Chapter 21
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: ??? Floor - Abyss (1)
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The [Abyss] is the land where byproducts pouring down from the vast patchwork world known as the Labyrinth accumulate.
Whether calling it "land" is even accurate, I'm not sure.
As you venture deeper into the [Abyss], it lives up to its name, turning into a dark and frigid space.
But for us, merely skimming the surface right now, it's nothing more than damp, humid ground.
"Ugh......"
The Girl clung to me anxiously.
If this was my misjudgment, then fine.
I'd let my guard down, figuring she'd blurt out something like "Whoa, tons of corpses!" even if they piled up like mountains.
"That was so creepy just now."
The Girl shuddered as the slimy tentacles slithered away.
Her trembling body wasn't an act.
"This is my first time in the [Abyss]. But I never want to come back here again......"
The Hunter looked a bit off-color but seemed to be adapting without any real trouble.
The problem was the Girl.
"I'll keep my eyes closed. Tell me if you need anything."
She clung tight, squeezed her eyes shut, and that was all she had to say.
It was a land crawling with horrific abominations, but I hadn't expected her tolerance for that sort of thing to be so low.
Back in my gaming days, the almighty status window would've spelled it out for me. Damn.
Probably something like "Cannot endure repulsive things."
I somehow calmed the quivering Girl and got us moving.
She'd said to tell her if I needed her, but she wouldn't be much help.
Her fumbling along with her eyes clamped shut, clutching my clothes—it was quite the sight.
The ground was uneven, yet she kept her balance without even peeking. That was even more impressive.
No monsters visibly prowling nearby for the moment, but the Girl flat-out refused to open her eyes.
The Hunter let out a retch.
"What the hell is this?"
"No, don't say it. Now I'm imagining it. Please."
So I kept quiet. It looked like debris from some floor that had served its purpose and collapsed.
Undead had been involved, probably swamp ghouls—they were rotting in the most vicious way.
Thick, repulsive sludge oozing out.
The Hunter must've recognized it from what used to be a human arm sliding down.
"It doesn't move, right?"
"To stay active after plummeting to the [Abyss]? You'd have to be a real dragon or something."
"What? What moves? Don't say it. Ugh."
She looked so pitiful that I rolled up a scrap of cloth and tucked it into her ears.
First things first—let's find a spot to hole up for the night.
Not that it's easy to tell day from night here.
I'd hoped to stumble on a decent altar to some god, but no such luck.
Among the debris from countless fallen floors, I spotted something relatively intact and slipped inside.
The interior was far better preserved than I'd expected.
The Hunter had eyed its half-smashed exterior suspiciously.
Once inside, he grew even more puzzled.
"......Sci-fi?"
"Guess some floor spawned a space colony map. Those folks must've been thrilled."
Judging by the shape, it was one of those oxygen-rationed types.
And it ended up in the Abyss...
"Failed map, as expected."
Corpses of dead Exiles lay in plain view. No life left, but their gear was still there.
Food would've been nice too.
I approached without a care and started rummaging. The Hunter followed suit.
We found some crudely made jerky and a decent-looking sword.
There was even a full-on rifle—not just a double-barrel shotgun—but it was busted beyond use.
Most stuff you find in the Abyss is like that.
I figured the journey here wasn't just a simple physical drop.
"I've never even seen a map like this. Don't think I've heard of one either."
The Hunter shook his head.
I chuckled.
"They don't pop up much before the Kingdom. These corpses? Probably Exiles who made it that far."
The gear had a different patina. All smashed to hell, though—unusable.
Everything that falls into the Abyss ends up like that.
Moving things grind to a halt, and perfectly functional items get wrecked just enough to recognize what they were.
"If we could haul this junk to an anvil and forge something... Too heavy to lug around, though."
Ways to recycle broken gear weren't impossible.
But carting scrap until we escaped the [Abyss]? Ridiculous.
"Let's rest up for now."
A lot had gone down.
Raided an Orc dig site, rummaged some ruins, took down a griffin, caught a lightning bolt or two.
All that before a full day had passed—fatigue was hitting hard.
We'd all died once and come back via Healing Potion magic, so our stamina was even more drained.
This debris chunk was relatively intact, door and all.
Abyss monsters surprisingly didn't barge into spots like this.
"Now, how long can we stretch the water?"
Floor 2 had been a lush forest. Starting there without stockpiling food? No one would.
We broke out the dried meats and fruits we'd packed plenty of.
Calories were solid.
Water, though—that was the issue.
No Healing Springs around, so Healing Potions it was, subbing for drinking water.
Regular floors had those springs—no thirst worries. The [Abyss] wasn't so generous.
I spread some fur on the floor for a quick nap. It wasn't luxurious enough for solo, so I beckoned the Girl over.
She latched on tight again, refusing to let go.
This time, it was an act.
No fooling my eyes.
The space colony debris formed a solid room, nothing repulsive enough to make her freak.
Corpses apparently didn't count toward her disgust list.
I had a pretty good idea what she wanted, so I pulled her into a hug.
She fit perfectly in my arms.
Her ill-fitting clothes made her look like a kid playing grown-up. Adorable.
(She was a kid, after all.)
She was trying to hide it, but her mouth kept twitching into a grin.
Not an unfamiliar situation.
Seemed like romantic feelings. Why, though?
One mystery solved: why she'd been so obedient all this time.
Suspension bridge effect, maybe.
I decided not to overthink it.
Too complicated.
Don't even call it "using" affection like this.
Not sure I could properly return it right now anyway.
But I could respond in kind.
I slid my arm lightly around her back. She reached out, grabbed my hand, and tugged it to her head.
Heh.
I stroked her hair, and she let out a soft "Hee hee," so quiet she probably didn't realize it slipped out in her acting.
Fine, whatever—you do you.
A bad vibe jolted me awake.
The ground rumbled.
Something was passing nearby.
Thumping footsteps.
I figured the others had woken too, but nope.
Call it a mental fortitude thing—sounds stuffy and old-manly, but that's how it was.
Body exhausted to the point of death, yet it moves, eyes snap open. No other explanation.
Not a huge deal, though.
Looked like an Abyss god's altar marching by.
A massive golem with a temple strapped to its back.
If it were resting, I'd consider climbing aboard. But it was on the move—no dice.
Option of pledging faith to the Abyss god for escape? Off the table.
Would've made things real awkward running into Karkrish again.
The Girl was out cold. I could've slipped her off my arm, and she wouldn't have noticed.
Healing Potion erased the scars and muddled the memories, but nearly half her body had been blown away.
Her stamina must've been shot. Even the Hunter hadn't stirred.
We'd brought plenty of furs from Floor 2.
Leftover glue in good supply too.
The door was dented, leaving some gaps.
Abyss monsters usually skipped narrow spots like this.
But when a temple passed? Different story.
They scattered to avoid getting stomped, and any gap meant small ones could slip in.
Game over for all of us.
I sealed every crack meticulously. Melted the glue with a tiny heat spell and nearly hurled.
My own stamina was bottomed out too.
Just finished patching, catching my breath—thumps grew louder.
Slithering sounds joined in.
Snakes? Nah—probably a writhing mass of tentacles or something.
I poked at the door panel and gave up, heading for another hidey-hole.
If there'd been a seepable gap, it'd have oozed right in.
Nothing we could beat here anyway. Straight-up horror survival for the foreseeable.
Genres flipping like crazy.
"Everything's all jumbled."
"Does this happen every day?"
"Who knows if it's daily. They just do whatever. No one knows if a day here equals days out there."
Better to GTFO quick. Time limits flow subjectively—no real loss—but dragging into odd floors is risky.
The Girl nodded along knowingly, patient as ever.
Then, when the Hunter wasn't looking, she whispered.
"Odd floors are where you run into other Exiles besides the native NPCs, right?"
"Spot-on memory."
Now I could stroke her head without a second thought.
She giggled softly.
I didn't mention the golem rumbling past last night while no one else woke.
This place was already crawling with nightmares; no need to tank their morale further.
In a filthy hellhole like this, mental management was key.
Back in game days, NPC buddies were expendable. Now? Real people.
We crept onward, scouting for the Abyss exit.
Not too deep yet, so monsters weren't thick on the ground.
Few sound-sensitive types, easy to dodge.
No fresh horrors nearby, so the Girl cracked one eye, started glancing around.
Still, lurkers aplenty.
"Don't go there. Looks like a rock, but it's a monster."
"......Really?"
"Safe as long as you stay clear. It won't eat you."
"You call that safe?"
We moved slow and careful. Exit-like doors popped up a few times.
All led deeper, though.
The real exit spawns in the shittiest spots.
Tons of newbies get lured in, plunge deep, and bye-bye to the next world.
We trekked for a good while, but nada.
Not good. That's when a tombstone shimmered into view, glowing in a rainbow gradient.
What the—Goddess of Chaos.
Beat it.
Every damn time in the Abyss, it's prank central.
The Hunter knew her rep too—glanced once, looked away.
The Girl mimicked my eye-roll to play it cool.
Kept walking. Another tombstone materialized ahead.
This one shinier.
"No way monsters won't chase this. Goddess of Chaos, you doing this on purpose?"
No reply.
Ignored it, pressed on.
Rounded a corner—another stone. No flashy bits this time.
I scowled and ignored it.
Another appeared.
Text carved on it.
[Special Bargain Sale! Pray now, and I'll accept you as a believer instantly!]
Some joke.
Ignored and marched on.
Another stone.
[Save me.]
......?
Maybe this Run's Chaos was the "Goddess of Chaos and Freedom"?
I ignored it one more time.
Stone appeared.
[Please save me. I beg you.]
Oh man. This wasn't a prank anymore.
This god had zero believers.
On the brink of oblivion.
Time to negotiate.