Chapter 32: I want to go to the second floor (4)

Chapter 32: I want to go to
the second floor (4)

I
am an intelligent person who can make good judgments and rational
decisions.

I’m
not a barbarian who’s ready to swing an axe and split your skull open
just because you’re giving me a dirty look.

What’s
the difference between man and beast? I think it’s being able to
communicate with each other and get the results you want.

We
find ways to benefit each other, even if it means letting go of the
greater good.

Humanity
in the best sense. Not some cheesy, saccharine notion of humanity,
but the kind where people care for and look after one another.

‘Let’s
think about this. Has there ever been anyone in this damn labyrinth
city who possessed that kind of humanity?’

The
cold logic of my mind recalled the events of the past, and the
conclusion came quickly.

‘The
overwhelming majority of people in this world are not people.’

Beasts
and savages who only pursue their own interests. How many times have
I been harmed in this labyrinth city? At least a dozen times, easily
more.

‘I
don’t know what might happen next, but shouldn’t I strike first just
in case?’

“Master.”

As
Grumpy’s voice pulled my sinking mind back to the surface, I first
reassessed the situation.

With
Zelvin and Mercy on board, the odds of them being innocent explorers
were approaching zero.

“They’ve
got reformed explorer badges on their backs. They were outlaws.”

Grumpy
whispered quietly beside me. It was as expected.

They
may have been outlaws, but they’re explorers now. The reformed badges
on their waists proved it.

Unless
they threaten first and I respond, like during the Deluna incident,
if I strike just because the atmosphere feels tense, I would have no
defense if I were treated as just another outlaw.

For
now, I’d have to wait and see.

I
calmly asked the presumed leader of the other party.

“By
any chance, are you thinking of using the transition trap?”

“Uh.
Why?”

If
they trigger the transition trap, we’ll get caught up in it too.
And aside from that…

‘Confirmed:
they have no manners.’

Since
my polite words were met with such rudeness, I no longer felt the
need to be respectful.

“So,
can you just hold off on using it until we’re out of the transition
trap zone?”

I
looked at them as I spoke. First of all, the bitch who had just
answered so snarkily.

[Derucio
LV. 21]

Her
level is quite high. Among the lower level explorers, she’s at the
top. She didn’t go to the fifth floor for nothing.

The
rest of them average around level 15. Zelvin and Mercy, with their
hardened complexions, were eating away at the average level.

In
addition,

[Current
Blessings and Curses: 2]

[◆
Curse of the 26221st Puppet]

–
Derucio became the 26221st puppet.

‘This
asshole?’

I
don’t know what that curse is, but it seems to be attached to
everything that is cheap and bitchy. Is that a Valerian version of
the KC mark?

Not
everyone with the puppet curse is evil, but most of the bitches I’ve
seen have it.

It
makes me extra vigilant. I tightened my grip on the axe, just enough
so she wouldn’t notice.

“No?”

Derucio’s
lips twitched upward as she said it. It sounded quite malicious.

“Why
should we bother with you? We’ve got our own fucking ways to go.”

“⋯10
seconds. No more, no less, just ten seconds. Give me 10 seconds and
I’ll be out of here.”

“Okay.
I’ll give you 10 seconds.”

What?

I
was momentarily embarrassed by how easily she accepted, but it was no
time to dwell on it.

I
was about to take off running with Grumpy and Jeremy.

“Ten
seconds, bang!”

Derucio
declared, and his party stopped us. We hadn’t even taken our feet off
the ground yet.

“⋯What
the hell are you doing?”

“Why,
I gave you 10 seconds, and I’m pretty sure 10 seconds have passed
since I confronted you.”

It
was shitty logic. At the same time, I realized. The asshole had no
intention of letting us go in the first place.

“⋯What
did we do to deserve this? We didn’t
do anything to you.”

I
questioned. What reason could a reformed outlaw and reformed explorer
have to behave like this?

‘Actually,
there’s only one reason.’

I
could see it in those lustful eyes.

So
I played the vulnerable Balkan as best I could.

Shivering,
trembling, slightly hesitant.

“⋯⋯?”

“⋯⋯brother⋯⋯”

Grumpy
and Jeremy looked at me in confusion, but that wasn’t the point right
now.

“He’s
doing it again!”

Zelvin
and Mercy held their heads and began to struggle, as if recalling a
traumatizing experience.

“Hey,
are you okay⋯?”

The
attention of two lackeys around her was divided but even at the
slightest disturbance, Derucio’s eyes remained nailed to my forearm
or thigh.

Heh.
We’ve been in the Labyrinth for three days now, so she must have
built up quite the libido.

‘Thank
you, Deluna.’

Your
impressive performance will go a long way toward my survival.

“We’ve
only just made it to the second floor as explorers. If we get caught
in the transition trap, we’re done for…”

“That’s
your problem. There’s no reason for us to understand or sympathize
with that.”

“What,
becoming a 5th-floor explorer means you think you can hold something
over us…!”

“Well,
the equipment looks the same. But you guessed it, this kind of thing
doesn’t happen just by looking at equipment, right?”

Derucio
ran her red tongue over her lips once. The sound of her throat
clearing could be heard all the way over here.

“No
matter how busy we are, we should do what needs to be done before
leaving. Hey you, take off your pants.”

Even
if the average explorer’s toughness was shitty, and the reformed
explorer’s was even worse, this was clearly out of line.

“I’m
not going to ask you to take off your breastplate. You should have a
taste for conquest. Just take off your pants. I’ll be gentle. Okay?”

But
she had the audacity to start threatening, as if she believed in
something.

‘Either
you’re an asshole who goes with your instincts and doesn’t think
twice, or you have a backbone that believes in something.’

Common
sense told me the latter was more plausible.

Zelvin
and Mercy tried to do the same thing, but judging by the way they
cowered under my threats, the supposed ‘backer’ was only favorable to
Derucio.

‘If
I could just capture that backer, could I possibly learn a hint about
that curse?’

“You
bitch-!”

Grumpy
aimed with irritation, drawing her bow. The poisoned arrow I handed
her took aim at Derucio’s forehead.

“I
can’t forgive you for saying that to a ⋯man.”

Jeremy
gripped her spear tightly and took a stabbing stance.

“Haha.
Hold on a moment. You think this will be good news for you too?”

Derucio
swallowed hard and glared at me.

“As
long as that guy gives me his body, I’ll give you guys time to get
out of the transition trap area. I’m not pulling the same stunt I
just pulled, so you have a choice. Do you want to play nice and get
out of here alive, or do you want to go down as a cold, dead mess?”

What
got us into this confrontation in the first place?

It
was because they were trying to use the transition trap, and we were
about to get caught in it.

But
Derucio spoke as if she were showing mercy.

“You’re
saying that now-“

“You
brat, calm down.”

“No,
master, that bastard is trying to-“

“Denshi.”

“⋯⋯!”

At
the sound of her name, Grumpy stopped dead in her tracks.

It
was the first time I had ever called her by name.

It
made her eyes widen and her head twitch. Her head immediately drooped
low.

-Mew.

She
made a hissing sound, as if holding back anger.

Stealthily,
I pulled the dagger from her waistband and slipped it into my own.

“Brother.
You can’t. As long as I have the light in my eyes, I can’t let you do
that.”

Jeremy,
who was male-sensitive by this world’s standards, already looked like
he was about to lunge at the Derucio with tears in his eyes.

“I’m
okay. Jeremy.”

“⋯⋯”

I
tapped her on the shoulder, leaned my head close to hers and
whispered in a very quiet voice.

“As
soon as I get close to them, I want you to grab Grumpy and run in the
opposite direction.”

“⋯!
Got it.”

I
wasn’t going to be taken lightly.

The
plan is simple. I’d catch her off guard, then hit her and jump.

The
odds of success were quite high since the second floor is a field of
traps.

‘But
we have Grumpy.’

Unless
they have the ability to identify traps, they won’t be able to track
us when they wake and if they do, the damage will be devastating.

Luckily,
Jeremy seemed to catch my meaning.

“If
I give it to you, you’ll keep your word, right?”

I’m
sure I’d keep my word, after all the shenanigans I’d pulled just a
moment ago, but I let my guard down as best I could.

“Hmph.
Well, then. That’s a pretty tearful sacrifice, I’ll bet it tastes
good, eh. Why don’t you put the axe down?”

Derucio
laughed like a golden sun coming out of an NTR manga. She was going
to f*ck me through blackmail and send the video.

She
didn’t seem to realize that this was a sacrifice.

The
axe clattered to the ground.

I
cautiously approached Derucio, taking stock of the situation.

My
stats were higher than theirs, but as a party, they had the upper
hand.

But
thanks to Zelvin and Mercy’s seizure, two lackeys had fallen back,
bringing the total to four.

Three
in the immediate front.

Derucio
was the strongest I’d faced so far, but she was also the most
defenseless.

I
couldn’t be more grateful for that.

“Come
on. Come here. And take it off yourself.”

Derucio
smiled a perverted grin as she stepped closer. Her hands began to
grope roughly at my thighs.

I
quietly unbuckled my belt and pulled out the secret weapon I’d been
hiding in my waistband.

Derucio’s
smile, which had been a coy grin, quickly turned into a harsh twist.

“Hey,
shit-“

You’re
quicker than I thought, but you’re a little late.

-Puuuuuuk!

“Kaaaah!”

Derucio’s
collarbone was grazed by Grumpy’s dagger.

It
was clearly aimed for her carotid artery, but she blocked the dagger
with her left hand at the risk of having her left hand impaled.

She’s
an explorer, I guess, and if she wasn’t in the mood for sex, she’d be
a fucking nuisance.

“What
the fuck do you think you’re doing!”

Two
of the lackeys drew their swords and charged, but they’re lackeys.
I’m twice as agile as you, what good is that going to do?

“Ow!”

I
drew the dagger embedded in Derucio left hand and threw it at the
lackeys.

The
dagger flew in an instant and landed squarely on the nape of the neck
of one of the lackeys that had been approaching me. She immediately
collapsed in a bloody heap.

Her
fall was fortuitous since it happened right where my axe was. I ran
over and equipped my axe and dagger.

I
easily disposed of the other lackey that lunged at me.

“Huh,
this damn bastard. If only you had cooperated quietly, we wouldn’t
have had this hassle!”

“Yeah,
well, I told you first, give me ten seconds, and you can’t wait for
that, so you make this shit?”

Derucio
decided better than to argue with me.

“Hey!
You guys! Touch the transition trap! Go to the fountain on the 5th
floor!”

“Yeah!”

At
that, one of the lackeys, who had been watching Zelvin, approached
the transition trap.

‘That’s
it.’

I
immediately prepared to turn around. If I hesitate even slightly,
it’ll be the end. Looking behind, I saw Jeremy trying to run with
Grumpy. Well done, Jeremy. I’m going soon too.

-Squeak!

“Where,
grrrr. Where are you going, you little shit?”

“Fuck
you!”

I’m
about to run when the lackey I thought I’d left behind grabs me by
the ankle tightly. True to being a little rascal, she’s likely to
fall dramatically, but this grip on my lifeline is intense.

I
slammed my axe down on her wrist, severing it, and started to run.

-Beep,
beep, beep, beep-!

A
bright yellow flash erupted from behind me as an unpleasant noise
that echoed through the labyrinth.

The
sound alone was fucking ominous. It must mean they’ve touched the
transition trap.

I
spun around in time to see Derucio grinning wickedly as she clasped
her hands together.

“You.
You’re fucked.”

Shit.

‘There’s
still time!’

The
trap has a 100 meter range. It takes 10 seconds from the time it’s
touched to the time it triggers.

And
I have a whopping 17 Agility.

My
Agility, move, Legs. I’m more than capable of covering 100 meters in
10 seconds! I’ve already lost two seconds, so I need to run it in
eight!

The
wind slapped me in the face as I hit the ground.

My
run was so violent that tiny footprints were carved into the stone
floor of the labyrinth.

A
tremendous force surged from my explosively swollen thigh. Whether
they know it or not, right now, even Usain Bolt wouldn’t stand a
chance against me.

In
the distance, like the finish line of a 100-meter race, there is a
line.

The
inside of the line is fiery yellow, and the outside is the plain
stone floor of the labyrinth. Perhaps if I cross that line, I can
escape the realm of the transition trap.

I
caught sight of Grumpy and Jeremy, who had caught up with me.

‘It’s
happening. It’s close, but it works!’

I’m
going to make it out of the transition trap!

Just
as I thought that, the world slowed down again.

No
matter how hard I stretched my legs, I couldn’t move forward, and a
strange calm came over me, as if time had stopped again.

What?
What else? Did I just step on a trap? No. I didn’t hear the
characteristic maneuvering sound of a trap being triggered. I didn’t
step on a trap, so what the hell is wrong?

“Oh.”

I
see…I have an Agility of 17.

I
can just barely walk across that line.

Grumpy
and Jeremy are significantly slower than me.

That
means they can’t reach that line.

Even
if I’m extremely lucky, I’ll probably get caught in a teleportation
trap right before escaping.

I
suddenly understood why my strange calm and focus had returned.

This
was not a time to recognize danger.

It
was the time for me to make a decision.

What
choice would I make?

Would
I kill the goblin? Or make a quick getaway.

Do
I risk injury and sacrifice and save my free points? Or do I invest
in agility and survive?

In
this case.

‘Do
I abandon Denshi and Jeremy and try to escape the metastasis trap
alone?’

Or.

‘All
three of us fall to the fifth floor together.’

Obviously,
I had to choose the former.

I’m
going to fucking live and see. After all, parties don’t last forever.
As with any relationship, there will be parting. That was the fate of
our party.

Not
the third floor, not the fourth, not the fifth. You never know what
kind of shit you’re going to get.

‘But
why am I the one in trouble?’

Three
people falling to the fifth floor is just as dangerous. No, it’s more
dangerous for all three to go.

While
I might squeak by with sheer stats, the other two ahead are
different. They’re like facing monsters they can’t handle, and it’s
clear they’ll struggle and die.

Even
if I try to protect them, I’m likely to run into something far more
dangerous than an arrow trap.

‘Throw
it away. Just throw it away. Do you care how long it’s been since
you’ve known them? Do it with your eyes closed. You’ll forget it soon
enough, isn’t that what the Labyrinth City is all about?’

My
inner self whispers. Go ahead, make your choice, you know what’s
wise.

The
world began to spin again.

I
deliberate, and make my choice.

Not
the first, not the second but the third choice.

Soon
catching up to Grumpy and Jeremy, I thrust all the strength of my
legs into my upper body.

-Pow!

I
shoved them in the back with my palms as hard as I could.

“”⋯?!””

As
if hit by a gust of wind, their bodies lifted up and flew out of the
trap range.

Their
expressions were a mixture of slight pain and great bewilderment.

Behind
them, the yellow light began to burst more violently. It’s really
over now.

Thank
goodness. By the time that light hits them, they’ll be living outside
the realm.

‘Asshole.’

I’d
made a fucking stupid choice. I had chosen the survival of others
over my own.

But
I had to make this choice for the rest of my life.

What’s
the difference between man and beast?

Finding
a way to benefit each other, even if it means sacrificing immediate
gain.

‘In
other words, the ability to accept your own losses.’

I
made a human choice.

‘Sure,
it’s a big loss.’

Nevertheless,
I have no doubt that the people I bought low will come back to me in
a huff.

The
overwhelming majority of people in this world are beasts and
barbarians who only care about their own interests, but I doubt they
will forget my favor.

It
was selfish of me. I thought that if I erased my great debt to them,
it might help me in the end.

“Master-!”

“Brother!”

As
soon as they hit the ground, they both look back at me.

“No,
no, no! Don’t go! Don’t go!”

Grumpy
runs toward me from the distance, her face desperate, reaching out
for me but she can’t reach me since I’ve thrown them far enough.

I
opened my mouth to speak, a faint smile on my face, swallowed up by
the fiery yellow light.

“Goodbye.”

-Beep,
beep, beep.

There
was a strange noise and a strange feeling of floating.

And
just like that, I fell to the fifth floor.