructor Nesh, the one responsible for looking after them who saved the day. Her string technique was incredible and Howard suddenly wanted to learn it.

He was sure that with his ability-

[[[Special skills cannot be copied. The host will not be able to gain corresponding effects]]]

Howard’s excitement came plumping down as soon as his system decided this for him. He was salty but also satisfied at seeing such an amazing skill. He wanted to possess it but he was not greedy.

Nesh’s speed was commendable but Horas was even faster than her when it came to dealing with monsters. He took out one monster in one shot, his hand not wavering from his sky-high position.

“Everything is clear on my end. How is the student fairing?”

Horas asked over the intercom and Nesh turned toward Howard to ask him.

“I am alright. I’m not hurt or anything.”

Howard reassured, wanting to lessen his interaction with Horas. If there was one person who could recognize the ‘real’ him, it would be Horas.

There was silence on the other end of the intercom so Howard did not know what to make of it. He breathed a sigh of relief, almost thankful that he was in the clear when he saw Horas headed his way.

But then he tensed up, almost sure that he had been caught by Horas.

‘Oh shoot. Don’t tell me that Horas recognized me. Jack would kill me when he gets to know I messed up. What should I do now-’

Howard had not realized it, but he had been stepping away from Horas all this time. In his haste, he even stepped on a hidden trail he had been making sure to avoid.

The ground broke apart beneath his feet and he fell.

“Oh fuck. Hey, watch out.”

Howard did not mean to reach out and catch Horas’s hand. He did not mean to drag Howard down with him either.

But that was what ended up happening. And before either of them knew it, they were beneath the ground. The ground repaired itself above the pair’s head and Howard nursed his bruised arm.

“So, what happens next? How do we figure out what this trail entitles and how do we get back home?”

Howard knew it was unfair of him to ask Horas for these answers. Horas had gotten stuck down here with him but it was not the elder’s choice.

Still, there was a feeling inside Howard that said that he could trust the elder. And he decided to go with his guts.

…………………………

Horas almost lost his composure and ended up cursing as he fell. He had not meant to end up down here with Howard Spencer of all people.

But knowing the protagonist’s luck, he had not meant to end up down here in the first place.

“So, what happens next? How do we figure out what this trail entitles and how do we get back home?”

Howard looked like he trusted Horas with his everything. It was too much pressure for Horas to take. It was not like he knew where they were anyway.

“Instructor Horas, are you alright? You do know where we are, right?”

Howard questioned again, his voice trusting and Horas decided to not tell him the truth. Besides, the protagonist would find a way to get out of there alive.

There was no point in worrying Howard over unnecessary fears.

“Of course, I know this trail. Follow after me and I shall take you out of here.”

Howard finally perked up after hearing Horas’s words. His steps finally had a bounce he was famous for in the novel and his aura was shining.

The darkness around them was lightning up and it opened up into a familiar-looking meadow. The more Horas saw of his surroundings, the surer he was that he knew this place.

All that combination of green and blue reminded Horas of a few lines he had written.

/Beautiful green plants reflected in the blue of the meadow. A flower-filled field with colors dancing across the land. Petals falling from the sky, being blown away by the gentle winds.

Being in such a place could make one forget all about their worries and make them realize how lucky they were to have found such a treasure.

This was how Howard felt about the first ray of hope in the darkness that this trail had trusted him into.

The loneliness he felt was being offset by this healing scenery he saw and his heart swelled with peace and longing./

How did Horas had managed to write something this cheesy? Had he been out of his mind? Maybe it was the influence of everything else he had read at that time.

“This looks like a good place to rest for a while.”

Howard sat down on the bluegrass, its unnatural color shining in the bright light of the dungeon.

But Horas could not bring himself to rest easy. He was sure he had written something about this place being dangerous but now he did not remember about it.

“We should be careful while roaming around here. There could be unknown monsters lurking around here since it’s uncharted territory.”

Horas warned Howard before he could do anything stupid. And as soon as he did, the ground shook, causing him and Howard to call down on the ground.

‘Now I remember. This is the land of the giants, the cursed race that caused this land to fall and also summon the final boss’

“You, come and hide with me. It will be better for us not to be seen by these monsters.”

The giants were a much more intelligent race compared to others. They could recognize their prey and also hunted in groups. If you were marked by them then your chances of getting away were not very positive.

“W-What is going on? There was no report on such a monster in this dungeon.”

Howard responded surprised at the sudden appearance of the giants. It had, indeed, not been in the reports. But that was because the giants had not been found yesterday.

They might have been only present in this trial.

‘I cannot believe I forgot all about the existence of these giants. And I even made sure to pay special attention to what could happen in this dungeon.’

But in Horas’s defense, it had been years in his previous life when he had written this story, never mind this current life. The human brain was not designed to retain memories for such a long time if they were not actively thinking about them.

And even then, time tended to blur out certain details over time.

“How do we get out of here?”

Howard asked, his eyes not looking away from the giants and their powerful fists. They could kill everyone if they were allowed to wander around freely.

“For now we wait here. I will ask Nesh to send the others out before we head out as well. That way, everyone will be safe and we will also be able to contain these giants in this dungeon."

This dungeon will be sealed and reclassified once the news of these giants got out. But until then, Horas and Howard would have to survive on their own.