The Art of the Trap

The final zone before the boss room of Sub-Dungeon #5, the Polluted Waste Deposit. We decided to rest here for the night before tackling the boss. My party members were fast asleep, and a campfire crackled quietly beside them. I stared blankly at the flickering flames.

The nights in the world of Nine Stars are long. ...Too long. Probably because there’s nothing to do. It’s not like I have a TV or a smartphone to stave off the boredom. Even the countryside homes of grandmothers have Wi-Fi these days.

‘If I’d known it would be like this, I should’ve brought a book.’

The idle time stretched on endlessly, but I couldn't neglect the night watch. Even if the chance of monsters attacking while we slept was extremely low, there was no need to gamble with the party's safety.

I poked the burning logs with a stick for no reason. It’s boring. No one to talk to. ‘If this were a game, I’d just skip this part.’

In the silence of being ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the only one awake, thoughts buried deep in my heart floated to the surface. Will I ever really return to the real world? I’ve thought about it hundreds of times since coming here. But no matter how much I agonized, there was no answer. Sometimes, I even wonder if the world I lived in before was ever real at all. The line between game and reality was blurring within me. And the conclusion was always the same.

‘A completely useless worry.’

What’s the point of struggling alone with a problem that has no answer? I just have to do my best to survive one day at a time.

“Hmm.”

Maybe it was because I’d been staring at the campfire for so long. I needed to pee. One of the few advantages of the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Polluted Waste Deposit is that you don’t have to go looking for a public restroom. I moved to a spot not too far from my sleeping party members. After carefully positioning myself over the waterway that glowed with a faint, fluorescent light—

Trickle, trickle—

I was used to the "sit-and-shoot" posture by now. Maybe it’s because I’m a little girl, but the stream is so pathetic. It feels more like a "tinkle" than a real pee. Damn it. Back in the day, it used to be powerful enough to drill a hole through a rock.

When I returned with a bitter feeling, Mitchell was awake, sitting in front of the campfire.

“Kid, did you go pee?”

“It’s not a ‘pee.’”

“Why are you getting angry in the middle of the night? Then was it a ‘poo’?”

I pouted and sat down with my back to Mitchell on purpose. I felt like she’d seen right through the thoughts I’d been having just moments ago, which made me act even more surly.

“Since I’m up early, I’ll take the early shift. Go to sleep, kid.” Mitchell lowered her voice so she wouldn't wake Wagner and Flora, who were sleeping nearby.

“Forget it. I can’t sleep anyway.”

“True. Maybe it’s because we’re underground without sunlight, but my sense of time is completely messed up.”

“I guess so.”

“You and I actually have something in common, don’t we? Those dullards over there don’t even care and just sleep like logs.” Mitchell chuckled.

It felt petty to keep acting grumpy, so I sighed and turned to face Mitchell. Anyway, having someone to talk to was better than staring at the campfire all night.

“Ow, ow...” Mitchell groaned softly. I looked at her red, swollen shoulder and clicked my tongue. Right, she’d been grazed by the acidic wall.

“Come here.” I said, rummaging through Wagner’s bag for herbs. Mitchell looked at me with her usual skeptical gaze.

“Don’t look at me like that and just come here. I’m going to apply some herbs.”

“Are those real herbs? You didn’t ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠just grab some weeds from a field, did you?”

“You and your suspicion... Forget it if you don’t want to.”

Mitchell hesitated for a moment before sitting close to me. Looking at the wound, the red burn marks extended from her shoulder all the way down her back. Honestly, no matter how much of a brawler she is, she dresses like a track athlete, which is why she gets hurt like this.

I slapped Mitchell’s back.

“Ow! Why are you hitting me?”

“Take it off.”

“Why?”

“You’re hurt all the way down your back.”

At my words, Mitchell took off her top without hesitation. Her back was slender but full of healthy vitality. Not a single ounce of fat, and her back muscles were harmoniously developed. The body of a trained warrior. Just looking at her back, I could tell how consistently this beautiful elf had trained.

However, there was one problem...

“Why aren’t you wearing one?”

“Wearing what?”

“A bra.”

“Ah— I don’t usually wear one. It’s stifling.” Mitchell said it like it was nothing.

“I-isn’t that bad? They’re bouncing all over the place. It hurts when you run, and, you know— they poke out through your clothes—”

“Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? Kid, why are you so flustered?”

“No, it’s just...”

“You’ve been acting weird for a while now. Why, is it that embarrassing that I’m not wearing a bra?”

I couldn’t answer immediately. Ah. My mistake. I should’ve just let it go, but I had to go and say something first. Mitchell grinned, then suddenly went quiet. That silence felt like she was hiding something up her sleeve...

The next moment.

“Wack!”

Mitchell turned her body sharply toward me. Feeling my heart drop into my stomach, I hurriedly covered my eyes. But in that split second, I had definitely seen them. The elf’s plump pair of assets, bouncing in perfect shape...

“Oh, come on— stop playing around!”

“Ahahaha— that’s hilarious. Why are you so shy? Your face is completely red. Huh? Why are you so embarrassed—”

“Go away! I’m not applying the herbs. Just get lost.”

“Kid, let me see yours too. Why— I showed you mine— did you hide some treasure chest in there?”

They say heaven and hell are only a hair’s breadth apart. With my eyes squeezed shut and unable to see, the elf’s hands were digging in everywhere. It might be heaven for some, but for me, it was hell. This pointy-eared girl is insanely strong, too. I couldn’t escape. I had no choice but to be toyed with.

“Oh, what the? Kid, you’re not wearing one either. See— I told you we were surprisingly compatible?”

Damn it. This rough girl...

I finally managed to escape Mitchell’s grasp and gasped for air. My shoulders were trembling slightly.

Grrr—

Wagner, sleeping on the other side of the campfire, tossed and turned. Mitchell fixed my disheveled clothes and brushed the dust off.

“Hey, hey, keep it down. You’re going to wake the others.”

“You’re the one who was being the loudest...”

“Oh, come on, kid— don’t be like that. This is how we get close.”

I bit my lower lip. It was only natural that my hands were filled with emotion as I applied the herbs afterward.

“Ow, ow— Ah! Ah! It stings! Wait, wait a second—”

“Endure it.”

“It hurts. Kid, you’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

“I told you to endure it. Be quiet.”

“You’re surprisingly petty...”

I finished the treatment by wrapping the bandage. I’d carefully mashed up herbs that were especially effective for burns, so it should heal quickly by morning. There wouldn't even be a scar.

“You’re really good at doing all sorts of things, aren’t you, kid?” Mitchell marveled as she looked at the neatly wrapped bandage.

“You cook, you handle corpses. You know dungeons well. You do first aid. Where did you learn all this?”

“Just by reading some books and picking things up along the way.”

“There’s nothing you can’t do. That’s impressive.”

I thought she was teasing me again, but Mitchell’s expression was sincere.

“At first, I didn’t really like you. Hmm— now that I see it, you definitely have the ability to be a party leader.”

“...”

“I don’t trust you 100% yet. But still, maybe like 83%?”

“What’s with that specific number?”

“Why are you nitpicking? I was just saying. You’re doing pretty well, kid.”

We stared at the campfire in silence for a while. Mitchell, perhaps bored, smacked her lips and pulled something out from her chest. A small badge shaped like a laurel leaf. Mitchell pressed her fist holding the badge to her chest, closed her eyes for a moment, and muttered something. When Mitchell opened her eyes, I asked.

“Were you a follower of Prelirium?”

“Yeah. You know him?”

“Of course I do.”

Prelirium, the God of Duels. He oversees honorable wars and battles, and is the warrior god who watches over fighters. One of the nine gods who govern the world of Nine Stars.

“But I didn’t learn theology or anything officially from the church. I just pray like this informally at the end of the day.”

“What kind of prayer?”

“It changes depending on my mood, but today, it’s like— Thanks for letting me fight well and win today, Mr. Prelirium! Something like that.”

“...Was the god Prelirium a ‘mister’?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen him, but that’s the image in my imagination. He sounds like he’d smell like an old guy. Like he sweats a lot and doesn’t wash often. Am I the only one who feels that way?”

“Isn’t that blasphemy?”

“Eh, it’s fine. Would a god be that petty?”

Mitchell laughed brightly without a care. She really is a freak. An elf who serves the God of Duels. Well, the fact that she’s an elf who swears like a sailor and is addicted to gambling was already unique enough.

“Kid, what god do you believe in?”

“Hmm...”

“Ah, I know. You’re a mage, so it’s Magica or something, right? Flora seems to believe in that god too.”

Is she talking about Magica the Blue, the Goddess of Magic? In this world, faith is not a choice but a necessity. Unlike religions in the real world that pray for happiness in the afterlife or peace of mind, the religions in Nine Stars provide immediate, visible benefits. That’s why the Faith stat stands proudly alongside Physical and Magic stats.

But I couldn’t answer Mitchell’s question honestly. ‘It’s better not to say.’

We’re laughing and chatting now, but my true identity is an Undying Lich. The god I serve is the infamous Goddess of Death, El. This world hates the followers of evil gods. I’d be in a position where I couldn't even protest if I were executed just for serving an evil god.

‘How would they react if they found out I’m a follower of El?’

Would they be horrified? Would they be afraid? Would they be angry that I’d been deceiving them all this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠time?

I gave a bitter smile. Whatever it was, it wouldn't be a pleasant situation. It’s best not to reveal it. If possible, it would be ideal to keep it covered up until the end and part ways on good terms. Anyway... that’s something to think about when the time comes.

“Huh?”

Suddenly, Mitchell’s eyes went wide.

“Why?”

“Kid, wait, be quiet.”

Mitchell put a finger to her lips, closed her eyes, and concentrated as hard as she could. Her pointed ears twitched intermittently like a rabbit’s. She’s a freak, but she’s an elf, so she must be able to hear small sounds from far away.

“...I’m not sure.”

A moment later, Mitchell tilted her head and opened her eyes.

“Did you hear something?”

“No, I don’t know. I thought I heard a sound like something crashing—! But it’s too far away to be sure. Eh, forget it. It’s probably nothing. Don’t worry about it, kid.”

Mitchell waved her hand as if it were nothing, but I kept my mouth shut. An elf’s hearing is superhuman. If it’s an underground place as quiet as the waste deposit, she should be able to detect the sound of a rock crumbling somewhere far away. Is it really nothing?

We are the only living people in this waste deposit. We wiped out all the other monsters on the way here, leaving only the boss room. Even if it turns out to be a waste of effort, it’s better to check.

I stood up without a word.

“Uh, kid. Where are you going?”

“...To take a poo.”

I waved the toilet paper in my hand and walked away.

The main quest for the frontier, The Vigilante Rebellion. By now, the start of the full-scale story should be imminent. That means one of Dawson’s hideouts and the Garden underground field will soon be connected. There are five zones in the underground field. Since the connected zone changes randomly in every game, it’s impossible to determine it in advance.

‘The probability is one in five.’

Where will Dawson’s hideout, the underground cave, lead to? The underground waterway I’m currently in is one of the candidates. If the mysterious sound Mitchell heard was the sound of a wall leading to the underground waterway being broken...

‘It means the Vigilante search party has entered the underground waterway.’

I quickened my pace. I went back up the Polluted Waste Deposit and arrived at the starting point.

“Whew.”

I caught my breath for a moment and immediately poured magic into my gloves. Clairvoyance. My expanded vision pierced through the underground darkness, scanning every corner.

‘They haven’t reached this far yet.’

The search party wasn’t in sight. “Whew.” I breathed a sigh of relief for now. However, I couldn’t be completely at ease yet. It might just be that our timing was off. So, I decided to prepare a more certain countermeasure.

‘It’s a good thing I brought the materials just in case something like this happened.’

I took the necessary tools out of my bag and laid them on the floor. Hammer, shovel, saw, wooden planks, nails, camouflage tarp...

What I’m about to make is a trap. And not just for beasts or monsters, but a trap strictly for people. It’s a good thing the location is the Polluted Waste Deposit. The acidic walls that melt flesh and the toxic waterways are extremely dangerous on their own, but when combined with my traps, they’ll be a hellish experience for the intruders.

I don’t even need giant blades or crossbows loaded with poison arrows. If I just hold their legs for a moment and throw them off balance, the Polluted Waste Deposit will take care of the rest.

“Hmm-hmm-”

I found myself humming. Digging a round hole in the floor, hammering nails into planks. The work of making and setting traps was more fun than I thought. I felt like the protagonist of the Home Alone series, which I used to watch like an annual event every Christmas. But the situation is a little different from the movie. Since this isn’t a G-rated movie that children can watch, it won’t just end with a broken arm if they get caught in my trap. No, maybe what I’m doing now is closer to the Saw series.

‘It’s actually really fun once I start making them.’

It felt like the genre had briefly changed to a defense game. I carefully set my special traps at every location where they would inevitably step. ‘This is crazy. It’s almost at the level of art.’

It’s not just me being full of myself. For a first attempt, these traps are masterpieces even in my eyes. I’d actually be disappointed if they went unused. ‘I actually hope they come here. Please, I beg you, come here.’

I secretly wished for it in my heart. You Vigilante bastards. Don’t go anywhere else, come here. Let’s step on a trap once, shall we?

Suddenly, I caught a glimpse of myself reflected in the filthy water of the waterway. A gray-haired girl was smiling wickedly and chuckling. ...No, this makes me look like the villain. It feels like the roles have been reversed.