Chapter 203 – Beyond the 21st Floor
“Sniff. Sniff. It’s this way. It smells sweet from here. I feel good luck.”
Fortuna must have belatedly remembered that she was a lucky angel and quickly changed her words.
However, the sight of her constantly sniffing was that of a puppy.
Jun thought about teasing her a little, but stopped when he remembered that there were adventurers around here too.
Of course, I also wanted to see her puffing out her cheeks, but since that can be seen at any time, it was right to prioritize obtaining the Easter egg for now.
“Huh?”
“Huh? What’s wrong, Por? Is there something wrong?”
“Oh, no. “It’s nothing.”
Fortuna gave an expression of confusion and a hint of regret and began to trace her fortune again.
We followed her through the thick bushes, and after a while, we were greeted by a dead-end alley between cliffs.
“Por, is there something here?”
Jun asked curiously.
This is because we have already looked at this place with radar, but found nothing special.
“Huh! “I think there’s something here!”
“… There’s definitely something going on in the atmosphere.”
The innermost part of the alley.
The vines of plants that seem to be artificially covering something, the shadows glimpsed behind them, and even the sweet smell that gently spreads out.
It was a place that made you as curious as the inside of a woman’s skirt.
Why did I pass by this place without seeing it?
“What, there was a barrier.”
Jun reached out to the vine out of curiosity and was immediately able to figure out the reason.
This is because the vines were acting as catalysts to form a barrier.
‘Radar is not omnipotent.’
The thicker the obstacle and the greater the amount of mana contained in the obstacle, the lower the radar’s detection ability.
In particular, in the case of an artificially formed mana membrane like a barrier, it was virtually impossible to detect beyond it.
“Juni, can you come in?”
“Uh? Uh. You can go in. “It doesn’t seem to be a barrier designed to prevent entry or exit.”
“Then let’s go in. Huh? Huh?”
Fortuna’s eyes sparkled as if the sign of good fortune felt beyond the barrier was quite significant.
It was like a child receiving a gift box, and I couldn’t help but smile.
Keep going!
“Ugh~. Don’t pull the ball. Por doesn’t like this.”
“Then don’t rush, just wait a moment. Okay?”
Fortuna, who was softer and more addictive than a rice cake, calmed her down by pulling on her cheeks.
In my heart, I wanted to do as she said right away, but I was bothered by some traces in her eyes.
“Rebecca, these are traces of an adventurer, right?”
June asked Rebecca.
Because she was skilled in tracking and hiding, she was much better than Jun in these areas of exploration.
“Yes, if you look at the traces that have been artificially erased, it most likely belongs to an adventurer. Hmm, there are a lot of recent ones, but there are also a lot of them that are quite old. But why can I only see traces of going inside?”
Rebecca hardened her countenance and began to look around her more.
As time passed, instead of straightening, her complexion became more hardened.
“Can’t you see anything?”
“Not at all.”
Rebecca shakes her head resolutely.
Her tension, which had loosened at the thought of earning free money, tightened again.
“Can I also leave a comment?”
At that time, Dohwa, who had been stroking the vines growing out of the shadow, opened her mouth.
“Dohwa, did you find out anything?”
“It’s not for sure, but if all the adventurers who entered the shadow got sick, it would be because of the owner of this vine.”
“Why do you think that?”
“I sense a very strange will from this vine. Although all the plants in this layer have malicious intent, I have never seen one with such clear malicious intent.”
Jun immediately designated the vine as an object of caution.
There was no way that Peach Blossom, the highest object in the plant world, could have made a misjudgment regarding plants. This enemy is probably the owner of this vine.
“Sir, I will burn these evil things to the ground without leaving a single ashes behind. Please give me permission.”
“Hmm. No. It would certainly be safer that way, but since we don’t know the state in the shadows, let’s leave that as a last resort. Por, I’m asking just in case, don’t you feel bad luck?”
“It feels so big.”
“Then it means there is a risk that we can fully handle. Let’s go in first.”
Jun pulled out Firmus and cut down all the vines growing out of the shadow.
It seems that the adventurers who entered this place were left alone to hide themselves and prevent attacks from other adventurers, but since the owner of the vines might be an enemy, they could not leave them like that.
Attacks from other adventurers can be prevented by setting up a barrier outside the shadow to block entry.
If you get through it…
‘I guess I’ll have to prepare to die. ‘Not us, but them.’
Fight! Fighting!
“Ugh. Gross.”
“How dare you disgrace her sister’s eyes. “Incineration comes immediately.”
Good luck! Good luck!
The vines that had fallen to the ground wriggled like living snakes.
The sight was so disgusting that when Fortuna groaned, Dohwa immediately burned the vine.
At the same time, the shadow, or rather the barrier in front of the small, waist-high cave, disappeared.
Shhh ah shhh
The sound of the wind is somehow eerie.
The discordant sound that was mixed in the middle, not knowing whether it was a scream or a chant, was clearly human.
“… Crazy.”
Jun, who quickly looked inside the cave using radar, looked astonished.
Inside the cave, a scene was unfolding that was similar to but slightly different from the worst situation he had imagined.
‘I never thought I would see a scene like that in my lifetime. I thought it only existed in a delusion.’
“Juni, why are you like this? “Isn’t this a serious situation?”
Fortuna asked a question after seeing Jun’s mysterious expression.
After thinking for a moment, Jun explained the situation unfolding inside the cave to her wives.
“Hi!”
“… I think the species itself will have to be exterminated.”
“We’ll need a bomb. A lot of that too.”
Fortuna showed disgust, while Dohwa and Rebecca showed sad anger.
After calming down the wives, I carefully stepped inside the cave.
As I passed through the waist-high entrance, a long passageway appeared.
The aisle was wide enough for five people to walk side by side.
On the walls of such a passage, an enormous amount of vines was tightly packed without any gaps.
Wiggle
“Hey, hehe!”
The vines began to wriggle as if welcoming us.
At first glance, it looked like it was trying to swallow something, so I felt like I was in the gullet of a huge monster.
Ah ah ah
A clearer voice that you can’t tell if it’s a scream or a chant.
Is it just my mood that makes it sound like I’m urging you to come here quickly if you want to save it?
‘No, that’s definitely the intention.’
Crack!
Even though I gritted my teeth in discomfort, I increased my walking speed.
At the same time,
Sigh! Sigh!
Vines came flying from all directions.
“No! I really hate it!”
“How dare you?”
“It’s unpleasant.”
“My wives, I understand how you feel, but don’t forget to moderate your strength.”
Jun waved Firmus while exhorting his wives.
Sword techniques that are neither fast nor slow
Nevertheless, his sword skills were cutting down numerous vines in an instant. It’s as if we’ve jumped through space.
‘There’s no need to be quick. As long as you find the optimal route and reduce unnecessary movements, you can become faster even if you are not fast.’
Vines slowly spreading out.
The optimal route connecting them.
A round of sword dance in a slow world.
The moment the game ends,
Wow!
“Hueng?”
“I am amazed again and again.”
“Honestly, there’s nothing you can say even if you call me a hero, right?”
All the vines that were flying around were divided into several parts at once.
“Whoa~”
Plod
A sword that has grown even further. Wives’ admiration.
Although he could have been happy, Jun let out a heated breath and headed towards the wall.
And then,
Suddenly! Suddenly!
I cut down a vine on the wall and pulled out something from it.
That something was human. A living human being too.
Although it was so dry that it reminded me of a tree branch, and vines were deeply embedded in the holes such as the eyes, mouth, and anus, it was truly alive, miraculously.
Should we be happy about that?
At least he won’t be happy. He must have cried out hundreds and thousands of times to just kill him.
That would be less painful than living as mere food for monsters.
Off! Shut up!
The vine was pulled out from the adventurer’s body.
It was on the verge of drying out, but the vine did its best and refused to be pulled out, thinking that there was something more to be taken from it.
Perhaps because his sense of pain had been paralyzed, the adventurer did not even groan.
‘Or maybe it’s the other way around.’
“Black! It was very painful, right? Now let’s go to our father’s side.”
Fortuna touched the adventurer’s forehead with tears in her eyes.
A gentle light that warmed the heart enveloped the adventurer.
Ah, ah
The adventurer was delighted to finally be able to rest.
However, not a single tear flowed from his empty eyes.