Tick tock.
There’s no time left.
With my ears tuned into the footsteps that were drawing near, I fell into deep thought.
Run away?
Where to?
There are no other doors in this room, and the risk of digging through the wall is just too high. What if there are monsters in the next room? And if I break through the floor, what if there are traps on the lower level?
So, no digging. We’re already short on time anyway.
Is there a better way?
I rolled my eyes, scanning the room. My heart was racing like crazy, but I tried to keep my composure and activate my brain to find a solution.
Dismantling was already off the table.
Fight against them? Do I know how many are there? Listening to the symphony of those footsteps, it wouldn’t be surprising if they had at least double our numbers. Sneaking up on them is impossible, and even if I manage to take them all out, that wouldn’t be the end of it. Reinforcements would most likely arrive. And we would be exhausted whether it’s our physical strength or magic that’s been drained.
If Renny was here, it would be different, but managing to eliminate everyone with just four students and a thieving cat is like trying to beat a bunch of armed enemies with just a knife in a game. It would be downright suicidal for those at a disadvantage in numbers and power to fight.
So, I must avoid confrontation here by any means necessary.
Is there a good way… Ah!
“Lapeirin, use Silence Magic on the whole room.”
“What?”
“Right now! And line up against that wall!”
It was a brilliant idea with a slim chance of success, but in an emergency, I couldn’t afford to be picky. I surveyed the now completely silent room, then pressed myself against the wall and activated my skill.
“…”
With voices that couldn’t be heard, the wall began to rise. It looked just like the wall we were leaning against. Although it was much thinner and would reveal us if touched, what kind of idiot would knock on a wall to find people? We silently relayed our thoughts to each other with our lips.
‘解除魔法を解除しろ’ (Release the magic.)
As Lapeirin nodded, the silence returned. We held our breaths as we heard the sounds of the door creaking open.
We mustn’t be found.
If we’re found…
Clack.
Clack. Clack. Clack. Clack. Clack…
The endless symphony of footsteps. It felt like an eternity had passed, yet the footsteps wouldn’t die down. They seemed to be circling around, getting closer and then drifting away, sounding as if they were stuck to the walls.
But we had to endure.
Patience was the only way out of this situation.
Clack.
Clack.
Clack. Clack. Clack. Clack…
————
“Silence Magic.”
Nod.
All sounds in the room disappeared again. I placed my hand on the wall and activated my skill.
“Dismantle.”
The wall vanished downward, revealing an empty room.
“I, I thought we were caught…”
Shuri let out a sigh of relief and sank to the floor, as if her legs had given out. I glanced at the faces of my companions, who looked mentally exhausted after holding onto tension for so long. But we didn’t have time to rest. A brief pause would only lower our chances of survival.
“Wait here for a moment. If I get caught, I’ll try to draw their attention as much as I can, so be ready to escape through the tunnel I made—”
“Wait, what will happen to you?”
“I’ll manage just fine, so don’t worry.”
Having lived ten years bumping elbows with much worse, there’s no way I’d die here. I ignored their worried glances and approached the door.
Quietly grabbing the doorknob, I turned it. The creaking of the hinges tortured my ears. I slowly poked my head out and listened. Faint footsteps. It seemed certain that they were far from here.
Why did they all appear here?
Where did those bastards go?
Are they perhaps in the room?
I gestured for my team to stay put as I moved into the corridor and pressed my ear to the door of the next room. Most of the rooms were silent. One, two, three, four… There was no sign of life as I gently opened each door to check. The structure of the rooms was generally similar, and most contained corpses.
Each was dead in different positions, but some looked like adventurers, wearing armor.
Could these be people who fell into this rift? I feel like I’ve seen similar armor in the market.
Anyway, it’s clear that no one is here.
Where did all these things go?
Did they head down the opposite corridor?
It seemed there was no more information to gather in this corridor. I briefly pondered and thought of one method, then returned to the room with my party.
They were huddled in a corner, taking a breather.
“Everyone, pay attention. I’ve thought of a decent plan and would like your cooperation.”
“Cooperation? Digging a tunnel?”
“Nope.”
“Do you know what’s down there? If I’m unlucky, I might fall to the lower floor and have to rub elbows with monsters!”
“What can we do to help?”
“Conserve your strength here. If possible, hydrate too.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll soon make this room a sealed space. I don’t know how smart those things are, but if I hide us perfectly, they shouldn’t be able to get in. I… will check the opposite corridor.”
“That’s too dangerous!”
“No, this is the safest way.”
“If we get caught, it’s all over!”
I looked at Lewis, who was protesting. He looks delicate and in this situation, he’s being a bit of a nag, but he’s really a kind guy to worry about me. I smiled back at him.
“Don’t worry. I have my methods.”
It was a sudden brainstorm, but it was worth trying out.
“Then take a good rest.”
I waved my hand, dismissing their worried gazes, opened the door, and stepped into the corridor. I used my skill.
“Crafting.”
The place where the door used to be was obscured by a wall. With a glance, no one would notice this room ever existed. But considering the oxygen issue, it’s important to move quickly.
I hope this goes as planned.
I slipped out of the corridor and pressed myself against the lobby wall. I could hear no praying sounds. It must have been the noise from those praying in the middle. I don’t know the purpose, but it looks like they might be patrolling or something.
Let’s see, where were the corpses… Ah, here we go.
I approached one of the neglected corpses and stripped it of its clothing. Then I grabbed the decapitated head that was rolling around.
The sight of the almost naked corpse was grotesque. It looked as if it was stitched together from multiple corpses. The skin tone of the limbs was different, and they didn’t match in size, leading some joints to look sunken and reveal the bones.
What kind of monster was created here?
I carefully turned the corpse over and checked the back.
[@&*!(!]
…I had no idea what it meant, but I could sense its significance.
Without wasting a moment, I dug into the floor beside it and rolled the corpse into the hole. I was done with being terrorized by its eyes. After using my skill to restore the floor, the corpse disappeared flawlessly.
Having dealt with the corpse, I quietly patched up the torn clothing. It was still bloodied, but I managed to get a wearable outfit in my hands. I donned that outfit immediately.
Covering half my face with a hood soaked in the corpse’s blood, I became a pretty convincing cultist.
“Let’s see if I’ll be spotted or not.”
Clack.
Clack.
I could hear footsteps. I mimicked the stance of those coming out from the opposite corridor and quietly followed closely behind them. Luckily, my gamble seemed to have paid off.
They didn’t suspect me.
I followed them for a while, wandering through the two corridors. Walking like a cultist made it feel like I was befriending monsters. I want no part of serving some tentacled statue.
But how long am I going to keep going in circles? It’s not like I’m working out. I’ve already cycled through the corridor rooms – lobby – corridor rooms – lobby three times. Did something bug out because of the blocked rooms? I think I saw the first guy blocking a door and tilting his head in front of a statue.
But one thing was for sure.
At least on this floor, these guys are the only ones around.
So I knew what I had to do.
I pulled out the shovel I had hidden in my baggy clothing and stretched it out. Hearing that sound, the monsters all turned to face me, the one standing at the back.
“It’s showtime, you bastards.”
The shovel, filled with righteous anger, drew beautiful arcs in the air.
————————–
“Johann? I heard some ruckus outside. Those monsters…”
“I smashed all their heads, so it’s fine.”
“Huh?”
“I smashed them all.”
I didn’t touch them in case reinforcements came, but without reinforcements, they’re just fodder. I used my skills and smashed them all before they could even scream, making the first floor practically a safe zone.
I even found a way down to the second floor while I was at it.
Turns out, the dagger I initially grabbed was one of the keys to descend to the second floor. These things operate just as programmed and appear to have gone haywire like malfunctioning machines.
They’re supposed to repeatedly move down to the second floor and back up, but now with one dagger gone, I think their cycle broke.
For some odd reason, dungeons tend to operate by rules as if they were games. It remains a mystery why only dungeons are like that.
Is it all just a game world?
“I found a way down to the second floor, so I’ll set off immediately.”
“Wait?”
There’s no time for detailed explanations. I swung the door wide open and gestured for my team to follow. Fortunately, they complied with my orders and came out into the corridor.
“Follow me.”
I led my team to the front of the statue, which looked unnecessarily lifelike with its tentacles. I approached a smaller statue next to the large one, which was shaped like a suffering human. I inserted the dagger into the indented spot by the heart.
Suddenly, the floor in front of the statue began to sink, revealing stairs beneath it.
“Lapeirin, use Search Magic.”
“Okay!”
As I watched Lapeirin prepare her spell, I directed Shuri to use lighting magic. With lights illuminating the stairs and Shuri’s search magic in action, I could see the confusion on Lapeirin’s face, confirming my suspicion that something was down there.
“I think there’s something down there. There… seems to be an immense life response… dozens? Hundreds? But it feels like they’re all gathered into one…”
A confused expression washed over Lapeirin as she looked up at me, her eyes begging for an answer. But I had none. I had only drawn one conclusion from the fragments of information I had.
There must be a boss in this dungeon.
The creatures roaming the temple have this bizarre appearance, looking like they’ve been stitched together with parts from different people.
The corpses in the room seem to belong to outsiders. Why have they been left there? Why do they have tentacles sprouting from their bodies?
Lastly, those things had been wandering around the room as if searching for something.
The thing below is likely…
“Listen carefully. There’s a high probability that the boss is down there.”
“Boss… you mean?”
“Exactly. So… Sif, stay here. The rest of you will go down to face the boss.”
“Wait, isn’t it dangerous if the monsters come rushing out again?”
“Crafting.”
Four walls. One ceiling. A sturdy door.
“Wait inside.”
“Er… got it.”
Sif nodded absentmindedly at my words.
“…I’m sorry. I’ve put you through all this trouble.”
Maybe it was because her condition wasn’t good, but Viola’s voice lacked its usual strength. Hearing her, the others from Lewis’s group started to panic and comfort her.
“No! It’s fine, Viola! How could…?”
“Right! You don’t need to worry about a thing! I’ll clear everything with my magic—boom!”
Perhaps she was slowly reaching her limit. I exchanged glances with Viola and spoke.
“Just worry about what to eat when we return. It will be over soon.”
I placed my foot on the first step.
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