Chapter 273

The nine arms attacked menacingly.

One-on-one, it would have been difficult to even block them.

But they weren’t alone.

They were a unit.

The large shields, interlocked seamlessly, formed an impenetrable wall of steel.

*Clank! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!*

The tentacle-like arms pounded against the shields relentlessly.

Despite their appearance, the attacks were incredibly powerful.

“Ugh.”

“Tsk.”

The residents gritted their teeth and held their ground.

They were being pushed back.

But they were able to maintain their balance and withstand the onslaught because of their comrades behind them.

Their comrades, supporting them with all their might.

This was also the power of a unit.

They trusted and relied on each other, maximizing their strength.

That was the power of a collective.

And there was someone they trusted and relied on more than anyone else.

Max Celtrine.

The Savior of the Underground.

He had personally faced the monsters and revealed their weakness.

That weakness was now etched into the residents’ minds.

Because they knew it was the path to victory, the path to survival.

“Attack!”

Gwen roared.

Finally, it was time to switch to offense.

The shields parted slightly, creating a small opening.

Spears shot out in unison, thrusting forward with determined force.

They were aiming for a single point.

The bottom left eye.

The monsters’ numerous arms flailed wildly.

But the residents didn’t flinch.

They didn’t lose their focus.

They concentrated their minds and thrust their spears with all their might.

*Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!*

Direct hits.

And they could feel it.

That the monsters couldn’t defend properly against attacks aimed at that specific spot.

The weakness that Savior had discovered was accurate.

*Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!*

The monsters’ other eyes exploded in succession.

A mist of blood obscured their vision.

It was a gruesome sight.

But the residents felt a surge of exhilaration.

Because they could sense it, with every fiber of their being.

That they could win, that they could survive once again.

As if in response to their exhilaration, the dying monsters let out their death throes.

*Screech!*

*Screech!*

Those chilling, grotesque screams sounded sweeter than any music to the residents’ ears.

“We can do this!”

“Hahaha, serves them right! You disgusting creatures!”

“Let’s kill all these monsters!”

The resident unit’s morale soared.

That was the turning point.

They began to exterminate the monsters with renewed vigor.

* * *

A one-sided massacre.

It was a common occurrence on the 20th floor.

Because the monsters had been massacring and devouring everything else until now.

But no one could have imagined that the tables would turn so completely.

And that it would be humans who would be doing the massacring.

*Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!*

*Screech!*

The residents’ spears finished off the last remaining monster.

But they knew.

That it wasn’t over.

The gaping black hole right in front of them.

They had all seen it with their own eyes, new monsters emerging from that hole.

The one they had just killed had also emerged from that hole.

“Well, this seems endless.”

“Ugh, this is getting annoying.”

The residents grumbled, their faces filled with frustration.

They had slaughtered the monsters effortlessly, but that didn’t mean they weren’t tired.

They had also expended a considerable amount of mental and physical energy.

It was understandable for them to be annoyed when monsters kept popping up endlessly.

“What should we do?”

“What do you mean? We kill them as they come out.”

Duncan said nonchalantly.

A typical answer from the red-haired beastman.

“No, I mean, even if we kill them, they keep coming out.”

“So what? If we keep killing them, it’ll eventually end. Right?”

“Hmm, are you sure about that, Duncan? Maybe you should think a little deeper…”

Milia interjected.

Her voice was soft, but her words were a polite way of saying, “Please use your brain.”

But Duncan didn’t get angry.

He just glared at her with a sour expression.

Because it was Milia.

For some reason, he found her difficult to deal with.

It wasn’t just her completely different personality, but also the fact that she was a knight who emanated an aura of fanaticism, not loyalty.

“Ahem, what’s the problem?”

“The problem is, that’s clearly a portal to another dimension. It means that the situation won’t be resolved unless we do something about that portal.”

The residents nodded in agreement.

Duncan’s face flushed with embarrassment.

“A-Ahem. So, do you have a solution?”

“I don’t. But I’m sure Savior will come up with a suitable solution soon.”

As expected of a fanatic, Milia brought up Savior at every opportunity.

Duncan seized the opportunity to retort, “Ahem, you’re always relying on Savior for everything…”

“Yes, what’s wrong with that?”

Milia asked calmly.

“W-What?”

“There’s no shame in seeking wisdom from someone wiser than yourself. Especially if that person is Savior.”

“…”

Duncan was speechless.

Bickering was only fun if there was some back-and-forth, but if your opponent didn’t react, it just became tiring.

It was then.

Savior, who had finally finished organizing his thoughts, approached them.

* * *

‘An infinite respawn portal.’

I stared at the ominous, black, swirling portal.

It was a nuisance.

But it also confirmed my suspicions.

That this was the end of the underground.

In games, infinitely respawning enemies usually appeared at the end.

“Did you find a solution?”

Milia asked, her face hopeful.

Her expression made it difficult for me to say no.

…I was just a human, not some divine being. Please don’t look at me like I’m the answer to all your prayers.

I understood the struggles of a cult leader.

“No, not yet. But the answer must be here somewhere.”

There was no effect without a cause.

This mysterious portal couldn’t have just appeared out of nowhere.

The cause must be somewhere around here.

We could cross over to the other side and investigate, but it was too risky.

I wanted to preserve our forces as much as possible.

Venturing into an unknown dimension was a last resort, something I would only do if there were no other options.

“Ah, I see.”

Milia nodded repeatedly, her expression saying, “As expected of Savior.”

…Please don’t be so easily impressed by my obvious statements.

As I scratched my cheek, feeling awkward,

Gwen intervened.

“Then we need to split up.”

“Of course. We should leave half of our forces here, just in case something happens, and the other half will search this area thoroughly.”

It was a large area, but with over 300 residents now, searching it wouldn’t be a problem.

Even if we split up, we would still have 150 people.

“Then let’s move quickly. But don’t rush. Search the area carefully, make sure we don’t miss anything.”

And so, we began our search.

* * *

Me, Camian, and Annette were in a group.

It was a given.

There was no other combination I could even consider.

“This place is strangely empty.”

Camian said.

I understood what he meant.

The floors we had cleared so far had all had distinct characteristics.

Whether it was the climate or the environment.

But the 20th floor, the supposed end of the underground, was just an ordinary underground space.

It was most similar to the 10th floor, the first floor we had cleared.

“Hmm, there were no doors either.”

Annette said.

We had already circled the entire 20th floor.

And as Annette had said, we hadn’t found a single door.

Except for the entrance we had come through.

It meant that,

“There are no stairs. This is definitely the last floor.”

“But then… Where’s the exit…?”

Annette asked, her face filled with anxiety.

She was probably thinking about the elevator that had always been there, the elevator that led to the surface.

It was nowhere to be seen.

But I was calm.

Because I had a theory.

“Just because there are no doors doesn’t mean there’s no exit.”

“Huh?”

“Have you forgotten how we got here in the first place?”

“We were trapped in a hidden magic circle… Ah!”

Annette’s eyes widened in realization.

A teleportation magic circle.

Everyone who had been trapped here had been caught in one.

Until now, they had probably thought that it only worked one way, but that wasn’t how teleportation magic circles worked.

If there was a way in, there should also be a way out.

“Whoever was here before us must have had an exit, right?”

One of the rules of the underground.

You could never go back up through the door you came down from.

Because once you went down, the door would be sealed shut.

That’s why we had used the elevator.

That was probably why there was an elevator on every floor.

But there was no elevator on the 20th floor.

It meant that,

There must be another exit.

And I suspected it was a teleportation magic circle.

“Senior is right! There must be an exit!”

Annette’s face brightened.

“Then should we look for the exit first?”

Camian asked.

“No, that’s important too, but first, let’s figure out how to deal with that monster portal.”

“Hmm, that’s true. But there’s nothing that stands out…”

“It means it’s hidden.”

I said with certainty.

Camian and Annette’s eyes widened.

“Hidden?”

“T-That makes sense!”

My juniors looked excited, as if they had finally found a clue.

But,

‘Knowing that doesn’t make the search any easier.’

We had already circled the entire floor, using Hero’s Eye to scan every nook and cranny.

The floor, the walls, the ceiling.

But we hadn’t found anything.

Perhaps Hero’s Eye couldn’t detect it, or maybe there was some kind of special security measure in place.

Whatever the reason, the reality was that we had been searching for a long time with no results.

And I had no idea how long it would take.

I clicked my tongue in frustration.

Someone approached us.

“Yawn, how’s the search going?”

It was Ran, yawning.

But she didn’t look sleepy.

…Because she had already taken a nap.

She was truly carefree.

To think that she could take a nap, snoring away, in this unfamiliar, rigid place, with monsters constantly popping out.

It seemed like being a genius had its perks.

“Does it look like it’s going well, or does it look like it’s not going well?”

“Judging by your expression, the latter.”

“Then why don’t you help us?”

“Okay, okay, I will.”

Ran scratched her head and looked around.

And then,

“Aha.”

She nodded, as if she had realized something.

What?

Had she already figured something out?

I asked, my eyes filled with curiosity, “Did you find something?”

“Nice work.”

“Nice work?”

“It looks ordinary, but the floor, the walls, the ceiling… They’re all very well-made.”

“…”

It looked drab to me, but if a genius craftsman said so, then it must be true.

But why was she making such a fuss over something so trivial…?

“I can see it, I can see it.”

“See what?”

…What else could she see?

“They tried to hide it, but it’s obvious.”

Ran grinned.

At that moment, my eyes widened.

Because I realized.

That Ran had an eye for detail, an eye that could discern something hidden within the seemingly ordinary, drab surroundings.

“Wait, you don’t mean…?”

“Follow me, follow me.”

Ran started walking, her steps light and carefree.

A triumphant smile appeared on my lips.

The power of connections, once again.

This was good.