After the battle with the troll, I and Ana go back to the tunnels, knowing there’s no reason to try to go any further into the dungeon. Bil died as soon as the battle started, and Fer stubbornly denied us from participating in the battle, proclaiming it was her time to enjoy the dungeon. Ana gladly accepted, forcing me to agree with her. It’s impossible to clear the dungeon when one of us is already dead, so I used that excuse to blend with them.

The troll wasn’t as strong as I initially thought. Its first attack was devastating but from then on, it was fine. Still, it ended in mutual destruction, leading to three corpses: Bil, Fer, and the troll.

Bil’s satisfied smile on his shark head was unsettling. It’ll haunt me for days to come. Fer’s equally satisfied expression was perturbing too, but at least her face is that of a normal human.

“Since we failed, you’ll want to come back, right…?” I ask, hoping for a negative answer.

Ana happily nods, “Of course! We’ll come back as soon as we all die! And we’ll keep trying until we clear the dungeon at least a hundred times! Hahaha!”

“...you’re kidding, right?”

She tilts her head to the side, not understanding my question. This alone gives me all the answers I need.

I chuckle, forcing a smile upon my lips. I must pretend I’m like them. “Nice! So what now? Do we go back and restart? Surrender?”

“No? We obviously go find some interesting way to die and have some fun on the way.”

Yeah… ‘obviously’.

Having said this, Ana steps into a side tunnel and turns around, waving at me. “I’m going now, see you in a while!” Shortly after, the mouth of that tunnel closes, devouring her whole. Nothing surprises me anymore.

A Tunnel Mimic, huh…?

When I first started playing with Bil, I was surprised how they could instinctively know when it’s a Tunnel Mimic acting like a tunnel, and when it’s an actual tunnel. I was confused because, even after memorizing the whole layout, I realized that they not only appear in empty spaces but also take over the real tunnels.

When I asked Bil, he just shrugged their shoulders. But, after paying close attention, I realized the truth.

Like any other mimic, Tunnel Mimics can copy their surroundings and blend seamlessly with the decorative elements. When there’s water pooled on the ground, it looks like it flows into the worm’s mouth, and when there are mushrooms around the entrance, they too appear inside it. The only things they can’t mimic are other monsters and dangerous elements that can affect the players, like the poisonous mushrooms; but this alone isn’t enough to differentiate them.

So how can Ana or Bil always know when it’s one of them? Because there’s one thing that remains constant all the time: their size.

Regardless of how they look, the Tunnel Mimics always have the same size. That’s how you can identify them. You can never be 100% sure it’s a Tunnel Mimic, but you can guarantee it isn’t one when the tunnel’s entrance is either larger or smaller.

Unaffected by my maddened comrade’s actions, I take a few more steps before stopping once again.

“That’s unusual.”

Not more than ten meters from the Tunnel Mimic that devoured Ana, there’s another one. I’m sure this time because it not only has the same size but it’s also located in a place where there shouldn’t be anything.

The uneven ground and walls, the perfectly blended entrance, and even the path that seems to split further inside; nothing about it gives any clues to the unsuspecting victims before they step inside. The game must use parts of other tunnels in this same dungeon to make it so believable.

Sigh. I could go back or simply surrender. I could put an excuse if they ask me anything. But all my efforts to infiltrate will go to waste if I get discovered.

I step inside, with no option left but to do so.

Why am I doing this again? Why do I insist on following them even when I hate it…? I shake my head.

Is it pride? Is it my thirst for knowledge? Or is it… something else? Something darker, slowly building up until I won’t be able to go back when I realize it…

My whole body trembles at my absurd thought. I joined the so-called ‘Mad Cultists’ to get all the secret information only they have, and it has worked so far… more or less. They haven’t given me any tips yet, but I don’t need it. I can extract more information than I ever thought possible from their actions alone.

The Tunnel Mimic closes his mouth and everything turns dark. I feel a sticky and smelly liquid slowly fill the cavity I’m in. Now I just have to attack it from inside and wait for it to die. When it dies, the game will release me into the closest available coordinates.

The thrill of the unexpected…

No! I’m here just to get information! Information, that’s all. When I feel satisfied, I’ll happily leave the Mad Cult behind and forget everything about it.

I shoot a few arrows in the dark and wait. There’s no need to waste EP or MP when the monster can’t take more than 10% of its maximum HP per second. If the monster doesn’t die, I’ll do a few more attacks.

“It’s starting.”

The Tunnel Mimic starts shaking, twisting in all directions. Soon, we’re pulled at a fast speed towards the surface, and I emerge from the worm’s mouth, covered in sticky fluid. This part is the most disgusting.

“Ugh, well… where am I…?” I struggle to stand up, inadvertently locking eyes with a dangerous-looking wolf standing on two legs. The eye on its chest seems to emit light, a big contrast with the pitch-black skin covering the rest of its body. “...shit.”

*Awoooo!*

The wolf’s howl makes me run away, affected by the Fear status effect. Resistance is futile, so I allow my Champion to run around randomly. It does so with such bad luck that I end up running into another Tunnel Mimic and the cycle starts once more.

How many worms did we find today? Isn’t it a bit too much?

I’m not enjoying this one bit. It isn’t like, deep inside, I’m looking forward to what will come next or anything like that.

“Yay! Here we go again…!” I force a smile and put on a cheerful attitude. It’s for the small chance my teammates watch the invasion’s replay.

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“Huh, huh, huh!” I show off my amazing muscles while taking a victory pose. “I’ve won today, Evil Mastermind. You’ve done everything you could to stop me, but nothing you prepared could stall my advance. I win, huh, huh, huh!”

My loud voice fills the empty room. It reaches the pots containing monster organs, the racks filled with miscellaneous objects, and the water flowing through the channels embedded into the ground.

Not a single sentient entity remains that can react to my sudden outburst.

“It was hard. You didn’t make it easy for me, I’ll recognize your efforts. But today, TODAY!” I excitedly shake my fist, “Today’s the day I solidify my superiority over all the other players and recover my lost orc pride! Huh, huh, huh!”

I’ve beaten the Minitaur Queen. I’ve obliterated the Overgorger. I’ve hunted the Hunters and ensured not a single Goblimp remains alive. I’ve even smacked the access card to make sure I’ve gotten the good one and not a fake one; and faced the Monster Train, emerging victorious over a mountain of corpses.

The dungeon’s floors are littered with the corpses of monsters. My sworn brothers, the orcs and goblins I brought with me, died long ago too. But I, alone, survived.

The only places I haven’t touched are the rabbit area and the new botanical garden… but that’s because they aren’t required to reach the dungeon core.

“Huh, huh, huh! An intense battle indeed.”

I nod to myself, happy to have achieved everything without any external help. Fighting strong monsters is always exciting, regardless of how many times I’ve fought them.

The best part of all this is that I’ll be able to show off to the rest of the players. I came here after other players were complaining about the new monsters, and none should have reached the end before me.

“Huh, huh, huh. My reputation and my guide’s prestige will rise once more…” I can’t stop grinning. Being recognized for one’s efforts feels great.

At first, I thought of coming with the Green Gang. But after the epic failure of the last time I tried to use them to discover the new monsters in my stead… I decided against it. My reputation was close to plummeting after what happened.

I shake my head. The present and the future are what matters. What matters is the access card I’m holding in my hand, which I’m going to use to open the door to the dungeon core…

“...why?”

In front of me, there’s the same door as usual, the last one before the dungeon core. Next to it, there’s the slot for the access card; you just need to put the card in the correct place, and the door opens. It isn’t the first time I’m using it, so I’m sure I’m doing it properly.

So why? Why does the door remain closed? And why is there a SECOND slot right next to it!?

“Nononono…!” This can’t be right, I must be hallucinating! That must be it. “You almost fooled me, Evil Mastermind, huh, huh, huh…!”

I slam my fist onto the screen with the small fissure to introduce the card, hitting something solid. The realization makes me freeze. To deny it, I grab my battleaxe and start smashing it onto the device.

“Don’t! Fuck! With! Me!” I continue smashing, losing myself in the frenzy. But no matter how much struggle, nothing changes. “Huh… huh…!”

Panting, I drop to the floor, grabbing my head with my burly hands.

Now I understand… I now understand everything! This is why I could achieve everything I wanted. This is why I could finally defeat all the bosses and dangerous monsters in one single invasion, and why I felt unstoppable.

Everything was part of the most convoluted plan the Evil Mastermind has ever designed. A meticulously crafted plan to make me feel the worst despair possible, right after I thought I had achieved my objective!

Strike when it hurts the most… What have I done to him? Why is it always me who has to suffer so much?

No. If I surrender now, it’ll mean he has defeated me yet one more time, and I’ll never accept it!

I can’t surrender. To protect what little orc pride remains in me, I must fight to the end! That’s how we do these things. It doesn’t matter if we die, as a proud orc, I must struggle until the end, regardless of the opponent. A proud warrior must fall in battle.

“Huh, huh, huh… Yes…” I stand up, slowly recovering my usual enthusiasm. “I won’t let you win... I won’t let you win, Evil Mastermind! Not today, at least. Nothing has been decided until the ‘You have died’ screen appears in front of me!”

Filled with determination, I start walking towards the greenhouse.

From the first comments I read in the forums, most of the new monsters appeared there. I’ve been avoiding it on purpose because everything was going so smoothly, but I’m sure it’s where the second access card is located. I must go there to achieve my deserved victory.

But before I’ve taken more than ten steps, I realize that, not too far from this door, there’s another one slightly hidden, coincidentally placed next to the path I was taking.

Curious, I get closer to it.

”He has prepared this on purpose,” I nod at my own words. My eyes switch between the access card in my hand and the single card slot next to this door. “This, too, is part of his plan.”

I gulp. If I want to reach the end, I can try this. I’m sure it’ll open with the access card I have.

But then I’ll be following his plan…

“Nothing you’ve prepared scares me, Evil Mastermind!” I put the card in the slot, and it makes a beeping sound. As soon as the door is unlocked, I slam it open with a kick.

Inside, I find a room I’ve never seen before. A long but narrow passage, with glass covering most of the right wall and a high-security door right next to it. On the other side of the glass, I can see another dark room. Not more than twenty by twenty meters, there seems to be a labyrinth inside. Looking at it from above, it looks too easy.

“I have a bad feeling about this…”

Shaking off my doubts I walk to the door next to the window wall and open it. There’s a notepad next to it with what might be instructions. Instructions to confuse me and manipulate my actions, so I’m not reading them.

There is a metallic staircase to reach the floor below. At least this part is visible in the dark room, as one of the few lights is shining right on top of it.

I go down the stairs, and as soon as I step on the ground, the rest of the lights turn on. Impeccable white walls, floor, and ceiling greet me; as well as a bunch of garbage and furniture everywhere. A sick-looking cat stands in front of me, observing me with curiosity.

*Bam!*

The high-security door slams shut, blocking my exit.

“Huh… what am I supposed to do?” I scratch my head. Fight the cat? Reach the end of the labyrinth? But that’s too easy for something designed by the Evil Mastermind. Now I regret not reading the notepad…

Luckily, I find another notepad right on this side, so I quickly approach it and start reading.

Experiment instructions

1. Don’t attack experiment #∞.

2. Experiment #∞ must reach the end line.

3. In case something were to happen to experiment #∞ on the way, help it reach the end.

4. If everything else fails, make sure to kill experiment #∞.

PD: The door won’t open until the experiment finishes. Good luck!

The objective is to help that sick cat reach the end of the labyrinth... It seems easy, which makes it very suspicious. Furthermore, why do the first and last instructions contradict each other?

“A puzzle room…?” I groan. “I hate puzzles… Why couldn’t it be a battle? Furthermore, I have a very bad feeling about this…” A shiver runs down my spine. I stop my body’s reactions to prevent the Evil Mastermind from realizing my real emotions. I won’t give him that satisfaction.

I forcefully stop the shivering, and turn around. The sick cat, who was standing still until now, starts walking forward. I then hear a clicking sound, followed by several blades popping out of the wall.

“Why would there be traps in here…?”

image [https://i.imgur.com/ZGSK4Pl.png]

There are things you’ll remember for the rest of your life.

It can be the day you passed an important exam, the day you won the lottery, the day you met your love… Regardless of what happened, you’ll cherish that experience until the day you die. There are also things you’d wish to forget as soon as possible; but for some reason, those horrifying experiences cling to you, haunting you for the rest of your days.

It wasn’t common, but a few players would never forget certain experiences they had when playing DMA. Both for good… and for bad.