Volume 1 - CH 48

Volume 1

Chapter 48-Curses and guesses

(TL:By Rafael)

I ran down the stairs, which had turned downward as expected, and looked back.

The "night demons" that had been chasing me were nowhere to be seen.

"Is anyone injured?"(Yuki)

"I'm okay."(Silk)

"I'm okay too."(Marina)

"I'm tired, but I'm okay."(Rain)

I had no idea that the night in the Land of the Dead would consume my mind and body to such an extent.

I could feel my vitality being drained away with each step, and I had the impression that I had managed to slip into a situation where I was forcing my body to move with strengthening magic.

"I'm sorry ......, I don't have the magic power to use the continuous magic recovery refresh mana anymore ......."(Yuki)

"It's not us, it's Yuki-San who.is not okay. ......!"(Silk)

Silk looks at me and gives me a bitter look.

Yes, I'm quite tired, but not to the point of her looking so serious.

" Yuki-san, what is that ......?"(Silk)

"What?"(Yuki)

When I nod my head in confusion, Nene offers me a hand mirror from her adventure kit.

I took it and looked into it. ...... There was something like an unidentifiable pattern etched on my left cheek and neck, and blood was dripping from it.

"What's this ......?"(Yuki)

I touched it with my hand to check, and remembered.

This is where Lady Persephone, the pale blue Immortal King, touched me.

Is it some kind of curse or something?

"Yes. I think this is a curse from ...... or something. I'm sorry, but I don't think I can ...... lift it with my powers."(Rain)

After touching my cheek, and Rain looks down.

This can wait for now. I'll go to the temple when I get back. Better yet, let's take a break  ....... I'm pretty tired. Delivery is at ...... Oh, right."(Yuki)

I look at the "Gopuro-kun" in my hand.

In the course of the retreat, a number of delicate magical artifacts, including the Gopuro-kun, were damaged when they were attacked by a "night demon" that unleashed a thunderbolt of magical power.

While Marina's magic sword, which has stabilized, will probably be fine, Gopuro-kun, which was still in operation, seems to have been completely affected.

"What about Nene's?"(Yuki)

"It seems that this delivery magic tool artifact was also damaged."(Nene)

"I've brought maintenance tools. For now, let's get into position."(Yuki)

I gave all of them the  reinforcement magic and ran as fast as I could, stopping the "night demons" in their tracks.

I can tell that I'm pretty tired..

"What the hell was that second level all about?"(Silk)

"If you don't mind me guessing, I'd like to show you."(Yuki)

"Please."(Silk)

Everyone, including Silk, looked at me curiously.

"I think the motif is the "Grey Field" from the "Epic of Remazurka"."(Yuki)

The Grey Field appears in the middle of the story, a place that is said to be between life and death.

It is an unworldly realm ruled by Lady Persephone, the "pale immortal king," where the peaceful days of life and the desolate nights of death are repeated.

"How can such a place be ......?"(Silk)

"I guess it's a property of the Colorless Darkness."(Yuki)

Yes, it is the essence of the labyrinth that the colorless darkness can no longer mend.

The way this labyrinth should be, with the Abyss Gate at the edge of the world.

"...... I think that the Abyss Gate is a doorway to another world."(Yuki)

"What does that have to do with the colorless darkness?"(Silk)

"Perhaps it's a recreation of an adjacent world."(Rain)

Rain muttered, following my words.

"The Colorless Darkness itself is a different world, ......?"(Marina)

"It's a labyrinth that mimics ......."(Yuki)

A labyrinth takes on the form of the place where it originated. A labyrinth in a former mine would have intricate tunnels inside, while a labyrinth in an abandoned castle would have many rooms and audience halls.

In other words, the original existence of the labyrinth will appear in its characteristic colors.

And this "Colorless Darkness", as the name suggests, has no visible characteristic color.

It's a place where you never know what you're going to find, just like a dark pot.

But if you think about it this way, it makes sense.

The Abyss Gate, the door to the abyss, is a place where the edges of many worlds overlap, and one of those overlapping worlds is our world.

In the event that the labyrinth itself possesses the characteristic color of the Abyss Gate, ...... if you reach the deepest layer near the root of the labyrinth, you may be able to recreate another world - yes, even a limited reproduction of the gray field.

"That's what I mean by ....... More than half of it is my uncle's guess, though."(Yuki)

"But this place is still on second level, isn't it?"(Marina)

I cringed at Marina's words.

The situation was so distorted that it had completely slipped my mind, but it did made sense.

"...... It's not good."(Yuki)

"What's wrong?"(Marina)

"What floor are we on?"(Yuki)

In the first place, is the 30 levels underground dive record left behind by the advance team that conquered it 20 years ago correct?

Isn't that the only data we have, and doesn't the depth of the labyrinth fluctuate as well as its composition?

"Are we ...... skipping levels?"(Nene)

"It's possible. The three underground levels for us may not be the three underground levels in the records."(Yuki)

We are already far from the recorded logs and delivery.

It is not surprising that the unstable and indeterminate labyrinth ...... staircase itself is a trigger for skipping levels.

"Oh, I see!"(Marina)

Marina popped her hand in the air.

"I'm sure we're skipping to all sorts of levels."(Marina)

"Hmm?"(Yuki)

"I mean, no one's ever seen a labyrinth change shape before, have they?"(Marina)

"......!"(Yuki)

I looked at Rain and We nodded at each other.

It may seem short-sighted, but it's a flexible idea.

I was too caught up in the idea of changing  interior every time I entered.

No , no ...... I see now

If we think of the stairs as triggers that skip to several different levels, it makes sense that the structure would be different on the way there and back.

On top of that, as a labyrinth, the game must have adhered to rules such as "There is a floor boss on the fifth level" and "Treasure chest is after the fifth level".

And now there's an unusual situation that disrupts that.

...... What to do?

Should I use the 《Scroll of Exit》

(TL: Dude what gives you the confidence that it will work.)

If the next level is the third level of difficulty, we still have enough energy to deal with it.

But what if this next one leads to a deeper level?

I stare at the end of the stairs and clear my throat.

Fear and curiosity jostle for control of my thoughts.

My cheeks, touched by the goddess of death, are strangely cold and I feel very weary ...... and dizzy.

It's not just that I'm worn out,......, it's that the world of the dead has chipped away at my vitality.

It will probably be difficult to recover through magical means.

"Yuki-san, you're putting up too much strain. Let's rest first. You don't look good."(Silk)

"It's the same for everyone. We ran through the night of'Gray Field' for our life "(Yuki)

I may be suffering from this curse, but everyone else's face is also very tired.

Although there was no damage, it was still half destroyed.

"We should stay here for a  long break, both in terms of time and strength, we need to recover."(Yuki)

"Let's think about it after we recover. Whatever decision Yuki make, we'll follow them."(Silk)

"Yes. So let's rest for now."(Yuki)

Marina and Nene, who had furs and blankets for the floor, worked diligently to set up the sleeping area.

I'd like to thank them for their hard work. After I sat down, I felt like I couldn't stand up anymore.

"Sorry, guys."(Yuki)

"Don't worry about it. Take it easy and get some rest."(Silk)

Silk's hand which was smooth, cool,  touched my forehead.

I fell into the darkness of sleep, losing myself in its comforting touch.

TL Note- I couldn't update on 23 due to some real life issue but this Chapter's star was Marina Holmes.