EP.338 Yggdrasil (3-47)
I confirmed we'd completely shaken off Cerberus, then checked on the two of them.
"Looks like we've put some distance between us for now. You okay?"
"Hngh... haa... Y-yeah, yeah."
"Hic... S-scary... so scary...."
Park Seon-hee and Park Jin-hee were still lost in that split-second terror from earlier, unable to pull themselves together.
Even without facing it head-on, the fear it instilled was this intense—it really was a monster straight out of nightmares.
Unlike the goofy, cartoonish puppy versions you see in the media, the real Cerberus carried death in its wake.
I'd only caught a glimpse of it transforming from that gem at the start, but it was burned into my memory forever.
A being that let you feel death before the fear even hit.
If Cthulhu actually existed and appeared before me, it probably wouldn't feel this oppressive.
But I couldn't just stand here trembling in despair forever.
"Let's get moving again. Finding the others is the priority."
"Hngh... Okay."
They wiped away their tears at my words and nodded right away.
...This isn't good.
The 0th-floor boss fight and the 1st-floor one were similar in that survival was constantly on the line.
But the pressure here was on another level entirely.
Shockbee could've killed you if it hit, sure, but just locking eyes with Cerberus felt like being dragged straight to your doom.
Because of that, the two of them were steeped in despair, and if things stayed like this, it'd only get worse as we kept fleeing.
I need to change the mood...
As we walked, Park Jin-hee started making an irritated face beside me.
And Park Seon-hee was the same.
I didn't even need to ask to know what was up.
The channel viewers must be talking shit.
Unlike me, Han Yeoreum, Min Hayeon, Han Bom—even the three stooges—had quite a few channel spectators.
It was probably down to looks, plain and simple.
When channel folks pick their initial summoner, appearance is all they've got to go on.
Like how a web novel's cover art grabs you first.
Compared to that, I was just average-looking, nothing special.
Not cover-worthy, no clickbait title vibes.
They probably just picked someone decent knowing we'd die off early anyway.
Well, at least it shifted the mood. But...
Actually, seeing it laid out like this sparked a sudden thought.
Gekkosu's awfully quiet?
The guy was usually rowdy as hell, so the silence was suspicious.
[Probably left the channel because he doesn't like watching boss fights, like he said during the 0th-floor one.]
"Oh yeah, he bailed early last time too, right?"
I'd figured he'd at least say goodbye if death loomed, but it was so quiet it almost felt disappointing.
Whatever. I'm not actually dying here.
I shrugged it off and pressed forward.
The cave was lined with massive grayish bricks forming sturdy walls.
And here and there, holes big enough for people to fit through.
"What's that?"
"Don't go in recklessly. Could be a safe spot for emergencies."
"Got it."
The two nodded and stuck right behind me.
They'd been scared of the zombie horde too, but that was half bravado—this time, they were shaking for real.
Seeing them like this was starting to worry me.
How are Hayeon and Bom holding up?
[They're in a very unstable state. Min Hayeon met up with Son Hye-eun, and Han Bom is wandering alone.]
I need to find them quick...
[I can distinguish locations, but without a precise map, perfect guidance is impossible.]
I wanted to reunite ASAP.
With Armonia as my GPS, I could just head straight there no problem, but for them, every step must feel like walking through hell.
I glanced at the hologram time and inwardly sighed in relief.
Survivors:7
At least if we hold out for two hours, we're good. Didn't seem like it moved that fast earlier.
Cerberus gave off that death-walking aura, but as long as we didn't run into it directly, we could probably survive.
That was the moment I let my guard down inside.
[Death's Eye], [Death's Nose]
Death's Nose has activated. Death will now detect you not just by sight, but by scent as well.
[....]
...
Life teaches you one thing: the mouth is always the problem.
And that hologram probably popped up for everyone else too.
Proving it, Park Seon-hee and Park Jin-hee stared into space in shock, then turned to me with pale faces.
I sighed and said,
"Alright, let's find the others quick."
Right then—
Rumble. Rumble rumble. Boom! Booom boom boom!
"Wh-what's that?! Something's coming!"
"Waaah!"
The sudden earthquake sent them into a panic, legs giving out as they collapsed.
Even as they freaked, the shaking intensified without mercy.
"Get up! Into that hole, now!"
I grabbed an arm each and hauled them up.
They barely dragged their shaky legs, clinging to my arms for dear life as we ran.
Chunks of rock rained from the pitch-black ceiling, weaving through our hair.
"Haa... haa..."
I finally dragged their flailing selves into the hole and caught my breath.
"We're in now. Should be safe. Right?"
Couldn't ignore the hologram in front of me.
Survivors:7
[Death's Eye], [Death's Scent]
You've entered a hole that evades death. Time until collapse: 21 minutes 24 seconds.
I'd half-expected it, but this hole was a monster-evasion safe spot, like a shelter.
One big difference from regular safe zones, though.
No headcount limit, but time's the killer.
And the real kicker compared to safe zones...
Can't exit the way you came in... So we wait it out... Fuck...
I didn't want to curse.
But seeing that sight, who'd blame me?
I stared through the hole entrance, then quietly told Park Jin-hee and Park Seon-hee—who were bent over, steadying their breaths—
"You two..."
"Haa... haa... Yes?"
"Don't... look... up. Ever."
"Huh... nggh..."
The second I warned them, a massive gust roared into the cave.
Whoooosh!
"Eek!"
"Hiiik!"
The typhoon-force wind slammed us, nearly sucking us out.
Whoooosh...
Now it was pushing us deeper, like ejecting us from the dark hole.
Grrrrrr...
The rhythmic gusts...
It wasn't the hole sucking or blowing us.
Something outside was sniffing us out.
What I saw... wasn't fear. It was death shoving its nose in to catch our scent.
Nostrils like a hound's or wolf's, flickering with green flames, straining to sniff us inside.
No, it already had our scent.
It knew we were here...
Yet Cerberus just snorted, no other reaction.
...What a rare experience.
Felt like a bug caught in human breath.
Cerberus kept sniffing relentlessly, as if it couldn't do anything about prey it couldn't grab, refusing to leave.
Looks like it won't budge till we go deeper.
[Seems that way. This hole acts like a shelter for now. Better head inside.]
I nodded at Armonia's advice and whispered,
"You two... keep your heads down and follow me. Don't look back. Ever."
"Hngh... Okay.... Hic..."
"Haa... hngh... haa..."
Park Seon-hee, usually so spirited, started hiccuping in terror. Park Jin-hee followed with chattering teeth, head bowed.
Cerberus outside kept inhaling regretfully as we moved in.
Whoooosh...
The gale battered us like a storm, but to us, it was just a minor terror.
Before death, this fear was merely a signal—like gravel hitting you while dangling off a cliff.
We endured the hurricane winds and pushed forward.
Only after time passed did the gusts fade, letting us breathe steady.
But breathing easier didn't erase their brush with death.
They couldn't shake the ingrained horror, collapsing to sob right there.
"I-I can't beat something like that... There'll be more upstairs for sure..."
"No, I hate this. I wanna go back... Mom..."
"..."
This was bad.
No time to wallow when we should be fighting to survive—they were shutting down hope for the future, clinging to the past.
I placed hands on their shoulders and said firmly,
"I get it's scary. But we can't just sit here forever."
"B-but... Knowing something like that's here means even scarier ones upstairs..."
I answered Park Seon-hee's worry coldly.
"Yeah. The upper floors could be crawling with them."
"Th-then no... I don't wanna go up. Let's go back to the 1st-floor village! Right? There has to be a way..."
I cut off her whining.
"You wanna get eaten by that thing?"
"...Huh? N-no, of course not! I-I just... w-we can find a way back..."
"How?"
"Th-that's..."
She floundered, unable to continue.
Not like she'd regressed or anything—she couldn't know more than I did.
But when push came to shove, she couldn't admit it.
"What if..."
"...?"
"What if we can't escape and have to live here with that thing forever?"
"Th-that won't..."
"You never know. If it catches you, it might not just eat you—could be a hell inside its gut."
"Eek!"
They paled at the mere thought, faces crumpling.
"You've been through all sorts since coming here. Getting caught could mean eternity with that monster."
"N-no... I hate that..."
"Me too."
I smiled warmly, looking between them.
"I know it's terrifying. I've rarely seen anything that scary myself."
Probably weaker than Maou Gardia from Maou Castle back then.
I'd witnessed that Maou rage up close once, getting a peek at what death really meant.
Compared to the Maou, this one's weaker, right?
[I can state it definitively. That Maou is far stronger.]
Not even worth comparing to a world's protagonist-level being.
I sprinkled in some anecdotes to reassure them.
"But it's our first time. Overcome this, and next time it'll feel different. Like, 'Huh, not so bad after all.'"
"Ah..."
They steadied their breaths at my words, straightened up, and gave bitter smiles.
"S-sorry for being a hassle."
"M-me too."
"Not a hassle at all. Glad you snapped out of it—thank you."
"Hehe... Then let's go. The others are probably shaking without us."
"Yeah, no one to cheer them up like we do. Hurry!"
I smiled, releasing their shoulders.
"Yeah, let's move."
With their fear temporarily eased, we ventured deeper into the narrow hole to find our comrades.