Chapter 19
Chapter 19
What the... What the hell is this?
Is it not dead? No, there's no way it's not dead, right?
If you cut off the head and separate it from the body, anything dies.
I was poking the corpse when my party members arrived.
The beastmen quickly looked at each other's faces upon seeing the beastman's corpse.
They looked like they were checking to see if they were alive, which was weirdly funny.
They don't even trust each other.
"What is that?"
"I don't know either."
Conversations passing by behind me.
Even when I poked it with an axe, the corpse remained a corpse.
The elf was frozen, not knowing what kind of situation this was.
I flipped the corpse over to check its equipment, and various items popped out from its chest.
Rope, a comb, a claw sharpener, earplugs, powder for getting rid of fur bugs, etc.
They were such stereotypical items that hinted at its identity.
My hands, which had started moving faster without me realizing it, soon found something in the beastman's chest.
It was an item I wanted to deny even after finding it.
Because it was an Explorer badge.
"...!"
Everyone's eyes widened when they saw the item I found.
"... Check your badges now! Hurry!"
At Hera's shout, the Explorers started putting their hands into their chests.
The sound of rustling as they searched here and there was loud.
I also put my hand to my collar to check, and thankfully, my badge was still there.
"Checked. No issues."
"I have mine too."
"I have it."
"I have mine too."
Voices coming from behind.
No one said they didn't have a badge.
Then how did this...
I thought of one possibility and gave instructions for the follow-up.
"Bring the head and attach it. Also, collect all the belongings that fell around it."
The party members, who had been dazed by the absurd situation, moved in an orderly fashion.
Meanwhile, Hera approached me as I sat down for a moment.
Her voice was calm and serious, unlike usual.
"Is it what I'm thinking?"
"It probably is."
Hallucinations? There are no hallucinogenic monsters on the 17th Floor.
Apparent death-type monsters? That's the same.
This is a place where neither should exist.
"... That doesn't make sense. This is the 17th Floor."
I know it's the 17th Floor.
I also know that such things shouldn't happen.
But it actually happened.
"Focus on the phenomenon. The event actually happened right now. Don't ask how it's possible; you have to find the reason for what has already occurred."
And as far as I know, there is only one reason for that.
"But would you believe it if you were in their shoes? We're experiencing reality right now, but if you think about being on the outside..."
"... That's true. They'd think there's another reason."
Hera's voice settled down, calm and low.
While I was agonizing over how to accept this, the Guide shouted like a thunderbolt.
"Who's there!"
"Huh? Who's there?"
A voice filled with 100% confusion.
The owner of that voice appeared while rustling, but their expression changed upon seeing the corpse lying there quietly (though it wasn't exactly quiet at the point of being decapitated).
Before the opponent could say anything, I raised both hands and showed my palms.
"Wait a second."
"Wait a second?"
"Just listen to what I have to say first."
"... Am I hallucinating?"
The human warrior holding a hammer said blankly.
Well, I'm having that thought right now too.
No, to be precise, I'm having it a bit less.
But our party members are probably still thinking that for real. Should I introduce them since they're comrades?
"It's not a hallucination, it's reality. The situation you see in front of you right now, and this beastman's corpse, which I assume is your comrade."
"... What is this..."
"Let me introduce myself. I am the High-level Explorer Rian Werner. This is my party member, Hera."
"Rian Werner, Hera... The Twin Vipers."
"What?"
The words the human warrior blurted out unintentionally.
Hera, who was standing behind me, bristled.
Still, it was fortunate.
First, it was fortunate that they recognized us, and second, as far as I knew, we had nicknames much more vulgar than that.
"Before we talk about the matter of killing your party member, I want to talk about the situation we, and you, are currently facing. I'd like you to call your party members."
"... What is this situation right now?"
"Isn't that why I'm suggesting we talk, to figure that out?"
I could feel Hera loading her bow behind my back, out of their sight.
It was a bit subtle, but it wasn't a bad judgment.
Rather than watching them run away and things turning out badly for us, it was much better to catch and kill them, or take them hostage.
"... Understood. I will bring our party first."
"Good. You made a good decision."
The tension in Hera's body eased a little.
The opposing warrior looked at the beastman, whose head had been cut off but was now well-laid out, with complex eyes, and said to me.
"Did you guys kill him?"
"That's what happened. I don't know if you'll believe me, but I had no idea he was an Explorer."
"That... No, it's possible. Because it's a Labyrinth."
The elf next to him turned his eyes away as if feeling guilty for no reason.
The warrior, who had a bitter expression, approached the beastman and picked up the Explorer badge and a few other tokens that were carefully placed on the torso.
It seemed he intended to show them to the others.
"It won't take long."
The human warrior said that and disappeared.
I let out a deep sigh, and Erion said.
"So that's why you asked to tidy up the corpse."
"That's right. If they saw him die like a dog, they'd immediately lose their minds."
Even in death, there's a difference between having the body laid out with respect and being slaughtered like a dog about to become dog meat soup.
If it had been the latter, no matter what I said, that warrior would have run away or fought us.
Even in the Labyrinth, the way you say things makes all the difference.
"More than that, do you have any guesses about this situation?"
The beastman's question.
When I nodded slightly, the party members gathered around.
"I have some thoughts, but let's save it for later. It's only in the realm of speculation, so I need to think about it more."
"Then..."
"For now, I'd like you to keep watch on the surroundings. The load on us might be greater than expected."
The party members nodded and dispersed.
It seemed they had buried their earlier emotions, but since such a shocking event had occurred, it couldn't be helped.
I stayed in this spot with Hera and Erion and kept thinking. However, no matter how much I thought about it, no better possibility came to light.
* * *
The other party appeared just before nightfall.
The meeting took place with all our party members gathered.
"Ahem!"
The party that appeared while deliberately making their presence known was much larger than ours.
There were 13 humans and one cat beastman mixed in, and the cat beastman looked distraught as soon as he saw the corpse of the beastman who had died at our hands, examining the body here and there.
"Are you the one? The person who asked to see us?"
"Yes. I am the High-level Explorer Rian Werner."
The man who seemed to be the Party Leader was a middle-aged man with a generally thin impression.
Overall, his equipment was in excellent condition, and he gave off an atmosphere of being accustomed to combat.
Or more accurately, should I call it a 'dangerous' atmosphere?
"I am Yerkel."
"Yes, Yerkel. Nice to meet you. Let's get straight to the point before anything else."
"No. You killed our party member. Are you saying we should just let that slide?"
His voice had a hint of someone deliberately gritting their teeth.
The opponent's face... his eyes were narrow, so it was hard to read his emotions.
Still, well.
"I have no intention of letting it slide. It's just that there is a more urgent matter than that."
"A more urgent matter than a party member dying?"
"Yes. If you can't accept that, then just go back. We'll end it here, and let this matter be handled by the City Hall's investigation."
There is no reason or leisure to engage in a battle of nerves in a situation like this.
Yerkel narrowed his eyes slightly and then they exchanged words among themselves.
After various expressions passed over his face, he opened his mouth.
"In that case... that matter is very sorrowful and grievous. But since you say there is a more urgent matter, I will listen to it first. What is it?"
"Just looking at the fact that we met right now, you should know what it is."
Evidence of an anomaly is right in front of our eyes, so clearly.
Wouldn't there be no need to say more?
Yerkel was silent, and I continued.
"Let me ask you one thing, you guys also came to the 17th Floor, right? You didn't come to the 19th Floor, did you?"
"Yes."
"Didn't you feel that the monsters were powerful while coming here?"
"... That did happen. There were many ordinary monsters, but there were ones that were much more cunning and powerful than usual."
"When did you enter?"
"The morning of two days ago."
"Which entrance?"
"We came in from the west entrance."
The experience is the same as ours.
The time of entry is the same.
The entrance was different. The west entrance.
We entered from the center, so we entered from completely different places.
"Did you also come from the west to enter the 17th Floor?"
"Yes."
Even the entrance to the 17th Floor stairs was completely different.
Judging by this fact, our party and that party should never have been able to meet, nor should we have met.
If we follow the existing rule that a Labyrinth is 'generated' one per party from floors 1 to 50, that is.
And this phenomenon, at least to me, brought only one theory to mind.
A theory I don't really want to welcome.
"I can't be certain, but."
As I started with that, the gazes in this place focused on me.
Hoping people wouldn't be too surprised, I let it out.
"Currently, the 17th Floor... seems to have become a Deep Layer."
"A Deep Layer?! What kind of nonsense!"
The first voice to burst out was that of the Dwarf Party Leader.
It was intense, as if to represent his disbelief.
"How could we have entered a Deep Layer! This is the 17th Floor! Not the 57th Floor, but the 17th!"
"That's why I said it's in the same state as a Deep Layer. And meeting those who have entered the same floor like this is the biggest characteristic of a Deep Layer."
Everyone enters together, and everyone shares the load.
Thereby, the difficulty is amplified endlessly.
It's the biggest characteristic of a Deep Layer and one of the reasons why clearing a Deep Layer is difficult. Because even if only three parties of 4 people enter the same floor, it means 3 teams are sharing the load of 12 people.
It's a difficult difficulty even if you take on a load for 4 people, but if you take on a load for 12 people, you can't survive.
"Yesterday's Gnoll or this terrain right now can be thought of as an extension of that. The reason they were impossibly strong was because we shared their load, and the terrain can also be seen as having been created in the process of becoming a Deep Layer."
"Ugh..."
"Then why were the trash monsters weak?"
Yerkel's question.
It was a counterargument that could easily be thought of.
And it was also something that could be answered sufficiently.
"Just because it's a Deep Layer doesn't mean only strong monsters appear. The difficulty is adjusted like waves."
"That..."
"You'll know when you go. Anyway, that is the best explanation I can come up with. And I want to make a proposal right now, as an extension of that."
I lifted my sword and rested my hand on the hilt.
Yerkel and the opposing party showed a hint of tension on their faces.
But I haven't thought about what they might be thinking yet.
My proposal was a bit different.
A more peaceful one.
"How about we just withdraw together, right now?"
"Withdraw?"
"There are 23 people here right now. If you consider it a Deep Layer, the attacks will get fiercer. Since there's no guarantee we'll survive the day, it seems better to withdraw quickly, even if we have to stay up all night."
"Wait a second. We have zero harvest..."
The Dwarf Party Leader's words.
I raised my hand to stop him and looked at the other side.
Yerkel showed signs of hesitation and then they whispered among themselves.
Meanwhile, the Dwarf came over and whispered.
"... I am the Party Leader right now!"
Yeah, you are right.
But it was a story that made me laugh.
"Then you should have made the decision from the beginning."
"That's because I'm not used to the current situation..."
"Shut the fuck up."
I spat out irritably.
The Dwarf's eyes widened and his face stiffened.
"If you don't like me making the decisions, then get out. Ask the other party members, form a separate group, and leave. You've been putting off decisions since earlier, so don't start acting like an asshole now."
Abandoning the situation and now spouting nonsense.
The authority of a Party Leader is determined by deciding the party's course of action.
A Party Leader who doesn't decide, who just watches, has no effect.
The Dwarf's hands trembled, but he couldn't open his mouth any further.
Looking around at the party members, most seemed to agree that I was the current Party Leader.
Of course, not everyone agreed with me.
"We're just going to leave like this? Like this..."
The Paladin elf's voice.
It seemed like she was trying to repeat the argument she had been making until now.
We can't go like this, blah blah.
I raised my hand to stop her and opened my mouth.
"I understand that you're in a position where you can't leave like this. But you also have to understand that we have no choice but to leave like this."
"That's..."
"To put it bluntly, your colleague died because the difficulty suddenly spiked due to the Deep Layer phenomenon. Are you suggesting we repeat that situation? Until everyone dies?"
"..."
Silence.
It was a face that couldn't accept it.
But it was also a fact that had to be accepted.
That's probably why she didn't open her mouth any further.
However, there was also a reason I didn't tell the other party.
The reason I decided to withdraw together.
"And since it seems like this is your first Deep Layer, you might not know... in this situation, only one Hyantes Flower will appear."
"...!"
"If you decide to proceed, you have no choice but to fight."
It's doubtful if all 27 can reach it, but let's say they do reach it anyway.
Then 2 parties of 27 people have to share one Hyantes Flower.
Divide it by contribution? Or an auction? Bidding?
I don't know the future, but at least looking back at the 'past' I experienced in the Deep Layer.
Things will absolutely not go peacefully like that.
It's not for nothing that High-level Explorers call the lower floors 'Paradise' and the Deep Layers the 'New World'.
If you think you've heard that somewhere, yes, it's that One Piece thing.
Since it's a Japanese game, they probably put in such trivial settings as a parody...
Anyway.
"If that happens, it's much better to withdraw together while carrying the load than to go forward and fight while carrying the load."
"That..."
"In the current situation, you might just end up doing a favor for someone else. Keep that in mind."
The elf's momentum subsided.
If you fight fiercely and die, that's a good thing in itself, but it seemed she realized that if you die uglily fighting over rewards, there's no revenge for a friend (or lover) or anything.
"How about the others?"
"We agree."
"We agree too."
Agreement from the beastman group, the Gnome, and the humans.
The Dwarf eventually nodded, even while wearing a face that still held the humiliation he received earlier.
I guess he's a Dwarf after all.
Because if you die, there's no money or anything.
"Then first, arm yourselves."
"Arm ourselves?"
The elf tilted her head but nodded.
She seemed puzzled that I was doing that when the other side hadn't even brought their opinion yet.
While everyone was putting on their equipment, a voice was heard from behind.
"Hey, we've decided."
I could see the entire 14-person party coming this way.
At the very front were Yerkel and one party member.
I walked in front of them and stood at a distance.
"Yes. What have you decided to do?"
"Our decision is..."
The two of them approached me a little.
One step, and one more step.
A drawn-out answer. A subtly closed distance.
"...!"
Two daggers flying in an instant.
One for the neck, one for the armpit.
I blocked the armpit with my left elbow guard and the neck with my left hand.
The dagger stuck into my hand and was completely blocked.
At the same time, my axe slammed into the opponent's neck.
The carotid artery was torn, and blood spurted out.
I headbutted the flustered Yerkel and put some distance between us.
"Kill them!!"
At that moment, the remaining twelve.
All of them drew their weapons at the same time and rushed at me.