Chapter 3: The Trap
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 3: The Trap
Where did I go wrong, and how do I fix it?
My initial judgment to tell Yernil to be quiet wasn't wrong.
If anything, I should have shut her up sooner. I should have told her that if she had the energy to chat, she should use it to check the path ahead, the ground below, and the walls beside her. That she shouldn't waste a single moment of focus. That we weren't on a picnic, and the Labyrinth was not a forgiving place. That's what I should have said.
I need to think.
I have to resolve this tight spot somehow. First, I need to analyze the situation.
Right now, we're standing side-by-side in a corridor about five meters wide.
Wall, me, Yernil, wall.
…in that order.
The walls are important.
Many of the traps on the first floor of the Labyrinth involve blades shooting out from the walls.
Calculating for human walking speed, the primary impact zone is about one meter in front of and behind where the trap is triggered.
Thank goodness, ‘rolling one’s eyes’ doesn't consume Action Points.
I desperately scanned the wall on Yernil's side.
There were no ‘holes’ over there.
The kind that would shoot out spears or arrows.
What about my side?
Could something shoot out from the wall to my left?
It could. It all happened the instant I was about to foolishly grant Yernil my permission to chat in a low voice. With my head turned towards her, I couldn't see my left side in this state with the hourglass activated.
[48]
More than ten seconds had already passed.
I have to use my Action Points.
It’s a waste of AP, of course, but time is more precious. I turned my head to the left, rolling my eyes as far as they could go.
[Action Points: ■■■□]
The horizontal field of view for a human is about 200 degrees. Of course, the ability to identify things at the peripheries is much worse than straight ahead.
But if what I was looking for were two-centimeter-diameter holes in the wall, I could spot them even if I could only make them out roughly.
[Action Points: ■■□□]
Turning my head about thirty degrees cost me two AP. And with that, I had the information I needed about the wall to my left.
No holes.
This wasn't a trap that shot out from the walls.
What if it's a falling trap?
A log could come swinging down from the ceiling like a pendulum.
I rolled my eyes upward to look at the ceiling.
Looks fine.
I couldn't be 100% certain, but based on my in-game experience, the ceiling's appearance should be subtly different if there were a trap.
Is the only remaining possibility a ‘floor trap’?
I listed out all the types of floor traps I’d experienced on the first floor of the Labyrinth.
1. Rising Spike Trap.
A spike would shoot up, piercing straight through the sole of Yernil’s foot to the top, completely shattering it. I wouldn't be hurt, but she would find it difficult to walk properly.
2. Exploding Nail Trap.
It was highly likely that not only her left foot, which triggered the trap, but her entire lower body—and the right side of my leg, standing to her left—would be torn to shreds. It would be a major injury for me and a fatal one for her.
3. Gas Trap.
Poisonous or sleeping gas would spray out from under her foot, taking us both down. Either way, the ending would be the same: we’d become monster food.
4. Pitfall Trap.
The floor would give way, dropping us to the second floor of the Labyrinth. In this case, there would be absolutely no hope of survival for us.
What should I do?
For traps 1 and 4, I’d have to leave it to fate. Since the trap had already been stepped on, there was nothing I could do.
But 2 and 3 were different.
Those two were traps that activated the moment the foot was lifted.
When the hourglass effect ends, Yernil will almost certainly lift her foot, carried by her walking momentum.
How do I know?
Because her heel is already raised.
[20]
[19]
[18]
A reason why it couldn't be trap #1 came to mind.
The timing of the hourglass's activation.
The hourglass didn't activate until Fatty and the Fanatic were impaled by the spears.
If the button under Yernil's foot was for trap #1, she would be the only one harmed. Therefore, this selfish hourglass would have no reason to activate.
So, it has to be one of 2, 3, or 4. Whichever it is, it's a threat to me the moment it goes off.
[6]
[5]
[4]
“Aaargh!”
I screamed in frustration.
“I’ll step on it.”
It was the only way.
That way, I could prevent it from going off if it was trap #2 or #3.
If it was #4, we were screwed either way, but I prayed it wasn't the pitfall trap.
Using my remaining Action Points, I pushed my right foot toward Yernil.
[All Action Points have been consumed.]
[Ending turn.]
Tap!
The tip of my foot barely managed to press the edge of the button.
“Ugh!”
At the same time, Yernil, tripped by my foot, stumbled. From her perspective, it must have felt like I had suddenly kicked her leg.
“Wh-what are you doing…?” she asked, having just regained her balance.
“…You stepped on a trap, Yernil.”
“A trap?”
Thank goodness, it wasn't #4. The floor hadn't collapsed, and we were still on the first floor.
And it wasn't #1, either. This was either the exploding nail trap or the gas trap.
“It’s a trap that goes off the moment you lift your foot. To stop it from activating, I had no choice but to stick my foot out and step on it myself.”
“…”
Yernil was so flustered she didn't know what to do.
“R-really? I’m so sorry… What should I do…?”
There is one way to solve this kind of trap.
You place a heavy object on it instead.
“Yernil. There were two oak barrels on the path we just came down. Do you remember?”
“Yes.”
“Could you go get them for me?”
*
I was confident Yernil wouldn't betray me.
Given her fear of the Labyrinth, losing her last party member and being left alone would be her most terrifying nightmare.
And since the oak barrels were on the path we’d already cleared, the chance of her encountering a monster was extremely low.
Therefore, Yernil would succeed in the mission I gave her.
That was my line of thinking when I stuck my foot out, but still, being left alone after she disappeared made me uneasy.
Thirty minutes had passed since Yernil left.
Why isn't she back yet?
Ominous thoughts began to surface one by one.
What if something unexpected happened to Yernil?
There were no monsters on the path we’d cleared, but what if one had entered from another passage in the meantime?
What if she was killed by them?
What if there's another trap?
There might be a trap we were lucky enough to avoid on our way here. What if Yernil steps on it and gets blown to bits?
Was stepping on the trap for her a crazy thing to do after all?
If it had been a gas trap, we both would have died, but if it was the exploding nail trap, I could have survived.
Yernil would have died quickly from blood loss, but I could have limped on.
Should I have gambled on that option instead?
Or what if I had grabbed Yernil after stepping on it for her? What if I had yelled at her to step on the button again while I went to get the barrels?
That might have been better.
If she got scared and refused to step on it, I could have threatened her. Whether I aimed my wand or my fist at her, the timid woman would have followed my orders.
I should have made her stand here and gone for the barrels myself.
A wave of regret washed over me at the thought that I had been too gentle.
I should have been more selfish.
It wasn't that I was particularly considerate of her, but isn't this a matter of life and death?
I seethed with anger and regret at my own lack of cunning.
Just then.
“Caleb! I brought them!”
Yernil appeared, struggling under the weight of an oak barrel.
“You waited long, didn't you? I'm sorry. It was so heavy.”
“…”
At last, the terrible images in my mind vanished, and I returned to being a civilized man who knew a thing or two about honor, consideration, and leadership.
Humans are cunning and adaptable animals.
“Place it next to my foot. On top of this stone tile.”
“Okay!”
After we finished the task together.
I backed away to a safe distance and took out my magic wand.
It was the ‘telekinesis’ wand that Fatty had been carrying. Among the spells I currently had, it had the longest range.
“I’m going to try and knock that barrel over.”
I needed to check the trap. Was it really an exploding nail trap or a gas trap, just as I’d calculated?
Or was there a new type of trap here, one I didn't know about?
If it was the latter, things would get much more complicated from now on. My calculations would become far more complex.
“Move with an unseen hand.”
As I chanted the incantation, telekinetic force pushed at the edge of the oak barrel.
I tilted it past its center of gravity.
Thud.
The barrel fell and rolled away. The moment it was off the button…
BOOM!
A powerful explosion erupted, sending nails flying everywhere.
“Aaaah!”
Yernil screamed in terror, while I felt a sense of relief.
My calculations had been correct.
*
After the trap incident, the way Yernil looked at me changed slightly.
Well, how should I put it?
If it were romantic affection, I'd actually feel more at ease, but this was a reverence bordering on worship.
Please don't.
I was a man who had acted purely out of self-interest.
Even after sending you to get the barrels, I was regretting not forcing you to step on the button instead.
And let's imagine something more cruel.
What if it had been a rising spike trap? What if Yernil was the only one who would have been hurt when it went off?
Would I still have taken the risk, stepped on it for her, and stopped the trap from exploding?
I doubt it.
Honestly, I'm not so sure.
I only stuck my foot out to avoid getting hurt myself. It was nothing more than a gamble between three options: dying alone on the trap, getting blown up together, or both of us surviving unscathed.
So when she looks at me with such respect, it’s honestly a bit embarrassing.
But her positive feelings toward me did have their benefits.
“Maybe… I feel like we might actually get out of here alive.”
She had become optimistic about her survival.
It seemed I had earned her trust by taking out two goblins in an instant and by expertly handling the trap for her.
From my perspective, that trust wasn't a bad thing.
From now on, Yernil would do as I say.
That was truly important.
In the game, I controlled all four members of my party, but now, I can barely manage my own body.
Having my party members move like my own limbs according to my instructions is essential for victory in battle.
I absolutely need a party member with whom I have that level of trust.
Yernil's combat ability was low for now, but in that regard, she seemed promising. If she grows well enough, she might just be useful.
Though, I'd have to make her something other than a wizard.