Escape - Chapter 21.1
Chapter 21.1
Adeline’s lips parted as if to answer. Just then, something indistinct moved in the shadows above the gloomy cave.
A weapon materialized in Adeline’s hand. Whoosh—with a swing of the massive scythe, five or six Serpientes were cleaved in two, falling to the ground with a thud.
‘The skeletal soldier I’d seen just before entering must have made quite the impression.’
Unconsciously, she had summoned a weapon remarkably similar to the skeleton’s giant scythe.
“You wield a variety of weapons. What is your class?”
Finally, a question she could answer. This was information she knew from her status window.
“Ah, Hunter.”
“Hunter?”
He echoed the unfamiliar word as if testing its sound. As he finished speaking, he raised a hand, and a luminous orb bloomed, illuminating the dark cave.
The first things visible were the white bones scattered across the ground: human ribs, vertebrae, skulls, and pelvises. Anyone could tell these were the remnants of a Serpiente’s meal.
Adeline grimaced in disgust. It wasn’t her first time seeing a corpse, but this casual display, like discarded food scraps, was difficult to stomach.
Eric, who had been about to say something more about her class, closed his mouth at the sight of Adeline’s expression. Then, he spoke again.
“Serpent’s Lair is dark and complex, so it’s best to avoid going alone. Please stay close to us.”
“Yes. But, Guild Leader…”
“You can call me Eric.”
“Ah, yes. Eric, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask…”
“…?”
“Where’s Geto?”
The missing man was silent. Eric barely swallowed the rising irritation.
***
“What the—where am I?”
He’d considered moving for about three seconds, but he hadn’t actually intended to. He’d been so engrossed in slashing at the things dropping from the ceiling that he’d somehow ended up alone.
He hadn’t moved, so it must have been the space that shifted. Left in absolute darkness after being separated from Eric, Geto scratched the back of his head. He absolutely loathed the dark. That’s why he didn’t play horror simulation games.
With no item to light a fire, he began slashing at anything that came near. He raised his greatsword at the slightest sensation of approach. There couldn’t be anything other than snakes in a snake lair, right?
Slice, slice. The feeling of bone and flesh separating, blood splattering. Geto found comfort in the familiarity. All the while, he was going deeper and deeper into the lair.
“This is going nowhere.”
Serpent’s Lair was a dungeon notorious for its endless depths. After over an hour of snake hunting, he finally stopped swinging his sword.
He decided to try something he wasn’t particularly good at: thinking. How could he rejoin Eric and the others?
Turning back was impossible. Finding his way back without light was equally so.
“There’s no way.”
Geto chuckled dryly. Finding Eric’s group was out of the question. In that case…
“If I can’t find them, I’ll make them find me.”
Having found a simple solution, he adjusted his grip on his sword. A blue aura began to emanate from its edges.
Skill: Berserker’s Slayer (Level 3) activated.
Gripping the greatsword with both hands, he raised it above his head. Then, he swung down with all his might.
KABOOOOOM!
With a tremendous roar, the cave ahead split in two for 50 meters, collapsing inward. Even in his blurred vision, he could see the dust and debris rising as the rocks tumbled down.
“With this much commotion, they’ll come looking, right?”
The idiot who hadn’t considered the possibility of blocking his own path spoke.
And, of course, Eric wasn’t the only one who sensed the disturbance.
***
12’s eyes snapped open.
There had been a tremor. Although it originated quite far from his throne, he sensed the intruder’s presence.
“Hydra.”
He turned his head leisurely and called the name. Several heavy shadows fell upon the hall. Nine serpentine heads. The creature that responded to its master’s call was larger than dozens of Serpientes combined.
“Go.”
He grinned and gestured. As the massive body began to move, one of the heads spat out something it had been chewing.
What rolled across the floor was a severed human head. A face with dark hair and dark eyes, a sharp gaze, frozen in an expression of terror.
12 thought for a moment about the player who had amused him. These humans he’d found in District 11 were different from the early “pyramids” he’d used as fodder. They were much braver, much more entertaining.
12 had shared many conversations with them. About them. About this world.
But no matter how enjoyable the conversation, hunger always followed. A terrible, insatiable hunger. Starvation. Emptiness.
12 was still hungry. And bored.
This next player would have to be even more entertaining. Otherwise, he might want to leave again.
