Chapter 638: Slide Down, Bone Up
Author's Preface
Just as a disclaimer, it's not because I watched Bondrewd On Stage [*1] today that I came up with this structure; I've been thinking about this structure for a long time.
───Like physically dodging and running away to avoid getting bombarded with questions after that.
───Like that idiot Pencilgon forcing the Sword of the Slaughterer onto me for some reason, screaming, "Don't you dare take it out of your Inventoria ever again!"
───Like why the hell I had to take such a shitty detour, or getting stuck holding another piece of unexploded ordnance again, and various other things...
With the sheer exhaustion born from mixing all those emotions together, we, who had met the conditions to board the Bahamut 3rd Ship 'Behemoth' that had appeared, were now───
◆
"What the heck is this?"
『This is a "trial," a "reproduction," and an "examination," my children.』
The players level 50 and above who boarded Behemoth were now standing at the edge of a massive "hole" that continued down so deep the bottom couldn't be seen.
Floating directly above that hole in the foothold-less void was a hologram shaped like a woman. From the neck up, she gave off the vibe of a highly capable career woman! But from the neck down, she was wearing a kappougi for some reason... A woman whose appearance had way too much conflicting information. I mean, Isana with her massive flood of attributes—sweater! lab coat! celestial robe! glasses!—was pretty ridiculous too, but... the sheer power of the kappougi is strong.
That hologram woman, "Ivory," continued speaking to us as if giving a lecture to students.
『I am "Ivory." I am of the same substance as "Isana"... however, my policies differ from hers.』
"What are we supposed to do from here!!"
Perhaps unable to endure the current situation of being stood before a massive metallic hole with zero hints right after being teleported, one of the players shouted a question at Ivory.
In response, Ivory, with a terrifyingly sharp glare, simply said a single sentence.
『You must think for yourself, Exploding Green Peas.』
"Pfft."
"Nn-pfft."
"Why 'exploding'...?"
Thanks to a counter-punch from Ivory in the form of a sudden player name reading—which deals massive psychological damage proportional to how much of a joke name it is—Exploding Green Peas-san was reduced to a silently trembling statue. But seriously, why name yourself Exploding Green Peas...?
That being said, Exploding Green Peas-san's question was something everyone here was thinking to some extent, and perhaps understanding that, Ivory apparently decided to give us an explanation.
『This Behemoth is currently operating in Legacy Mode. Its structure descends from top to bottom... well, as you can see, it is a massive hole. And you will reach the depths of this great hole using your own wisdom, courage, and power... That is the "quest" I am imposing upon you.』
I see, Leviathan was a Matryoshka-type heading toward the center, but this one goes straight to the bottom... Like Leviathan, the direction of gravity is probably different outside compared to inside. Given the scale... we're probably standing sideways. I figured from the outside, this descent is moving from the head to the tail.
『However, I will reiterate that what is required in this Behemoth are three things: "Wisdom," "Courage," and "Power"... This great hole is vertically divided into ten layers.』
"So it basically means overcome the gates just like in Leviathan. Even though there are about twice as many layers."
『Sunraku, I have heard about you from "Isana"... The one who opens the world, the one who harbors doubts. Let me state this clearly right now: the answers you seek lie within this Behemoth.』
Gah, standing out is already a pain in the ass, so don't call me out by name! But either way, I've been getting stared at constantly for a while now, so I'm starting to feel stupid for even caring.
『I don't mind indulging in some small talk... but yes, yes. Please, show me, my beloved children. The strength you have cultivated throughout your journeys.』
......
............
..................
For the time being, about five people were chucked into the hole, but they got hit by some mystery "attack" and were blasted straight up, their entire bodies crumpled, completely dead.
"Did you see anything?"
"There's no way a torch would stay lit at that speed! I got attacked and died without seeing a damn thing."
"Isn't there anyone who can light it up with magic?"
"I had it learned up until three days ago, but it was getting in the way so I forgot it."
"But it's definitely a blunt impact, right? It wasn't a getting-sliced-or-stabbed kind of death."
"Big Sis Exploding Green Peas is right. Well, I kinda knew this, but dropping straight down as a shortcut seems impossible."
"There's no need to go out of your way to call me by name, is there!?"
"If only we had a light that wouldn't go out..."
.........Why are you guys looking at me.
"Tsuchinoko-san, don't you have something? Like, some scientific illumination?"
"Let me ask you this instead: is there anyone who boards a super-massive spaceship and goes home having only bought a flashlight?"
......Can't be helped. It's not like I hate this kind of collaborative strategizing anyway. Guess I'll step up to the plate here.
"Once you fall a certain distance, you get smacked by 'something' down there and launched back out. And at the very least, it's not an AoE suppression..."
"Why? What's your proof?"
"Those two over there fell together, but the timing of when they got launched back up was offset. They're probably getting punched away individually, no?"
My personal theory was that there might be a giant octopus or squid down there... but well, nothing beats a field test. Shall I take a quick trip down? If I'm going to die anyway, I won't need any safeties for staying alive, so I'll just take off my head gear and everything else and leave it on the ground......... Stares.
"...What?"
"Your head, it comes off!?"
"Listen here, Exploding Green Peas-san. It's true that I'm subjected to a bullshit restriction where my torso and leg equipment gets destroyed without question as time passes, but it's not like I can't take off my head equipment. Understand? Exploding Green Peas-san."
"You're spamming it!!!!"
And it's not like taking off my mask or helmet will kill me. If I'm going to attempt a challenge where death is guaranteed, I'll just take off my head equipment normally. I'll equip gear that's easy to move in just in case... fully activate my skills, and further boost my mobility with Overflow... If I buff myself any more than this, I won't be able to control it, so I probably shouldn't use Vestige of the Raging Storm Emperor・Extreme. Or rather, I still haven't managed to perfectly control it when used in tandem anyway.
"Alright, gonna go die real quick."
"This guy is so casual about it..."
"Is the fact that he dies fast and evaporates instantly the origin of the name Tsuchinoko...?"
I don't have such a fleeting ecology! I don't, I swear. Pulling myself together, time to dive! Bungee without the cord!
Leaping from the edge of the hole, my body—having gained considerable jump distance thanks to the power of Overflow—flew decently far into the hole... and then began falling.
"I see, that makes sense."
A player's vision should secure a certain level of brightness even in the dark. The fact that it isn't means the game itself has decreed, "Deal with this darkness on your own." My tactical mech headgear should have a night vision function, but if I ended up breaking it, I'd probably be chased by Rust until the day NephHolo 2 goes on sale. That type isn't satisfied with just killing you once or twice.
She wouldn't go as far as crushing my hunted corpse, burning it, mixing the ashes into livestock feed, and then slaughtering the livestock... but no, let's stop. It's not good to arbitrarily disparage acquaintances even if it's just in my head, and since it ultimately loops back to my SpellCre era self, I end up feeling self-loathing. Back then... yeah, that pervert showed up right around the time I was starting to forget how irritated I was about Saba-Gan shutting down...
"Mu."
It was the same as when I went to Edward's lab. The moment I tried to brake against the wall using my skills... I saw it.
No, strictly speaking, that's wrong. I realized it because the Astral World Guideline—which is always active so I can react no matter when or where an enemy comes from, displaying the ideal route to a "target" in my vision—showed a reaction.
I see. The five who became sacrifices earlier fell from coordinates that weren't very far from the edge of the hole. Which means they were closer to the walls rather than the center of the hole. Rather than being launched from below, they were hit upward by something coming from the side... In short.
"They're on the walls...!!"
I can't see, damn it. But judging by the Astral Line's reaction, it isn't that huge. At the very least, it definitely isn't the "giant octopus or squid like Ctarrnid acting like anti-air defense inside the hole and launching players upward with uppercuts" that I had imagined.
"How's this!!"
I use a single-use magic medium for the spell 【Magic Torch】, illuminating the entire area with magical light. And what was on the wall was....................... eh?
"A human?"
Coming face-to-face with an incredibly distinct human specimen preserved in some kind of liquid, I instantly realized that my earlier predictions were probably far from the truth.
Then what was hitting the players... That was what I was thinking right at that moment.
"Ogubee!!?"
No way, the true identity of the blunt impact was... an elevator heading up from below......
Author's Afterword
His name is "Bathtub Taro". If things went poorly, he almost got one-shot with zero playtime (Though it's not like the glass is so flimsy that a half-hearted attack would break it just because it has a hitbox).
Translator's Notes
- [1] Bondrewd on stage: Apparently a nickname for Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul
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