Chapter 48

Let's keep pushing today! I hope you enjoy it.

Running down the stairs that had predictably turned downward, I looked back.

The figures of the "night creatures" chasing us were no longer visible.

"Is everyone okay?"

"I'm fine."

"I'm alright, too."

"I'm tired, but I'm okay."

I didn't expect the night in the land of the dead to be this draining. With each step, I felt my vitality being sapped, and now I'm barely moving my body with the help of a forced enhancement spell, as if I'm just barely managing to keep up.

"Sorry... I don't have enough magic power left to use 'Continuous Magic Recovery'..."

"It's you, Yuki, more than us...!"

Silk looked at me with a bitter expression.

Indeed, I'm quite fatigued, but it's not as serious as her face suggests.

"Yuki, what's that...?"

"Huh?"

Tilting my head, Nene handed me a hand mirror from her adventuring gear. When I took it and looked in, I saw an unknown pattern etched from my left cheek to my neck, with a thin trail of blood dripping.

"What is this...?"

I touched it to confirm, and then I remembered.

This is where I was touched by Lady Persephone, the "Pale Undead King." It's probably some kind of curse.

"Yeah, this... I think it's some kind of curse. Sorry, but I don't think I can remove it with my power."

Rain touched my cheek and looked down.

"For now, let's put this aside. We'll go to the temple when we get back. For now... let's take a break. We're all quite tired. As for the broadcast... oh, right."

I looked at the 'GoPro' I was still holding.

During our retreat, we were attacked by "night creatures" that released magic lightning, and several delicate magic tools, including the 'GoPro,' were damaged. Marina's magic sword, which had stabilized, should be fine, but the 'GoPro' that was in operation was directly affected.

"How about Nene's?"

"Mine seems to be damaged too."

"We have maintenance tools. Let's try to get ourselves together for now."

We cast buffs on everyone and ran as fast as we could, holding back the "night creatures." I can feel how exhausted we all are.

"What was that second floor, anyway?"

"If you want a guess, I'll share it."

"Please do."

Silk and everyone else looked at me with keen interest.

"Probably, the motif is the 'Gray Field' from a section of the 'Lemazurka Epic.'"

The 'Gray Field' is a place in the middle of the story, described as a realm between life and death, ruled by Lady Persephone, the "Pale Undead King," where the peaceful day of life and the desolate night of death alternate.

"Why would such a place...?"

"It's probably due to the nature of the 'Colorless Darkness.'"

Indeed, the true nature of the dungeon, which the 'Colorless Darkness' can no longer conceal.

The form this dungeon should take, possessing the 'Gate of the Abyss,' which is at the edge of the world.

"...I think the 'Gate of the Abyss' is an entrance to another world."

"How does that relate to the 'Colorless Darkness'?"

"Probably, it's recreating an adjacent world?"

Rain continued, as if following my words.

"Is the 'Colorless Darkness' itself... another world...?"

"...a dungeon modeled after it."

Dungeons take on a form based on the place where they originate. A dungeon in an old mine would have a network of tunnels, and a dungeon in a ruined castle would have many rooms and a throne room.

In other words, the characteristics of the original place strongly influence the nature of the dungeon.

And this 'Colorless Darkness' is, as its name suggests, a place where its characteristics are invisible.

Mixed and painted over, it's a place where anything can come out, like a pot of darkness.

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

The 'Gate of the Abyss' is a place where the edges of many worlds overlap, and one of those overlapping worlds might be our world.

If so, this dungeon itself, possessing the characteristics of the 'Gate of the Abyss'... as we get closer to its core, it might be able to partially recreate another world—yes, the 'Gray Field.'

"...That's the idea. More than half of it is based on my uncle's speculation, though."

"But we're still only on the second floor, right?"

Marina's words made me shudder.

The situation was so distorted that I had completely forgotten. Yes, that's right.

"...This is bad."

"What's wrong?"

"What floor are we on now?"

To begin with, is the thirty underground floors that the vanguard team conquered twenty years ago correct?

Is it possible that the depth, like the structure of the dungeon, is also variable?

"Are we... skipping floors?"

"It's possible. The third underground floor we're on might not be the third floor according to the records."

We are already far from the records and broadcasts.

The unstable state of the dungeon... it's not impossible that the stairs themselves are a trigger for floor skipping.

"Oh, right!"

Marina snapped her fingers.

"Maybe we're skipping to various floors?"

"Huh?"

"Because no one has ever seen the dungeon change its form, right?"

"...!"

Rain and I exchanged glances and nodded.

It's a simple but flexible idea.

We were too focused on the idea that the interior changes every time you enter.

No, wait... right.

If we consider that the stairs act as a trigger to skip to several different floors, it makes sense that the structure is completely different on the way in and out.

On top of that, the dungeon has been maintaining rules like "there's a floor boss on the fifth floor" and "treasure chests appear from the fifth floor onward."

And now, an abnormal situation is causing these rules to break down.

...What should we do?

Should we use the "Scroll of Exit"?

If the next floor is the difficulty of the third floor, we still have the strength to handle it.

But what if it leads to the deeper levels?

I stared at the stairs ahead, my throat dry.

Fear and curiosity were in conflict, and my thoughts were scattered.

The cheek touched by the goddess of death felt strangely cold, and I was extremely fatigued... I even felt dizzy.

It's not just exhaustion... the world of the dead has drained my vitality.

It's probably difficult to recover with magical means.

"Yuki, you're overthinking it. Let's take a break first. You don't look well."

"Everyone else is tired too. We ran through the night of the 'Gray Field' while still alive."

I'm probably affected by this curse, but everyone's face shows deep fatigue.

Even though there are no injuries, we're in a state of near-collapse.

"Yeah. Both in terms of time and energy, we should take a long break here."

"Let's recover first. Whatever decision you make, I'll follow you, Yuki."

"Right. So let's rest now."

Marina and Nene, who must be tired too, diligently set up the sleeping arrangements with furs and blankets.

I'm truly grateful. Once I sat down, I couldn't stand up again.

"Sorry, everyone."

"Don't worry. Take your time and rest."

Silk's smooth, cool hand touched my forehead.

The pleasant sensation made me slip into the darkness of sleep.

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【Additional Note】

Regarding the 'Gray Field,' just being in it during the night drains your vitality.

For those who prefer a game-like explanation, think of it as "damage that can't be recovered except by time, constantly slipping away HP and MP, with the upper limits being drastically reduced, and being chased by 4-5 Jinouga subspecies." ('ω')b