Chapter 26
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Julius (2)
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5. Occasionally, someone who looks like a bug might board the elevator. You must ignore them no matter what.
Dungeon Exploration, Day 4
Julius's expedition had entered Dreamland.
And today marked the fourth day.
Their personnel was superior to Tier's expedition.
Julius's own leadership was outstanding as well, so they had expected the exploration to proceed smoothly.
Screeech, screeech.
But they, too, just like Reberio and Gius's and Tier's expeditions,
had come to a halt in front of the elevator.
"......"
They had entered the dungeon with 12 members.
Now, including himself, only 4 remained.
The elevator entrance was piled high with withered corpses and chunks of flesh.
This was the price of their reckless advance.
The facts they had learned so far from their companions' deaths were as follows.
1. If two or more board the mechanical device, they die inside.
2. Pressing the number buttons on the device creates a floating sensation as the floor changes.
3. You can change floors up to three times; after that, it returns to the 1st floor and the doors open.
4. Floors 1 through 10 are all dark corridors without lighting. (The corridor we're in now is also the 1st floor, but pressing 1 on the elevator leads to a dark corridor.)
5. Dark corridors without lighting are areas undetectable by magic, just like the device itself.
6. If you step out of the elevator into a visible dark corridor, your bodily fluids are drained and you die.
7. Occasionally, when changing floors, a bug-human boards the elevator.
'Is this really a newborn dungeon...?'
Julius let out a small sigh.
Normally, dungeons were places where you killed minions and smashed traps to advance, weren't they?
The scene before his eyes defied his common sense.
What on earth was this bizarre dungeon?
The trap blocking the entrance appeared to be some kind of spatial transfer device.
Yet it had a vicious trait: it immediately killed intruders who didn't follow specific rules.
And it couldn't even be smashed.
It just lay there, emitting an ominous screeech screeech.
'No wonder Tier failed.'
This Dreamland was a place where the Branded Elves' magic and martial arts meant absolutely nothing.
"Urk."
Like a slime silently watching them from beyond.
The mechanical device blocking the passage neither broke nor vanished.
This meant the Dungeon Master had suffered no losses in the previous two expeditions.
It had been a long time since he'd felt this way.
It was like gazing up at an impossibly tall mountain.
There weren't many Branded Elves.
Reberio and Gius's expeditions, Tier's expedition.
And the Branded Elves who had entered with him now.
Already 22 had died.
These were among the most skilled of the Branded Elves who had entered the dungeon.
Of course, under the assumption of acquiring magic stones, it was a sacrifice they could endure.
But wandering lost at the entrance like this represented tremendous losses.
'The silver lining is.'
Assuming they followed the unknown rules, his companions wouldn't die.
It was bizarre, but
at least the monster in the pitch-black corridor hadn't come down from the elevator to slaughter them all.
'A life-or-death puzzle, huh.'
If there were truly no solution, he'd wash his hands of it cleanly.
But no.
There was definitely an exit.
'Next time, I should bring slaves.'
The Branded Elves' combat prowess being useless
meant, conversely, that even those incapable of fighting could be used as pieces in this dungeon.
He thought using human slaves would be ideal.
They were far easier to command than Branded Elves, supplies were straightforward though time-consuming, and
in extreme situations, even if they turned a blade on him, they could be easily subdued.
'For now.'
Future plans could wait.
The best outcome was gathering as much information as possible in this expedition.
Julius looked at the demoralized Branded Elves.
"Aaaah..."
"I feel sick..."
"How the hell do we even get past the entrance? We can't go into the unlit corridors, but no matter what button we press, it's always an unlit corridor... I just can't get a read on it."
"Aren't we supposed to fight the monster somehow? Maybe it's the one blocking the way."
"Horda, who was second only to you in strength, got taken out. How are we supposed to beat it? If two ride, they die in the elevator, fuck... Can't you step up for once, Elder?"
The unbearable stench from the corpses.
The current impasse where they couldn't leave or advance.
The eerie sounds from the elevator at the entrance.
His companions' patience had nearly reached its limit.
"There must be a way."
"A way my ass! You know better than anyone what happened to those kids as they died! If you've been watching from the back all this time, step up now!"
"Wait... Elder, don't you have an escape scroll?"
At those words,
the eyes of the survivors turned fierce.
Julius nodded in affirmation.
"Of course I do."
"As expected!"
One hot-tempered Branded Elf drew his sword.
He swung it fiercely at Julius, but in an instant, his wrist was seized and he was thrown to the ground.
"Krrk!"
"This scroll is for me to use if things truly seem hopeless, as you suspect. I won't deny that."
He shook out his wrist.
And continued calmly.
"Even if you all work together and miraculously steal the escape scroll from me, there's only one. After that, will you turn on each other? Even if luck lets you be the last one standing, you'll live as a limbless cripple?"
He was right, just as Julius said.
He was strong.
Even if three ganged up on him, their chances of winning were slim to none.
And with only one escape scroll,
they'd have to compete with the rest, making proper cooperation impossible.
The Branded Elves' killing intent faded.
"It's not completely hopeless. Look at the information we've gained from our comrades' sacrifices so far. You might think we're stuck at the entrance, but we're advancing step by step. That's an undeniable fact. We have plenty of food and water now that our numbers are down—what's there to fear?"
Julius soothed the elves.
He instilled them with irresponsible hope that it was entirely possible.
"......"
"There are definitely rules to this elevator. I'm certain of it. If we figure them out, we can move forward. The Dungeon Master isn't a god. It's just a trial we can overcome."
The exploration continued.
Julius sent the Branded Elf who had held a blade to his own throat into the elevator.
The elf hesitated but ultimately obeyed the order.
He had no choice.
Refusing here would make him an enemy not just to Julius but to the other survivors as well.
"No anomalies. Even pressing floors 2, 3, and 4 in order showed only unlit corridors."
The elf who completed the scouting reported from the entrance.
Julius stroked his chin.
He already knew the general situation via communication magic.
The one regrettable point was that he couldn't see it with his own eyes.
If he'd known it would come to this, maybe he should have learned some dark magic from the Shadow School.
No matter how detailed the description,
visual confirmation was far superior in quality to hearsay.
"Any bug-human?"
"None sighted yet."
Bug-human.
A monster that occasionally emerged from the unlit corridors to board the elevator.
To describe it in one word: the Grim Reaper.
From the dying screams of deceased Branded Elves, they could infer:
Physical attacks were useless, its appearance was horrific,
and it killed intruders the moment it spotted them.
It sounded utterly hopeless at first glance.
But this bug-human probably had rules too.
The elevator could shred its occupants into meat, yet
when ridden alone, it did no harm.
In that instant,
an idea flashed through Julius's mind like lightning.
"If you encounter a bug-human, don't attack. Be as friendly as possible."
"Friendly...?"
"Yes."
For example, if your opponent keeps throwing rock in rock-paper-scissors but you keep throwing paper, you're the fool.
Having confirmed aggression led nowhere, it was time to try another approach.
"Understood..."
The Branded Elf looked reluctant,
but nodded as if he got it and entered the elevator.
-KAAAAAAGH!!
The attempt failed.
Julius clicked his tongue.
Dungeon Exploration, Day 5.
"......"
Now, including himself, only three remained.
Julius let out a small sigh.
No rebellion had occurred.
In a situation where seizing the escape scroll was impossible,
the only way out of this dungeon was boarding the elevator.
He had drilled that into his companions thoroughly.
Of course, there was a risk of a surprise attack during vulnerability,
so last night Julius had kept considerable distance from the other two while resting.
No variables arose.
"Madelaine."
"Yes, Elder..."
"You go."
"M-Me?"
Julius nodded.
"This time, show no reaction whatsoever. Act as if the bug-human doesn't exist, completely nonchalant."
"Fuck."
Madelaine fumed inside the elevator.
He kicked the walls, pounded the doors, slammed his head against the glass.
Naturally, the elevator remained unscratched.
"Fuck, how the hell did I end up dragged to this shithole... Fuck, fuck, fuck!"
The Elder's order
was no different from telling Madelaine to kill himself.
"Motherless bastard. Son of a bitch with two moms. I'd chew up your guts and entrails and it still wouldn't be enough!"
"Ascending."
"Doors opening."
"Floor 2."
"Ascending."
"Doors opening."
"Floor 3."
"Ascending."
"Doors opening."
"Floor 4."
All that was visible was unlit corridors.
Stepping out meant the doors would close and death.
Madelaine simply stayed still inside the elevator while reporting the situation.
"Descending."
"Doors opening."
"Floor 1."
With a heavy thunk, it returned to the 1st floor.
He pressed the buttons again.
"Ascending."
"Floor 9."
"Doors opening."
Unlit corridor.
Madelaine stared straight ahead with a bored expression.
-Any bug-human?
"None visible."
-Roger.
At first, tension lingered.
But humans adapt quickly.
With nothing happening, his heart settled.
"Doors closing."
Madelaine yawned lazily and stretched.
It would be nice if he found the exit unscathed like this.
'Hm?'
Did the doors usually close this slowly?
They'd always slammed shut with a bang before.
In that moment,
Madelaine's expression hardened.
Through the narrowing gap, someone was visible.
Its skin clung like a damp membrane.
The nose was gone,
replaced by a long, black proboscis.
Its metallic tip gleamed, encrusted with dried blood.
Bzzz... bzzz...
Each breath brought a mosquito-wing hum.
Looking into its swollen, massive compound eyes made him want to scream.
It squeezed through the gap.
"Doors opening."
The bug-human stood beside him.
And stared silently at Madelaine.
"Hahk, hahk..."
Madelaine desperately regulated his breathing.
He suppressed the urge to bolt out of the elevator.
He prayed fervently for this moment to pass quickly.
His comrades had died upon encountering the bug-human.
One had picked a fight, another had tried talking,
but all futile.
The only action he could take
was, as the Elder said, no reaction at all.
-Madelaine? Madelaine?
The bug-human's antennae probed Madelaine.
From his toes up to his head, meticulously.
The horrifyingly soft touch swept over his entire face.
His heart pounded.
His breathing grew ragged.
He couldn't even close his eyes for fear of detection.
"Doors closing."
A moment later,
the bug-human left the device.
Madelaine collapsed in place.
"D-Did I... survive?"
Surviving was a relief, but
his pants were soaked.
"Fuck, to think I'd piss myself at my age..."
Madelaine sighed and returned to the 1st floor.
He reported what he'd seen to the group.
Julius clenched his fist.
He felt like he'd nearly solved the elevator's riddle.
Just a bit further, and they'd escape the entrance.
The colorless, odorless slime that had been watching them had vanished,
but no one noticed.