Visitors from Another Dimension (4)
Falling through the floor was a strange and unpleasant sensation. It felt like a heavy liquid, like mercury, sweeping across my entire body!
“Ugh!” I tried to shake off the hand gripping my waist but changed my mind. I had no idea what the owner of this massive humanoid bug-like hand was thinking by dragging us away. If I shook it off, I could end up like that fly-human hybrid Sexer from the movie The Fly!
Wall and macho contact fusion! There was no way I was becoming some stone-skinned guy like Zergadis as the humanoid golem Nord!
Otherwise Franc and Dana would be stuck with nothing better than masturbating with a stone dildo during sex with their husband!
‘Above all, Larilura’s been captured too!’
My vision was completely blocked by what felt like a stone wall, but Larilura had jumped in to save Franc. She must’ve been grabbed by this bastard too. Running away alone to save myself wasn’t the macho way. Since there was a chance of failure, I decided not to resist for now.
—Kwoooosh!
Right then, the wall flowing over my body vanished the moment I made my choice. I squinted against the sudden flood of light, then opened my eyes again.
The mysterious space that appeared!
My eyes widened.
Whooooooosh……!!
──It was darkness. Pitch black, darker than the barracks right after lights-out in the military! Damn it! I couldn’t even tell how wide the space was!
“Senior!”
The one who shouted was obviously Larilura. Thanks to the lantern dangling from her waist, I could make out her face.
“We’re falling! Get ready to land!”
“Yes!”
Landing? Even as I said it, something felt off. The falling sensation continued, but with everything pitch black I had no way of knowing how high we were. Shit.
Larilura’s lantern barely glowed, like the last flicker of a birthday candle. It wasn’t out of oil. The light simply couldn’t reach far in this space, as if the darkness itself was swallowing it.
“Koooooorrroooooo…….”
Still, I could observe the rough shape of whatever had grabbed us. The damn thing looked exactly like the walking-bug bastards we’d already beaten.
“But why the hell is it so huge!!”
Same shape, but the size was on another level. You could call it the Tyson of the bug world. Way bigger than I’d estimated from the size of its hand!
I swung my spear without flinching at its massive back.
“You fallen gym-rat bastard! What the hell did you pump with, you piece of shit!!”
“KKK!!”
The bug let go and blocked my spear with its thick arm. What the fuck? It wasn’t just big? Its defense was on a completely different level from the runt bugs!
I struck its arm with the spear and used the recoil to change position. I grabbed Larilura’s waist tightly and swung the spear again. The bug’s hooked hand missed, deflected by the blow.
“KKK!! KKKKK!!!”
“KKK? You fucking racist!!”
Its cry sounded almost like laughter! Phonetically it resembled but because its vocal cords were different from a human’s, the feeling was completely alien.
‘Mocking us? Does it have intelligence!’
Since my translation ability didn’t activate, it wasn’t a proper language system. Still, the creature seemed to possess a cruel cunning that enjoyed toying with its prey.
A bug mocking humans! I learned that the combination of disgust and surprise tasted exactly like mint chocolate. It sent the same chill down my spine as watching a half-crushed cockroach crawl under a guesthouse bed without dying!
“K─KKKKK!! K─krrrrroooooooooooooonnnn!!”
The bug let out that unidentifiable sound and suddenly retreated through the empty air. Before it left the lantern’s light, its back seemed to spread open.
Wings? Shit, this just keeps getting worse. A hairy bug with wings too?
I tensed, wondering where the flying-bug bastard would strike from, then gave up. Right now there was something more important than worrying about its attack!
—Whooooooosh!!!
“Aaa──ah!! How long are we falling for, you bastard!!!”
“Hiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!”
Larilura, held by the waist in my arm, screamed! The fall had already lasted nearly ten seconds! According to my science knowledge, that meant we’d already dropped over fifty meters. Even with Beast Regression’s mana coating, could my body handle it? And I was carrying Larilura too?
“Senior!! I don’t want to die like this!!”
Having reached a similar conclusion from her circus days, Larilura clung to me half-crying.
“Hiiik! I don’t want to die without ever having a boyfriend!! In two months I’ll finally be an adult!!”
“Shut the fuck up already! Stay still!”
“Hic! Hik! Hiik!”
I held Larilura’s waist tightly, shut her up, and activated magic.
“Summon Cloud!!”
Mana flowed into the spell formula. Our falling speed had already built up. How much could the steam’s propulsion reduce this kinetic energy before we hit the ground!
I swallowed hard.
—Fwoosh.
The moment the magic tried to convert mana into vapor, the pressurized steam jet that should have erupted from my soles fizzled out like a newborn’s burp or fart. The spell formula collapsed like shattering glass!
“Gyaaaaaaaah!!!”
The magic didn’t activate! Why? Beast Regression was still active! Only the Summon Cloud formula was collapsing under completely different laws, like having to knead flour dough in boiling water!
“This shit just keeps piling up!!!”
What the hell was I supposed to do now! Could I take Larilura’s full weight on my legs and escape with her support? No—even if I tried, the human body is heavier on top. The moment my feet touched the ground, the remaining impact would send me toppling forward or backward, and Larilura would smash into the floor with me.
‘If I push Beast Regression to the limit I might survive……!!’
But Larilura wouldn’t. No matter how I held her, her skull would crack or her spine would snap! Hell, even I might end up with limbs shattering like chicken bones! Especially at this height!
—Viewroo viewroo!
Useless science knowledge injected scientific despair straight into my brain!
“Gyaaaaaaaaah!! Franc──!! Dana──!! I don’t want the last person I hug to be this guy!!!”
“This senior really never runs out of things he shouldn’t say──?!”
Right as we braced for death—
—Splash!!!
“Uffuff!!”
“Hgyuek?!”
We hit water and came to our senses. Or rather, it wasn’t so much hitting as falling into it. Anyway, we hadn’t noticed because of the darkness—we’d crashed onto a water surface.
—Splash! Splash!
Without even a moment to feel relief at being alive, I swam while carrying Larilura. I never thought the swimming technique my father forced me to learn would actually come in handy like this.
“Cough, cough! Kehk. Hoo…….”
Luckily we managed to reach what looked like shore. Though it was hard to tell where land ended and water began.
“……Priscilla. You alive?”
“Don’t…… call me by my real name……”
Larilura answered, collapsed against my chest like a mannequin. Good. When it came to survival, two were better than one no matter what.
“Cough, khing……. Where are we?”
Larilura stood up unsteadily and asked while first rescuing the lantern’s flame. The sealed waterproof lantern had kept its light even after falling into the water.
“No clue.”
I stood up gripping my spear. I’d have loved to just lie spread-eagle and catch my breath, but there was no telling when that damn flying-armored-bug bastard might attack again.
“Huu…… I left Ring Ring 3.5 behind too.”
Larilura spoke while wiping off water. The water we’d fallen into was just ordinary water—we simply hadn’t been able to see it. At least it wasn’t some poisonous swamp. That was a relief.
“……It’s dark.”
Larilura muttered to herself while wringing out her hat. There was no need to say it again. In this space the only light was the lantern, making it hard to distinguish up from down or left from right.
I focused my hearing and smell while waiting for an ambush.
“Larilura. This is my skinning knife—take it.”
“I have my own self-defense weapon, so I’ll use that.”
“Suit yourself. Stay alert if you hear anything.”
Larilura drew her juggling knife—a single-edged dagger. It was short, probably a backup weapon for when she couldn’t use puppets. Expecting her full strength in this situation seemed pointless.
We waited like that, on guard against attack while letting our eyes adjust to the darkness.
………….
………….
“It’s not coming?”
“Maybe. If it’s a bug, waiting several nights without getting tired wouldn’t be strange.”
“Really? You’re quite knowledgeable.”
“Thank you. Anyway, let’s move. Staying still while wet will only drain our stamina. Let’s find a place to rest while being careful. How’s the lantern?”
“The lantern’s fine. But, um, I’m sorry. All the spare oil is in Ring Ring 3.5’s stomach……”
“Can’t be helped. Let’s go.”
I took the dejected Larilura and headed toward the interior that was starting to become visible. Of course, this might be the bugs’ habitat from start to finish. But surviving by only imagining the worst was impossible even if Chuck Norris showed up. People live by holding onto positive visions even while being battered by the world.
“……Friar’s Lantern.”
Just in case, I tried activating the magic, but it failed again. It only sparked like a gas lighter with no fuel. I didn’t know why, but magic couldn’t be used in this space.
Or more precisely──only modern magic.
“ᚲ (Kenaz).”
—Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
When I inscribed the Kenaz rune on my forehead, my senses sharpened. Beast Regression and rune magic activated just fine like this. Runes didn’t seem very helpful, but being able to use Beast Regression was a blessing in disguise.
Larilura followed me and asked.
“The light…… it won’t work?”
“Yeah. Everything except Beast Regression and rune magic won’t activate.”
“……You’re right. I can only maintain it for a few seconds.”
Larilura tried extending Puppetry threads and failed. Still, the fact that she could manage even a few seconds meant she was better off than me.
‘Does it have something to do with magic proficiency?’
If so, Burning Hand might still work. Since wasting mana was a waste, I decided to test it later. I only had two mana potions left.
“……Will we be able to go back?”
Larilura seemed to have very little energy ever since we entered the darkness. The higher her usual tension, the more dramatic her drop when she got depressed. I wanted to give her a good answer, but I lacked the basis to do so.
“I can’t say anything yet. We haven’t found anything.”
“Right……?”
Larilura wiped the water gathered on her chin and smiled energetically.
“Ahaha♡! I’m sorry☆! I said something weak!”
“Well, it happens. Don’t force yourself to act cheerful.”
“Force myself~? Crown Crown said it too, right? ‘People who sell laughter must have laughter themselves first’☆”
“Heh. That person says good things too.”
I laughed as I spoke. It felt wrong to rain on someone who was already trying to stay positive.
—Step step.
Walking across sandy ground while relying on the lantern’s light, we began our investigation.
This space was definitely another dimension. Towering forests of flesh-like trees made up the entire scenery. They looked like banana trees poorly imitated with purple tentacles, and their sheer ugliness was beyond words. Anything born and raised here would have no choice but to become a psychotic monster.
We were carefully exploring that disgusting forest when—
“Senior, there’s a cave over there.”
“Where?”
Larilura had found a cave deeper inside. We explored the cave to the end to check if any otherworldly creatures like necromorphs were present.
‘None.’
The cave was the size of a single room, empty as if any other creatures had gone looking for new homes. In a dimension without property deeds, only an idiot would live in such a tiny place.
“Want to rest for a bit?”
“Yes.”
After moving for quite a while since exploring the ruins, fatigue was starting to cling to my feet. Even though Larilura and I had awakened mana and become superhuman, even superhumans got tired after superhuman movement. You could think of it like HP/MP.
—Thud.
We leaned against the cave wall, which was damp enough to ruin anyone’s mood. Wandering through dark, humid places made us feel like bugs ourselves.
“Larilura. I know you’re uneasy, but turn off the lantern. We have to save the oil until we find more fuel.”
“……Huu. Do we really have to turn it off?”
“We couldn’t find any firewood. Using those squishy tentacles as torches is our last resort.”
I told Larilura, who held the lantern like a treasure. The mushy tentacles would be hard to carry even if made into torches. And if they contained toxic substances by mistake, we could die. The lantern—our only safe light source—had to be treasured like a top-grade potion in an RPG.
“……I understand. I’ll turn it off.”
—Hiss.
Larilura made a tearful face as she extinguished the lantern. With the only light gone, it became truly pitch black—nothing was visible. The last thing I saw was Larilura’s crying expression, burned vividly into my mind.
“……Senior.”
“What?”
“I…… actually don’t like the dark. Can I stay close to you?”
She didn’t like the dark?
‘She never gave that impression before.’
Actually, except for this ruin exploration, whenever we were together it had usually been bright. The only late-night encounter had been when feeding the stray cat.
“I’m fine as long as there’s light. No, rather, having just a single point of light in the dark feels the most stable. But a place that’s completely dark like this…… I don’t like it very much.”
Larilura spoke, her outline faintly visible. Her words reminded me of the Flang Kungkula Circus’s shows. A warm glowing light in a dark space. That circus troupe’s performances had exactly that feeling.
‘──Stop. Just stop.’
I cut off the thought. My elite brain had been trying to guess what kind of life this kid had lived before meeting the circus troupe, based on the fact that she was an orphan. How presumptuous.
“Do what you want. Our clothes are wet and we can’t afford to lose body heat, so staying close to share warmth should be fine.”
“Won’t they dry while we’re wearing them?”
“They’ll dry with your own body heat. If your mana runs out you’ll catch a cold.”
“……Should I take them off to dry?”
Larilura asked. She seemed to have offered first so I wouldn’t have to say it.
“After we make a fire. Let’s dry our clothes and keep exploring. At least the water isn’t salty like seawater, so that’s a relief. Less sticky feeling.”
“Ahaha. You’re so reliable♥ I’m glad I came with you, Senior.”
“I’m not planning on leaving you behind, so stop sucking up.”
“Hehe. I’m serious though? Senior, your forehead is glowing right now and it looks cool.”
“Am I bald? Why would my head be glowing.”
Shit, what kind of Stand treatment is this. This is ridiculous.
‘Ah, right. Rune letters glow while magic is being used.’
I hadn’t noticed, but my forehead covered by hair might actually be emitting light. Was that why she asked if it was okay to come closer?
“Excuse me~.”
—Rustle.
At that moment Larilura leaned her shoulder against me. Her body temperature was a bit low. Unlike me, who had walked while using Beast Regression’s warming effect, she’d been moving around in completely soaked clothes.
‘I’ll have to make a fire even if I risk poison.’
If she caught a cold on top of everything, we’d be screwed. In the darkness I stayed alert using my enhanced senses from the Kenaz rune. My elite brain focused on sound collection while beginning to formulate a plan to escape this dimension.
‘As long as we find those bug bastards, we’re good.’
If this really was the bugs’ home, everything would be fine. The ancient civilization’s summoning circle connected to the ruins would be somewhere here.