Chapter 141 : It Was Already Bad, but Then It Got Worse
It Was Already Bad, but Then It Got Worse
The Black Gate.
A grotesque-shaped door, covered in bone and tendon, began to reveal itself as it lay flat against the ground.
"What, what is that!"
Among the barbarians, confused shouts erupted.
Of course. They were warriors who had fought dungeons their whole lives, but this scene was surely a first for them.
A dungeon being created, and to witness such a thing right in the center of their tribe...
'Insane.'
I found this experience unfamiliar as well.
'What's with that dungeon?'
It wasn't my first time seeing a dungeon being created so directly.
Having spent a good bit of time playing 《Dungeon God》, you couldn't help but see dungeons spawning from time to time if you played long enough.
But I'd never seen a dungeon summoned by being laid horizontally like that before.
It was as if, while drifting at sea, a whale suddenly opened its mouth wide below you—an overwhelming sense of dread began to seize me.
* 〈'Cradle of the Abyss' has been created.〉
"It's getting bigger."
At my muttered words, Barkal turned around.
"What did you say, brother?"
"The gate is growing!"
Even as we spoke, the dungeon gate called 'Cradle of the Abyss' kept expanding.
The sinister door, which first seemed just a dungeon entrance, was soon becoming large enough to swallow rocks.
And it didn't stop growing.
"We need to get out of here!"
The flustered barbarians started bustling around to escape, but my instincts warned me otherwise.
We couldn't run.
It was impossible to get out of that 'dungeon' now.
Rumble!
Not long after I had that thought, the ground started to quake.
The tents near the door began to be sucked into the dungeon.
"What, what should we do?"
Leaning against a pillar and watching her footing disappear, Serena asked.
Even someone as seasoned as Serena seemed to be having this kind of experience for the first time. Her face plainly showed her bewilderment.
"It doesn't look like we can just run out of here."
"I... I think so too, brother."
I spoke toward the growing dungeon.
"Every dungeon has a master. At this point, before it swallows the whole tribe, we have to destroy that dungeon."
The chieftain, who had been listening nearby, looked down at the dungeon, his face in shock.
Anyone could see the dungeon looked terrifying. I might be the only one here who knows, thanks to having seen the 'text', that it's connected with the 'Abyss', but even without that, its appearance was monstrous.
"In the end, to kill the lion, must we enter the lion's mouth?"
"Are you afraid, Barkal?"
"Kuahahahahah!"
Just in case, I asked Barkal, but he burst out laughing as if it was nothing.
"If I die in battle, that is what I desire most!"
Right, I shouldn't have bothered to ask you.
"If Thrag wishes this ordeal, then we must all face it!"
Perhaps taking Barkal's words to heart, the chieftain spoke up.
"That's right!"
The chieftain's voice filled the tent. There was no hesitation in his eyes.
"Barkal is right! If Thrag permitted this ordeal, we must simply accept it!"
Although he spoke with near-fanatical zeal, the barbarians began to draw strength from his words.
The barbarians who had still looked anxious and were muttering among themselves now turned to face the monstrous maw forming below.
"It could be the curse of an evil god!"
In that moment, one rational barbarian spoke up.
"If this isn't Thrag's trial, if it's just a curse, then we might be in danger!"
"Are you afraid!"
At the chieftain's question, the inside of the tent went quiet.
"I am afraid too!"
He took off his helmet, exposing a scarred face—the marks of decades spent on the battlefield.
"Even as Thrag's warriors, it's not as if we feel no fear!"
He began to lock eyes with each and every warrior in the tent.
Eventually, his eyes met mine. It seemed he wanted me to pick up his thread.
"Thrag's warriors are those who overcome fear."
At my response, the chieftain donned his helmet again.
"As Sage Dmihtan said, we are warriors who overcome fear! Whether it's a trial or a curse, we must fight!"
Thud!
He struck down his axe.
Then, the dungeon's mouth opening below became large enough to cover the whole tent.
"Red Wolf Tribe! Take up your weapons! If there is anything that threatens the tribe, crush it all!"
One by one,
The barbarians who had felt fear raised their weapons and let out shouts.
Fear transformed into Anger and resolve.
"For Thrag!"
"For Blood and Glory!"
Beginning with the chieftain, people started throwing themselves at the opening maw.
Watching that insane sight, I glanced at Serena. It seemed she had her worries but had no intention of objecting to entering the dungeon.
"Kuahahahahaha!"
With Barkal, there was never any need to ask. He was already throwing himself in.
Tsk.
I clicked my tongue once.
I desperately wanted to leave, but if this dungeon was related to 'Melissa', there was a high chance it was also connected to the 'Abyss'.
There might even be things here only the 'fragment' I had could resolve.
'I don't want the tribe to disappear.'
Either way, this was my hometown.
With that in mind, I threw myself into the dungeon. Accompanied by a peculiar sensation, my vision turned dazzling white.
* * *
The moment I passed through the dungeon gate, a sensation as if I had plunged into cold water wrapped around my whole body.
I couldn't breathe, and everything went dark before my eyes.
I could sense presences around me. It was probably Serena and Barkal who'd entered with me, but I soon sensed those presences vanish.
"Ugh."
The sensation of being pulled in got stronger, and I let out a groan without realizing it.
My voice began to echo.
Before long, the echoes faded, and light returned.
"... Hm?"
As the light returned, the contents of the dungeon came into view.
Red. The color of blood.
"Barkal, Serena."
I called their names, but there was no answer.
The dungeon had separated us.
'Troublesome.'
I looked around.
The walls were covered in red flesh. The surface looked like it would squish if touched, faintly pulsing.
Looking up at where I'd fallen from, I saw the ceiling tangled with dark red cables like a cobweb. The way they writhed every so often, they looked like blood vessels.
'Inside a living creature's belly?'
I reached that conclusion after a brief thought.
I could have been swallowed, but I wasn't panicking. There had been dungeons like this in 《Dungeon God》.
Where were the others? Since no one had responded to my voice, it seemed I was alone in the area.
Still, for the echoes to ring out like that—it must be one enormous creature.
* [Summoning Dullahan, chunsik.]
Having sorted out my thoughts, I called for Chunsik. He'd been scattered as we entered the dungeon, but Chunsik was an undead I could summon anytime, anywhere.
― Master."
As I drew a small tattoo in blood, chunsik popped out instantly. He must've expected me to summon him and spoke immediately.
― The others are all unharmed, so don't worry."
Good, thanks for telling me straight.
― But that's not the problem."
Hmm?
Chunsik had answered about the others' status, but his expression was somber.
Even with his wolf head, I could read the change in expression. Had this ever happened before?
― A powerful air resides within this dungeon."
A powerful air—that ultimately meant the 'Rune of the Abyss', didn't it?
I had previously discovered the 'Rune of the Abyss' thanks to Chunsik's 'radar'.
I assumed this was something similar.
"A powerful air?"
― Yes."
Which is...?
― I'm not sure myself."
He doesn't know.
So what did he expect me to do then?
Still, I couldn't just do nothing in the face of this crisis.
We had to hurry and kill the dungeon master to stop the expansion.
'It seems Abyssification is underway in this dungeon.'
Either way, the sooner I finished this, the less harm would come to the tribe.
"I'm moving forward."
I started walking in the direction where the flesh wall connected most starkly.
Squish, squish.
Each step on the slimy floor made unpleasant sounds.
Thump, thump.
Sounds like a heartbeat began to echo throughout the space. With each step, the noise grew louder.
How long had I walked?
Wriggle.
Something moved beneath my feet.
― Master, there's something below."
No need to say it—I could tell.
Just as I was about to reply to Chunsik, a tendon as thick as my forearm whipped through the air like a snake toward me.
In response, I pulled out the 'Blood-Colored Awl' from my coat.
The problem was, the attacking 'tendons' weren't alone.
* [Using Hardened Blood.]
As I scattered blood to block their approach, using 'blood bullets', the tendons closing in started bursting apart.
Of course, not every tendon was stopped. Some dodged the 'blood bullets' and pushed forward.
I finished those guys off myself by twisting in the 'Blood-Colored Awl'.
― Well done."
A dry compliment from Chunsik came my way. Without the 'skeleton exoskeleton', this kind of fluid counterattack would have been tough.
It was thanks to holding the 'Dullahan' that all my physical abilities were so enhanced.
Strength that could be felt through the skin itself.
As 'Dullahan's strength' began to surge through my blood, a sudden twinge of fear welled up within me.
'If something like this is powerful, then just how strong is the source of that presence?'
Among those I'd encountered with close ties to 'Abyssification', this was one of the stronger ones.
'That bastard' popped into my mind—I felt a strange sensation.
But what could I do?
I had no choice but to move forward.