Chapter 30: Nightmare 3rd Floor (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 30: Nightmare 3rd Floor (2)
I fell into the dark passage as if being sucked in.
It was pitch-black—the kind of darkness where I couldn't see an inch in front of me. However, thanks to Diul’s ability, everything was clear.
After checking the floor and landing stably, I looked up. I wondered if the undead would follow me down the passage, but they didn't.
...Did they stop moving because I disappeared from their sight?
I certainly hoped so.
"Whew..."
I caught my breath and looked around. A straight passage led forward.
Did I pick the right path for now?
I stopped time to recover my willpower. After releasing it, I let my physical stamina recover as well.
I slowly moved forward. Since I had no idea what might jump out at me, I kept my senses sharp. The passage stretched on for quite a while, but no traps or monsters appeared.
That actually made me more uneasy. If something was going to happen, I’d rather it just happen already... Oh.
A light began to flicker in the distance.
I heightened my vigilance even further as I approached. The source of the light was torches.
It was a wide cavern with torches hanging here and there. In the very center sat a single, solitary rock.
I approached cautiously to examine it.
What is this?
Something was drawn on the rock. It was a circular pattern surrounded by thorns. At a glance, it clearly represented the sun.
Unknown characters surrounded the sun emblem in a ring, almost like a magic circle. Three lines extended from the sun toward the east, west, and north, each ending in a small, carved groove.
It was as if something was meant to be slotted into them.
"Hmm..."
I looked around. Aside from the passage I had entered through, there were three paths branching out: left, right, and straight ahead.
Three grooves, three paths.
I had a vague idea of what I needed to do. I could probably find the items to fit into these grooves at the end of each path.
The sun emblem was definitely the key to the clear conditions.
"Which way should we go first, Diul?"
I spoke to Diul out of habit. Floating above my head, Diul looked indifferent, as if telling me to do whatever I wanted.
Well... let's try the left path first.
Tense and alert, I headed down the left path. The tunnel was short, and I soon reached a space that looked like a smaller cavern.
In the middle of the floor lay an amber gem.
Is that it?
I supposed I just had to slot that into the groove. However, I didn't rush toward it.
...Taking it just like that would be too easy, wouldn't it?
This was a blatant trap.
As I took one step closer, an inexplicable sense of dread intensified. My Sixth Sense was screaming a warning.
I picked up a nearby pebble and tossed it toward the gem.
The moment the pebble touched the floor, spikes erupted from all directions.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
Massive iron spikes shot up and retracted at incredible speeds, rhythmically tearing through the air. Only after several seconds did they vanish back into the walls as if nothing had happened.
"..."
A bit too obvious, wasn't it?
I threw another pebble.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
The spike trap triggered without fail. It wasn't a one-time thing; it seemed to trigger continuously. It appeared to be pressure-sensitive, detecting anything touching the floor.
The method to retrieve the gem came to mind easily.
"One, two..."
I jumped toward the gem. The moment my feet touched the ground, I snatched it.
Immediately, I stopped time, focused my mind, and teleported back to where I had started.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
The spikes pierced empty air.
The gem was in my hand. A smooth success.
Having easily swiped the gem, I returned to the central cavern.
Click.
I slotted the gem into the western groove. An orange light traveled up the line and filled about a third of the sun emblem.
"So this is how it works."
Two left.
Next, I headed toward the right path.
I wondered what kind of trap was waiting this time. Though I wasn't enjoying myself at all, I tried to force a cheerful mood as I walked. Just like the left path, I reached a small cavern.
There was a gem in the center of this cavern as well, but...
This time, several chains were tightly wrapped around it.
First, I threw a pebble. No trap triggered. Since my Sixth Sense didn't pick up anything either, I cautiously approached. Was I supposed to unwrap the chains and take it?
Clank.
The blue chains binding the gem were fixed to the cavern walls in every direction like a spiderweb.
I reached for the gem and applied strength, trying to pull it free.
"Urgh."
It didn't budge. Even pulling with all my might, the gem wouldn't come loose.
Right, okay. So it can't be taken by force?
I stepped back and charged my magic. Then, I unleashed a Flame Strike at the chains.
Booooom!
When the flames cleared, the chains were perfectly intact.
...They're pretty damn sturdy, aren't they?
If they were ordinary iron chains, they would have been shattered.
I tried using Light Bullet and Blade Gale to destroy them. Sharp winds slashed at the metal.
Skreeeeee!
But it still didn't work. No matter how many spells I fired, the chains remained pristine without a single scratch.
What the hell is this? Is it made of Adamantium? Vibranium? Something like that?
After some thought, I decided to target the walls where the chains were connected instead of the chains themselves.
Boom!
I detonated magic to destroy the cavern wall. However, no matter how deep I dug, the chains seemed endless, as if they were embedded infinitely deep.
If I fired any more magic, the cavern might collapse, so I had no choice but to give up on that method.
After struggling for a long time, I eventually sat down with my arms crossed.
"What am I supposed to do..."
Is it a puzzle? Is there another solution?
I looked around.
"Ah."
Then, I finally spotted something.
On the wall right above the entrance I had come through, an identical amber gem was embedded. What was that doing there?
I walked over, pulled it out, and stared at the gem with an incredulous look.
"...Can I just take this one?"
Was the gem wrapped in chains a fake?
Just like on the 2nd floor, this "Nightmare" bastard really loved making a fool out of people.
Returning to the central cavern, I slotted the gem into the eastern groove. The orange light traveled up the line and filled the sun emblem two-thirds of the way.
"Whew."
Good. Now only the last groove remained.
I braced myself and headed down the center path.
"..."
What is that? An hourglass?
At the end of the center path stood a massive hourglass. It was fixed in the air, connected to a stone structure.
And there was something beneath it as well.
A tall, cylindrical rock. Slotted into a groove on the rock was an amber gem... and, quite randomly, a cube.
A 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube.
I tilted my head and reached for the gem first. Of course, it wouldn't come out.
I looked at the cube again.
...This means I have to solve the cube to get the gem, right?
Dammit.
What do I do? I've forgotten all the formulas.
There was a time when I played with cubes a lot, but that was back in elementary school. Naturally, the memory was hazy now. Instead of colors, this metal cube had drawings on each face.
As I picked up the cube, which was fitted perfectly into the rock's groove...
Clunk!
With a loud roar, the massive hourglass flipped over.
Startled, I looked back and forth between the hourglass and the cube. The meaning was obvious. I had to solve it within the time limit.
I immediately stopped time and began to rake through my memories.
How did I solve this? I had to remember the method.
Come on, long-term memory, do your thing! I used to do this all the time!
Okay, first you make a cross... and then... right, was that how it went?
Now that I was actually trying, the memories seemed to be coming back. It felt like I could do it if I just kept at it.
I released time and began to clumsily rotate the cube. After fiddling with it for a bit, I looked up to check the hourglass. But then...
"Huh?"
Half the sand had already fallen.
Wait, only about ten seconds have passed...
Looking closer, the sand was falling at an absurd speed.
I stopped time again. I hadn't even finished 5% of the cube.
What kind of bullshit is this? You want me to solve a cube in a few dozen seconds?
Sure, if I were a world champion, I could do it in five seconds, but that was obviously impossible for me. Besides, I only knew the basic formulas, and you can't solve a cube that fast with just the basics.
...What happens when the hourglass runs out?
I didn't know. Whatever it was, it wouldn't be good.
However, it was also impossible to solve the cube in the ten or so seconds remaining. In other words, I was in checkmate.
Goddammit.
What now? Should I try breaking the hourglass?
...I doubted that would lead to a good result. Rejected.
Maybe if I put the cube back, the time would stop?
With that thought, I released time and slotted the cube back into the rock. But the hourglass didn't stop, as if there were no take-backs.
I stopped time again.
Now there was only one option left. Get out of here for now.
I released time and dashed out of the cavern. I was worried that spikes might erupt like in the left path once the time ran out.
With my guard up, I stared at the hourglass from the cavern entrance.
Soon, all the sand had fallen.
The change... was nothing. For a moment.
But shortly after, a vibration began to rumble.
"...?"
With a grim expression, I turned around. The sound was getting closer.
Rumble, rumble, rumble.
What appeared next was a flood of undead, filling the straight passage to the brim as they surged toward me.
"You've got to be kidding me...!"
Terrified, I unleashed a Flame Strike. The undead at the front exploded.
However, their momentum only faltered for a second before they surged forward again.
In my desperation, I fired Light Bullets and used Blade Gale. That, too, was only temporary. There was no end to them.
I retreated back into the cavern, pulled out the ice dagger, and activated it.
Craaaaash!
A wave of cold air erupted, freezing the suffocating horde of undead. The ice formed a barricade, stopping the mad march, but...
Crack...
It didn't look like it would hold for long.
I stared at the undead with hollow eyes and stopped time.
Did the undead from above come down to the basement...? Is this the penalty for a time-out?
...There's no way out of this.
The undead procession filled the only passage entirely. There was no way to escape other than breaking through them head-on, and that was impossible. Even if I used teleportation, I would just end up stuck in the middle of the horde.
I desperately searched for a way out. But no matter how much I racked my brain, there really was no answer this time.
Am I... going to die? Really?
Feeling death right at my throat, I let out a hollow laugh. To die because I couldn't solve a damn cube... what a joke.
To think my end would be such a pathetic death.
You win, you Nightmare bastard.
I hope you're happy winning by rigging the game like this. You piece of shit.
But I had no intention of dying quietly. I had to struggle until the very end.
Having steeled myself, I released time and gripped my mace tightly.
It was the moment the ice shattered and the undead were about to flood into the cavern.
"Hyaaaaah...! Huh?"
I was about to charge forward with a shout when I froze. Suddenly, a black aura enveloped my body.
At the same time, the undead that were lunging toward me stopped all at once, as if they had lost their target.
What happened?
I looked down at my body. A faint black haze was swirling around me, and my body had become translucent.
I looked up at Diul, who was floating above my head. The little guy was radiating feelings of grumbling annoyance, as if this was a huge bother.
Is this your ability, Diul...?
The undead stood there stupidly, staring into empty air even though I was right in front of them.
I cautiously took a step. Not even the sound of a footstep could be heard, as if my very presence had been erased.
Was this the second ability of the Dark Spirit? Following Night Vision, it was a Stealth ability.
Ha... Diul, you little rascal! You actually helped me because you thought I was really going to die!
Wait, now's not the time for this.
While still in stealth, I quickly picked up the cube again. I had to finish solving it and get the gem. Only then would I have any chance of survival.
For several minutes, I racked my brain and worked on the cube while standing right in front of the undead horde.
...Done!
I somehow managed to solve the entire cube. When I slotted the completed cube back into the rock...
Click.
With that sound, the gem popped out of the groove. I grabbed the gem and looked around at the undead.
Wait... how am I supposed to get through them now?
I tentatively poked one of the undead with my finger. It didn't react at all.
...So they don't react even if I touch them?
I cautiously began to move through the undead. I squeezed through the gaps between them, feeling like I was in a packed subway station during rush hour.
Why did a scene from World War Z suddenly come to mind? I felt like the protagonist walking through zombies after getting a vaccine.
Wait, just hold on a little longer!
I hurried as I felt Diul's ability reaching its limit. Finally, I arrived at the central cavern.
The central cavern was also packed with undead. I barely managed to reach the rock.
Then, I slotted the gem into the last remaining groove.
The moment all three gems were gathered and the sun emblem was completely filled with light—
Fwaaaaah!
An intense light erupted from the emblem, flooding the entire cavern.