Chapter 212: Three Weeks of Rest
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 212: Three Weeks of Rest
“So you’re saying the Roah that was imprisoned here has escaped.”
“Exactly. And you and I are trapped. He’s likely going to try and seize control of the 6th floor.”
Based on Lady Leah’s explanation, I could roughly grasp what was happening.
The situation was far more serious than I had anticipated.
I hadn't even found Chloe and Maximus yet, and to get out, we had to find a way to escape this space created by the Roah—which apparently wasn't going to be easy.
To make matters worse, we couldn't call for help, and there was no way to contact the people above.
The absolute worst part was that the enemy’s Authority was so powerful that it was impossible for me to face him head-on.
“What should we do…?”
“If only we had the walkie-talkies, we could have contacted them.”
Rien, A2, and Jack were currently working on those walkie-talkies. If we had them, we might have been able to send word upstairs somehow, but it was a pointless regret.
“For now, there aren't any other threatening entities here besides the two of us, right?”
“It seems so. It’s just you and me trapped in here.”
“Then let’s just rest for a bit.”
That was my conclusion.
We needed to rest. Perhaps because we had been pushing ourselves so hard, my body felt drained of strength.
Since we were trapped anyway, I intended to take it easy and relax.
“Wait, is that really alright? The enemy is moving to ascend even as we speak.”
“I have a plan. Helena, Freya, you two should rest as well. We’ll be able to get out of here soon.”
The party looked at me with puzzled expressions.
It was only natural, given that I had just confidently claimed we could escape.
I have a plan, alright.
I pulled food from my inventory and distributed it to the group.
Filling our stomachs was important. You need to eat well to move well.
I brought out some firewood to start a fire and handed a blanket to the young lady.
Since we were stuck here regardless, it was better to get some proper rest. I planned to sleep through the night before heading out.
“So, what exactly is this method of escape?”
Lady Leah, who had been staring blankly at the campfire, finally asked, unable to contain her curiosity any longer.
It wasn't anything grand.
“I’m going to get some sleep.”
“Huh? Sleep?”
“Yes. That’s the key.”
I fiddled with the ring on my finger as I answered her.
From this moment on, I intended to sprawl out and sleep soundly.
I need to dream.
Because dreams would connect me to the Three Villainesses.
Realistically, there was no way to request help from the outside. Therefore, I planned to use the dream world to ask the Three Villainesses on the 5th floor for assistance.
The ring Mabel gave me.
The cursed ring allowed me to control my dreams. At the same time, this ring linked me to the Three Villainesses.
I hadn't had a dream featuring them lately, but today, I absolutely had to reach them.
“Well, I’m going to try and sleep now. I hope this works.”
“It has to work.”
“Right. It definitely has to.”
Failure was not an option.
We couldn't stay trapped in this pitch-black void of nothingness forever.
“I’ll watch over you while you sleep. Though I doubt anything dangerous will show up.”
“Thanks to you, My Lady, I can sleep without a worry.”
I used her lap as a pillow and closed my eyes.
Soon, drowsiness washed over me, and my consciousness was guided into the deep world of dreams.
*
When I opened my eyes again, I was in the pure white space I had seen before.
I succeeded on the first try. I hadn't been able to come here easily lately—perhaps luck was on my side in this moment of crisis?
“It’s not luck; we’re the ones who called you.”
“What on earth did you wake up, you moron?!”
“Gwah?!”
As soon as I regained consciousness, the Villainesses began their collective beating.
They tormented me for a long while as I lay on the ground before finally backing off.
When I stood up after being mindlessly trampled, the Villainesses were looking down at me with grave expressions.
“Hehe. Things have turned quite strange.”
“The thing that woke up just now is a fellow on par with the three of us. Just what did you unleash?”
“Wait, is he really that strong?”
“He’s a named one. The King of the Sewers. Anyway, he’s a nasty piece of work.”
The Villainesses shuddered as they cursed him.
Perhaps they had some sort of bad history with him.
“Then what am I supposed to do now? If we just stay like this, aren't we all going to die? First, please get me out of this Sealing Ground.”
“Well. Even if we let you out right now, what could you possibly do?”
“That’s…”
“Sister, I have an idea!”
“Hmm? You, thinking? Let’s hear it then.”
“Why don't we just leave this idiot here for now?”
“What? Leave me?”
The second sister, Anies, smirked and continued.
“I mean, think about it. You can't beat that thing anyway.”
“That might be true, but…”
“So, I’m saying we should just wait for it to come up here instead.”
At Anies’s words, the youngest, Malephina, clapped her hands and nodded.
“Aha! You’re right! It’ll be fine if he comes up to the 5th floor! Regression consumes a lot of power. We can just crush him when he struggles his way up here! Right, sisters?”
“That certainly is the most ideal scenario.”
The eldest, Lutred, also agreed with her sisters’ opinion.
In other words, since the King of the Sewers had already taken over the 6th floor, we shouldn't even think about fighting him there.
“Even a mutt acts tougher in front of its own house, after all.”
“Exactly, exactly. Us going down to the 6th floor, or releasing you from the Sealing Ground—both are poor moves. Isn't it better to wait for him to come up and then tear him apart ourselves?”
“That’s great! That’s perfect!”
The Villainesses were already discussing how they would divide and devour the King of the Sewers.
Were they that confident they would win?
“Isn't it obvious? We just grab the bitch who’s drained from the Regression and twist her limbs off. Simple.”
“A battle of Authorities is ultimately a competition of who maintains a higher Rank. Hehehehe.”
“Don't worry, brat. We’ve already made the 5th floor our domain. On the 5th floor, we are no different from gods.”
“Then do I just keep waiting here?”
“You have to, you weak little kid.”
“…”
“Why the long face? Your opponent is an ancient being who tries to solve everything with Authority. What could you possibly do against someone like that? Try to use Spirit Chains?”
“Hehehehe. Don't make me laugh. Those only work if the target is willing to be caught.”
They were certainly right.
Spirit Chains weren't omnipotent. If the target’s soul had a higher Rank, I could be the one dragged away instead.
Acting out unnecessarily could get me killed.
“To face a Roah, you’d need to be at least at the level of a Demon King from the 7th floor.”
“You’re still low-Rank and weak, brat. The only thing you have that could be called an Authority is the Snake’s Original Sin.”
“Is this also an Authority?”
“It is. Isn't that obvious?”
This was news to me.
To think the Snake’s Original Sin was the same as a god’s Authority.
“The Goddess or the Spirit God you people talk about are like actual gods. But Roahs like us are more like…”
“Demons? Well, we’re a bit different from an omniscient, omnipotent god.”
“Anyway, the Snake’s Original Sin should count as an Authority. You need to collect more things like that.”
“Your Rank needs to be high so you can be free from the tyranny of the Roahs.”
“Then what must I do to raise my Rank?”
“I don't really know either.”
“Maybe kill strong opponents and eat lots of Fruit?”
“To raise your Rank, training is usually the best way.”
Anies, the martial arts specialist, told me to train, while Lutred, the mage, told me to eat many of the Fruits that could be produced through the Bracelet of Growth.
“Fruit…”
“That Fruit is likely the key. It’s probably a system where you kill high-Rank beings, create Fruits, and eat them to raise your own Rank.”
Indeed, the beings I had used the Bracelet of Growth on to create Fruits were all exceptionally strong.
Fruits had only formed when I killed the Giant on the 7th floor and Medusa, the master of the Snake Nest.
“Anyway, you just stay there and kill time like an idiot.”
“Don't do anything stupid and just stay put!”
“If you’re bored, come visit your big sisters. Hehehehe!”
Soon, the Three Villainesses left, saying they were busy.
As they disappeared, the dream space rapidly became unstable. Sensing a nightmare approaching, I decided to wake up immediately.
*
“Gasp!”
“Are you awake? You were sweating buckets.”
“Ah. Lady Leah. Haaa…”
I barely managed to wake up.
As soon as the Three Villainesses left, the nightmare began, and I had to commit suicide within the dream to force myself awake.
“So, how did it go? Did you meet the Three Villainesses?”
“Yes. But the thing is…”
I explained the situation.
When I recounted what the Three Villainesses had said in the dream, Helena nodded and slumped down onto the ground.
“It seems we truly don't have the power to face the awakened Roah right now. Yes, the Villainesses are right. Sometimes, staying still is more helpful.”
“At least it’s a relief that they’re there.”
Freya also sprawled out, as if the tension had finally left her.
Indeed, to catch an overwhelmingly strong enemy, it was right to bring out someone equally strong.
I had seen many cases where people tried to force a resolution without the power to do so, only to make things worse. I felt it was better to just rest easy.
“I’m not sure how long we’ll have to stay here, but since it’s come to this, I think we can just relax.”
This was inside a Sealing Ground. In a way, it was like a bomb shelter.
In short, unless the King of the Sewers went mad and came back here to be sealed again, we were safe from external threats.
“Let’s wait. I’m not sure how things will unfold, but…”
“Right. Do we have enough food?”
“We have plenty of water too. Would you like to take a shower?”
At my suggestion, Lady Leah gave a faint smile and agreed.
The Sealing Ground was safe enough to set up a makeshift shower and wash up, and we ended up spending quite a lot of time inside.
By the time the first week had passed and boredom began to set in, the young lady and I spent our time sparring.
We still had no news from the outside, but having someone trapped with me provided some measure of comfort.
“Isn't it almost the third week?”
“I think so. It’s already been three weeks.”
About 21 days had passed.
It had already been three weeks since we were trapped here.
In that time, my beard had grown quite a bit, and the young lady and I were slowly growing weary of the boredom. Even training was getting old.
The food was sufficient, and we still had plenty of water. Everything was fine, but the boredom was unavoidable.
Spending three weeks in a space surrounded by pitch-black, void-like darkness made me feel like I was losing my mind from the monotony.
Just as my mental state was beginning to deteriorate, I had another dream.
The Villainesses had called for me.
“This place is…”
I had returned to the pure white space.
Soon after, a Villainess approached me.
“Brat. You’re here.”
“Lutred? What happened? Where are the other two?”
The Three Villainesses were like a set menu; they were always together.
Yet, for some reason, only the eldest, Lutred, appeared in the dream this time. Was there a reason? Why was a sense of dread washing over me?
“Well, you see. A lot has happened.”
“A lot? What on earth…”
Lutred then began to tell the story of what had transpired over the past three weeks.