Chapter 57
Han Sang-ah looked as if she might collapse flat on her back at any mont.
“Are you planning to spread out a blanket and sleep here or sothing?”
― There’s no blanket.
Hearing her answer, I pulled her up to her feet. How could she be ready to drop over sothing like this?
What, did she think once we entered the Erosion Core a group of handso n and beautiful won would pop champagne to welco us?
One way or another we had managed to adapt to this wretched gimmick. Now we had the confidence that even if the roles switched again, we could overco it.
“0135. I see a button. It’s not a trap.”
At my words, Han Sang-ah made a doubtful expression.
― Not a trap, not spawning a monster, and suddenly a button. That’s way too suspicious.
“Agreed.”
Whatever that button was for, it was hard to believe it would benefit us. Yet this vast space had no more changes, as if it had nothing else prepared for us.
In the end, we had to press it.
The mont Han Sang-ah pressed the button, we were pulled sowhere again and I found myself in another place.
“…What’s this now?”
I quickly scanned around. There were five stone slabs, each a different color.
― Hey, can you hear ?
It was Han Sang-ah’s voice. I noticed on the table, a small device like a walkie-talkie. I picked it up and spoke.
“Do you hear ?”
― I hear you. I’m facing off against slis right now.
As soon as she spoke, a large hole opened in the ceiling with a rattling sound. Slis dropped to the floor one after another. There were more than ten, each of one of five colors.
I gripped my spear and raised the Paradoxical Fla.
“Tell what your situation looks like.”
― There are five slabs. Each has a symbol inscribed on it. And… I see so strange device. Looks like thick pipes connected to a machine. What’s that supposed to be?
Dodging sli attacks, I looked around and saw a pipe as well. Was she seeing the sa kind perhaps?
“I think the pipe here is connected to yours.”
Beneath the pipe was a device that sothing could be slotted into.
And a bit further away, I saw empty tanks and faucets. There were five faucets, each with a symbol carved above it.
My head was starting to hurt. Just what was this supposed to be?
“There’s a tank and faucets here. Sothing is filling up in the tank now.”
― My attacks aren’t working on the slis. I can block, but everything I throw at them has no effect.
I had a feeling that would happen. It felt similar to the gimmick I’d experienced on Tsushima Island. But this was no simple dice puzzle.
I thought quickly. The slis’ colors, the colors of the slabs in my room, and the symbols Han Sang-ah had on hers.
“God damn it.”
How could I not curse in this situation? The slis were already giving more than enough trouble.
“You said there are five slabs with symbols. Tell the leftmost one.”
After a mont of looking, Han Sang-ah answered.
― A heart.
After her words, I checked the leftmost slab here. It was blue.
Looking around my slabs, I found one with a heart engraved.
Grabbing a tank, I set it under the pipe marked with a heart, then turned the valve. Sticky liquid filled the tank.
― Can you tell what you’re doing right now?
“Handling business. Just wait a bit!”
Once the tank was full, I connected it to the pipe. With a gurgle the liquid was sucked up.
― Oh, the machine on my side lit up. There’s a button. Should I press it?
“Yeah. Hurry.”
She quickly added more information.
― The machine is running. I see a gauge with five colors. When the machine runs, the needle moves.
So that’s what this is huh. I shouted at once.
“When the needle points to blue, stop the machine!”
― Got it.
Now I completely understood what was happening. I had to supply the correct fuel according to the symbols in her room.
Then Han Sang-ah would run the machine, watch the gauge, and stop it on the color of my slab.
Only if we succeeded at all of that…
“Die, you damned blobs.”
The attack would actually work on the slis of that color.
― Hey, when I stop the machine the needle drops down.
“Oh great.”
To keep the needle on a color she would have to constantly stop and restart the machine.
― We’re almost out of fuel!
And I would have to keep resupplying it. This was madness.
“So this is how different a class one really is.”
I never imagined a gimmick could be this miserable.
And I considered the worst-case scenario and spoke to Han Sang-ah.
“This might change symbols and colors periodically.”
If they didn’t match exactly with the slis, we couldn’t deal damage to them. Which ant if they kept shifting… we’d have to keep coordinating nonstop.
And soon the slabs began to glow faintly, then their symbols swapped.
“Why do my worst thoughts always beco true, ugh.”
Could it not be wrong for once? This was truly the worst.
“Tell what changed.”
― Okay, let check.
We began exchanging rapid reports over the comm. Without that, we could do nothing.
― Fuel’s under twenty percent.
“Damn it, hold on. I’ll refill it soon.”
A massive tentacle swiped over my head. Checking the changing colors, I kept calling them out to Han Sang-ah.
“What the, did the color change?”
― Sorry, I was a bit late. You’ll be able to attack again soon.
How many tis did we repeat the process of supplying the right fuel, Han Sang-ah watching the gauge, then striking the slis? Slis kept dropping from above, and their numbers showed no sign of dwindling.
“How long is this going to go on for?”
― Fuel, clover….
I shoved in the fuel she nad, dodged a tentacle, and thrust my spear. The Paradoxical Fla burned through the sli’s body.
“You okay? You sound tired.”
― I’m fine for now.
For now huh. That phrase bothered a bit. Obviously if either of us died here it was over. This damned gimmick was perfectly designed for exactly two people.
“Ugh, finally…”
After hours of battle, we finished off the last sli. Its body collapsed like water, and the fight ended.
“What’s next?”
With a creak, a door ford in the wall.
― Before we go, can we rest a little?
“Yeah, that’s wise. That place reeks of trouble.”
From beyond the door, white frost spilled out. The mana radiating from it was imnse.
“I thought a class one Erosion Core would be bigger.”
Hunters had said the scale inside a class one was nothing like a class two.
― But Bratsk’s Refrigerator only lets two in. Maybe it doesn’t need to be huge?
True. No need for size when the last room was already enough misery. I’d bet that if two strong Hunters had charged in laughing, they’d have been crushed instantly.
“It feels like that’s the final room.”
The mana seeping from beyond the door was of another dinsion compared to the slis.
‘At the lowest it’s wyvern-level. At the highest, on par with a titled-class demon.’
Whatever was behind that door deserved such nas.
At my current level, it would be brutal. After resting and talking with Han Sang-ah, I headed through the door.
“…Still no sign they intend to let us reunite huh.”
Han Sang-ah was absent. Instead there was a woman.
On a delicate icy throne atop a staircase sat a woman with skin white as snow. A crystal crown rested on her silver hair, and she wore a blue dress with eyes closed.
A doll seated on a throne, hands folded, eyes shut.
― Not sure what it’s like on your side, but I see a massive sli over thirty ters. It boils and bubbles. A human’s face forms in its ooze and vanishes repeatedly, and all of them are screaming.
Lucky , at least I wasn’t getting the visual horror.
“Not even going to greet soone that just entered your room?”
The doll-like woman opened her eyes as soon as I spoke. Blue light shone from them, frost stord around , and my body heat was stolen away.
“What the,”
Above my head, a small thermoter appeared.
The red liquid inside it began sinking. What did that an?
― The big sli is… excreting smaller slis like droppings.
“What a charming way to put it.”
Anyway, the important part wasn’t that… but the thermoter that was floating above my head.
“Feels like it’s asuring temperature from what I can tell.”
Do I have to kill that thing before it completely drops to zero? Judging by its pace, in under three minutes it would hit zero.
“Shit.”
As the numbers on the thermoter slowly began to drop, I imdiately understood what it ant.
“It’s my temperature.”
If it emptied I’d die. As I realized it, the woman on the throne stretched out her hand.
Countless ice shards blood like flowers in the air, forming into spears.
“Han Sang-ah, looks like it’s on you to do sothing.”
I spoke through the comm while raising the Paradoxical Fla.
― Again?
“My body heat is dropping by the second. When it hits zero, I’ll be dead.”
There seed no way for to raise it myself. Which ant Han Sang-ah had to have the ans.
“For fucks sake, I’m going to go insane!”
My spear left trails as it moved, intercepting and dodging the rain of ice spears. But no sweat broke on my skin.
Instead, I was gradually growing colder.
It was proof my temperature was tied entirely to the gauge. Then, the thermoter above my head rose slightly.
“How did you do that?”
― I killed one of the little slis the big one pooped out.
It seed a bit too simple this ti. She just had to fight slis, while I faced this monster?
But it probably wasn’t that easy.
“Control how many you kill.”
― What do you an?
When the thermoter first appeared, it wasn’t at the top. It was at mid-level. A human’s body becos weak if its temperature rises or falls even a single degree.
― So I have to adjust the rate of killing slis to keep your body temperature stable?
“Exactly.”
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