The Unseen
by Afuhfuihgs
I struggled on the 99th floor, but the ending was no different from what was in the novel. The dome collapsed, and a door leading to the 5th floor appeared. As soon as the door appeared, everyone cheered, happy to have survived. They all nodded to each other, eager to get out of this place, and headed for the door.
As I watched their backs with Ellie, I inadvertently fixed my gaze on the letters floating above their heads.
[100/100]
I felt a strange sense of unease. It was no different from what was in the novel, but somehow, I wanted to scratch my eyebrow. Ellie, quick to notice, studied my expression and asked.
“Why?”
“I feel like I’m missing something.”
“…Isn’t this the end? Is there something more?”
The rescue team, having shared the memories of the 4th floor in advance, knew that this was the end. I scratched my chin at Ellie’s question and checked the spatial coordinates I had recognized, just in case. There was nothing particularly wrong….
“There, there’s something.”
Ellie’s head snapped to where I was pointing.
“I don’t see anything…?”
I couldn’t recognize the spatial coordinates of places occupied by something, like people or objects. But clearly, something invisible was pushing out the coordinates of the space I had recognized and occupying the space.
“Wait, everyone stop!”
At my urgent shout, Derock, who had been grabbing the doorknob, jumped back as if he had been burned, raising his hand high.
“Wh-what is it!”
Everyone following Derock turned around and looked at me with puzzled faces.
“There’s something invisible.”
Everyone wore serious expressions at my words. They thought the appeared door was a trap and that the 100th floor wasn’t over. But that door is real. There was no difference from the description in the novel, and the design was different so as not to be confused with an escape door.
Then what the hell is this? Ellie solved the question. She suddenly poured synthetic magic on the spot I pointed to. It was a violent method, but the effect was certain. It was as if something invisible was moving, and the spatial coordinates I had been recognizing disappeared.
“It moved! It’s alive!”
I materialized a shadow spear and swung it straight at the place where the spatial coordinates had disappeared. But I didn’t feel anything on the spearhead. Still, everyone understood the situation at my shout and showed vigilance towards the invisible enemy.
“Are you sure? I can’t even confirm it with magic?”
In response to Valentine’s suspicion, I pointed the spearhead at the place where the spatial coordinates had disappeared instead of answering.
“There!”
As if waiting for it, Raellan threw a magic stone bomb that he had packed for emergencies. An explosion occurred with a loud roar. At that moment, there was a movement as if something had escaped from the black smoke. One side of the smoke was scattered. Derock and Kelton, who noticed it, swung their swords at the same time.
“Below!”
I rushed in and swung my spear as if sweeping the floor. For the first time, I felt something on the spear shaft. It felt quite light rather than heavy. It jumped into the air by stepping on the spear shaft.
“Above!”
Valentine, who had been half-doubting, reflexively used fire magic that could strike the widest range. Now that it was in the air, there was nowhere to escape. Finally, something blackened by Valentine’s flames fell to the ground. Ellie, who quickly pointed her staff and approached, said in a flustered voice.
“A raccoon…?”
The raccoon, startled by the voice, hurriedly got up and ran into the labyrinth with a tatak-tatak- sound. Ellie, who had been staring blankly, belatedly swung her staff, but the raccoon had already disappeared long ago.
“What kind of invisible raccoon is there…?”
I made an absurd expression at Valentine’s absurd voice, and then realized that the letters floating above my head had disappeared. Was simply chasing away the raccoon the condition for breaking through the final stage?
“Wait, the raccoon dropped something?”
As Ellie touched something with the end of her staff with a wary face, Derock approached and checked what the raccoon had dropped.
“A handle?”
“…?”
Derock tapped the handle with his fingertips, confirmed that there was nothing wrong, and held up the handle to show us.
“What is this used for?”
At Derock’s question, Raellan gestured with his chin.
“There, there’s a door that needs a handle.”
At Raellan’s words, our heads all turned. Something that looked like a door appeared on the wall of the labyrinth. It looked like we could open it like a door if we just put the handle in.
Suddenly, Ellie tapped my arm and took a step back, so I reflexively did the same. Derock, who was holding the handle, belatedly realized that he was the only one standing in front and gave us an absurd look.
“Since you have the handle anyway, just finish it yourself.”
Derock glared at Raellan, who said the right thing in such an annoying way, for a moment, hesitated, and slowly inserted the handle. As soon as he heard the click- sound, Derock threw himself backwards. When he realized that there was nothing wrong, he dusted off his knees and muttered to himself.
“Fortunately, it wasn’t a trap. If it had been a trap, it would have been dangerous if I hadn’t reacted quickly.”
“…Just open the door already. It’s more embarrassing for the people watching.”
Derock coughed awkwardly at Valentine’s comment and said.
“Hmm, but… if there are two doors, doesn’t that mean one is a trap?”
“Or it could be a treasure room waiting with a huge reward from the labyrinth.”
Kelton, who was next to Colton, nodded in agreement. I was embarrassed by the door that didn’t appear in the novel, but somehow I didn’t think that door was a trap. The fact that the stage above my head was over meant that I had earned the qualification to go to the 5th floor.
Raellan, who had been looking back and forth at the doors for a while, slowly opened his mouth.
“The probability of getting a reward from the labyrinth, such as treasure or a stroke of luck, is higher than a trap. The probability of a coincidence that a handle dropped by a monster that was hiding its appearance suddenly appears on the wall of the labyrinth is very low. Or it could be a treasure room, as Colton said. However, there is also a high possibility of encountering a monster guarding the treasure.”
Raellan turned around and pointed to the door that had appeared first.
“If you go through the first door, you can safely go to the 5th floor and escape the labyrinth. But the second door is a gamble with unknown risks. The choice is up to you.”
As soon as Raellan finished speaking, the people who weren’t in the rescue team were all worried. When they were driven to the brink of death by the enemy on the 99th floor, they wanted to get out of the labyrinth right away, but when something appeared that might be a reward, everyone became greedy. The magic of the labyrinth, which stimulates people’s desires, was still the same.
Raellan and Lamine came to us. I was the leader of the rescue team, so they meant that they would follow my choice. I approached the second door without hesitation. It was a clear variable, but the big picture didn’t change.
The reality is that I can’t beat Roel and the cult leader no matter how hard I try now. So, I have to use variables as much as possible to change the situation to my advantage. That’s what Jinshian advised me, the way to lead the story to the ending I want.
I grabbed the handle and looked over my shoulder, and Ellie nodded and grabbed my shoulder. Lamine and Raellan also followed and grabbed my shoulder. Derock and Kelton, who had been worried, also came and tried to put their hands on Raellan’s shoulder, but were hit in the forehead by the staff Raellan swung. In the end, it seems that everyone chose the second door.
I don’t know what kind of variable awaits, but I grabbed the doorknob and opened it without hesitation.
[Congratulations! You have reached floor 4.5.]
***
Stars are shining dazzlingly above my head. The stars gathered in one place to form a beautiful silver river like the Milky Way. Under the star-filled sky, we, who had escaped from the door, stared blankly at the sky until we simultaneously turned our heads at a voice coming from somewhere.
“Oh my, it’s been a while since we’ve had a visitor. And a legitimate visitor who found the real ≪Door≫ and came over, I’m glad I didn’t give up my evening stroll!”
After the raccoon, is it a rabbit? A rabbit the size of a person wearing a purple suit and a fedora was walking on two legs and approaching us, pretending to be friendly. Everyone aimed their weapons, wary of the sight, but the rabbit didn’t care, as if it was used to the reaction, and took something out of its waist.
“Okay, everyone, I’ll issue you temporary citizenship. To obtain formal citizenship, you must obtain the qualification on the 3rd floor of the largest and most beautiful building near the whale fountain in the center of the city. Then, for now…”
The rabbit, who had been writing something in a notepad, suddenly stopped his hand as if he had remembered something.
“Ah! I’m late to introduce myself. I’m Runnerbit. I’m the excellent visitor manager of Paradise!”
“…Paradise?”
At my question, Runnerbit smiled, showing his front teeth, and handed me a temporary citizenship.
“Of course. It’s the only paradise in the labyrinth and the end of the world.”
With those words, Runnerbit gestured for me to tear the temporary citizenship in half. At Runnerbit’s seemingly harmless gaze, I tore the temporary citizenship in half despite Ellie’s dissuasion.
Ttjijik-!
The starlight in the sky slowly fell to the ground. The starlight that fell on the endless meadow began to shine, and soon I could see what had been hidden in the darkness shining with the starlight and revealing its appearance.
“This is….”
A huge metropolis revealed its appearance in front of me, boasting overwhelming majesty. Runnerbit stuck out his chest as if he was proud and said.
“Welcome to Paradise, Eclipse.”
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