Chapter 73

Today's update as well ('ω')

Following Nene closely, I carefully made my way through the underground waterway. After walking for a few minutes, tense from the sound of flowing water, we arrived at what seemed to be the den of the chained man.

This small room, situated in a corner of the waterway, appeared to have been installed from the beginning, blending into the scenery of the underground waterway with a wooden door set in place. Upon entering, the space was larger than expected, with a desk and chair in one corner, a simple bed, and a few miscellaneous tools. It had more the feel of a waterway manager's break room and storage area than a monster's den.

"This..."

Raine, who had been illuminating the room, tugged at my sleeve.

In the corner of the illuminated room, a small mountain of bones of various sizes was revealed.

"Did that monster eat them?"

"I don't know. To begin with, whose bones are these...?"

In a dungeon with the nature of a tomb, it wouldn't be strange to find human bones, but it was odd to find them in a corner of the underground waterway. Whether they were preyed upon or simply killed... in any case, it means that there were 'humans' here or nearby.

"Did someone enter the dungeon before we came to investigate?"

"Maybe."

The most likely scenario is that. The Adventurer's Guild couldn't seal it off immediately after receiving the report. A bloodthirsty or greedy adventurer who heard the rumors and entered the dungeon, only to be killed by the chained man, is the most plausible explanation.

Still, why does this feel like wishful thinking? I can't shake off the unease.

"Yuk, I found something strange."

Nene, who had been searching elsewhere, pointed to a drawer that had been pulled out. It was a drawer from the desk. Looking inside, a book was nestled among various writing tools.

"Raine, can you check it?"

"Sure. It seems fine."

Raine, activating her <Magic Perception> and <Curse Perception>, nodded at me. You never know what kind of curse might be on something found in such a place. In my case, I already have a more powerful curse.

"It's not really a book... more like a diary or notebook."

I flipped through it. Unfortunately, the contents were written in an unknown script, and I couldn't understand a thing. There seemed to be some regularity, so I think it's some kind of language.

Just in case, I showed one of the open pages to Gopro to include in the broadcast. Maybe the scholars at the Academy can make something of it.

"That's all, I guess. I didn't find anything else of note."

"Ultimately, no clues about that thing. I hope this diary can help."

In the underground waterway, where there was no sign of any living creature, let alone a monster, this was the only 'moving thing.' I thought it would be dangerous if there were multiple, but since we defeated it, there's been no sign of it. Whether it's just one or if there are very few, it's unclear.

To begin with, it's becoming questionable whether this underground waterway is even a dungeon.

"What do you think, Yuk? Should we go up the stairs?"

"Hmm."

I thought about Marina's question. Our original plan was to thoroughly check the first floor. Given the size, it's not a particularly large place, and with only the chained man as a monster, we might consider changing the plan to check the stairs and beyond. I want to clear this uneasy feeling.

The fact that the stairs leading down to the underground waterway are now leading up, and the vague, inconsistent, and shapeless unease I feel, is similar to what I felt in the 'Colorless Darkness.'

"Alright, let's head to the stairs. We'll take a break and have a meeting there."

"Sure!"

Marina, who couldn't contain her excitement, nodded.

(This is definitely going to turn into a situation where we end up checking the next floor...)

Silk, noticing my wry smile, also chuckled. As a sub-leader, Silk understands my thoughts to some extent. Moreover, Silk has known Marina for a long time and probably sees the future more clearly than I do.

"Alright, I'll lead the way. It's not far from here."

"Sure, thanks, Nene."

We followed Nene again through the underground waterway. The scenery is repetitive and the layout is complex, so if we get separated, we might get lost.

"...We're here."

While lost in thought, we quickly arrived at the stairs. Indeed, they were ascending stairs. Moreover, the area beyond the stairs seemed to be slightly brighter.

...Could it be connected to the outside?

"It's bright, isn't it?"

"Yes, it seems so. When we go up, will it lead outside?"

Tilting our heads, we ascended the stairs. The shape of the stair area didn't seem much different from other dungeons, forming a 'C' shape with a landing.

As we climbed, the light became clearer. It was the light of a red sun, the twilight sun casting long shadows in the dim world.

"..."

The moment I saw it, the image of my childhood friend, who suffers from my magic, flashed back, and my body tensed.

"Yuk, are you okay?"

"Are you okay?"

Raine and Nene turned to look at me. They know I have a trauma associated with this location, so I must have caused them unnecessary worry.

"Yes, I'm fine. Let's take a break and check for any damage. 'Cut' the broadcast."

Feeling the cold sweat on my back, I exhaled deeply. I really am a mess...! I can't afford to be shaken by something like this in the middle of a dungeon, especially as the leader.

"Yuk, come here. Sit down."

Raine, seeing my confusion, led me to a spot by the wall. She gently placed her cloak over my head, blocking out the twilight light, and my heartbeat began to calm.

"Stay seated until you calm down. Don't hide your pain, okay?"

"Sure. Sorry, I'll take a break."

Raine's gentle scent helped push the flickering image of Simon out of my mind. ...Next time, I'll ask to borrow this when I sleep.

How was it ('ω')?

Nene knows about Yuk's situation because of the imaginary bath scene.

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