Chapter 7: Don’t Let Them Know the Truth You’ve Discovered

Chapter 7: Don't Let Them Know the Truth You've Discovered

"Huff... huff…"

Amid heavy breathing, a woman wearing slightly torn clothes with a noticeable wound on her left arm slowly entered.

Following her, a young man and the Japanese man who had spoken to Takakai earlier also stepped into the cave. Judging by their faces, none of them were in good shape. All three bore signs of injuries, as though they had rolled several times over rubble.

These were the three players they had encountered earlier.

Takakai immediately stood up, signaling Fujihara Chika to step back a little.

"We're explorers. Who are you?"

As Takakai reacted, the three newcomers also responded quickly. The woman in the lead drew a gun and asked coldly,

"Explorers."

Takakai answered simply and drew his gun as well, grabbing Chika by the shoulder and stepping further back. Both sides stood off against each other in the cold cave, about twenty meters apart.

The fact that these three players had survived surprised Takakai slightly, but considering they were clearly not newcomers, it wasn't entirely incomprehensible.

However, with the corpses Takakai had sensed while traversing the tunnel and the occasional illusions he had seen, he didn't think the condition of these three survivors would be much better. There was a good chance they'd already been completely polluted and transformed by strange forces, potentially becoming serious threats to other players.

"Hehe, let's not get too worked up. There are only a few of us left now, and doubting each other won't help. Cooperation—cooperation is the only way to survive better."

The Japanese man spoke up again, gesturing for Takakai and the woman to lower their guns.

"This dungeon is fixed, and the ruleboard we received clearly indicated [Role-Playing], which means there are definitely [Instant Death] rules and [Pollution Transformation] rules in place here. Under such rules, gathering more people doesn't necessarily help. It could even lead to the entire group being wiped out because one person violated a rule, Kawano."

The woman spoke coldly now, her gaze sweeping across Takakai and Chika with clear distrust.

She didn't trust Takakai or Chika.

"Don't be like that, Shelby. Our situation isn't good right now."

The Japanese man, Kawano, hadn't expected the woman to take such an attitude. Feeling slightly awkward, he tried to persuade her in a low voice.

"It's precisely because the situation isn't good that we need to be more cautious. I don't want to be dragged down by others, and I don't want to become a burden to anyone else. Besides, Kawano, we only met by chance. If you think the other group is better, you're welcome to join them—I won't object."

The woman named Shelby spoke while sitting down on a higher rock platform. She removed her backpack and began tending to her wound.

Kawano, the Japanese man, looked displeased, as though he wanted to argue or say something, but in the end, he held back.

The last man in the group didn't participate in the conversation at all. He simply sat in a corner, quietly dressing his own wounds.

From Shelby and the silent man's actions, it was clear they both had professional medical skills, especially Shelby, who was particularly proficient at bandaging wounds. Her meticulous movements reflected a high level of expertise.

"Should we team up with them?"

Chika softly asked Takakai as she stepped closer, standing on tiptoe.

"When we met these people earlier, it only took one wrong word to nearly wipe out the entire group. In places like this, having more people isn't necessarily better. We've rested enough—it's time to move on."

Takakai shook his head, showing no intention of engaging further with the three.

If they had been newcomers like Fujiwara Chika, Takakai felt he might have been able to guide them, perhaps even relying on them at critical moments. But these three seasoned players—Shelby, Kawano, and the silent man—were clearly not cooperating out of genuine trust. Their alliance seemed forced by circumstance, lacking true cohesion. Being part of such a team, Takakai feared, might only hasten his death.

But sometimes, things never go as planned.

Takakai turned to look back at the small cave entrance he had entered earlier, only to immediately see a figure slowly crawling out.

The stench of blood quickly filled the air.

The person lifted their head—a part of their face on the verge of collapsing—and smiled at everyone. Behind him was a boy, about thirteen or fourteen years old, wearing only shorts, with blue-purple skin. Alongside them was a woman whose face was almost entirely mangled, reminiscent of a "failed bridge jump," as Takakai thought.

[Are you explorers here as well?]

The man, with part of his face shattered and an eye dangling precariously near his mouth, asked with a grin.

Takakai glanced at Chika and noticed that, while the girl looked somewhat terrified, she made no sound. She bit her lip and maintained composure.

Then he turned back to the three "people" and saw that, in just a fleeting moment, they had moved closer.

All three were staring intently at him, waiting for his response.

It was obvious—just like the previous creature with its head blown open—that when facing things like these, if they displayed an intent to communicate, remaining silent to deceive them wouldn't be so simple.

"We're explorers."

Takakai replied while gently nudging Chika. After a brief hesitation, she also spoke, "I'm an explorer too," though her trembling voice betrayed her fear.

[Oh, so you're traveling together? That's wonderful. This time, my wife and I came to Nutty Dutty Cave to let our son have some fun. Have you been to Heart yet? It seems like there are a lot of visitors today.]

The man spoke again, smiling at the two of them.

[Sssss... ss... grr...]

The woman standing next to him was muttering something incomprehensible. Her jaw moved incessantly, producing unsettling noises that made one's hair stand on end. Her empty eyes stared at them while her mouth slowly cracked open, revealing a tongue already rotting and discolored teeth inside.

[Dad, it's cold.]

The blue-purple boy muttered blankly, his gaze fixed on Takakai and Chika. He tilted his head to one side, as if in confusion.

Takakai tilted his head slightly, looking toward the three "veteran players," but they were nowhere to be seen.

Takakai: ??????

The moment these three appeared, had they already run away? They were certainly quick to escape.

"We haven't been to Heart yet; we're on our way there now."

Facing the three who, no matter how you looked at them, were already dead but still chatting with him, Takakai's expression remained unchanged. As he spoke, he pulled Chika—who was struggling to hide her fear—toward the narrow path, intending to head straight inside.

Then, Takakai saw Dennis, covered in blood. It was unclear where he'd fallen, but his injuries were severe. He was crawling out of the entrance, dragging himself along with shattered fingers. He lifted his head, his bloodied, mutilated face staring straight at Takakai.

[Oh, it's you. Have you seen my friends? Miss Shelby, Mr. Kawano, and Mr. Ed. I've been looking for them everywhere.]

Dennis grinned widely, his mouth torn from the severe trauma to his face. Blood seeped from countless wounds, and the cave's already unbearable stench grew even more nauseating, making one want to vomit.

"I haven't seen them. Could you move aside? You're blocking our way."

Takakai's expression remained calm as he spoke, pulling Chika along.

He could feel three gazes behind him, along with an intense sense of malice.

No, it probably shouldn't be called malice.

Human malice stems from the intent to harm or exploit. But these inhuman entities—they no longer had what could be called "intent." They were merely mimicking behaviors from before their deaths, repeating them out of habit, hiding beneath that a strange, murderous force.

What the hell? Everything was fine earlier; there wasn't anything around. Why did these things show up just moments after encountering a few other players?

Could it be that too many living people gathering in one spot attracted these things?

[Such a shame. I've always wanted to find them—they're very kind people. By the way, you don't mind if I come along, do you? I'd love to visit the Heart area too.]

Dennis crawled out of the cave, his legs worn down to the bone, dragging behind him and leaving a long trail of blood. Yet, he still lifted his head and smiled warmly at Takakai.

"No. The two of us are enough."

Takakai maintained his expressionless face and spoke firmly. At the same time, he lightly tightened his grip on Chika's shoulder, silently reminding her to stay calm and avoid showing any weakness.

The three figures behind them had drawn even closer; Takakai could now clearly hear the hissing sound of air rasping through their throats right behind him.

[Why? Is there something strange about me? Why can't I come with you?]

Dennis tilted his head, asking curiously.

[Can't we come along too? Traveling with more people isn't so bad, right? Why are you reacting so nervously?]

The man with half his face caved in suddenly appeared beside Takakai's shoulder. Twisting his neck in an unnatural way no human could manage, his face was nearly parallel with Takakai's as he asked.

[Sssss… grrr…]

The woman, at some point, had closed the distance to stand right next to Takakai. Her breath, escaping through the shattered remnants of her throat and her cracked-open face, blew directly onto his cheek, leaving drops of blood splattered on him.

[Sister, aren't you cold? Are you scared? Am I that scary?]

The blue-purple boy had somehow moved directly in front of Chika without her noticing, tilting his head up to look at her. Their faces were inches apart as he asked.

The four figures had completely encircled them.

A bone-chilling cold seeped into the air. Even though Takakai's body had surpassed human limits due to his blessing, he found the sensation nearly unbearable.

A dizziness began creeping into his head.

The expressions on the four "people," once disturbingly lifelike, were now stiffening, taking on the rigidness of the dead.

[Do we look strange to you? Why are you reacting so strongly?]

[Why aren't you saying anything? Are you afraid?]

[By the way, where are we? It feels like we've been wandering around here for ages. Do you know what's going on?]

The corpses spoke.

Their whispers resonated like something crawling inside his ears, murmuring softly.

Drip—

A drop of water fell from a stalactite, hitting the stone floor with a clear sound.

The four corpses had entirely lost their semblance of blood and life, now fully transformed into decaying remains.

Takakai inhaled deeply, his face still unreadable. Reaching out, he grabbed Chika's arm and pulled her close, holding the trembling girl—who was barely holding herself together—against him.

"I don't need anyone else. I only need her."

Takakai's voice was devoid of emotion as he stared directly at the four figures.

"This expedition is a chance for me to spend time with my girlfriend."

"Anyone else? I don't need them. And I have no interest in letting unnecessary tagalongs get in the way."

"Go wherever you want, just stay away from us. Don't block our path."

Deliberately adopting a harsh and hostile tone, Takakai immediately pushed past the man, the woman, the child, and Dennis, shoving his way through. As he stepped over Dennis, his foot pressed firmly onto the man's already ruined body.

Chika, dragged along by Takakai, was now entirely reliant on his support. She couldn't hold on any longer, leaning fully into him to keep her legs from giving out, all the while suppressing any visible reaction.

Only when they reached the entrance of the cave, when Takakai bent down to help Chika—her legs now limp—crawl into the narrow opening, did he finally follow her in.

The four figures behind them remained silent, standing motionless, watching them leave.