41. Should I not pursue shoveling in dungeons (13)
Wall. Wall. Wall.
Numerous walls block the front of the tentacles. No matter how strong and fast the monster’s onslaught is, you can’t ignore the wall.
Even if the wall hit by the tentacle cracked and collapsed, the effect of blocking the attack was certain. After a moment of rest, I lowered my head and looked down at the floor.
The earthen floor looks like the same material as the first floor. With the information so far, I roughly guessed the structure of the dungeon. It’s something I’ve been doing a lot over the past 10 years. In order to survive, you have to memorize the terrain thoroughly, and you have to figure out the location to use the skill in the right place. How many years did it take to figure out this simple formula?
I drove the shovel deep into the dirt.
“Production.”
The earth shuddered and the earthen pillars crashed into the ceiling. The method I thought of is still not enough for it to work.
“Lenny! Make the most of your time!”
“What are you going to do?!”
“I have an idea!”
“Okay, do it quickly!”
Since it’s Lenny, it won’t break through easily. I fired at the skill until I got dizzy. Walls were formed, new pillars were created, and mountains of blocks to replace the stairs began to pile up. By the time the tentacles were no longer visible in my field of vision, I stepped on the block and climbed up. About 15 meters to the ceiling. It’s not very high, but it’s still not negligible.
You’re running filthy.
How many times did you almost fall while climbing up to the ceiling? The tentacles are running amok and destroying the structures I have built.
“Repair.”
After repairing the structure immediately with the broken materials and repeating the climb, I was able to climb to the point where I could reach the ceiling.
Let’s see if this also blocks it.
“Production.”
Knock down the ceiling. To be precise, he rips off the ceiling and creates a stalactite-shaped pillar. Since the body of the strange creature was quite large, there was no fear of avoiding it. Fake stalactites that could not withstand the weight began to stick into the body of the monster.
Not more than two or three.
“Production.”
Made. Produce. Produce. Produce. Produce. Produce. Produce…
It is forbidden to overuse like this, no matter how low-cost skills are, but now is not the time to discuss such things. It’s a situation where you have to use everything, regardless of means, to kill that guy.
Stalactite, stalactite, stalactite, stalactite, stalactite…
My throat hurts. My heart beats like crazy. Now even the voice doesn’t come out well. I stared at the ceiling with my tired body half leaning against the pillar. A huge hole was left open in the ceiling because they used as much bricks and soil as possible. It’s not possible to completely collapse the dungeon, but even that monster won’t be completely intact after it’s been tampered with like this.
I moved my exhausted body and checked the state of the monster.
A howling monster with stalactites stuck all over its body. Does he know the pain, or is he angry that he did this to him? I don’t know which one it is, but it seems to have hit the target anyway. Still, it doesn’t seem to have reached a fatal wound.
If killing is the condition, doing something with that f*cking regenerative power would be the answer. In the given spare time, even for a short while, you have to roll your head and find a way to stop breathing.
As I was thinking over and over again, I suddenly remembered the words of the skull gourd.
Foul play.
If there is such a thing as foul play, there is also the right method.
What is the regular method? Let’s think of the 1st floor to the 3rd floor.
The structure of the dungeon is typical of horror adventure games that were popular in the past. There are quite a few intimidating elements, but they are threatening by the standard of the general public. The way to go down to the next floor has little to no battle, and consists only of solving puzzles. I wonder if this dungeon was designed from the beginning so that even people who had no combat skills could clear it.
Then there must be a way to solve it without shedding blood.
Come to think of it, what was the key element of this dungeon? What is involved in the narrative of this dungeon?
My head naturally turns back. Karina sits down and gasps, and Milia worries while talking to Karina.
Yes.
It’s Milia.
Although it was a foul play, Milia is deeply entangled in this dungeon. After all, the story related to this dungeon was a story dealing with Millia’s past. If so, there is a high probability that Miria also holds the clue to end this dungeon. At the same time, ominous possibilities come to mind.
No matter how crazy the bastard who created the dungeon was…
I desperately pushed aside my ominous imaginations and focused on how to solve the problem.
…Milia’s body.
The Carcassong family wanted eternal life. Attackers who only move their bodies without heads.
Milia with only her head left.
“Milia! Where is your body!”
“…That bastard! In! Stay in him!”
Also.
If a sacrifice was made in hopes of eternal life, something that conforms to it appears. Like the ending of common B-level horror games, wouldn’t it be the monster creature that was born by sacrificing Millia’s body? If so, Milia’s body might still be there somewhere inside that body. She thinks it’s acting as her heart.
“I have to dig into that body. Millia! Can you pinpoint the position of your body!”
Fortunately, Milia answered right away when I asked with the feeling of grabbing at least a straw.
“John! Throw me! To him!”
“What?”
“If I come into contact with him, I might be able to locate his body!”
“Milia?! What does that mean! How could you…”
“Karina! Have to do it! Have to finish it! If I get my body back, I can expose the core!”
Milia in that body?
Milia?
Really?
My hands are shaking. It is a situation that requires sacrifice.
A worthy scapegoat for a bad horror game. Perhaps, from the beginning, Millia was created with the premise of meeting us. It’s just that I found it too soon as a foul.
Is there any other way?
“…You know that there isn’t.”
I see Lenny. Numerous bundles of tentacles that were severed around. However, the tentacles that regenerate as much as they were cut off attack Lenny again. Against a monster that regenerates infinitely like that, even Lenny couldn’t stand it all the time. No matter how strong you are, you are human after all.
If the anomalous means don’t work, we’ll have to resort to the straight method in the end. I got off the block and ran to Milia.
“Why are you here so late! Ruler! Throw me quickly!”
From noble mtl dot com.
“Milia…”
“It was destined anyway. Don’t be too sorry.”
Milia’s face looked sad as she struggled to smile.
“Do it quickly. Fool.”
I picked up Milia’s head and threw it at her monster. The mysterious creature also turned all its eyes to me as I walked away holding Millia’s head. Do you want this hair? I threw Millia’s head with all my might.
As Milia’s head was seized by tentacles, her monstrous creature roared and took her head to its own torso. Gain weight no, that’s a mouth As her huge mouth swallowed Mylia, she began to hear goosebumps of ecstatic laughter.
“John! Why did Milia suddenly… “
“Come this way.”
I leaned on the shovel as a staff and glared at the strange creature. The monster creature, which had been screaming of joy, noticed something strange as time passed, and started screaming in pain and running amok. However, due to the dozens of stalactites I had implanted in my body, I was unable to move freely.
The monster’s mouth opens again. A huge heart jumped out of his mouth and let out an eerie heartbeat.
“…Is that the main body?”
I grabbed the shovel with both hands and started walking. Lenny with a sword was also with him.
There was only one thing we had to do.
———————————–
“Is it the end?”
“… Millia is…”
Leni said that and turned her head to look elsewhere. She followed her gaze and the skeleton gourd reappeared and was clapping at us.
“Excellent. You did a great job finding the answer even with the lack of clues.”
“What happened to Milia?”
“That monster was created with Ms. Millia’s body as its core. And didn’t you just kill them?”
Killed…D. It’s not wrong, but it was very annoying.
I don’t know what expression I was making, but the skeleton gourd said in a soft voice as if reassuring me.
“When the play is over, all the characters leave. Milia has done her part, so she should leave now.”
“This is ridiculous.”
“But what can I do? After all, it is the law.”
It’s a rule…
That sucks.
“Don’t be too heartbroken. Isn’t life basically a series of partings and meetings? More than that, isn’t there something you want to ask me?”
I want to rip that eerie grinning skull in half right now, but I need information.
After thinking for a while, I organized a question in my head to ask the skull gourd.
“Does the vortex disappear?”
“Yes. Disappear. It was just a device for tutorials.”
“Tutorial? What do you mean by that?”
“Whoops, aren’t you used to saying things like this?”
You know the game terms…?
What the hell is it?
I looked at the skull gourd with a question, but it didn’t look like it would give me an answer.
“Why was I adrift on this island?”
“Isn’t that you? Mr. Iceman. Oh, this must be a bit difficult.”
The sound of finger snapping. And I looked around in amazement at the suddenly quiet world.
The world has stopped.
The only things moving were me and the skull.
“Wouldn’t it be easier to talk like this?”
“Answer me.”
“It was a coincidence that I was possessed by that body. I could have been possessed by another body. It just happened that the body washed up on the beach.”
“Is this world the world of Survival Academy?”
“Oh, that’s right. It may be a little different from what you know.”
“…What?”
“You will know that when you experience it yourself.”
“…Can I go back?”
“Okay. That’s up to you. Either returning or not returning. But that will only be possible if you see the true ending of this world.”
“The real ending?”
“Don’t you remember? The day you were possessed, the True Ending DLC came out.”
…It was.
“…Tells me more than I thought.”
“I’m just telling you as much as I can. I am in a position to support you.”
“A position to support?”
“I sincerely hope that you reach a new ending, not the many endings you have been through.”
Is that the truth or is it a lie? I couldn’t possibly guess.
Skeleton Gourd looked at me quietly, then ‘tapped’ his palm as if he had remembered something, then clicked his jawbone.
“This is the end of the time given to me. Before that, we should reward you for clearing the dungeon.”
Skeleton Gourd rummaged through the robe, then took out a translucent silver orb and held it in my hand.
“This is…”
“I believe you will remember how to use it. Then I’ll just disappear. I hope you all get back well.”
The skull gourd gradually turned into powder and disappeared from his toes. I stared at the spot where the skull gourd disappeared in awe, then quietly sighed.
“Use.”