Chapter 13: Smile

[Floor Minus 28]

What is with this new development? I didn't ask for this, not at all. The tension between me and Liri is getting to the whole team. The usual noises of Damian and Liri admiring my picture stories is replaced by this uncomfortable silence, and it's all thanks Liri saying that I talk in my sleep. Dammit, is this a bluff? Why isn't she telling anyone yet, what is she waiting for? Or is she going to use it for blackmail? I can't tell with her, she's too unpredictable.

"Hey Rosea, are you and Liri having a fight...? Asking for a friend, by the way. Not me."

Damian looks at both me and Liri with worry obvious on his face. I shake my head and coupled it with a reassuring smile. He then goes to Liri's side and asks the same question.

"Nah, we're totally not fighting. Isn't that right, Rose?"

I nod with a thumb up. I'm kind of tired, so I'll go with the best way in dealing with this situation: Ignore it. Liri's not saying anything, so I won't either. I'll wait until her next move, then I act. That sounds about right, just like how I deal with my every problem. I think Liri noticed my expression easing up since she gives me a cute smile and her pointy ears perk up. What the hell, is that dark elf for "Smile all you want right now because it's going to be the last smile you'll ever be doing"?

I can't tell.

"Hey everyone, why do you think that is? Ya know, humans don't normally change their leg count during the day. How could we have four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three at night? Don't that sound strange?"

Purplehead still hasn't moved on from that stupid riddle for some reason. Damian joins in on this discussion with a push of his falling glasses.

"... It's obvious, now that I think about it. The riddle was probably a deconstruction of humanity's tendency to become the monsters they themselves fear so much."

"Eh? What's that? Deconstiructition? That's deep, man."

"Hm. But the rabbit hole goes deeper than that. The human goes into three stages of transformation throughout the day, namely, from four legs to two legs to ultimately, three legs. The first transformation — four legs — is the transformation into a beast. He is rabid and follows only his instincts. A man degraded to this level forgoes the greatest tool given to him by the goddess, his mind. The second transformation — two legs — is the transformation into a human that follows his base desires. We have to admit, humanity is selfish and maybe even more dangerous than the beast. His mind is sharpened for evil and without the goddess' light, he works toward nothing but his own debauchery. And the last transformation — three legs — is that which is neither beast nor human — an abomination hell-bent on pure chaos and destruction... at least, that's what I get from the riddle."

"Whoa... that's unfair, ain't giving a question like that this early in the labyrinth cheating?"

... What the hell? I draw a crawling baby, a walking man and an old man with a cane going through the day and show it to Liri.

"Yup, that's the right answer. Damian's nonsense was amusing, but nowhere near correct."

"N—nonsense!?"

I breathe a sigh of relief. I almost thought for a second there that I was the stupid one. But it seems like purplehead isn't done yet.

"Liri's right, Damy-boy. Besides, a three-legged man would just look like a dude with a huge di—"

"Focus, Ron!"

Gaul pulls purplehead back just in time to miss an iron spike springing up from the ground.

"What do I always say?"

"... It only takes the smallest of slips to kill a whole squad in the belly of the monster. Got it, boss. But you can't deny that I'm right. It really does look like that, right?"

"Just get moving. And this goes to you guys at the back as well!"

Baldy whips us all up to move along. But the heavy atmosphere has definitely lifted, and we're back to the easy-going group we once where. I don't know about Liri's intentions at all, but I do know mine. Do I?

Tick, tock, tick, tock...

"Rock, paper, scissors! Rock, paper, scissors! Rock, paper, scissors! Hihihi! You lose again, 3-0!"

And so this is what I've been reduced to: playing rock paper scissors with Liri. My eyes busy themselves by following her pointy elf ears wagging up and down, up and down, to actually focus on the game. My stories can only go so long until they run out. The adventurer life somehow manages outdo a library in boredom. Our enemies — the many variety of monsters that occasionally come our way — could not stand against their high-leveled strength. All the traps, every turn in this labyrinth, fastidiously mapped out by the adventurers before them, so we walk without worry or care.

These guys are strong, and are nearly reaching the level cap. Soon enough they'll be strong enough to flick away even the strongest of monsters. Then what? After mapping out all the dungeons, exploring every ancient city there is, the adventure stops and turns into a chore. Like reading a book, again and again and again. Adventuring for the sake of adventuring is nothing but a fool's errand. It's ironic how their goal at the end is the destruction of their very selves.

From what I get, adventures are just suicidal people without the courage to off themselves, so they distract themselves by going out... I'm really bored, aren't I? Up, down, up, down... I notice something beyond her ear.

Was that just an eye? I blink, but nothing's really there. Just the darkness our torches won't reach. Should I be worried...?

"Rock, paper, scissors!... Ah, you win. Didn't see that one coming."

I have my hands open like a paper, while hers was clenched like a rock. I win? That makes me kind of happy.

[Floor Minus 29]

The moment we enter this floor, the strong stench of death hits our noses. I recognize this smell. Corpses in several stages of decay strew the dark-stained floor, and I could even see some maggots popping out from their eyes — of those who still have eyes. My stomach hurts, and I try my best to hold back that lumpy feeling rising from my throat. What is this...?

Liri examines the bodies without even flinching.

"... They weren't killed by monsters."

I try to look closely as well, but Gaul pulls me back.

"Be careful, there might be traps on them."

I shake him off. I know how to take care of myself, big guy. So instead, he warns everyone not to touch anything. Wearing my reading glasses, I try to determine the cause of their death up close, but it doesn't make anything much clearer. No, it made things worse. What I mean is, their deaths make absolutely no sense. I look at Liri to get her opinion, but she's just looking at the corpses while biting her fingernails in frustration. We're in the same boat.

Some were impaled by swords, others had arrows dug deep in their eyes and heads. There were some scorched by fire, their skins melted and their muscle tissues exposed for all to see. There's no regularity in their deaths except for their naked brutality... and that eerily peaceful look on their faces. Gentle smiles that would earn a rosy chuckle from a baby is being shown to me now. I step back a bit and feel a soft squish under my foot. I raise it slowly and see that I have accidentally squished an eyeball... I wanna vomit.

But that's the least of it. It's quite obvious how these adventurers died if you observe this gruesome scene a bit, but it doesn't make any sense at all.

A mass suicide in the middle of the dungeon does not make sense.

Baldy points his axe at one of the corpses with a silver sword lodged in his head.

"That man is a friend of mine, he was with me during my time at the Royal Knights... He resigned after his first daughter was born..."

Then why is he an adventurer?, I was about to ask, but I hold myself. Baldy isn't saying anything else. Damian... he's on the ground hurling his guts on the floor. Purplehead is looking around for traps, but I can see his uneasy face while doing so. Garmund doesn't even want to look at this gory scene. Then what about Liri? Heh, she's surprisingly composed. As expected from a veteran of war.

"... Rose, I don't like this. Did these people really kill themselves?"

She asks me like she wants me to refute her statement. But I don't answer, not even a small gesture. I don't know. Why the hell would I know? Why would people kill themselves and be happy all of a sudden?

After investigating a few more minutes, none of us could take it anymore and baldy orders Damian to gather all the bodies and their belongings in one place and burn them all to ashes. This is supposedly a long-time tradition among these adventurers that began when those on the verge of their death would ask to their companions to burn both their bodies and belongings and to spread the ashes on the ground, since they understood that lugging a heavy dead body around a dungeon could very well kill their friends.

'Tis the life of an adventurer, even the greatest of them will one day be trod upon by everyone else. There truly is no honor in death.

They gather around the crackling tower of fire and say a solemn prayer to the goddess of the sun for the safe travelling of their souls. After all was said and done, we carry on with our now-silent journey, albeit with shell-shocked faces and uneasy gaits. I've seen dead bodies before, but nowhere near that unsettling. I notice Liri draw closer to me. I don't understand what's going through her mind, but I don't say anything.

Tick, tock, tick, tock...

But the mysteries don't just stop there.

[Floor Minus 30]

This is the second boss room, where there's supposed to be a very strong monster guarding the entrance to the next set of floors. Boss floors are divided into two sections: the straight entrance passage and the spacious boss room itself.

Although the party is emotionally tired, we still carry on with the adventure. I half-expected them to turn back and at least report this strange event, like any sane person would, but I guess insanity is part of the job. The huge stone door probably three times our sizes slowly creaks open with baldy's push, and I ready my sword. I want to whack some monsters too. They say it's good stress relief, and if I'm not careful I might suddenly wear out from stress.

Our torches pierce through the blinding darkness... and we are greeted with an empty, lifeless room. There is no monster, no giant armored spideer like what everyone else expected to jump out of the dark and melt our skins with its acidic web strings.

"Ron."

"Got it."

Purple searches the whole room with diligence, checking every nook and cranny for signs of our dear monster friend. Sadly (which is weird enough) he finds nothing, so we all go exploring the room. Liri's still walking close to me, simply following where I go. Why is this? Can't she follow to someone else? Whatever, she's not in a talking mood, so I don't bother her anyways. Instead, I examine the walls. I'm frustrated. If only I learned how to read these strange ancient demon runes, I may have a clue as to what's happening here. I trace the runes with my fingers, hoping to catch a glimpse of history with it.

I have no clue at all. It's probably just some random scribbles anyways.

Tick, tock, tick, tock...

Baldy calls us all to the center of the room to have a strategy meeting about our next plans. Ah, so NOW they have a strategy meeting.

But as soon as I approach the group, they stare at me strangely, eyes wide, like a ghost just passed by. Is it Liri being so close to me? I look at her, and she's staring at me... no, beyond me, at my other side. At my other side is another girl, with long black hair and an oversized tunic to cover her naked body. She stared dead straight at me with those charcoal-black eyes.

I quickly pull away from her. What the hell, what the hell!? I stumble on my butt, but that doesn't stop me from crawling far away from her as much as possible. What the hell is that? Her otherworldly presence makes my every hair stand up, and her gloomy face exuded such great chill that it could be felt throughout the whole room.

"Who are you!!?"

Baldy bravely shouts while aiming his axe at her. But she doesn't pay him any heed, still staring at me with those dead hallow eyes. What does she want? Wait, no, in the first place, what is she even? Baldy continues to threaten her, but she doesn't flinch a bit.

An eternity passes. We wait for her to do something... but she's just standing there creepily staring at me. She's turning less of a ghost and more of a stalker.

"M—Maybe she's lost? Or maybe she's a surviving slave from that... party we just passed by?"

"Makes sense. Garmund, can you try speaking to her to see if she understands?"

Liri' suggestion kind of makes sense. Although without a horn, she might be some kind of strange demon species we haven't heard of yet. Garmund tries talking to her in demonian, but she doesn't react. Well, at least we tried.

I move around the place (but never closer to her) and she creaks her fragile neck in an effort to follow me with those eyes.

"Rosea, you know who she is? 'Cause she looks she knows you."

For the love of whatever holy being is willing to help me right now, I shake my head to baldy's question. I'm no friends with this hell spawn that looks at me like food, and will never be.

Liri waves her hand right in front of her face to catch her attention.

"Hello there? Are you okay? What's your name?"

And of course, nothing happens. It's purplehead's turn, as he circles around the girl, eyeing every part of her body. He then drops down and tries to peak under the tunic, but he clicks his mouth in frustration.

"Too dark."

... What the hell is he doing? He's only checking for traps, right? Right? He moves on to her eyes... they're really unnerving. And here he does his first mistake.

He covers her eyes with his bare hand.

He freezes on the spot and his irises shrink to the size of a pinhead. I can't feel his breathing.

"Ron? What happened?"

"... Nothing."

Baldy's voice seems to wake him up from his stupor. His expression returns to normal — No, that's not normal. It's too calm, like the calm of an unmoving lake, and his eyes have this strange dancing glint in them. It looks abnormal, but familiar at the same time. A trickle of blood leaks from his nose.

"Nothing is happening. Nothing at all."

He reaches for his knife, rests it on his neck, and unhesitatingly slashes his artery, spilling a fountain of blood everywhere. It even stains my robes. It's too sudden. Only when that rusty smell hits us is when our minds begin to process this dream-like situation.

"R-ROOOOOOON!!"

Baldy rushes towards him and desperately casts a healing spell, but that bright white light quickly fades. It's too late, he's lost too much blood. But baldy doesn't stop his futile casting. Liri beside me falls down on her knees. I look straight at purplehead's face. This is it. This is how those adventurers died. Even their smiles are similar.

Smiles of the enlightened.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!!"

Baldy fills himself with rage and hurls his gigantic red-blood axe towards the innocent looking girl. But things don't go as expected, as the axe mysteriously vanishes before it could touch her fair skin. But that doesn't discourage him from punching her straight to the face. A big mistake, the silver armor covering his fist vanishes. The monstrous force from his punch vanishes as well, and his fist does nothing but softly pecks her soft cheek.

This is too absurd.

Baldy's face becomes similarly enlightened. This is bad. But nobody else is reacting. Or maybe they just couldn't believe the events unfolding right before their eyes.

"Nothing is happening."

Heh? He casually walks towards Damian like walking in a sunny meadow.

"A—A...Ah...Aa—..."

Damian doesn't know what to do. His face is a crying mess, and he looks at baldy as if waiting for his next words. Instead, he thrusts his straightened hand deep inside his eye socket, and fresh blood trickles down the floor. Baldy retracts his hand effortlessly and the spellcaster's body drop lifelessly like a puppet with its strings cut.

Damian dies just like that.

I don't have time to laugh about this all as he's walking towards me next.

"Rose!"

I block his suddenly accelerating hand with my sword and the force of his attack pushes me back a bit. I hear the bones in his hand crack, but his face shows no signs of pain, only enlightenment. He drives a kick straight to my abdomen, knocking the wind out of my lungs. I drop down to the ground, my face contorted in pain. I can't breathe! Shit! I can't die here! I see his straightened hand pulled back and ready to dig through my flesh. No!

A shadow is cast upon me, and warm blood splashes to my face.

"... Save, her..."

Baldy's bloodied hand punctured through Garmund's abdomen. Did he...? What? No. No way. Please no. The weight of his body makes him slide down his arm and fall on me. The smell of fresh death makes me nauseous. I don't want this. No. No.

For some reason, he turns away from me and slowly walks towards Liri. The footsteps of death echoes throughout the spacious room. He's close. Too close. Liri's face is one who gave up long ago. She's not even trying to run away. Peaceful. Too peaceful. I can't accept this. What is wrong with this world? What's wrong with baldy? What's wrong with that strange girl? What's wrong with Liri?

What's wrong with me?

"DAMN IT ALL TO HELL!!"

I pick up my sword and run towards them at breakneck speeds. There's no time for formalities. The Coruscant cleanly cuts through his arms and head like butter, and his severed head flies off to the other side of the room. It goes by like a flash. It's too easy. His decapitated body drops down to the ground like the others before him.

"Ha... ha... ha... ha... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

I laugh like a madman at the absurdity of it all. But that laughter quickly spirals down to a broken cry from my soul. I drop down as well, and my head lands to Liri's soft thighs stained by baldy's blood. Haha... I have finally killed someone. No...

I'm tired. I haven't had my afternoon nap yet... and I have to find Ela. Where is she? Is she here? Ela...

The shaking of my hands won't stop. At the very least, let me go silently into the abyss, where I can rest for a bit.

I fall asleep.

Monster Encyclopedia

No.106

Giant Armored Spideer [Spider-Type Monster]

You guessed it, it's a giant spider with soot-black armor that blends in the darkness. This monster is quite fond of the darkness and can only be found in deep dungeons and never outside. They shoot sticky white web strings that can melt both armor and skin. Its name has commonly been misunderstood as a cross between spider and deer, when in fact it was shortened from the screams of adventurers unfortunate enough to encounter this monster: "SPIDEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER!!"