Nightmarish Reality

I couldn't leave this space unless I cleared the 『Game』. I knew what to

do next so I started searching around the temple. Fortunately, I immediately

found what I was looking for.

「This is a… dungeon, right?」

There was a huge gate inside the temple and a long passage made of so

many blue stones that I got bored of seeing it. No matter how I looked at it,

this place was clearly a dungeon. In short, my goal was to clear this

dungeon.

Well, nothing would change if I sit like this doing nothing. There is no

retreat, and the rules state that I have to clear this dungeon. I have no

choice but to go forward.

I wore the [Escape Shoes] and unsheathed my knife from the scabbard

strapped on my waist. Since I was really weak, my chances of winning were

much better with a sharp weapon like a knife rather than with a dull weapon

like a stick.

The cold stone floor actually sent a chill running down my spine. This was

the life-threatening adventure I had always dreamed of since I was a kid,

the adventure I had to give up after I learned what my gift was.

Before my gift was revealed, I had been forced to succeed in the Heineman

sword style. However, from the very beginning, my dream was to become a

hunter like my mother, and not a swordsmanship instructor.

That was why, during the ceremony two years ago, I had secretly wished

that my gift wouldn't be related to swordcraft. If it wasn't, I was sure that

my grandfather would have allowed me to become a hunter. In the end, I

ended up being branded as 'incompetent.' Forget becoming a hunter, I had

even lost the swordcraft that I had desperately trained until now as I had

become too weak.

It was the reason I couldn't help but feel elated right now.

""

Although I had completely immersed myself in viewing the passage wall

for more than ten minutes, I had never let my guard down. I was especially

vigilant toward the path behind me, my retreat path to the surface. It was

the basics of dungeon exploration. Well, it was just textbook knowledge for

hunters that I had read in my mother's room a long time ago.

A while later, I finally came out of the blue stone's passage and arrived at a

crossroad. Now, the question was: which path should I choose? The easiest

way was going straight ahead.

「Eh?」

The moment I stepped out of the passage, I saw a living being on my right

side crouched on the floor while eating something. My train of thought was

completely suspended for a moment.

The next moment, a piercing pain assaulted my body. It felt as if someone

had driven a stake into my spine. A moment later, I realized what that living

being was eating. The bright red liquid that was spurting from my right

shoulder like a fountain was enough to make me understand.

Yes, the thing this monster with a locust-like head was eating was… my

right arm.

「GIHYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!」

I ran as fast as I could toward the entrance while screaming like a cock that

was being strangled to death.

Just what in the he*l is that? When did it attack me? Why couldn't I see the

moment it attacked me at all? No, in the first place, why did it look at me

with such eyes?

I couldn't understand at all. However, this unexplained situation terrified

me.

IT HURTS! It so fuc*ing hurts!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!

Suddenly, the pain that had almost made me mad disappeared. I felt like

my head was boiling over. Overwhelmed by fear, my brain ordered my legs

to run, run, and run.

I couldn't remember what happened after that. I just dashed toward the

wasteland in front of the temple.

In my dimmed consciousness, I remember throwing myself into the

fountain filled with blue liquid. Then, my consciousness faded away.

When I opened my eyes, the sun was shining brightly. I squinted due to the

brilliant sunlight, then looked around my surroundings.

It seemed I was floating on the surface of dark blue water. I found out that

my body hadn't sunk into the fountain. Thus, I forced my languid self to

move to the shore lake while recalling the unpleasant sensation I had before

I passed out.

Strange, my head feels so heavy! Why did I pass out in the middle of the

fountain?

I tried recalling my memories.

I was going to the Royal Capital after receiving a call from my mother. I

had rocked inside the carriage for a week and had a conversation with Rose

during the camp. When I left the camp to do my business, I met a red-haired

man. And then—

「―!!!」

A series of nightmarish flashbacks assaulted me at once. The more I

recalled the situation, the more blood I felt draining out of my body.

Yes! That's right! I ran into this place to escape from those beasts,

entered the dungeon, and then a locust-like monster ate my right a— My

right arm?

「My right arm is… still there?」

When I saw that my right arm was still attached to my shoulder, I heaved a

deep sigh and plopped on the ground.

Maybe, it was just a nightmare. I mean, if that was a reality, I should be

missing my right arm. Yeah, that must've been a dream.

Finally, my train of thought was back to normal again.

「Eh, my clothes…」

Yes, there was indeed not a single scratch on my skin. However, the right

arm part of my clothes was torn until the base. Upon a closer look, I found a

blood clot around the base of the right arm of my clothes.

「Elixir!」

All of a sudden, I unconsciously muttered a word that was left in my head.

That's right. If that is the case, everything makes sense now.

After that locust-like monster tore off my right arm, I had run like my life

depended on it, fallen into this elixir fountain, and passed out. In short, the

reason there was not a single scratch on my right arm was none other than

"elixir."

If that's the case, everything that happened in the basement of that temple is

not a pipe dream. Then, I have no choice but to go to that hellish place

again in order to get out of this space.

「Dammit! No! Like hell! I have enough of that hell!」

I couldn't even see the movements of that locust-like monster. If what the

monster tore off was my head instead of my right arm, I would've died for

sure. The only silver lining of that situation was that I had survived. I

absolutely wouldn't enter that place.

「Or not! I have to enter that place sooner or later. Well, my right arm is

safe and sound thanks to elixir―」

After I cheered myself up, I turned around and headed toward the temple

again. On the ground leading to the temple, I saw large patches of blood

spread everywhere. It was definitely the blood that had been spurting from

my wound.

「Haha…」

I see! So that's the case, huh. It's always the same every time. The thing I

want the most is always robbed from me in the worst possible way.

I unconsciously let out a dry laugh upon realizing the extraordinarily high

and thick grey wall that separated me from my future. Soon, that laugh

turned into bitter cries.

Unable to withstand the extremely cruel fate that I had never asked for, I

finally broke into tears for the first time in a few years.

After crying my heart out, I calmed down a lot.

Anyhow, I knew that the current me couldn't win against that locust-like

monster. If I forced my way into the dungeon, I would only become its

food. However, the only way to get out of this place was by clearing that

dungeon.

Will Rosemary dispatch a search party if I wait until morning? I better not

hope for that. There is no way her attendants would obey her order to

search for me. Even if Al-san orders them, I'm sure that they would still

refuse. Moreover, the time outside of this world is suspended right now.

Morning would never come in the outside world unless I clear this dungeon.

Dammit!

I was backed against the wall. Anyhow, I refused to die in this kind of

hidden place. Moreover, the situation might change for the better as long as

I persevered. For example, someone else might come to challenge this

dungeon while I waited.

Since that was the case, the first thing I had to do was securing food and

water. For water, I had the fountain, which endlessly pumped out elixir. The

main problem was food.

「As expected, there's no food, huh…」

I tried to walk around the space, but forget about a nut, I couldn't even find

a small animal or grass in this place. I spotted a caterpillar-like animal

beneath the shadow of stone or rock, but it was inedible since it contained a

fatal poison, though I did not want to eat those caterpillars either.

However, it was too early to give up. I mean, since the passage of time

outside this place and my age progression was suspended, there was a

chance that I might not feel hungry. Or else, I might be able to alleviate my

hunger with elixir. I had no choice but to bet on those possibilities.

For the time being, let's not do anything that would exhaust my stamina.

Thus, I lay down on the ground and closed my eyes to sleep.