“…What’s down there?”
“I will use the attachment arm to take a shot.”
Cipher removed something resembling an antenna from the side of its head. It attached it to the non-pile bunker arm and started to extend its arm.
“You can do that… Ah, as expected, it’s quite deep.”
“How deep would it be if we descended from here?”
“I cannot detect the bottom, so it is currently impossible to estimate.”
“…If we’re taken that deep, Futaba… even the effect of my sigil will wear off quickly with the high density of mana.”
There was little time left, but leaving Nanami-san and the others behind here was worrisome.
“I’ll use the ‘Flight’ orb and descend on my own. At this height, it’s better if we evacuate from this platform. I’ll carry the unconscious ones over there.”
I activated ‘Weightlifting 2’ and began carrying two people at a time—three girls and one boy, all with almost no equipment left. All I could do was cover them with blankets from the camping gear.
“The bleeding has almost stopped, but I need to treat their wounds.”
“Fujiwara-kun, if you’re going to save Futaba-san, let me…”
“No, it’s better if you wait here. I’ll be back soon… though that sounds like a death flag, doesn’t it? Don’t worry, I won’t do anything reckless.”
I knew I was already being reckless by deciding to descend from this height. But Nanami-san simply nodded without saying anything more.
“Master, could you carry my camera unit? I can communicate with the main body, so I will be able to report the situation.”
“That would be helpful. Let me know if anything happens.”
“Tsukasa-kun, I know I’m not in a position to say this, but… please, my sister… Futaba…”
“…From what I saw, it was unnatural how Futaba-san approached Ryudo. I feel like something was drawing her to it. Still, I will definitely bring her back.”
They were sisters who seemed playful with each other, but I could tell they were truly close. I imagine that’s why Haruka-senpai decided to accompany Futaba-san when she said she wanted to come with me—out of concern for her younger sister.
I returned to the platform where I had previously fought Ryudo. I walked to the edge and gripped the Flight orb tightly.
《Temporary Skill Activation: Flight》
I gently floated into the air and began descending along the base of the platform. I couldn’t stop worrying about what I’d do if the skill suddenly stopped working—just thinking about it was terrifying, but all I could do was pray.
The bottomless darkness… There were no signs of monsters, which was a relief. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I could see that the once artificial sidewalls were now replaced by natural rock.
“…Depth: 15 reached. Oxygen, pressure, temperature—all green.”
Cipher’s sub-unit informed me of the surrounding environment. I would soon reach the bottom—the platform from earlier was already out of sight.
“Cipher, can you track Futaba-san’s location?”
“…Beep beep. That way. Proceed with caution.”
The terrain was flat, but occasionally sharp, crystal-like objects jutted out from the ground. They resembled minerals—so I collected a few, just in case.
《Chip contents: 【Unidentified】Quartz x1》
《Chip contents: 【Unidentified】Magic Mineral x1》
As I continued, a massive boulder blocked the path. Last time, I compressed rocks into chips and used them in my battle against the ‘Joker.’
《Chip contents: Boulders containing minerals x2》
“Removing rocks while gaining resources, huh?”
“Yeah, but for now, I’m prioritizing progress, so I’m only picking up what I can along the way.”
“…Detecting an unknown entity ahead.”
“…What is it?”
After clearing the boulder, I found a large cocoon-like structure.
Inside the cocoon, there was a faint glow. The light pulsed rhythmically, growing stronger and weaker.
“…Fujiwara-san.”
It was Futaba-san’s voice, but there was an enchanting quality to it that made me think it wasn’t really her.
I turned around and, as I expected, the source of the voice was standing there.
Her bare white body was partially covered in root-like tendrils. It was Futaba-san, yet her eyes were empty of light.
“…What did you do to Futaba-san?”
“I… want to know more about you.”
This isn’t Futaba-san speaking. Something else is controlling her—but I can’t sense what or who it is.
Futaba-san approached. Even as she drew near, completely exposed, she made no attempt to cover herself.
“…After you defeated ‘me,’ I came to recognize you as my master.”
“Who did I defeat…?”
“My sub-body awoke to eliminate the intruder. There is no distinction between me and my sub-body, so its destruction meant my own disappearance.”
Her words were fragmented, but one thing was clear: the one speaking through Futaba-san was someone else.
“…You abducted Futaba-san just to talk to me?”
“I possess no knowledge of humans. My actions to gain knowledge from them have lacked sufficient trial runs.”
Something deep within this dungeon was seeking human knowledge.
The statues resembling the ‘Joker’ I encountered on the 10th floor. And the ‘sub-body.’
The disjointed pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together, and the blurry image was becoming clearer.
“…The creature I fought… the ‘Joker’ was your sub-body, wasn’t it?”
The presence using Futaba-san’s body gave no response.
“…Detecting monster appearance. Codename: ‘Joker.'”
Black ripples formed in the ground to Futaba-san’s left and right, and from them emerged… two jesters.
Even one of them had made me fear for my life—and now there were two. But running wasn’t an option.
“So, you brought me here to kill me?”
In place of an answer, the two ‘Jokers’ raised their scythes. To land a certain hit with ‘Void Blast,’ I had to make them use ‘Life Absorption.’
“Master, please… run…!”
“…Sorry, Cipher.”
《Skill Activation: ‘Fixation’ – Target’s spatial coordinates are fixed》
Even after activating ‘Fixation,’ the ‘Joker’ still moved—I wasn’t strong enough to completely stop this monster at my current level.
However, I could avoid the incoming scythe. The next moment, I dropped a rock on top of the ‘Joker’ and timed ‘Void Blast’ to hit as it attacked.
But at the moment I dodged the scythe—
Another scythe, from behind, intercepted the two Jokers’ strikes.
“…You…”
This one was different from the other two. After my previous battle, it had vanished into the ground.
At that time, I had distinctly heard the words, “Capture conditions met.”
“…Are you going to fight alongside me?”
The ‘Joker’ said nothing, but its gaze locked onto mine.
Behind the archaic smile of its mask, a light of intent shone in its eyes—telling me that it would follow me.
