Black-Haired Alien From Another World 156

## Chapter 156 – Kobolds and the Underground Labyrinth

ㅡThwack!

We smashed the skulls of every kobold we saw as we advanced.

It was nothing short of a kobold serial murder spree, but somehow, under Elise’s influence, who was now championing justice, this excessive slaughter became something akin to a sacred martyrdom.

“The Lord will bless us. Saint. Do you feel it? Doesn’t something fill your heart? That is the pious spirit.”
“I don’t fuckin’ know about that. Is this burning, violent urge really a pious spirit?”
“Precisely. The righteous use of violence is the truth that drives out evil.”
“Maybe this world is seriously messed up.”

Elise, who had been dispirited, had somehow regained her energy. Crushing the heads of evil monsters seemed to have made her feel a little better. After all, when you’re feeling down, there’s nothing better than relieving stress. I’m not sure about a stress relief method that involves smashing other people’s brains, though.

“Hey, Darkie, duck your head for a sec.”

Wienia, who had picked up a decent-looking hood, said to me.

“…You gonna put that on me?”
“You know it. Hurry up and wear it.”
“Sigh.”

As she requested, I put on the sinister hood. The pagan symbol was emblazoned on the forehead. It felt like some kind of dark tentacle was entering my head…! Just kidding. There’s no way a mere piece of cloth could have that kind of power.

Elise looked at me with a complicated expression, but what could I do?

“Aww, Darkie’s cute. Let’s keep it on you all day today.”

Are we at an amusement park?

“Well, it’ll probably add about 1 point to your defense.”

It’s still an equipment item.

Anyway, I had a question.

Why the hell are these guys wearing hoods? They probably didn’t make them and put them on themselves. Some kind of intelligent race with sinister intentions must have made them and put them on the kobolds themselves. A cult. Or maybe corrupted dwarves.

…But why?

Why would they painstakingly make hoods and put them on these moronic kobolds? As someone with a normal way of thinking, I couldn’t understand it at all.

Could there actually be some kind of magical significance?
There must be a reason, but I have no way of knowing.

Regardless of my worries, we fearlessly explored the ruins.

As we continued down the path, we came across several empty rooms. I was hoping for some artifacts, but there were no real finds. After checking a room and moving on, more hooded kobolds appeared.

And so it went.

ㅡThwack!
ㅡKyuuurthwack!!

“I’ll handle this.”

Two kobold warriors charged at us, growling loudly. Warriors. As expected, those born as warriors had dynamic, bulging upper body muscles. The veins popping out on their bursting biceps testified to their strength.

Good experience points!

“ㅡTorrential Slash.”

But they were still shorter and lighter than me.

Compared to me, who was holding a sword, their reach was incomparable. I slashed diagonally, killing one of them, and immediately twisted my wrist to perform an upward slash, severing the second one’s chest.

I finished it off with a kick, and that was it.
Two of them were easy.

I quietly sheathed my sword, filled with resentment and bitterness towards this world where war never ceased. Why… why doesn’t war ever stop? Why are humans so foolish?

“Darkie’s being a try-hard again.”

Wienia gave me another jab.

“…You’re a mage, you wouldn’t understand the sublimity of a swordsman.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Unlike mages, swordsmen offer a farewell greeting with reverence and respect, even to those they’ve simply cut down. Wienia, I think you need to learn this swordsman’s mindset. It’ll calm you down and make you more composed. How about you give up your evil magic and devote yourself to martial arts?”
“Sis, check out Darkie’s condition.”

I thought I had said something pretty cool, but all I got in return was Wienia’s devastating look, as if she was looking at a crazy person.

“Katt… you seem a little off today? Are you sick? Can you come closer?”

Claudie, with a worried expression, reached out and put her hand on my forehead. The fact that she said, “You don’t have a fever?” seemed like she was genuinely worried, which was dangerous.

“No, I’m fine.”

I told her I was fine.

…

…Well, even if I said that, it felt like my madness was getting worse.

“He’s totally fine.”

It was strange.

I was sure that my physical condition had been perfectly fine until this morning. But ever since I entered this underground area, my thoughts had been going haywire, and I kept remembering things from the past.

Those thoughts sometimes mixed with my current memories, turning into something strange. What’s going on? What’s happening? The underground is calling me… Some ominous thought kept touching my head. An unknown impulse surged from within.

ㅡThump.

“Huh?”

ㅡThump.

Then I heard something.

“Hey, can you hear that? Don’t you hear something?”

I pricked up my ears and asked my companions about the sound I suddenly heard. But I didn’t get a positive response. It was strange that even Claudie, who had better hearing than humans, couldn’t hear anything, let alone Wienia.

“Elise, can’t you hear anything?”
“…I’m not sure. But.”
“But?”
“Something, something ominous is felt. I can’t explain it in detail, but it feels like an unknown something is testing me.”

Elise seemed to have sensed something.

I started to feel more and more uneasy. Would we be able to get out of here? No. What’s even here in the first place? Hooded kobolds. Sinister pagan symbols. And the anxiety that was clinging to my ankles like rotten mud…

Anyway, all I could do now was to navigate through this darkness.

“Wienia. How much longer can you use Light magic?”
“Plenty, so don’t worry.”
“I see…”

Again, we moved on towards the depths of the ruins.

ㅡThump.
ㅡThump-thump.

The further we went.

The sound that only I could hear was getting louder… Thump, huh. The legendary old general Huang Zhong of the Three Kingdoms was a big eater who, even at the age of seventy, could devour ten catties of meat in one sitting.

Speaking of the Three Kingdoms, another nasty memory comes to mind… No. That’s not it. It feels like my thoughts are wandering further and further astray.

ㅡThump-thump-thump-thump.

And finally, the throbbing sound started to become unbearably loud. I glanced at my companions. Unlike me, whose head felt like it was about to explode, the three of them just looked indifferent.

“There’s something here… I have to go!”

As if possessed, I muttered and walked towards the source of the sound. I had to stop this sound. This destructive beat was eating away at my mind… It was calling me!

“Huh? D, Darkie, where are you going!”
“Katt!”
“Saint! Stop!”

Then Claudie grabbed my body and restrained me.
This sound! I can’t take it anymore!

It’s calling!!! Calling me!!!!

“Let go! This sound is calling me!”
“K, Katt! Stay still!”
“The ruins have become our family!”
“Saint! Get a grip!”

My whole body was boilingㅡ!!! I struggled, but I couldn’t move because Claudie was holding me! Let go! Let… go! Father! Please! Let go of this hand…! I don’t want to go down to that nightmarish countryside!!!

“Teeeeeeeeeeeeeeng!!!”
“It seems that the evil energy scattered nearby has confused the Saint’s mind! Claudie! Please hold him for a moment!”

Elise, who had come closer, knelt in front of me and started muttering something. In my confusion, I deduced that it was a prayer to God. ㅡFwoosh. A light that suddenly bloomed covered my head.

“Are you feeling better?”

The light emanating from Elise’s hand felt very warm. Then, as if the torment that had been tormenting my head was lifted, my confused mind cleared.

“Hoo… Hoo… What? What happened?”
“It seems you’ve come to your senses.”

I got up with her support.
Strange.

This dungeon is strange.
I could tell from my earlier outburst.

“Why is this happening… Katt, can you sing a song?”
“…No. I’m fine. I’m really fine now.”

Claudie grabbed both of my cheeks and checked my face. I didn’t want to worry her, so I told her I was fine to reassure her. The throbbing in my head had definitely faded with the earlier measure.

It seemed that this was the cause of my headache.

“…Darkie, are you really okay?”

Wienia also approached me with a worried expression. I told her I was fine too, but she didn’t seem to believe me.

But it’s true.
Even though the sound had faded, it hadn’t completely disappeared.

ㅡThump.

I have to eliminate the cause.

“Saint. Can you tell us why you were acting like that?”

Elise said with a firm expression.
She must be feeling something too.

“Well…”

I closed my eyes for a moment and organized my thoughts… Then it felt like I could see some kind of image. A black background with a faintly visible red image. I couldn’t see it properly, but facing it reminded me of the frenzied feeling from before.

“I can hear a sound. Something… something pulsating. That sound was messing with my head. I have to check it out. I think I was seized by that impulse just now.”
“A sound, you say?”
“Yeah. It doesn’t seem like you guys can hear it, but I can tell. The source of that sound. I have to go there.”

Something was calling me. I felt cold as I became aware of it. What kind of being? Is calling me from this underground? What kind of friend is it? Claudie, who heard my words, sighed and said.

“Hoo. I can’t help it. Katt, lead the way. If that’s what it takes to solve it, we need to solve it quickly… I’m worried about leaving it like this.”
“Sis. How do you know where it is? Isn’t Darkie just talking nonsense because he’s sick?”
“I don’t think so. Rarely, this seems genuine. Kitt, right?”
“You’re the only one who understands me.”
“Hehe, see? He’s normal, isn’t he?”

Anyway, I said to Claudie.

“I’ll sing a song for you later.”
“He’s totally fine. There’s something there, just like Katt said.”

Wienia didn’t seem convinced.

“Then why is Darkie the only one like that when everyone else is fine? Is Darkie just a weakling?”

It kind of feels like that.

“…”
“Darkie, are you really okay? I’m so worried right now, can’t you just tell me the truth? Huh?”
“…I’m fine. I told you. It’s not that I’m weird, it’s that this ruin is making me weird.”
“I don’t see any difference.”
“Damn it.”

Actually, I don’t know either. This ruin. It was clearly suspicious. Leaving aside the connection to cults or necromancers, the fact that it’s seducing me like this is 100% suspicious.

“Then let’s go there quickly. It seems like that’s the only way to solve it. I’m already feeling the evil energy too.”
“…Let’s do that.”

And so I took the lead. I listened to the sound in my head and looked for the direction. Kobolds appeared again in the middle. Claudie, who stopped me, cut off their heads.

ㅡThump.

How far does this sound go? The ruins felt like a giant maze. Crete. I thought of the Cretan bull… No, no, that’s not it! It’s the story of the hero Theseus, not the Cretan bull.

A monster sleeps at the end of the maze…
The Minotaur, a half-man, half-bull.

Eventually, we arrived at the source.
I hoped that this strange conviction wasn’t true.

ㅡThump-thump.

The sound came from beyond the stone door with bizarre patterns engraved on it. Claudie spoke in a firm tone, followed by Wienia, and then Elise in turn. They were hearing the sound too.

“…I can hear it too.”
“Me too.”
“I can hear it too.”

Gulp. After swallowing, I looked around at my companions. We nodded and pushed the door open. Whatever jumps out, we’re going to end it now.

ㅡRumble.

The light of Light magic seeped into the slowly opening room. ㅡThump, thump. The sound was now so loud that it felt like it was right in front of us. A huge throbbing sound. A heart?

“Hmm? What’s that…?”

Something began to appear at the edge of the light.

…A kobold? No.

That is…

“U, uaaaaaaah!!!”

ㅡWitnessing the truth, I screamed.

Thump-thump!

It was a grotesque monstrosity made of pulsating flesh!