Chapter 100: Lies (3)
The gazes of my team members gravitated towards the tip of my finger.
Their eyes held a strange expression.
"Oh, Theo. Do you know something?"
"Travis, why would you question that? Hasn't Theo's advice always helped us? We just need to do our parts and trust Theo."
Travis and Monica bickered among themselves.
'I've always felt it, but they really do get along well.'
I wonder if they might develop feelings for each other.
I responded calmly with a nod.
"Right. We've run out of food and don't have a way to get more. But we do know the nature of this dungeon."
"······Is that also from the ancient documents of the Waldeurk Family?"
Now Piel looked at me, not with resentment, but with a plain, straightforward gaze.
"······That's correct. Andrew, do you agree?"
"I will simply follow."
Andrew replied nonchalantly.
'The only one left is Piel.'
I turned my gaze solely towards Piel and asked.
"Piel, do you also agree?"
"······Yeah, I understand."
Piel, who had been hesitant for a moment, also responded.
"Then I take it we're all in agreement. Let's proceed."
With that, I moved towards the direction I had pointed.
"Okay! Understood, Theo."
"Let's go, let's go. I hope we find something to eat. ······Will we?"
Immediately, Travis and Monica followed behind me─
"······."
"······."
Silently, Andrew and Piel also trailed behind.
"Wow, I didn't know such a place existed!"
"Right? Canned food in a dungeon? That's unexpected. Who left it here? There's no sign anyone has been here... It's fascinating."
Travis and Monica looked in surprise at the cans placed on the altar ahead.
... It brings back memories.
I remember being surprised when I first saw canned food appear in the game.
It wasn't just my reaction, the game's users protested to the game company, asking why there was canned food in the dungeon.
The company's response was simple.
-Heat packs also appear in the game, so isn't it natural that there would be canned food? Our 'Kyren Zena Chronicles' includes various new elements that you may not have encountered in other games.
The users accepted the company's approach in time.
After all, the game did feature foods like cutlet and braised pork.
Also, if we consider modern history, canned food came before heat packs.
...Well, that's just my thought as a modern human.
The game characters who are my team members would think differently.
Andrew, who had been silent until now, widened his eyes and commented.
"Canned food in a dungeon. That's surprising... And there's such a variety."
"..."
Unlike Andrew, Piel remained composed, her mouth a tight line, only giving me a quick, unsettling glance.
...Why was she looking at me like that?
Is there something on my face?
I don't think it's because I'm handsome.
In the original game, Piel hardly judged people by their appearances.
Anyway... Theo's emotions are starting to rise again.
I quickly averted my gaze from her and pointed to the canned food.
"Let's collect those first."
"Got it, Theo!"
"Sure~"
Travis and Monica quickly sprang into action to gather the canned food.
There were all kinds of cans.
There was not only tuna, but also beans, smoked salmon, etc.
That amount should be enough for the five of us to survive for about three days.
Moreover, it automatically generates according to the number of people, so other teams should be able to collect some as well.
...I realize again, the world I've fallen into is quite realistic yet game-like, it's confusing.
Travis looked at me and spoke.
"We've gathered them all, Theo!"
"Good job, Travis. Let's go deeper into the dungeon."
I took the lead once again and entered deeper into the dungeon.
The food problem is now solved...
If things continue like this, we should be able to finish exploring this dungeon by this afternoon.
As long as you're well-prepared and avoid mistakes, this dungeon is an easy one that can be cleared within a day.
We hadn't walked for very long.
"Hmm, is that... a stone gate?"
"It seems so. I don't see any other way. It seems like we have to go through that gate to proceed."
Before us was a large stone gate, roughly 5 meters tall and 3 meters wide.
And in front of it stood a stone pillar about the size of an adult man.
It was the third branching point.
"..."
I stared at the stone gate impassively.
The other members of the team also looked up at the stone gate from behind me.
Piel, who was at the back, muttered,
"...It feels ominous."
"Right. I have a feeling that it could be again debuff magic."
Andrew nodded his head.
Andrew's inference was correct.
Just like at the points, one would fall under the influence of debuff magic when attempting to enter through the stone gate.
However, the stone gate cannot be opened directly.
One has to touch the stone pillar for the stone gate to open.
And the moment the stone pillar is touched, area-wide debuff magic is cast.
'Easy.'
All I have to do is go in alone, get affected by the debuff magic, and then take a [Debuff Recovery Potion].
The debuff magic that's set up here is pretty powerful, but I have the trump card of [Magic Nullification].
I turned to the team and said,
"Everyone, stay where you are. I'll go in first."
As I started walking towards the stone pillar—
[The dungeon's difficulty has been increased due to the entry of a certain number of people in a short amount of time.]
Suddenly a system message appeared, and the dungeon started shaking violently.
"…!"
My eyes widened.
This was a situation I had never experienced before, even though I had conquered all the content in the original game.
The dungeon shook as if there was an earthquake.
"What the, what's happening? Why, why is it shaking all of a sudden?"
"It's not, not collapsing, is it?"
Travis and Monica spoke anxiously.
It seemed it wasn't just me who felt it.
'... Is someone outside trying to bury us?'
I quickly tried to assess the situation.
And concluded,
'No.'
At this point, the only place that would pull off such a bold move would be 'Turning White'.
But their dispatched team likely doesn't even know about us.
And given that Rok and other instructors would've dealt with that team by now, it would be a stretch for them to pull off something like this.
It also seemed improbable that their headquarters had interfered with this uncharted dungeon.
'What on earth is happening...'
I stood still, lost in deep thought.
...After a while.
"Ah."
Suddenly, I recalled the patch notes of the original game that I had read just before I possessed Theo.
[··· We believe many users would have been surprised by this major update. This update is something we even dare to call a 'new challenge' for us. Simply put, this update is an online test version of the 'Kyren Zena Chronicles'. It's a step towards online gaming beyond a single-player game. The new shop system and a new storyline filled with various twists are also part of this test. There will also be various other changes from what was previously available.]
A patch that blatantly showcased the intention of the game company, which had wanted to step out of the niche market targeting only hardcore fans, and into the mainstream.
As a veteran who had mastered every trivial content of the game, from chess to football, I welcomed the advent of a new source of enjoyment...
But I didn't expect it to unfold like this.
I quickly tried to grasp the current situation.
Given that the difficulty of the dungeon had increased, the power of the debuff magic that would be cast at the branching point would surely have increased as well.
...Eventually, when the dungeon's shaking came to a stop.
I turned around and looked at my team members clearly and said,
"...The fact that we need to go forward hasn't changed."
I made the decision.
Let's go in.
We can't afford to delay any longer.
We have to stick to the plan we had set up, even if we're forced to.
Today, I need to see the end of this dungeon, receive the clear reward, and then go find the divine beast.
Regardless of the reason, the future has already changed.
I will survive.
I will give it my all, no matter the circumstances.
Even before the future of this game changed, the chances of failure were high...
All I can do now is do my best to overcome this ordeal as well.
I don't want to lie down and wait for impending death.
Even if the moment of death comes, I will die with my head held high...
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