Fun Dungeon Exploration! (4)

Take 1. Second floor of the Sinistra Underground Labyrinth (Night/Indoor). Leonardo and his party advance while searching the underground. They search for the path leading to the third floor.

Leonardo: (Inner voice) "I sense an unpleasant energy.

Take 2. Third floor of the Sinistra Underground Labyrinth (Night/Indoor). The place is filled with unburied bones.

Tomb Raider 1: "Don't you hear something?"

Other tomb raiders jest nervously. They discover a tunnel leading to the underground sanctuary.

Take 3. Church's Underground Sanctuary (Day/Indoor). Leonardo evades Orlie, the gravekeeper, and sneaks into the sanctuary. They discover the coffin of Leovald.

Leonardo: (Inner voice) "The body hasn't decayed at all. Is it the Archbishop's blessing? Or… could it be because my soul hasn't fully departed?"

Main Character: Leonardo

Scenario Clear Condition: [Leonardo retrieves Leovald's body and returns.][Viewing Personal Information]

Rank: Minor Character (Scenario Weight 9.06%)

Role: Suspicious Innkeeper of Sinistra

Script: [Works with Leonardo to control the tomb raider group and Lopez' subordinate.]

[Acts as a guide through the Sinistra Underground Labyrinth, leading to the underground sanctuary. Provides information on Orlie's movements.]

Dialogue: "From here on, I'll take the lead."

Why does it always feel like they're setting a creepy atmosphere?

At least it seems certain that we'll be going down to the third underground level. Fortunately, it doesn't look like I'll run into Orlie, and I'll eventually find Leovald's body at the end.

I skimmed through the scenario notes, holding back a sigh with a feeling of discontent. It's not like I haven't experienced this kind of unease before. There's no way to counter it, either.

Instead, I gripped Leonardo's hand tightly for a moment, then let it go.

'Reality, reality…'

I reminded myself that getting scared in advance won't help at all. Leonardo remained silent, holding my hand, offering comfort. It was quite effective. After I released his hand, I was able to quickly fake a more relaxed attitude.

I approached the tomb raider leader and casually struck up a conversation.

"Mind if I take a look at the map for a bit?"

Give it to me. I'm the guide here.

The leader flinched, as if caught in an inner conflict, but eventually handed over the map. The initial display of dominance seemed to have worked well. The crinkling parchment was smoothly placed into my hands.

[Encountering the designated target triggers a scenario side quest.]

Main Objective: Find the body of Leovald (0/1)

Additional Objectives: Infiltrate the underground sanctuary (0/1), Explore the Sinistra underground labyrinth (Current progress 12%)

This is linked to the progress of the previous quest.

[Check map]

Main Quest Participants: Leonardo, Suspicious Innkeeper of Sinistra

Sinistra Underground Labyrinth – 1st Floor

Sinistra Underground Labyrinth – 2nd Floor

Sinistra Underground Labyrinth – 3rd Floor (Unconfirmed Area)

Sinistra Underground Labyrinth – 4th Floor (Unconfirmed Area)

Time Limit: 15 hours 00 minutes 59 seconds

The map in my hand was shabby and incomplete, with several areas' missing details. Honestly, it resembled a rough sketch more than an actual map. 

However, from my perspective, several indicators had been overlaid onto the map as a hologram, providing a more detailed version with additional data. 

I hadn't expected the scenario to offer such a luxury. Was it for smoother progression of the story?

The Sinistra underground maze overall resembled an inverted pyramid. As you descended, the tunnels grew narrower, with the bottom resembling a sharp tip. 

Hmm, this map was much more detailed than the one I had received when I was randomly searching for a cat. It wasn't just a plain gray map—this one actually had the paths marked out. It felt like some sort of update had been applied.

"From here on, I'll take the lead."

With that, the nine adult men moved forward at a brisk pace.

Like foolish prey choosing to slip into the maw of a massive beast, we climbed the ladder down to the second floor of the underground maze.

The first floor of the underground maze was literally a place where the waterway running through the entire city could be seen, resembling a communal graveyard where corpses were stored in wall niches and documented.

But as we passed through the tunnels of the second floor and ventured deeper, a strange atmosphere began to settle in. The bright light from the lanterns spread, revealing things that hadn't been visible before.

Traces of windows carved into the dirt and stone. Or smaller chambers within the tunnels, dividing the living spaces. It wasn't particularly refined, but it was almost architectural in nature.

As we walked along the "streets," a familiar feeling of déjà vu began to rise.

'This… is Sinistra.'

The alleys and the buildings that occasionally appeared reminded me of something. No, it wasn't just a resemblance—it was almost identical.

The bustling, developed city of Sinistra basked under the sunlight. Beneath it lay a crude, makeshift city made of stone and dirt, mimicking the surface world.

Naturally, a scene began to form in my mind. Citizens who had lost their homes in the aboveground world had fled underground, digging through the earth and stone to rebuild their base, creating a makeshift underground city.

Suddenly, the people who were driven out of their homes and into the depths, and the monsters that had taken their place on the surface—those who had seized their world—came to mind. It was difficult to imagine the feelings of the refugees who had to endure a day under the monstrous feet.

Perhaps they felt as though their very lives had been stolen from them.

Ignoring the various odd tools that trailed at his feet, Leonardo strode ahead.

"Do you see the path?"

"Yeah. There are some blocked paths here and there… we'll need the pickaxe squad to help out."

According to the map, all the passageways leading directly to the third floor had been blocked off with walls. To go deeper into the underground, we had no choice but to dig through the walls.

If the first floor was a graveyard and the second floor was a living space, what awaited us on the third floor?

Lost in thought, one of the tomb robbers hesitantly approached and asked, 

"Excuse me, sir. About that map… is it a reliable one? Look at the scale of this place. At this rate, it'll take us days just to find the path to the next floor," said the tomb robber, his voice laced with frustration.

The leader of the tomb robbers shot him a sharp look, clearly displeased. I had already noticed it during the search for the stray cat—unlike the leader, the group of tomb robbers seemed to have doubts about the success of this mission.

After all, if you're down here in the musty, lightless depths for days on end, rummaging through the remains of a national hero's grave, it's hard not to doubt the whole operation.

Should I show off a little more now?

Feigning casual confidence, I gave a small flick of my fingers. The second tomb robber hesitated for a moment before walking over. I led him over to the pale gray wall and struck it with a firm knock.

Bang!

The sudden action made the tomb robber's face go pale, but I didn't care. It was all just for show.

The wall cracked with a sound like crumbling bark as the plaster began to fall away. It was a false wall made of stacked stones, covered with a layer of dirt to conceal it.

The realization dawned on the tomb robbers' faces almost immediately.

"Let's see… if we knock down just four more of these, we should be able to get to the third floor in no time. So don't worry," I stated with assurance.

With a quick glance, the more observant tomb robbers rushed over, grabbing their shovels and pickaxes, and began digging away at the wall.

The wall was coming down quickly as a group of strong men rushed in to tear it down. After leaving the leader of the tomb robbers in charge of overseeing the operation, I pulled Leonardo aside and subtly slipped away toward the back.

Leonardo shot me an inquisitive look, as if he was wondering if I had something to discuss.

Seems like he's unaware of it.

"Is something bothering you? Seems like you're more on edge than I am now," I pointed out, referencing the fact that he had been resting his hand on the hilt of his sword since earlier. Only then did Leonardo let his hand fall away from the hilt.

"…It's nothing."

Nothing, huh? But he had already mentioned feeling an unsettling presence, and the scenario notes had clearly laid out his unease. What had he sensed? I need to know so I can be less surprised by what's coming next. Why the hell is it only registering on the protagonist's radar?

Tell me, damn it.

I shoved Leonardo against the wall, pressing him into it. I lowered my voice to a whisper so that the tomb robbers, who were busily digging in the distance, wouldn't hear us.

"Being sneaky and trying to keep quiet? I've already spilled my anxiety to you, haven't I? Told you things I've never told anyone before. Seriously, is this how it's gonna be between us?"

"It's just—"

Leonardo lowered his gaze, a look of hesitation and discomfort washing over his face. I could see the tremble in his eyelashes as he pondered.

Despite being cornered between the wall and me, he could easily shake me off and run if he wanted to. The fact that he wasn't even considering it was almost endearing in its naiveté.

After the silence stretched on, Leonardo finally gave in. He spoke first, his voice uncertain.

"Actually, there's something I haven't told you…"