Chapter 46: C-Rank Labyrinth — Nightmare World (4)
Chapter 46: C-Rank Labyrinth — Nightmare World (4)
The white land that formed part of the clear conditions of Nightmare World was unmistakably alien.
A pure white fragment dropped into the middle of darkness.
A bright speck that could never be hidden.
Its color, completely out of place with the surroundings, guided our steps forward.
“…We’re almost there.”
Pendrick, limping slightly as he walked, gave a small smile.
“Just a little more.”
Even after nearly two days without rest, there was still composure in his voice.
He was clearly at his limit, yet he still encouraged the other expedition members.
That mindset, along with his skill, was the reason Pendrick was the best companion anyone could ask for.
I wanted to smile back the same way.
But it wasn’t easy.
“It hurts so much.”
There were four figures moving in formation.
Me, Rosalia, Pendrick.
And a child bleeding from head to toe.
“Why did you leave me behind?”
About thirteen years old.
Roughly the same age as Marlin and Abel.
“Why didn’t you stay beside me?”
The child floated beside me as if drifting through the air, repeating the question.
“My wounds still hurt from when that bad person beat me.”
Her accusing eyes, trembling lips, and gestures disrupted my concentration.
I wanted to avert my gaze.
I wanted to ignore the faint voice that kept reaching my ears.
But I didn’t.
I had no right to do that.
“Maybe this happened because I was a bad child. Right?”
“…No.”
I forced the answer out.
It was the only thing I could do.
“Pardon? Captain, what did you say?”
“That wasn’t directed at you.”
Status abnormality: Hallucination.
A phenomenon that occurred when Mental Energy reached zero.
That was all it was.
“Now we’re truly almost there.”
I forced my body—already saturated with countless black magic curses—to keep moving.
“No one thinks the last stretch means it’s safe, right?”
I deliberately spoke in a cheerful tone.
“Unfortunately, reaching the white land doesn’t mean the labyrinth is cleared. Everything we’ve endured so far was only the third phase of the exploration.”
“…Whoa. That’s a bit discouraging.”
“On the bright side, the fourth phase won’t last nearly as long.”
It would simply be more intense.
Tap.
Rosalia, clearly on the verge of collapse, lightly touched my wrist and stared ahead.
There was no need to interpret the gesture.
“Yes. We’ve arrived.”
The white land.
A fragment of dream embedded within a nightmare.
The place marking the end of the third phase of exploration was right in front of us.
“It’s smaller than I expected.”
Its size was roughly that of a typical inn room.
Pendrick was right—it wasn’t large.
“That’s because it’s essentially an error. A fragment of dream that should exist in the inner-space metropolis accidentally drifted here.”
This massive dream world wasn’t maintained by some divine artifact.
It was maintained by the labor of demon black mages.
Naturally, minor mistakes occasionally occurred.
Now we had to turn that minor mistake into a catastrophic failure.
“Rosalia, keep watch for approaching black mages and priests. Pendrick, come here.”
The white land was not a convenient safe zone.
There was no time for detailed instructions.
I immediately pulled a lump of metal from the subspace of Radiant Faith.
A high-purity iron ingot purchased at a discount from the expedition supply shop.
If I had entered Nightmare World without preparing this in advance, we would have died after endless suffering.
…That was the conclusion I reached after discovering every single clue scattered throughout the metropolis.
Seriously, that was cruel.
There was a true method to clearing Nightmare World.
A method that could only be deduced after the tedious process of exploring the entire city.
I placed the ingot at the center of the white land and knelt in front of it.
“Please.”
With both hands clasped, I began praying sincerely.
“I offer this iron. Please drive away the wicked and malevolent forces that oppress us.”
《The Wise One points out that they possess no divine power capable of assisting you.》
Crackle.
The Evil Gods who heard the prayer reacted with hesitation.
“This prayer isn’t directed toward you two. Please remain quiet.”
After all, why would I pray to Evil Gods for salvation?
Evil deities specialized in causing suffering for intelligent beings, not rescuing them.
“I pray as well.”
Pendrick immediately knelt beside me and joined the prayer.
“We ask and ask again.”
“Please extend salvation to these pitiful intelligent beings.”
Earnest prayers inevitably reached the heavens.
That had been common knowledge since ancient times.
—Hoooooo.
At some point during our relentless double prayer—
A pure white light shone down.
Something tore through space and appeared.
A divine beast with a trunk like an elephant, a sturdy body like a bear, and the paws of a tiger.
《Divine Beast — Maku》
《The divine beast raised by the hypocrite of wisdom and protection, Arteine. Why has it appeared here?!》
—Hoo?
“Greetings.”
The creature’s motif resembled the mythical beast Baku, known in legend for devouring nightmares.
In many traditions it was said to drive away evil dreams.
“Divine beast protected by the guardian of all people, please.”
Holding the iron ingot with both hands, I spoke respectfully.
“Please devour all the nightmares here.”
Maku was a divine beast that ate nightmares, saving those tormented by evil dreams.
“And if possible, please heal us as a bonus.”
—Hoo!
The divine beast swallowed the iron ingot whole and began dancing happily.
Then it shone a radiant light over our expedition members.
Warm protective energy.
Its effects became apparent immediately.
“…Goodbye.”
The child who had been following me faded away.
“Take care. See you again someday, Yunji.”
《Your Life Force and Mental Energy have fully recovered!》
《All diseases and black magic afflicting your body have also been cured!》
Complete restoration, including removal of status abnormalities.
Maku was basically a flying biological Pokémon Center.
The entire reason I brought Pendrick into this labyrinth was for this exact moment.
—…Huh?
Astrimia’s voice rang out, confused.
—The Curse of Lethe… it’s gone!
Even if it was high-tier black magic, a curse was still just a status effect.
“Asmi…!”
—Pendrick!
While the two shared an emotional near-embrace, Rosalia tapped my back and examined my condition.
“Thank you for your concern. The twenty-two curses affecting my body have all been removed. My mental instability as well.”
The divine curse Fertilizer Sprout remained, but in that case it was actually fortunate it hadn’t disappeared.
“…….”
Only then did Rosalia nod slightly in relief.
—Hoooo!
Maku inhaled deeply through its long trunk.
Whoooosh—!
A massive vortex formed.
The nightmare itself began being sucked away.
The heavy darkness that had filled the world vanished rapidly.
“Now comes the final stage.”
The labyrinth still wasn’t cleared.
“For the next fifteen minutes we must hold off all enemies across Nightmare World—until the divine beast finishes devouring the nightmares.”
Exploration Phase Four.
Survive to the end.
“Just so you know, it won’t be easy. It may be harder than surviving the past two days.”
“…Now it really begins.”
Pendrick, who had been shedding tears of joy moments ago, raised Astrimia in a ready stance.
“Captain. May I save my thanks until after the expedition ends?”
“Of course.”
Rosalia gripped her dagger as crimson death roses bloomed across her body.
“…Strength.”
“Understood. I’ll do my best. When big sister says a whole word like that, it’s strangely motivating.”
I also prepared for battle.
In other words—
I prepared to draw aggro.
“They’re coming!”
From the distance, enemies advanced.
This battle would be different from the previous ones.
“They don’t look very healthy. Their limbs are all limp.”
—They’re not living people.
Astrimia’s voice sounded much brighter now that the curse had been removed.
—The dead. The priests of Lonely Silence revived the enemies we defeated earlier with Mysteries.
A flawless answer.
The fourth phase of Nightmare World exploration was essentially a defense game against a wave of undead.
—Hoo!
Maku glared at the approaching dead, then glanced toward us.
“Uh… Captain, what did it say?”
“It’s encouraging us to endure until the end. It will assist us with protective light.”
Maku’s radiance acted like a buff.
Without it, removing Astrimia’s curse would have been far more difficult.
“Let’s go. Moonlight Expedition.”
I charged forward toward the approaching undead.
Crackle!
Using Black Lightning Bloom, I transformed my entire body into lightning and incinerated priest and black mage zombies.
Even Spark of Glory, which had rarely had a chance to shine against fire-wielding enemies before, began releasing flames continuously.
“Asmi, let’s go!”
—Yes!
The wave of starlight released by the two lovers swept through the undead.
Normally only knights or martial artists above Level 6 could produce aura waves like that.
The combined attack demonstrated why the Emotion Series artifacts were coveted by every explorer.
“Lonely Silence descends!”
“Kill that mad blond first!”
Among the undead horde were still many living demon priests and black mages.
Fifth-Tier black magic and Mysteries of Lonely Silence tore into my body repeatedly—burning, piercing, ripping.
Yet I only laughed.
The pain spreading through my body was merely seasoning that enhanced the brilliance of the expedition.
“…….”
While I absorbed every attack with my body, Rosalia moved silently through the shadows.
Slice.
No enemy present could stop the silent assassination of a Level-6 assassin empowered by Maku’s blessing.
Demon priests.
Demon black mages.
The formidable enemies who had chased us relentlessly until now collapsed as their heads rolled across the ground.
“Ahahahaha!”
Perhaps because I wore the sacred relic robe granted by Sue’je after draining all divine power from his faith.
A thunderous laugh erupted from my mouth.
Without bothering to suppress it, I roared with laughter and burned enemies with lightning and flame.
“…That monster!”
“What a tragedy!”
No matter what the enemies shouted, I advanced while continuously regenerating my body as it was pierced by black magic and scorched by priestly Mysteries.
Wasn’t it the philosopher Nietzsche who said—
That which does not kill me makes me stronger?
It was true.
“Ah—ahahahaha!”
I was growing stronger without end.