CH 47

“The power of the purifying salt is remarkableー”

“I can clearly sense that things are getting easier.”

“I didn’t expect it to be this effective either.”

[Well, depending on how you look at it, this sunlight isn’t so favorable either, so I suppose it’s only natural.]

After a short break, our exploration is proceeding swimmingly.

The reason is… well, I suppose it’s because of the purifying salted water we drank.

Like what Ys has mentioned, the sunlight here is part of the trap of this “Maze”, namely, the malevolent element that is responsible for draining our physical strength, therefore, it probably became a target of the effect of the purifying salt.

Either way, the exploration has become easier, which is wonderful.

“Akira onee-sama, I can see the next room at two o’clock… huh!?”

“What’s up?”

It seems that Sora-san has detected something unsavory along with the subsequent room, causing her to stammer over her words while putting on a reluctant face.

“I found one dead body suspected to be from the Mirror Stone Specialized Unit.”

“Damn… so we didn’t make it in time?”

“Okay… Let’s be on our way to verify it.”

What Sora-san apparently has discovered is the corpse of the Mirror Stone Specialized Unit, the target of our rescue operation.

Despite the various thoughts that cross Toki-san’s and my minds, it is likely that when we come across a dead body, we should at the very least get their identification card; since there might be hints left that could point us to the other members of the unit, the only choice would be to move in that direction.

So on that note, feeling a surge of power flood into the “Frozen Cloud,” I move in that direction.

“It is hidden behind that pillar. The room is free of traps.”

“I have checked the recognition card. It looks like he’s a member of the Mirror Stone Specialized Unit.”

“…”

Following a brief drive up a small hill, we come upon a room with black pillars erected at the four corners, and with Sora-san’s guidance, we ascertain the corpse of a man lying in the shade of one of the pillars.

The body of the deceased has several fine wounds throughout and is extremely dry, possibly on account of the environment of this “Maze”.

However, what attracted more attention is the absence of the head.

Based on the cross-section of the wound, it seems that the neck was severed with a sharp blade, rather than the head being ripped off by a beast-like monster, according to Toki-san, who has performed a light autopsy.

“Sora-san. Just for the record, did you notice his head in the surrounding area?”

“I took a look around, but it doesn’t appear to be there.”

“What does this mean? A monster is supposed to kill a human being and that’s the end of it.”

“Who knows…”

This is an abnormal situation, I would say.

Toki-san’s words are very true: a monster kills a human and then leaves it at that spot. Even if I am wrong, they would not have brought only the head with them.

But… in the state of this corpse, it reminds me of the corpse of Beyta for some reason.

The wounds on this body are somewhat reminiscent of those on Beyta’s, whose head was too clean to have been blasted off by the frog… Anchor.

So, in relation to what followed after is…

“What!?”

“Akira-san!?”

“Akira onee-sama!?”

“Both of you get on the ‘Frozen Cloud’ right now and shift to battle stance! Watch the surroundings!!”

[[Roger!]]

“(Ys! Watch my back!)”

[I got it. That guy’s got a unique presence. If you come close to that, you should be able to tell right away.]

Having come to that conclusion, I tell the two of them to ride the “Frozen Cloud,” and at the same time, I intensify my vigilance around the area.

Ah, that’s right. After that, a woman in a sappanwood-colored military uniform called “Military” came into contact with me, and I was nearly sent to my demise.

Needless to say, there is no assurance that she is present at this time, therefore it would be preferable if she didn’t show up.

“Akira onee-sama, are you okay…?”

“I am not okay. Regardless matter how cautious you are, there can be someone nearby who needs disproportionate attention. Keep an eye out for each other.”

Along with infusing divine power into it, I board the “Frozen Cloud” and start to get ready to channel cold air from the cold storage device and launch at full speed whenever I need to.

Once encountering that woman, it would be impossible not to be wary of her.

Damn, the recollection of that time is sending tremors through my arms and legs. Rather than trembling with excitement, it is out of fear. Even if I become a laughingstock for the futility of this vigil, so be it. So I beg you. Please don’t come out. I am not competent enough to fight that guy right now.

[Fear not, Akira. There’s no sign of her nearby.]

“I… see. Both of you can relax your caution now.”

Eventually, Ys’ words cause me to loosen up, and as soon as I ease up on the power I am exerting on the “Frozen Cloud,” I inform the two of them that they too can lower their alertness, before letting out a deep breath.

“Akira-san. What in the world brings you to such fear… is it the ‘Death’?”

“‘Death’… come to think of it, there was a rumor of such a thing too. Well, you’re not wrong. But Ys said there is no trace of that guy nearby.”

The “Death”… is a rumor circulating in the Security Organization that there is a veritable monster with a scythe roaming around in the “Maze,” a monster whose scythe is believed to slay even the mightiest of warriors.

In reality, there is a difference between a scythe and a hatchet, but it can be said that the story is true since if you run across her, death is undoubtedly on the horizon.

I mean, the rumor is definitely originating from that guy.

“That sound is…!?”

“Earthquake!?”

“No! This is…”

The ground abruptly begins trembling, which forces me to start pouring a lot of power into the “Frozen Cloud” to be ready to spring into motion at any moment.

“It’s a monster!”

[Uoooooomuuuuu!!]]

[[!?]]

In the instant that Sora-san concludes that this tremor is triggered by the monster… a monstrous creature breaks out of the ground, emitting bizarre noises as if to destroy the room that is near us, much to the surprise of Toki-san and myself.

[Uoooomuuuu…]

“This is…”

“A-Ah…”

“Um, the core seems to be at the tip of its tail…”

The monster stares down at us, capitalizing on its massive size.

Simply put, that monster is an absurdly gigantic earthworm.

However, the monster’s peculiar eyes are like moles around the mouth and the core at the tip of the tail, according to Sora-san, can be determined from there that it is a monster.

Its length is the issue. Even though the mouth is now only protruding out of the ground, it is unquestionably several meters long. If so, the overall length would definitely be several times that.

Ah, no… there’s another problem.

“I mean, that thing is a tentacle…”

“It’s a tentacle…”

“It’s got some kind of slippery surface.”

“Yeah…”

From the mouth of the monster-modified worm, dozens of thin, line-like things emerge… well, those are tentacles specifically, each of which has a slightly different form and is separately moving up, down, left, right, back, and forward with their surfaces being glossy with some sort of liquid.

To put it bluntly, the movements alone are physiologically repulsive just by beholding them.

[[[[…]]]]

Yeah. There is only one choice for us to take, isn’t it?

“‘Frozen Cloud’ at maximum output! Cold air boost also emits at full power!”

[Uoooomuu!?]

Let’s flee.

I, therefore, unleash the cold storage device toward the earthworm even while injecting all of my divine power into the “Frozen Cloud.”

With the cold air attacking and accelerating at the same time, I plan to evacuate from this place.

“The gate is confirmed to be 5 o’clock from the local point!”

“Go at full speed, please!”

[Move with all your might, Akira!]

“You don’t have to tell me!!”

After everyone has reached a consensus, “Frozen Cloud” starts to speed off at a rate that has never been achieved before.

I am absolutely not going to be covered in tentacles!

T/N:

I have made a doc about all Licorice that is present in the Outer World Story so far (which means spoiler ahead, read at your own risk, the ending of this series is included at the Military part). It can help you understand more about the settings. I will make for the Tower and Multidimensional Trading Company Complex at some point. “Death” is another Licorice also from the second series. You can read the details there.