Behind Story
Meanwhile, in a cave some distance away from where the magic stones had been buried, the man who had served as the party's porter was sprinting desperately through the tunnels. Having abandoned his load, he moved with the swiftness of a fish in water, covering ground at an astonishing pace. He focused solely on putting distance between himself and the previous location until, convinced he had gained enough ground, he finally stopped to catch his breath.
During that brief rest, the man recalled everything he had just witnessed. Hidden in the shadows, he had watched in horror as his leader was toyed with like a plaything. The unidentified entity that had taken the form of their female teammate had overwhelmed him completely. Trembling, the man had seen his companion slowly being consumed before fleeing the scene without a second thought. The reason was simple: when facing an opponent with no chance of victory, only one option remained.
Using the leader as bait to escape left a bitter taste, yet it was ultimately the man's own fault. Despite everyone's objections, he had refused to abandon his greed even when blood was spilled. Fortunately, the monster had not pursued him. Whether it had simply overlooked him or was too focused on the leader, he could not say. What mattered was that he was finally free.
He had not acted on impulse. Slowly lowering his head, the man gazed at the object in his hand—a special device for marking paths inside the dungeon. The leader had left it near the supplies while preparing to mine the magic stones, and that had been the man's greatest stroke of luck. With this makeshift map to the exit in hand, escape no longer seemed impossible.
Of course, he might still encounter monsters along the way. But unlike the others, he was an assassin specialized in speed and stealth. Detecting their presence in advance and outrunning them was child's play. The faces of his fallen comrades flashed through his mind. This was not merely a struggle to survive alone—someone had to report what had happened here. Someone had to warn others about that unknown monster. Otherwise, he would have no right to face the comrades who had died in this place.
It would be a lie to claim he felt no regret over the enormous quantity of magic stones left behind. Yet they were not worth more than human lives. Renewing his resolve, the man prepared to move again—only to be immediately blocked.
Slowing his momentum, he widened his eyes at the sight that appeared in his path. Sitting calmly in the middle of the passageway was a black cat. He had no idea why a cat would be in such a place, but instinct made him freeze and raise his guard. He had not sensed its presence at all. One moment there was nothing; the next, it was simply there—as though it had always been waiting.
That fact could not be ignored. In all his years as a hunter, he had never experienced anything like it. No matter how well hidden a monster might be, to miss its presence so completely sent a chill down his spine. Swallowing hard, he stared ahead.
[I felt something strange and came to check, only to find a bug still alive. You really do have a long lifeline! Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, I'm not sure.]
The man clutched his head as the voice echoed directly inside his mind. It seemed to be a form of telepathy—some monsters communicated this way, or so he had heard. A talking cat monster. The absurdity of it was overshadowed by an indescribable sense of wrongness. Just like the slime-type monster from earlier, this creature had no place in a dungeon swarming with ant monsters.
[It looks like she doesn't have the luxury to worry about this side right now. Still, I can't just let you walk out of here either. This is rather troublesome~ How should I deal with you?]
The creature spoke as though his actions were already irrelevant, like it was merely deciding how to dispose of a captured insect. For a man who prided himself on his reputation among local hunters, the treatment was deeply insulting. Yet he did not move rashly. It was an instinctive judgment. There was no reason to fight this suspicious, ominous being. His original goal had been to escape this horrific dungeon as quickly as possible. Wasting time on a battle would only work against him.
[I've decided! It seems I'll have to step in here. If your identity gets exposed to the world before we even begin… that would be rather inconvenient. Since your life is no more significant than a fly's and has zero influence on the fate of the world, I suppose that much can be tolerated~]
The entity continued muttering incomprehensible words. The man ignored them completely, relaxing his body while waiting for the right moment. Even if the cat blocked the center of the path, the spaces on either side were wide enough for him to slip through. He had no time to waste—he needed to move before the creature acted.
Filling his muscles with mana, he activated his unique skill. Flash Step—an ability that pushed his body to its absolute limit for five seconds. Though it caused severe exhaustion afterward, it had saved him from countless crises. He did not know what power this being possessed, but at least in terms of speed, he was confident.
In that instant, the surrounding scenery slowed until everything came to a complete halt. He had entered an ultra-high-speed space where, for this brief moment, only he could move freely. Even the black cat sitting in the path had frozen solid, staring at him. Sound, scent, even the flow of air had slowed to an extreme in this absolute domain. With no time to spare, the man launched himself forward, kicking off the ground to leap far away.
Then something entirely unexpected occurred. His perfectly functional body suddenly began trembling beyond his control. The anomaly did not stop there. Everything distorted. The scenery in his vision twisted and blurred. Amid the chaos, only the black cat sitting there remained perfectly clear. The distortion grew worse.
…His mind was collapsing. Breaking. Shattering…
Chaos chaos chaos chaos chaos…
Once his condition reached that point, his very sense of self began to crumble. The boundary between chaos and himself faded until the concept of "self" vanished. He was being swallowed by that unknown %$&.
[Ah, that was a bit too much. Sorry! It's been a while since I used my power, so controlling it is tricky. Human minds are so fragile, after all…]
A voice echoed from somewhere within the chaos. At the same time, everything began returning to normal. His vision restored itself, the surrounding scenery snapping back into place like a completed puzzle. The violent headache that had felt like his brain was turning to dust also subsided. As his mind gradually cleared, he became aware of his current state: his body trembled uncontrollably, his head was drenched in cold sweat, and drool spilled from his mouth. He was clearly not in a normal condition. Instead of being poised to run, he found himself collapsed helplessly on the floor.
He had no memory of what had happened during those few seconds. His mind refused to recall it—an instinctive act of self-preservation.
[Dealing with this personally would look rather unsightly… I suppose I'll have to use a different method.]
The entity smiled meaningfully as it spoke. The man soon understood exactly what that meant. From the distance came the sound of countless legs scraping against stone—sak sak sak sak—as an enormous swarm of ant monsters emerged into view. Their numbers were far beyond what he could hope to break through. He needed to escape this place immediately. Even in his dazed state, the man quickly reached that conclusion and tried to stand. As long as he had the device, he would not lose his way. He just needed to get out of sight of both the entity and the ants, then take another route. Objectively, it was the most rational choice.
Yet his plan failed before it could even begin—or rather, it became impossible. "Huh…?" He looked down at his legs in confusion. His lower body felt wrong. Not only could he put no strength into them, he could feel nothing at all. It was as though they no longer belonged to him.
[Hehe, you finally noticed? Those fast legs of yours were rather troublesome. Still… it's better than your mind completely collapsing and turning you into a vegetable, isn't it?]
The entity watched with evident amusement, a deep smile on its face. The man's expression crumbled completely. His eyes, filled with despair, held no trace of hope. He understood now what was about to happen to him.
The ants, having discovered living prey, surged forward at terrifying speed. The man screamed, desperately trying to drag himself away with his arms, but escape was never possible. Crack!! Crunch! Crackle!!! "Ugh… Aaaagh!!!! Aaaah!! It hurts!!! Aaaagh!!……" No miracle occurred. Surrounded by ants in an instant, the man let out one final short scream before falling silent. Only the horrific sounds of flesh tearing and bones breaking filled the air afterward.
[Hmm… Let's go with this! You discovered a cat while trying to escape, twisted your leg by accident, and then unfortunately encountered a swarm of ant monsters, meeting a tragic end… How's that? Sounds plausible, right?]
The black cat pondered briefly before speaking. There was no reply. The dead did not speak. The entity had not expected one. It was merely offering itself a convenient excuse. It remained there for a while, observing the ants' cleanup, until its ears suddenly perked up and it turned its head. The sound of breathing and footsteps belonging to a considerable powerhouse echoed from the direction of the dungeon's exit.
[Hmm? I didn't expect outside interference so soon… Their response is quite fast.]
The entity muttered as it rose to its feet. The playful tone it had used while speaking with the man was gone, replaced by an icy, cold voice. Despite the unexpected intruder, its reaction was strangely calm—as though it had roughly anticipated this situation. For a moment, the black cat seemed lost in thought amid the rapidly unfolding events. Visions of a city engulfed in flames, civilizations crumbling to dust, and an absolute destroyer standing amidst the ruins flashed through its mind. Recalling the past in silence, the entity spoke as if to itself.
[Up to this point, things aren't much different from before. The real changes start now. Whether my actions can alter that ending… I still don't know.]
After that, it said nothing more. It simply turned and hurried toward the place where she was waiting. The location once again fell into quiet silence. The entity's cryptic mutterings were buried deep within that stillness. Even if someone had overheard them, understanding their true meaning would have been impossible.