The Corpse Exhibition, Part 2

"I need human corpses."

Adelia froze in her tracks.

A look of utter bewilderment crossed her face as she stared back at me, asking as if ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to confirm she had heard correctly.

"C-Corpses...?"

"Yes," I replied with a nod. "About five should do."

"..."

"Bring me the ones that are the least decomposed."

Adelia looked momentarily unsettled by the sudden command.

However, her hesitation did not last long. With a look of resolve, she nodded.

"...Understood. I will prepare them immediately."

She set off at once to carry out my orders. Once she made up her mind, there was no hesitation in her steps.

Through our past journeys, she had learned that there was always a method to my madness.

"...?"

But Sikan Bauer was different. Frowning in confusion, he voiced his objection.

"What do you intend to do with corpses?"

"It's complicated to explain."

"Even so, you should tell me. Rather than acting arbitrarily without any explanation, cooperating would be—huh?"

Sikan stiffened.

In the distance, Adelia was preparing to hoist a corpse onto her shoulder.

"Good heavens..."

His face darkened instantly, and he rushed over to her.

"My lady, please leave such tasks to me."

"...Thank you."

From then on, carrying the corpses fell entirely on Sikan Bauer.

Recruiting Adelia to carry me through this was truly a stroke of genius. Otherwise, when else would I get to use a Level 85 Paladin as a pack mule?

Anyway.

Finding relatively fresh corpses was easier than expected. The ruined city was littered with the bodies of adventurers.

They had likely come seeking valuable relics only to be ambushed by monsters, or perhaps they had turned on each other in a bloody dispute.

Thanks to that, five bodies were gathered in no time.

"Whew..."

I sighed, looking down at the corpses.

Honestly, I really don't want to touch them.

A wave of revulsion welled up from deep within, but I suppressed it and reached for the bodies.

I forced one to kneel, sat another on top of it, and finally intertwined their arms and legs.

Recalling the "sculpture" from my memory, I began rearranging their limbs.

Crack!

Every time I shifted their positions, the sickening sound of twisting joints, tearing muscle, and snapping bone echoed in the air. The unpleasant sensation ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠clinging to my fingertips was an unwelcome bonus.

...I'm seriously going to throw up.

Doing this in reality, when I had only ever seen it through a screen, made my stomach churn.

But I forced down the nausea. This was an absolute necessity to enter the exhibition.

If not for my maxed-out Willpower stat, I probably wouldn't have lasted.

"..."

Naturally, my actions were horrifying to watch.

Standing a few paces back, Sikan Bauer muttered in a voice thick with disgust, "How can anyone commit such an impious act upon the deceased..."

"Watch your tongue, Sir Bauer," Adelia interrupted him sharply. "Lord Gaon is more noble and sublime than anyone. Having watched him by his side, I know this to be true."

"..."

"So, even if it makes you uncomfortable right now, please trust him and wait. Lord Gaon has a purpose for everything he does."

Adelia looked at me with earnest eyes.

Sikan Bauer opened his mouth to argue, but ultimately shut it tight.

"...Very well. I understand."

Yes. Thanks for the defense, Adelia.

Thanks to her, I was able to continue my work without any further interruptions.

"Phew."

Before long, a bizarre sculpture composed of five corpses was complete.

It was a hideous creation. Just looking at it sent a shiver running down my spine.

"..."

Yet, I couldn't tear my eyes away from it.

The twisted limbs and tangled flesh somehow transcended mere disgust, exuding a strange, eerie allure.

I wasn't the only one who felt it. Adelia and Sikan were also staring blankly at the sculpture, as if possessed.

I think I made it close enough to the sculpture I remember...

I turned my gaze toward the firmly shut main gates.

...This should be enough to satisfy the owner of this building.

Rumble!

Right on cue, accompanied by a massive tremor, the gates of the exhibition slowly began to creak open.

Success.

What followed was exactly as expected.

Sikan Bauer stared at me in disbelief, while Adelia chattered about how I must have received a "revelation."

After a moment of hesitation, Sikan Bauer approached me first to offer his apologies.

"...I apologize for my rash behavior. For this raid, at least, I will follow your lead without question."

I gave a light nod.

It might only be temporary trust, but it was enough. Being able to order a Level 85 Paladin around in this raid was a massive gain in itself.

Earning Sikan Bauer's complete trust could be done slowly, over time.

Well, at least he's quick to admit when he's wrong.

A strict rule-follower, but one who possessed a degree of flexibility. That was Sikan ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Bauer.

I had brought him along precisely because I knew this about him. If he had been a stubborn, close-minded fool, I would have left him rotting back in the Free City of Vertes.

The messages floated in a corner of my vision. I let out a bitter chuckle upon reading them.

...I don't need such a useless stat.

Dexterity was only useful for artists or blacksmiths. For me, it was practically garbage. I had no intention of sculpting pretty statues, and I certainly wouldn't be hammering iron in a forge to make weapons.

Still, better than nothing.

I was about to accept the increase in Dexterity with a grateful heart when...

Ah.

...He's here.

My vision was dyed crimson as translucent warning windows flooded my sight. Ignoring them, I squinted at the level window visible behind the warnings.

"..."

I had held a sliver of hope, but even with the game becoming reality, nothing had changed.

...I still can't see it properly because of the remnants of "those guys."

I quickly scanned my surroundings. Sikan Bauer's face was deathly pale, and Adelia was trembling violently, paralyzed by fear.

If my Willpower weren't maxed out, I wouldn't have fared any better. I probably would have rolled my eyes back, bled from my nose, and collapsed, dying from a shattered mind.

*Step.*

The surrounding air froze instantly.

*Crack, crack!*

A suffocating chill gripped my body. White steam puffed out with every breath, and frost rapidly crept over the building's glass windows.

*Step.*

The hollow sound of footsteps echoed once more.

From inside the wide-open building, an androgynous voice of indistinguishable gender offered a greeting.

"Welcome, everyone."

A being with abnormally long, spindly limbs emerged from the darkness.

Its face was as pale as a skull, completely devoid of features. Where the eyes, nose, and mouth should have been, there were only bizarre curves drawn in black paint.

"I have been waiting for visitors like you. It is an honor to host guests with such a deep appreciation for art."

A black cassock accentuated its deformed physique. Crosses bound by chains rattled against fingers that were nothing but bare bone. A rusted halo ornament added a grotesque aura of divinity.

"Now, allow me to guide you inside."

The immortal corpse artist, Camilo von Taribas.

With smooth, elegant movements, he began to lead the way.

Thanks for the heads-up, you bastards.

I didn't know why these warnings were still popping up. For me, this was reality, not a game.

With that thought, I followed behind Camilo.

Into the depths of the "Corpse Exhibition"—notoriously ranked as the worst dungeon among players.

Lost Elder was originally a game that proudly branded itself as a dark fantasy. It featured a bleak worldview, cruel lore, and grotesque visuals.

And the Corpse Exhibition was a dungeon that took all of those elements to a whole new level.

The Corpse Exhibition had been an infamous dungeon since the early days of *Lost Elder*.

One could easily gauge its shocking nature just by looking at the community's reactions back then. The riddles presented by the mad artist Camilo were things that could never be solved with a normal mindset.

Players had to interpret the meaning behind sculptures made of corpses to find the answers to the next riddles.

But the primary issue wasn't the difficulty of the puzzles.

Corpses splayed open like flower petals. Bizarre sculptures made by disassembling and reassembling joints. Bodies hanging upside down from the ceiling with their entrails spilling out, and faces embedded in the walls, used like windows.

These unspeakably disgusting elements constantly disrupted gameplay. How could anyone solve a puzzle when they could barely bring themselves to look at it?

...Crazy.

And now, those horrific sights were unfolding vividly in reality, not as pixels on a monitor.

It was incomparably more shocking and intense than anything seen in the game.

I can't keep a straight face.

No matter how hard I tried to endure it, there was a limit. The stench of rotting flesh was bad enough, but looking at the "artworks" displayed everywhere made the bile rise to my throat...

"How strange," a voice spoke right at that moment.

"Why do the creators of such a magnificent piece in the courtyard look so displeased?"

Camilo, who had been leading the way, stopped and turned back to face us.

The black curves painted on his face slowly began to distort.

"Could it be that you do not care for my exhibits?"

*Swivel!*

In that instant, hundreds of eyeballs arranged like a chandelier turned simultaneously to stare at us.

The sight was so grotesque it made my skin crawl.

"Or perhaps... you have other intentions?"

I turned my head and met Camilo's gaze.

Then, in the calmest voice I could muster, I replied, "It's because your work is disappointing."

"...?"

"I came here after hearing rumors, but it seems my expectations were misplaced."

The entire exhibition hall froze.

The black curves on Camilo's face gradually twisted into a nightmarish shape.

"Just now..."

The elegance and warmth in his voice vanished.

"What did you say...?"

Watching him fall for the provocation, I smiled inwardly.

Hook, line, and sinker.