Chapter 149
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 149
Chapter Title: Frozen Ruins (3)
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The moment I peeled the paper off the knight's armor, the knight's body—which hadn't fallen no matter what I did—collapsed like it was molting.
"D-Did I... get it...?"
Feeling the protective barrier from the [Ring of Nine Lives] finally fade away, I gasped for breath and stared down at the motionless suit of armor. Then, from the fallen armor, an ominous black energy seeped out and slowly sank into the ground.
...It was just like that variant ogre from the 20th floor. That thing had the same kind of aura... What the hell is it? And this paper...
'This shape... it looks familiar.'
Seeing living armors that looked like undead wandering around had made me suspect as much, but it seemed this ruin was connected to the one I'd encountered on the 9th floor somehow.
'Still, glad it ended safely...!'
The moment I thought it was over, something went wrong.
-Crunch!
"Guh?!"
From the crumpled paper clutched in my hand, a horrific wave of deathly yin energy and chill erupted. In an instant, my left hand froze solid, and starting from my wrist, the cold crept up my arm, gradually encasing my entire left arm in ice.
"Damn... sh...!"
I hurriedly tried to drop the paper bundle, but it was frozen solid to my hand and wouldn't let go. And when my left arm had frozen all the way to the elbow...
-【You. Are. Mine.】
A 'voice' echoed in my mind.
This was already the third time I'd heard that 'voice'. Once in the ruins on the 9th floor, once during the undead wave on the 12th floor. And now.
But this time was different from before. Up until now, it had just been the 'voice'...!
'A gaze...!'
Along with the sensation of slowly connecting to something, I felt a massive 'gaze'. Strongest from the page in my hand, and...
'From the entire ruin.'
The gaze came from the entire ruin where I now stood. From the ground, the pillars, the doors, the ceiling... It felt like every surface was covered in bulging eyeballs, a horrifying scrutiny tearing into me.
"Urk!"
[Mental Fortification lv. 7]
The instant I sensed the 'voice' and the gaze, a nauseating queasiness rose up alongside the unpleasant shaking of my soul. Was it because [Mental Fortification] had reached level 7? Even without [Sensory Block], I could endure it better than before.
"You... what the hell are you...?"
Gripping my sanity with everything I had, I hurled the question at the owner of that 'voice'.
-【Death.】
'Death?'
I hadn't really expected an answer, but surprisingly, one came. Death. As if introducing itself as "Death" itself.
-【And a failure.】
'A failure?'
More incomprehensible words followed. A failure? Failed at what? No, more importantly, why was it targeting me relentlessly?
'Ugh... no, this is my limit. I have more questions, but...'
No matter how high level 7 [Mental Fortification] was, my mind reeled every time this thing's voice rang out. On top of that, the chill from the paper bundle had now completely overtaken my left arm and was starting to freeze my body as well.
'[Sensory B...'
Listening any longer seemed dangerous, so I gave up on getting more info and, like on the 9th and 12th floors, tried to activate [Sensory Block].
-【No chance.】
"...! What?! Gah?!"
But my expectations were betrayed. The moment I tried to draw up mana to activate [Sensory Block], a massive surge of deathly yin energy erupted from the paper stuck to my hand, invading my body.
And with the horrific sensation, instead of the mana I'd tried to summon, deathly yin filled my mana circuits, forcibly canceling the skill.
-【Hand it over now...】
"Kahak?!"
As I panicked in this unexpected situation, the eerie 'voice' drew even closer, and as if everything before had been a joke, a soul-corrupting horror assaulted me, dragging my consciousness under.
-【Your soul. Your skills... I'll put them to good use.】
"Like hell I... guhak?!"
As I desperately clung to my fading consciousness, something flowed into my head.
'......Finally.... isekai... comrade... soul... labyrinth... failure... proposal...'
Someone's voice. Someone's vision. Someone's emotions, memories, regrets, grief, despair, hatred...
Someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's, someone's,
"Gaaaaahhh!"
Blood streamed from my nose. Strength drained from my entire body, and I dropped to my knees, clutching my head as I collapsed to the floor.
-【Ooh... With this, I can... rise again!】
The voice, now conveying clear ecstasy, grew closer. My sight faded, my sense of smell dulled. Something pushed my consciousness aside and took root in my mind.
This way...
.....
...
...
.
.
-【What is this, "Death"! This isn't what we agreed on!】
And at that moment, another 'voice' intervened. Unlike the fearful, living voices I'd heard before, this one was destructive and furious.
-【I wanted this one's death!】
"...Puha!"
The voice, brimming with raw fury, echoed through my mind, making the previous 'voice' falter as if overwhelmed. In that brief instant, my consciousness returned just a little, and strength flowed back into my body.
'That paper!'
Seizing the momentary gap, I shakily raised my still-unfrozen right arm. By some miracle, amid the excruciating pain, I'd unconsciously kept hold of my sword in my right hand.
-【...No...!】
"Raaah!"
And with that, I severed my frozen left arm clean off.
"Gaaaaahhh!"
Without [Sensory Block], pain beyond imagination crashed over me. Corroded by the chill, blood tried to spurt from the stump but froze solid immediately. Hot and cold, boiling blood and freezing blood—a paradoxical agony overwhelmed me.
'I... feel it...!'
Once the arm was cut off, the endless flow of deathly yin energy pouring into my body through the paper bundle stopped. And the mana flow, suppressed by the yin until now, returned.
-【...I will... return...!】
'[Sensory Block]!'
With the voice's final note of greed and regret, the moment I cast [Sensory Block], it vanished.
And I, pushed to my limits and struck by horrific pain head-on...
"Grk..."
...let go of consciousness entirely.
You endured and overcame a curse that froze even your soul. The [Curse Resistance] skill has transcended its limits and grown. [Curse Resistance] level has risen to 7.
Even with depleted regenerative power, you managed to regenerate your body. The [Regeneration] skill level has risen to 7! Recovery of lost body parts accelerates.
Your mind has grown after touching an unknown colossal spirit. The [Mental Fortification] skill level has risen to 8. However, the gap between the colossal spirit and your body is vast. Skill effects are partially reduced.
A desperate life-or-death struggle beyond limits. [Limit Break] level has risen to 5. You can now break through not just physical limits, but also mana and mental ones.
Pioneering a path through endless cognition. The [High-Speed Thinking] skill level has risen to 6.
Senses sharpen amid life-and-death combat. The [Intuition] skill level has risen to 6. You can sense what others cannot.
An unidentified power lingers in your body. You have acquired the [Necromancy lv. 8] skill.
'...Am I... alive...?'
Consciousness slowly resurfaced, and I came to on the cold icy floor. The moment awareness fully returned, endless pain wracked my entire body.
"Grrrgh..."
After writhing in agony for a while, I reflexively tried to use a skill to push the pain away.
'H-Hurry... [Sensory Block]!'
The skill activated instantly, and the pain tormenting my body vanished. Letting out a sigh of relief, I tried to prop myself up—and froze when I saw where my left arm should have been.
'Right... now that I think about it, I cut off my own arm...'
The last scene before blacking out flashed in my mind. Seizing the gap created by that sudden other 'voice', I'd sliced off my own arm. And the moment I'd cast [Sensory Block] on myself to shut out the voice.
The realization hit, and a ravenous hunger assaulted me.
-Grrrrumble!
"Ugh...!"
I frantically pulled out as much food as I could with my one arm. Eating awkwardly with one hand was a pain, so I just shoved my face into it and devoured like a dog. After wolfing down what felt like enough for ten people in one go, the hunger finally eased enough for rational thought.
"Ugh... This hunger... the [Regeneration] skill?"
Come to think of it, one of [Regeneration]'s effects was recovering lost body parts... Would this arm grow back? I wasn't sure if it'd fully regenerate the severed part, so I'd have to wait and see. For some reason, the stump looked a bit fleshier than the cut surface I remembered from when I'd sliced it off...
Setting aside my curiosity about [Regeneration] for now, I eyed the frozen chunk of my left arm—still clutching the paper bundle—lying beside me with unease.
'...Is it over?'
Unlike before, it no longer emanated chill or deathly yin; it just lay there quietly. Just to be safe, I pulled holy water from my inventory and splashed it on, but nothing happened.
Not trusting it fully, I cast [Sensory Block] and prodded it with my toe, ready to chop off a foot if needed—no reaction. Even when I scooped up the severed arm with the paper into my inventory whole, nothing stirred.
"...Fuck. I survived."
Only then did the relief of survival wash over me, and I slumped to the floor with a heavy sigh. No sooner had I done so than hunger struck again. I pulled more rations from my inventory, chewed them down, and opened my skill window.
'Why am I so damn hungry? Did something change with [Regeneration]... Huh?'
Opening the skill window, I spotted several skills that had changed while I was out cold.
But what drew my eye wasn't the upgraded [Regeneration] or [Mental Fortification] that had hit level 8 on its own...
[Necromancy lv. 8]
...A skill I'd never seen before.