Chapter 89: Guardian of The Labyrinth

「I saw something…」

 

The president muttered as he peeked out from behind the rock. Yuuma had also tried to take a peek but he saw nothing. It seems to vanish behind the mist.

 

「We won’t be able to see it from this place. Let’s get a bit closer.」

 

Aisha complained from behind. The president heaved a sigh and then advanced a bit more carefully behind the stone pillar.

Everyone held their breath, raising their vigilance to the maximum.

Given that the monster on this floor was the strongest monster in this dungeon. If it suddenly decided to ambush them, their life would simply be a goner. Yuuma looked around while considering that situation.

They couldn’t see the figure of the monster because of the mist―― But, something had already been confirmed.

Yuuma felt the presence of a giant creature.

 

「Let’s go to another stone pillar. Yuuma, be prepared to use your 『Metallization』 at any time.」

「Yes!」

 

The trio moved until the next stone pillar while minding their footsteps.

And then, they could finally see the silhouette of the said guardian from the other side of the mist. It had a jet-black color, an extremely huge figure, and a tough shell. There was a thorn-like protrusion all over its body.

But then, the silhouette vanished again due to mist.

Aisha who was about to take the picture with her smartphone clicked her tongue.

 

「Still can’t see it. Let’s get closer!」

 

Aisha’s face peeked out from behind the rock to get a glimpse of the monster. At that moment, her feet accidentally kicked a small pebble.

――Clack

It was an extremely small sound. But, it resounded in this huge and quiet cave.

The moving giant shadow twitched and stopped. The air tensed, Yuuma and Co stopped moving at once.

The giant black figure slowly turned around.

The mist had also swayed along with the movement of the black monster. The red and white mist veil which hid the figure of the monster got cleared away, exposing the giant figure on its’ other side.

Its figure was akin to a giant serpent. Its total length from head to tail was around forty meters.

It raised its head like a king cobra, its centipede-like leg growing along its long body.

Yuuma and the president gasped seeing such a repulsive figure.

But, Aisha was in fact even more surprised of the three.

 

「That’s…」

 

The color drained from AIsha’s face.

 

「LEAVE THIS PLACE! NOW!!」

 

Her sudden shout confused both the president and Yuuma. Since Aisha had already run first, she had already run toward the slope that connected to the upper floor. Yuuma turned his face slowly.

The monster didn’t even flinch from its original place.

Is it really because it couldn’t notice small creatures like them?

They managed to take some distance and arrived at the slope. And then, the president and Aisha who ran in front suddenly stopped.

Seeing both of them standing dumbfoundedly, Yuuma started to wonder what happened―― And realized immediately that the “Slope” which should be in that place had already gone.

 

「Eh?」

 

The clueless Yuuma then looked at the president and Aisha. Both of them stare dumbfoundedly at the place that should be a slope with a pale face.

 

「Oi, don’t tell me… No, I guess it’s pretty much convinced at this point.」

「… Yeah, definitely. And look up.」

 

The president raised his face following Aisha’s suggestion. Since the red and white mist that covered the entire floor had already vanished, they should be able to get a clear view of the slope. And yet――

 

「It’s… Fricking gone! Where in the hell is that slope!!」

 

The president raised a shout. Yuuma had also looked up but he couldn’t see the spiral-shaped slope they used to descend.

 

「What in the hell is happening here, Aisha!? We can’t f*cking return!」

「Like hell I know! I’ve never heard about this kind of floor where you can enter but cannot come out. Not to mention that reaching the bottom floor of the depth dungeon is an extremely rare case. I’m lacking the actual data.」

 

The president turned around and he asked Aisha with an extremely enraged look on his face.

Yuuma also turned around to see the situation behind them. The monster that stopped moving a while ago finally crawled closer toward them. Though the monster’s figure couldn’t be seen again due to the mist that had just returned, Yuuma could feel that the monster was heading in their direction.

 

「Hey, we’re in deep sh*t!」

 

The president grabbed Aisha’s arm and ran from that place along with Yuuma.

They used the nearby stone pillar as their hiding place to see the other party’s condition.

The cave was really quiet, there was only the sound of the footsteps of the giant monster resounding inside the cave.

 

「Hey, what’s the meaning of this!? At this rate, we’re toast!!」

 

The president could barely maintain his composure as he asked Aisha. And yet, Aisha just leaned on the stone pillar and plopped down on the ground.

She covered her face with both hands, burying her face on her knees.

 

「Aisha…」

「Aisha-san.」

 

Yuuma and the president stood still, shocked looking at Aisha’s reaction. This was the first time they saw the intelligent woman before they broke down like this.

 

「… We might be able to get out of this place if we beat that monster.」

「R-Really!?」

 

Aisha ignored the president’s question and continued.

 

「This place might be a trap that won’t let the prey escape. It’s something like a monster house. But, if we defeat the monster in the bottom floor, the dungeon will vanish in less than 24hrs. Doing that will undoubtedly cause a commotion.」

「Then let’s beat that guy!」

 

Despite Yuuma’s reassurance, Aisha shook her head weakly.

 

「That’s impossible… You can’t defeat that monster.」

「Are you familiar with that monster!?」

 

Aisha nodded in answer to the president’s question.

 

「I know all confirmed monsters found in the 『Black Dungeon』. And that monster is definitely the very same monster found in “Tartarus”, the deepest black dungeon in the world in Australia.」

「What kind of monster is that?」

 

The president frowned as he asked that question, Aisha replied with a downcast look on her face.

 

「At that time, the investigation into the black dungeon was at its peak. Fifty top-rank Explorers from Australia formed a large-scale clan and managed to arrive at the 171th floor. And, they met this monster.」

 

Yuuma gulped his spit looking at Aisha who spoke in an extremely serious manner.