Chapter 533

Chapter 533: Escape Plan (6)

Thump-!

While my heart races wildly, my mind cools down.

‘A corpse.’

A human corpse.

And this village chief, standing tightly behind me, shows me these corpses.

He says these corpses are our village’s secret.

Thump-!

Despite the cold sweat trickling down my spine, I tried my best to keep my thoughts calm.

If he didn’t want to show me, he should not have done so in the first place.

Now that I know the secret, he wouldn’t behave as if I should disappear.

“What are these corpses?”

“You’re more composed than I expected.”

“There must be a reason why you showed me.”

Of course, there’s also a chance he lured me underground intending to get rid of me.

However, I have a feeling that’s not the case.

“Smart. Your guess is right. I thought maybe if I showed you this place, it would lessen your misunderstandings.”

“Misunderstandings….”

Quickly, I took a look around the basement.

Mountains of corpses, quite literally.

Certainly, something seems off.

Does the number not add up? Even if they killed all of the Silver Lion Clan’s explorers, the number shouldn’t match.

“So who are they?”

“I don’t know.”

“…What?”

As I looked at him with suspicion, the village chief slowly opened his mouth.

“Actually, it wasn’t the first time explorers came to this island when you guys arrived. There were others who showed up before.”

“Why did you pretend that we were the first then?”

“Ah, I need to explain that. We didn’t pretend you were the first.”

Is he trying to play with words?

Just as I was about to retort with a stern expression, the village chief continued.

“You were the first living explorers.”

“What do you mean?”

“Literally. These corpses, from the moment we saw them, were already like this. Their bodies twisted, limbs disjointed, and they were dead. And no matter how much time passed, they did not decay at all. As if time stopped at that moment.”

“So, you’re saying that you found these corpses all fallen from the sky?”

“No, not exactly. The expression ‘found them’ is not incorrect but… their falling from the sky had nothing to do with rain. However, the cycle was quite long.”

The village chief bent down, picked up one of the corpses by its head, looked at the half-rotted skull, and spoke in an emotionless voice.

“The shortest cycle is ten to fifteen years. The longest is thirty to forty years. During these cycles, such corpses fall from the sky. And I am guessing it might be related to dimensional collapse.”

“Dimensional collapse?”

“Yes. The cycle is somewhat similar, and there’s a story about a dimensional collapse written in a diary we found on one of these corpses.”

Saying this, the village chief took out a notebook from his pocket and handed it to me, explaining that I only need to read the last page.

Because the rest of the pages are too damaged to read?

I opened the notebook and read the last page.

[……The world is crumbling and distorting. I think I understand why many seniors described it as a catastrophe. This is certainly not a disaster.]

[……Melk is dead. Illya is dead. Sir Swalk also died, and Ms. Quiriane too. And probably… I won’t last long either.]

[……No, I will definitely survive and return. I have a duty to convey the words they left.]

The explorers’ diary of someone ends with a determined vow.

I guess I can see why the village chief suspected a dimensional collapse. The last record in the diary was suspicious enough, stating a dimensional collapse.

Of course, that’s one thing, and this is another.

“So why did you gather these corpses in the basement? What’s the reason for keeping it a secret from us?”

“It’s going to be a long story.”

As the village chief waved his hand, the surrounding monster warriors quickly backed away.

Well, why send it anyway when it can’t even talk?

I had a question, but I didn’t delve into it.

“These corpses were significant to me. Through their existence, I could realize that time is also passing outside, and occasionally, I could hear about outside events through the records that appear.”

“But then?”

“I started a research. I thought there might be a clue to escape this tiresome place. However, my expectation invariably missed the mark. I tried everything possible, but these corpses were just ordinary corpses. They just didn’t age.”

After the last experiment of sending these bodies to the maze to inform the outside world of our existence failed, the village chief abandoned his research.

And he collected and stored the corpses in the basement.

He may have given up because he was heartbroken for the moment, but he couldn’t get rid of the regret that they might be used again someday.

But….

“In the midst of this, you guys came. You were the last hope for me, who was about to give up on everything.”

“So, you decided to keep the story about these corpses a secret?”

“I was already on guard due to the monstrous appearance, I thought if I showed this, I would be misunderstood. Even if I had to tell it someday, I planned to bring it up as cautiously as possible.”

But in the end, Amelia secretly invaded this place and saw the reality, so he decided to tell everything honestly.

To summarize, it’s such a story….

“Did that answer your question?”

“Well.”

It’s not a story that can’t be accepted at all.

However, it’s undeniable that there’s something incomprehensible somewhere.

He was not surprised when he talked about the outside.

He knew that time was passing, etc.

If this story is true, a considerable part of the questions I had would be explained….

‘It feels like it was roughly matched.’ S~eaʀᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Thinking about it, it was the same in any world.

The best way to hide the truth was to tell only a few truths.

In the first place, the biggest question wasn’t resolved.

“So you guys have nothing to do with the disappearance of the Silver Lion Clan?”

“That’s right. In the first place, where would I have a reason to harm them?”

Sigh… What do I do now?

If he had simply hit the back of my head, I would have been able to hit him back and it would have been over.

The situation got a little complicated.

‘Should I just believe this or not?’

It was a momentary dilemma, but the answer came quickly.

‘There’s no reason to believe it.’

In this world, there is no one to trust except your comrades.

Yes, so…

‘Okay, conclusion over.’

What I have to do next is clear.

“Since we have hidden things as well, we will not hold you responsible for your comrade breaking the laws of our village or for your ‘mistake’ that resulted from it. How about that?”

At the chief’s words suggesting to let bygones be bygones, I answered with a hearty laugh.

No, more precisely—.

“It’s a relief. I’m glad the misunderstanding was cleared up.”

“Yes, I’m glad your misunderstanding was cleared… Huh?”

Smiling, I struck down the hammer.

Thud-!

The strong force transmitted from the hammer embedded in his forehead.

Soon, thick blood started flowing from the opened wound.

In this state, the chief showed his emotions for the first time.

“………Why?”

His emotion was too calm to be anger, and too vibrant to be sorrow.

Looking at his fish-like eyes filled with questions, I answered.

There were many suspicious parts in the story.

It felt as if he was just buying time.

I had a strong intuition that he would eventually strike me from behind.

There was no need to even present such illogical reasons.

Just one sentence was enough.

“I didn’t like your eyes.”

“…………?”

“So I hit you. Is there a problem?”

A barbarian doesn’t need any other reason.

***

Is the chief an enemy or an ally?

If he’s an enemy, what trick is he hiding?

What is truth and what is false?

Such worries no longer matter.

With a single blow of the hammer, the complex story became much clearer.

The chief and I have now an irrevocable relationship.

So, I’ll kill him here.

If I fail to kill him…

‘I’ll escape this village with my comrades.’

The situation is falling into place too neatly.

But still, the chief seemed not to understand and asked me.

“You had no reason to resort to such extreme measures.”

“Oh! Is that so?”

“You cherish your comrades terribly. It’s not like you to put your comrades at risk like this.”

I’m not sure how much he knows about me to say that, but it wasn’t a story worth paying close attention to.

So at this point…

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”

With a battle cry, I suddenly strike the hammer down once more.

Kaang-!

Regrettably, the chief didn’t panic and drew his sword to block the hammer. However, my intention of not wanting any further conversation should have been clearly conveyed.

The chief muttered in a cold voice.

“Responsibility follows the wrong choice.”

Well, saying such a thing with a fish head isn’t cool at all.

Does this patient need a mirror therapy this time?

I’m not sure, but after sticking my mouth out like a fish, I replied.

“Responsibility follows a hole in the head.”

His reaction came with a bit of a delay for some reason.

“……You’re insane.”

Hmm, there’s no point in flattering here.

Squeak-

Holding the hammer in both hands and putting more strength into it, the chief’s sword started to be pushed back.

‘Judging from the fact that he’s being pushed back when both of us are using both hands, his physical strength is lower than mine.’

Did he make a similar judgment?

The chief also ended the power struggle, stood his sword diagonally and smoothly let my hammer slide aside.

The novel translated to English:

Kwaang-!

My hammer, still maintaining its mass, thrust into the ground.

Simultaneously, the village chief’s sword started emitting a bright light.

Hwoong-!

It was the very thing that had once shot the Hipramajent away in one hit.

It seems similar to aura…

‘There must be tons of these skills within the labyrinth.’

However, I still hadn’t figured out what that skill was, but that wasn’t a major issue at the moment.

[Your character has cast [Iron Fortress].]

[The effect of [Evolved Shell] has increased by 1.5 times.]

And rightfully so.

“You have 75% resistance against all types of sword weapons.”

Well, it’s a sword anyway, isn’t it?

Kwaang-!

The sword, which had once penetrated the Hipramajent’s head like tofu, was deflected off my shield.

As for the condition of the shield…

‘I guess it has a little scratch by now?’

Yes, indeed, there is no enemy as scary as the imagination.

Experiencing it directly, it was bearable than I had thought.

Well, it’s not without problems.

Hwoong-!

His agility score seemed to be much higher than mine; apart from the first hit, all the others missed.

[Your character has cast [Eye of the Storm].]

Even when using the especially effective [Eye of the Storm] in a narrow area, the hit rate was still only 30%.

Peok-!

Furthermore, even when it hit, it didn’t do much damage.

‘It seems like he has low resistance… but a quite high regeneration rate.’

The wound from the first major hit was already completely healed.

Quickly, I reconsidered my judgment.

‘It’s impossible to kill him 1:1 here.’

I gave up on killing the village chief alone.

So, the next thing I had to do was this.

“Village chief, do you know the two ways to make a person angry?”

First, I scattered his focus with an absurd question.

“…?”

When he was about to question my words,

Clink-!

I pulled out a Molotov cocktail from my spatial bag and threw it onto a pile of corpses, breaking it.

And……

Whirling-

With the raging flames behind.

Tadat.

I charge up the stairs with all my might.

“Behel–Laaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”

There were no monster warriors on the stairs, which were reasonably soundproof, and I ascended the stairs, smashing the ceiling to prevent the village chief from following easily.

Tududu, Tudududu-!

The basement, which started to collapse and sink like dominoes when I smashed it a bit, showed that I had no great talent in architecture.

Kwoong-!

I kept climbing the stairs, taking the falling pile of rocks on my head and shoulders without a break.

And about 30 seconds must have passed.

Kwaaang-!

Finally, I was able to break through the ground door and get outside. The living room on the first floor was a standoff between my comrades and the monster warriors, waiting for me……

“It’s clear something has happened! We need to go down too—.”

[We need to check if the village chief is safe—.]

Two groups stare blankly at me as they find me.

The only one who kept his sanity and spat out words through his open mouth was Bersil.

“Uh… Mr. Yandel? What’s happening—.”

Can’t you see?

Although I had smashed everything, it was clear that the village chief would soon follow, so there was no time for explanation.

Yes, so……

So that even a three-year-old, or anyone, could clearly understand the situation right away.

Kwajik-!

Smashing the forehead of the closest monster warrior with a hammer, I shouted.

“We’re getting out of this village now!”