Episode 89: Labyrinth Guardian
“Something’s there…”
The president muttered, peering out from behind a rock. Yuma peered out as well, but couldn’t see anything. It seemed to have disappeared into the mist.
“Can’t tell from here. We need to get closer.”
Aisha said from behind, sounding displeased. The president sighed briefly and moved further ahead to hide behind a stone pillar.
Everyone held their breath, paying the utmost attention.
The Monsters here should be the strongest in this Dungeon. If they were suddenly attacked, they wouldn’t survive. Yuma thought as he looked around.
The mist made it impossible to see the Monster’s form. But there was definitely something there.
Yuma sensed the presence of something enormous.
“We’re going to the next stone pillar. Yuma, be ready to use Metallization at any time.”
“Yes!”
The three of them moved to the next stone pillar, careful not to make any noise.
Then, through a gap in the mist, they caught a glimpse of it. An abnormal size, a pitch-black and seemingly very hard shell. Its body was covered in thorn-like protrusions.
However, the mist prevented them from seeing its entire form.
Aisha, who was holding up her phone to take a picture, clicked her tongue in annoyance.
“Can’t see anything like this. Let’s get closer!”
Aisha leaned out from behind the rock to see the moving Monster. At that moment, she kicked a small stone at her feet.
–Clatter.
A small sound. But it echoed through the silent Cave.
The huge shadow that had been moving stopped abruptly. The air tensed, and Yuma and the others froze.
As if slowly turning around, the black body moved.
With it, the mist swayed. The veil of reddish-white mist that had been concealing the Monster was lifted, revealing its massive form.
It was a figure like a Great Serpent. From head to tail, it must have been forty meters long.
It raised a hood similar to that of a King Cobra, and its long, serpentine torso was covered in centipede-like legs.
Yuma and the president gasped at the grotesque sight.
But the most surprised of all was Aisha.
“That’s…”
Aisha’s complexion changed rapidly.
“Get out of here now! Quickly!”
The president and Yuma were taken aback by the sudden command. Aisha had already taken off, so they had no choice but to run to the slope leading to the upper level. Yuma glanced back.
The Monster remained in place, not moving.
Perhaps it didn’t even notice such small creatures as insects?
They put enough distance between them and reached the slope they had come down. Then, the president and Aisha, who had been running ahead, stopped abruptly.
They were standing there dumbfounded, so Yuma thought, “What’s wrong?” and peered over, only to find that the “slope” that should have been there was gone.
“Huh?”
Yuma didn’t understand and looked at the president and Aisha. Both of them were staring at the place where the slope should have been with pale faces.
“Hey, this doesn’t mean we’re in the wrong place, does it?”
“…No, this is definitely the right place. And look up there.”
The president raised his gaze at Aisha’s words. The reddish-white mist covered the entire Cave, but because it was settling, they should have been able to see the slope along the upper wall. But–
“It’s not there… it’s not there! It’s nowhere!”
The president screamed. Yuma also looked around, but the spiraling slope they had come down was nowhere to be found.
“What’s going on, Aisha!? Why is the way back gone!”
“I don’t know either! I’ve never heard of a place where you can’t get out once you enter. In the first place, it’s rare to reach the lowest level, so there’s very little data.”
The president turned around in frustration, his face filled with fear.
Yuma turned around as well. The Monster that had been standing still was now moving towards them. The mist had spread again, making it difficult to see clearly, but it was definitely coming towards them.
“Oh, oh, this is bad!”
The president grabbed Aisha’s arm, and Yuma ran after them.
They hid behind a nearby stone pillar, observing the Monster’s movements.
In the silent Cave, only the sound of the huge Monster moving, rustling, rustling, echoed.
“Hey! What are we going to do!? If we can’t get out of here, we’ll eventually be killed by that thing!”
The president asked Aisha, trying to keep his voice down. But Aisha remained silent, leaning her back against the stone pillar and sitting down on the spot.
She covered her face with both hands, sitting in a crouched position.
“Aisha…”
“Aisha-san.”
The president and Yuma stood there, staring at Aisha. She was the only one with the knowledge to break through this situation.
“…If we can defeat that Monster, we might be able to get out of here.”
“R-Really!?”
When the president asked, Aisha continued to speak, her head still bowed.
“This place is probably designed to prevent prey that enters from escaping. It’s like an antlion’s pit. But if we defeat the Monster at the lowest level, the Dungeon will disappear within twenty-four hours. A change will occur.”
“Then, I’ll defeat it!”
Yuma replied powerfully, but Aisha shook her head from side to side, her eyes still closed.
“It’s impossible… you can’t defeat that Monster.”
“Do you know that Monster!?”
When the president asked with a surprised look, Aisha nodded.
“I remember all the Monsters that have been confirmed in the Black Dungeons. That one was sighted in Tartarus, the world’s deepest Black Dungeon in Australia.”
“What kind of Monster is it?”
Aisha replied in a depressed tone to the president, who was asking with a frown.
“That was back when Black Dungeons were still being frequently investigated. A large Seeker Clan was formed, gathering fifty of Australia’s top Seekers, and they had successfully cleared up to the 170th floor. And on the 171st floor, they encountered it.”
Seeing Aisha’s serious expression, Yuma swallowed hard.