Chapter 101: Lies (4)
Normally, this would be an easy section to finish.
But now, with the difficulty ramped up, anything could happen.
We could be overrun by zombies just like at the second branching point, all while suffering from powerful debuff magic.
From here on, we're venturing into the unknown.
Shifts in other characters' personalities and futures don't directly threaten me.
But these current trials we're facing, they're a direct threat.
It scares me.
I'm terrified.
I want to give up.
But... despite all that, I have to move forward.
You can wake a sleeping person, but you cannot wake a person pretending to sleep.
Light doesn't come to those who hide in a corner.
The most important thing is to take action, not just think.
From the moment I inhabited Theo's body, I have lived this way.
Step by step...
With that in mind, I approached the stone block.
Tap.
I gently tapped the top of the block.
"Uh... uh. Hu-uh, Hu-uh."
My heart races.
Strength drains from my body.
I can feel my stamina decreasing by the second.
'...It's [Poison], after all.'
Although the difficulty is higher, the type of debuff is the same as in the original game.
But the effect is much stronger.
Gulp, gulp-
I quickly pulled the [Debuff Recovery Potion] from my bag and drank it.
But the debuff was still affecting me.
'Damn it, a standard dose isn't enough.'
I kept chugging potions.
Despite the slimy texture and the horrible smell, I had no choice.
I had to keep drinking.
"······ Phew."
Finally, the [Poison] cleared.
This annoying debuff spell only lifted after I finished all my potions.
Immediately, I turned to check on my teammates.
"Ah, ugh... I can't feel any strength in my body..."
"Why... Up until now, only Theo was affected, why?"
"Heo-uh, Heo-uh... I feel so dizzy."
"······Damn."
Just like me, my teammates were on their knees, each in different postures, all suffering from the [Poison] status.
...It seems the system message about the dungeon's increased difficulty only appeared to me.
It looks like I'm the only one affected by the system.
'But even though the difficulty went up, we aren't being swarmed by monsters...'
The change seems to be in the strength and reach of the debuff spells.
In the original game, the spot where my teammates stood was safe.
'There's no other way.'
I decided to rush to my teammates and use [Magic Nullification].
No matter how strong the debuff, my mana 0 [Magic Nullification] nullifies almost any high-level magic.
I intended to use it first on Andrew, who has the weakest body, but... my body turned towards Piel.
'Damn it Theo!'
Suppressing inner Theo, I used [Magic Nullification] on Andrew, and then on Travis and Monica as well.
This is the most realistic approach.
Among the four, Piel had the strongest stamina.
Finally, I grabbed Piel's shoulder.
"······Haah, Haah."
Exhausted, Piel panted heavily, looking up at me.
Her eyes were filled with exhaustion, but she seemed to have shaken off the [Poisoned] status.
"Ah······ It's tough. It feels like all the strength has been drained from my body······."
"Really. There's absolutely no strength left in my body."
"······Hooo."
Similarly, Travis, Monica, and Andrew, who had also escaped from the [Poisoned] condition, couldn't get up and were sitting down on the floor.
'We won't be able to make it to the final, fourth branching point right away.'
······I have only 2 uses of [Magic Nullification] left.
The final, fourth branching point of this dungeon, like the others, is trapped with debuff magic.
I fell deep into thought.
'What's our next move?'
We can't get any more [Debuff Recovery Potions].
We have until 1 pm tomorrow.
Amy is probably investigating the location of the divine beast right now.
'But the priority is my team's recovery.'
With that in mind, I spread a blanket next to my teammates and sat down.
"Huuu, huu."
Amy, unlike her usual self, was breathing heavily,
She was climbing a rocky cliff with a grimace on her face.
The cliff was steep and rough.
She had received rock-climbing training from Equilibrium before being dispatched to the Waldeurk family, but she hadn't done this kind of work since then.
It was tough.
'I've been skipping training too much lately.'
She occasionally did some training, but she hadn't been pushing hard since Theo entered the academy. It was already difficult enough to handle Theo's demands.
And recently, she had been neglecting even her occasional training due to her communications with Equilibrium, which had focused on the topic of 'the changed Theo'.
"······Ugh."
It hurt.
The tips of her fingers were being crushed, and the front of the glove she was wearing was soaked with blood.
Whoosh, whoosh─
A fierce wind teased Amy's clothes.
"······."
When she dared to look down, a daunting sight greeted her.
No matter how confident she was, she would certainly die if she fell from this height.
It was scary.
But she had to do it.
Because it was something Theo had 'requested'.
She had to show herself off well to him.
She could never let him see her struggles.
That's because Theo is an extremely rational person. If she's useless, he would definitely discard her without hesitation.
······There are many more talented individuals around him now.
The elf princess who could control spirits, the formidable son of an orc chieftain, and a girl from the East with limitless potential.
Amy made a rational judgement.
The image she needed to present to Theo was that of a 'servant who executes any task without complaint'.
As long as she could do that, he would not abandon her in the future.
Equilibrium always carries through with their decisions, no matter what happens.
They are currently keeping an eye on Theo.
After he graduates from the academy, he will surely join them.
And he will undoubtedly become an executive of Equilibrium.
His rate of growth alone guaranteed that.
And no matter what happens, as long as he can save her hostage sister Selena...
Though Theo had somehow changed, as if he had become a different person, it didn't matter.
In the end, he succeeded in getting the attention of Equilibrium, and he is still constantly proving himself.
He is speaking through results.
With these thoughts in mind, Amy reached the top of the cliff.
And she saw it.
A box surrounded by mysterious and beautiful cloth.
It was small. About one-third the size of the bag she was carrying. Maybe 20cm in length and width?
A dry, rough floor. A chilly, gusty wind and a foreign object.
"······."
As if she were bewitched by something, Amy approached the mysterious box and picked it up.
And the moment she was about to unwrap the cloth surrounding the box.
"Ah."
Theo's warning came to mind.
-No matter what happens, do not check the contents of the box. Remember this.
This was something that Theo, who hated to repeat himself, had emphasized several times.
What on earth is in that box that he had to say so, she was full of curiosity.
She itched to check the contents of the box.
However──
"······You must have a reason, young master."
Murmuring so, Amy placed the mysterious box back where she'd found it.
After taking a couple of hours of rest, our team arrived at the final, fourth branching point.
Unlike the previous branches with their unique characteristics, the last branch didn't stand out.
All that lay before our eyes was a flat, barren floor.
There was no reason for anyone to enter alone here.
If even one team member stepped forward, debuff magic would afflict everyone evenly.
And when I say 'evenly', I mean each person would be subject to a different effect.
The first branch resulted in [Confusion].
The second branch led to [Blindness].
The third branch gave [Poison].
Now, the fourth branch is a roll of the dice.
One could be afflicted by [Stun] or [Silence].
In the original game, there were over ten different kinds of these afflictions.
"Hold on a moment."
As I organized my thoughts, I spoke to my team members, glancing at each one.
'...The increased difficulty is a problem.'
At least it's certain that we will be hit by stronger debuffs than in the original game.
'I really hope it's something like [Silence].'
[Silence] is a debuff that seals a target's mana for a certain period of time.
As my mana is already at zero, it wouldn't disadvantage me.
After all, [Magic Cartridge] operates independently of my body.
I remembered the debuff that Neike, in the original game, received.
Strangely, the name of the effect was omitted.
But I remember its effects clearly.
His body heated up, and he started to see the other female team members strangely.
However, since the original game 'Kyren Zena Chronicles' is not an adult-rated game, it stopped there.
Also, because Neike was like a eunuch.
However, due to how he reacted, the users came up with a separate name for it.
They called it [Heat].
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