Jason clenched his teeth and nodded.‘
Let’s go in, then’, said Daiki.
The group cautiously made their way inside, walking through the dark eerie pathway, the only source of light being that of a small flashlight, barely lighting up their way.
They kept walking for a few seconds, but unlike before, it seemed to take a while to reach the center.
‘This isn’t right…it was supposed to be a small cave. This… it’s taking too long’, mumbled Jason.
This dreadful revelation filled them with a suffocating foreboding.
‘Everyone stay close!’ yelled Seo-Jun.
They all stood back-to-back, flashing the light all around, staring vigilantly at their unfamiliar surroundings. They stood still, alert, and ready to attack at even the slightest movement.
After a few minutes of uneventful silence, Jason said, ‘Uh, maybe it’s not dangerous? I mean, isn’t it a blessing in disguise since we don’t have to face that monster at the end of the cave? Maybe we could just set up camp here. We’re safe from the rain anyways. It’s not like we have to go to all the way inside…’
(Dokkaebi: Oops, I didn’t think of that)
Seo-Jun agreed suspiciously, ‘Yeah…you do have a point. Anyways, it felt like we were being pushed to come in here, not that it’s impossible. Plots like this usually have some hidden motive, like helping the MC get stronger and making the situation such that there’s no other choice than to go forward. So even if we rest here, we shouldn’t let our guard down.’
‘Good thinking, I think, whatever it is you said, it basically means it’s a trap but also good for us right? So let’s do as you guys suggested’, said Alice.
Seo-Jun immediately worked to start a fire with his match box and some twigs lying around.
[Seo-Jun: Funny how the exact stuff we need just always happens to be lying around, eh? That’s just lazy writing author-nim. At least have us work for it~
Author: Shut up, or I’ll really give you something to work for (^_^メ)
Seo-Jun: Yes (´-﹏-`；). Please don’t, author-nim. Author-nim? Are you listening? Please say somthing. Don’t go all quiet. You’re scaring me now, author-nim…Oh no, I’m sorry, really. Just let us take it easy for a bit, please. Okay? Author-nim? Eh? You’re shutting me out? Stop, wait, don’t do that. I’m sorry, really, don’t, wait- ]
The five sat around the fire, warming up their damp and tired body. They were living somewhat normal lives, and were suddenly brought to a different reality, fighting off monsters and struggling for survival.
Now, sitting here, feeling the comfortable warmth allowed them to truly relax for the first time all day.
The coziness brought a homely feeling, bringing out an urge to converse, and in the case of Alice, something more.
She didn’t know if it was the atmosphere, the adversities they endured together throughout the day or the knowledge of going through life and death together with these people in the future that brought it on. Whatever it was, she wanted to bond, be closer to this group instead of being at daggers drawn. For that, she needed to be honest.
She blurted out, ‘I’m sorry!’
Everyone’s attention got drawn as they stared at her in surprise.
She suddenly felt embarrassed at their reactions, but it seems she couldn’t stop as she kept vomiting out more words with a red face while looking down.
‘I-I know I acted like an a**h*** and a complete idiot when we first met, and since then. Even I don’t really understand why I would act like that. I mean, yeah, I know I can be kinda hard-headed and impulsive, but I don’t usually act that obnoxious and insensitive.
And especially to you too, Daiki and Zhiren…I shouldn’t have acted that way when we first met.
I don’t know why, but I felt something strange as I talked to you, like a feeling of intense guilt, towards all of you, which is the strongest towards you too. Maybe it’s because of the way I acted or all the pressure, but the i guess to escape the annoyance and discomfort from it, I kept acting even worse at times. I’m really sorry.’
They all stared at her in utter shock, completely at a loss for words for a few seconds, trying to process what they’d just heard and from whom.
Zhiren started, ‘It’s okay…I guess, since you realize your mistake and feel bad about it. If I’m being honest, my reaction to your absurdity was a bit much too. I’m usually more calm and compose. I don’t know why I over-reacted but I just felt this strong hostility towards you. I don’t know why…I’m sorry too.’
Daiki continued, ‘Me too. I felt too negatively towards you for some reason along with some weird urge to go along with what Zhiren says. Maybe ’cause of some feeling of familiarity or being treated the same way? I don’t know, but I’m sorry too.’
Jason added, ‘Honestly, from the start, I’ve felt the same way towards you guys as what Alice said, and I think because if that, I keep trying to please everyone and resolve every conflict. I’m actually not like that at all, quite the opposite really, but for some reason, I’m like this around you guys. Weird right?’
Seo-Jun said, ‘All I’ve felt from the start is keeping this group together and get through this. But I’m being way too hard-working since I came here.
I mean, in the first place, it’s really not like me to ever take the lead on something…I think, it’s this place…it’s messing with our heads, making us do things contradictory to our usual selves. I thought I was the only one who felt it, but I guess it’s the same for every one else too.
Stolen novel; please report.
Who knows, this might be like a transmigration story where we’re inside the character’s bodies and thus acting like them unconsciously or something? It is possible, anything is, given our situation. But at least we’ll have a better relationship with each other going forward after communicating this stuff.’
They all seriously considered this possibility, feeling overwhelmed and dread at notion that they might lose themselves or that they we’re acting differently because of such a thing. They silently resolved to try to be more like themselves but had a thought: maybe it would be better to act as they are to some extent in case it’s a necessity for their survival.
They barely pondered over the possible hypotheses based on the content of their conversation when suddenly they heard a faint clicking and scuttling sound coming from afar, becoming closer and louder quickly. They wouldn’t have become aware of the danger in time if not for their enhanced senses, which gave them some time to be at the ready.
The source of the noise becoming visible not long after, its antennas coming into view, followed by the large and long body on top of dozens upon dozens of scuttling legs, it was a giant centipede!
It lurched towards them, looking absolutely disgusting and freaking them out more than a bit.
Seo-Jun let out a shrill scream , much like when a cockroach starts flying towards you. He fell backward, almost scalding his hand on the fire. He’d always hated bugs, or more accurately, was terrified of them. He didn’t have a profound reason — he just didn’t like them from the start (not like I have to!). But, this actually worked out for him since it didn’t come closer to that area.
Jason immediately went to his side with his sword, ensuring he wasn’t unprotected given his state of mind. It was almost a reflex from his time as a fireman, to rush to protect those in trouble.
Alice, being the closest, swung her sword and cut it in half. Meanwhile, Daiki and Zhiren discovered two more centipedes rushing towards them and took care of them in the same way. While Seo-Jun had calmed down by this point, they were walking back towards him.
‘Hey, that was actually pretty easy. Not to mention an quick stat gain: +10 on all stats, the +50 kill EXP, and gold just swinging our sword once’, said Daiki while wiping the slime off his sword.
‘Don’t jinx it!’, yelled Seo-Jun.
But it was already too late, they heard a crunching and screeching noise coming from the halves. They looked over and saw, they were twitching and something was growing out of the cut ends. Each half grew another centipede within mere seconds, roughly the same lengths as the original.
All of a sudden the centipedes grew from three to six.
‘Shit, are centipedes supposed to do that?’, asked Alice.
‘No, that’s worms, centipedes can’t survive that’, informed Jason.
‘But they have two heads’, Alice replied.
‘Yeah, but it doesn’t work that way’, Jason said.
‘Oh’, said Alice.
‘Can you stop discussing that and do something about them!’, Seo-Jun said, now panicking.
‘Okay, okay, but what do we even do? It’s not like we can use our weapons with this weird-ass situation. We should’ve known nothing in this place would be normal!’ Alice said in frustration.
‘Th-then lets get out of here, run away…we-we can go outside!’, yelled Seo-Jun.
‘The rain still hasn’t let up, man, we can’t. And, from the looks of it, there may be more of these guys out there’, said Daiki, worried about the state of this person, who always seems like he’s get it all together, that he’ll know what to do and what the next step is. The man who he was willing to follow, not that it’s changed. But, it goes to show, how a person may lose all sense of reality if he was frightened enough and brought to face his fears. He understands this, why wouldn’t he? Since his biggest fear was losing her and when he did he completely lost it.
‘Hydra!’ yelled Jason.
‘What?’ said Zhiren.
‘The villain’s group on Marvel?’ asked Daiki.
‘No, the monster in Greek mythology that Hercules killed! It also regrew more heads after one was chopped off, Hercules killed it by sealing the cuts with fire after cutting each off. Considering that according to Seo-Jun everything is going by cliches, maybe this’ll work out as well. I’m sure he would’ve thought about the same thing if he was not out of it’, explained Jason.
‘Let’s give it a shot, then’, said Zhiren.
‘Wait!’ yelled Alice, ‘Can I try something first, I just thought of something, it isn’t based on any cliche, I think. I don’t really know, but if it doesn’t work then we’ll do it your way’.
‘Okay…give it a shot’, said Jason.
They all stepped back closer to the fire, and to take care of Seo-Jun who was now trembling on the ground.
Alice took out the taser in her pocket, aimed, and shot just as the centipede was ready to attack. It connected with its target. The creature twitched for a few seconds similar to before but this time brought with it an almost burning smell.
‘I should have figured that anything I get from here wouldn’t be simple, it totally fried that thing’, Alice mumbled.
The centipede hit by the taser ended up as nothing more than a pile of ashes. The other’s seemed furious as they attacked together however, this taser had unlimited shots, so she hit them, one after another in quick succession as they too met the same fate.
The others just watched in awe as Alice said, ‘Take that Hercules!’
‘That was impressive…and clever. Good thinking’, said Zhiren.
‘Thanks. I know, I’m just awesome, aren’t I?’ replied Alice.
‘You couldn’t let the moment last, could you?’ complained Zhiren.
Alice just smirked.
Daiki and Jason were trying to calm Seo-Jun down and have him drink some water. ‘Hey, they’re all dead. Calm down, it’s okay now’, said Jason as Daiki handed Seo-Jun the bottle.
After a couple of minutes, he returned to his senses and said, ‘Sorry guys, that was pathetic right? Even I don’t know why I get like this around bugs. I’ll pull my self together, I promise.’
‘No…it’s okay, we understand. A lot of people have some type of phobia’, said Zhiren.
‘But given the situation we’re in, I can’t be like this. It’s dangerous for you guys and myself. I can’t go on like this, or it won’t be long before I end up dead’, said Seo-Jun, downcast.
‘We’ve got your back, and each other’s. Till you’re okay to do this, we’ve got your back’, assured Alice.
‘Yeah!’ said Daiki, Jason and Zhiren simultaneouly.
‘Thanks guys’, said Seo-Jun. He was feeling touched, and glad to be part of this group. He almost couldn’t believe that just a couple of hours ago, he dreaded it.
In fact, if someone told him, everything would really work out even two hours ago, he would think the Dokkaebi is playing another prank on him.
They all held the same sentiments at this moment.
‘We should move from here though. We don’t know what else will come crawling out’, said Jason.
‘Agreed, though you guys will not believe how strong I just got, like it really is like a cheat guys’, said Alice, really happy by how her stats increased.
They left the area, walking with a flashlight and make-shift torches. They found another cave that seemed empty and entered. However, as soon as they all stepped inside, the opening disappeared from behind them, and they were trapped.
To be continued…
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Their stat windows;
Alice: Strength-126, Speed-126, Intelligence-126, HP- 100, MP-116, PP-116, TP-116, EXP-600, and Kills-9 and Gold – 560
Jason: Strength-56, Speed-56, Intelligence-56, HP- 100, MP-46, PP-46, TP-46, EXP-228, and Kills-2 and Gold – 210
Zhiren: Strength-61, Speed-62, Intelligence-66, HP- 100, MP-56, PP-56, TP-56, EXP-229, Kills – 3 and Gold – 260
Daiki: Strength- 67, Speed- 71, Intelligence-71, HP- 100, MP- 61, PP-72, TP-68, EXP-353, and Kills – 6 and Gold – 410
Seo-Jun: Strength-50, Speed-50, Intelligence-56, HP- 100, MP-46, PP-46, TP-46, EXP-152, Kills – 2 and Gold – 210
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Seo-Jun: Did you really have to expose me to that just cuz I pissed you off? Isn’t that a bit cruel? Don’t you have any empathy?
Author: I do, but only if you don’t piss me off. So, don’t do it again, ok? ^_^
Seo-Jun: Yes…(￣┰￣*)
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