c41-c60 · 048-ch48

Chapter 48: Sacrificial Pawn

Normally, monsters that spawn in dungeons don't spontaneously move out of the floor where they were born.

If they're on a different floor, the cause is either getting caught in an unexpected collapse, or being moved by human hands.

The Blood Ogre before my eyes is a monster that appears in areas from floor 40 onward. Unless some miraculously lucky ten-floor-collapse happened, it shouldn't appear in a place like this.

In other words—

"Go, Blood Ogre! Crush that man!"

As Dark Chaos shouts, the Blood Ogre charges at me without a sideways glance. A monster control magic, or maybe a skill? Either way, there's only one thing to do.

"Gotcha."

For now, I try to cut off the Blood Ogre's head as we pass each other. Naturally, its head is separated from its body, but as expected, the Blood Ogre doesn't stop moving.

Well, I figured that would happen.

"There's no way you can kill it that easily, right?! This guy is special!!"

"Special, huh..."

The Blood Ogre, which is obviously zombified, swings its arms with movements like it's pounding lumps of meat. When monsters become zombies, their durability and physical strength increase, but their attacks become more monotonous in return.

Mindless attacks are easy to dodge.

Honestly, they sure do annoying things.

"This Blood Ogre is talking like you're controlling it... Can you really do that?"

"Hihihihi! See, you still don't understand reality! This is my power for killing you!!"

Half lie, half truth—that's what it feels like.

In the first place, zombies aren't something that happens so easily. A monster's corpse becomes a zombie when left unattended, but it takes a month, or at least a week, for a corpse to become a zombie.

And once they become zombies, they step outside the monster framework. They don't get bound to floors like other monsters, instead becoming enemies that move freely through the dungeon.

That's why when that Blood Ogre appeared the day before yesterday, I thought it was possible. Since I usually checks Shinjuku from corner to corner, while it's an extremely low probability, I can't say it's absolutely impossible that I wouldn't discover a monster corpse as large as a Blood Ogre for a whole week.

But if there's a second Blood Ogre zombie, that's another story. This absolutely cannot happen without human involvement. Once coincidences stack up, they become inevitability. The problem is the method...

"Amazing, taming a Blood Ogre means you got past the Scorching Swamp on floor 40. That's not a place you can easily get through alone."

"Obviously! A trivial hot area like that is easy for me! Unlike you, I have real power!"

There's no area called the Scorching Swamp on floor 40. I'm starting to understand how to handle this guy, Dark Chaos.

From his reaction just now, I'd guess Dark Chaos probably isn't involved in the Blood Ogre's zombification. Someone else likely captured a Blood Ogre and gave it to him.

Which means the information I can get from him is limited... Well, better than nothing.

While casually evading the Blood Ogre zombie, I talk to Dark Chaos.

"Whoa, this guy's strong. Since it's just one, I'm managing somehow, but if there were more, I probably couldn't handle them—"

"Well, duh! With weakness like yours, that'd happen! Don't worry, I've got plenty more prepared!"

Saying that, Dark Chaos covers his mouth with his robe again and chants something. Then, two more Blood Ogres appear from beyond the trees.

Multiple ones... The Bureau was investigating the deep layer as of the other day, but there haven't been any reports of them finding anything particular.

Meaning either they hid this huge body in the dungeon for a long time until it zombified, or there's something that can instantly zombify monsters.

Either way, it's still annoying. Actually, it seems like this guy doesn't have any more cards to play.

"Well then, I guess that's enough... Bone Fire."

Instead of the surrounding Blood Ogres, I shoot flames at the robe Dark Chaos is wearing.

"H-hot! What the hell are you doing!!"

Unable to bear it, Dark Chaos throws off his robe. Then, the state of the surrounding Blood Ogres changes slightly.

"Don't bother with petty tricks! Get him, Blood Ogres!"

And Dark Chaos, not noticing this, yells at the Blood Ogres. But the three of them approach not me, but Dark Chaos.

"W-why are they coming at me...?!"

"Weren't you told not to take off that robe?"

"N-no one told me that!!"

Dark Chaos's face visibly turns blue. This situation seems to be completely unexpected for him.

Very little is known about zombie ecology, but there's one thing that has been confirmed. According to a researcher I know, they perceive humans through something called wavelengths. I don't know exactly what these wavelengths are, but I'd guess that robe probably has the effect of making those wavelengths invisible to zombies.

Meaning, he wasn't controlling the zombies himself—it's just that only I was visible to them, so they were only attacking me. From the look of things, Dark Chaos-kun here didn't know that in detail.

...He's a disposable pawn, just like that.

I don't know if when he was given that robe, he was told it was a tool for controlling monsters, or a tool for becoming invisible to zombies. What's important is that the aim of "that person" who gave Dark Chaos the zombies and robe is completely unknown.

Diversion, testing effectiveness, sacrifice... If I start listing possibilities, there's no end.

"Uwaaaaaah, don't come, don't come here, you small fry! Hiii...!"

"Whoops."

Just before the Blood Ogre's fist reaches him, I cut off its arm. Then, Dark Chaos, who shouldn't have taken a direct hit, suddenly slumps his face down.

"Oh, he passed out, huh?"

After confirming that, I casually dispose of the Blood Ogre zombies with explosion magic. The three around them turn to dust without even a death cry.

It's nice being in the deep layer where you can use magic without worrying about surroundings.

Now that the farce-like battle is over, I pick up the scorched robe lying near Dark Chaos-kun. The material is simple, but I can feel a complex flow of magic inside. Maybe a magical formula that blocks wavelengths is constructed in it.

"This is..."

Looking closely at the part he had been speaking into, a transmitter that can be used even in the shallow deep layer was attached. But it's one-way only for sending voice—no receiver.

I see, so that's how he was asking someone to send out zombies.

Now, Dark Chaos-kun probably doesn't have much information, but he should have met "that person" who gave him the robe and facilitated the zombies. If I can at least get that out of him later, it'll be plenty of results.

...Rindou-san said she didn't want me to get involved, but as he said, there's no doubt something is happening in this Shinjuku Dungeon. Moreover, it seems to run quite deep.

Just then, I hear Maika-chan's troubled voice.

'Hey, Shibasaki-san, some weird call came into the office.'

"Do you know the number?'

'It's not registered, so I don't know. It's still ringing, what should I do?'

The office phone has names of regular callers like business partners registered with their numbers. Sometimes people call after seeing the company's website, but in that case, it should go to the phone Sanada-san bought. And yet, no caller ID...

"...Put it through to me."

'Got it, wait a sec.'

Maika-chan operates her device and immediately connects the phone and incam's wireless for me.

'.........'

But I can't hear anything from the connected phone on the other end. There's a slight rustling sound, but otherwise silence.

Prank call... no, is someone talking in the distance?

'...ha,...nde,........Al...dia...'

The moment I heard that, I picked up the fallen Dark Chaos-kun and started running.