c41-c60 · 057-ch57

Chapter 57: Reunion with an Old Friend

"Ice Lance"

Before Linli could say anything, I fired an ice spear wrapped in freezing cold air toward him.

However, the ice spear passed through Linli's body as if piercing through fog.

...A magic projection, huh.

"That's harsh, isn't it? For a reunion with an old friend, you shouldn't be so cruel."

"Where's your real body?"

"Now, now, calm down. I'd like to meet with you too, but unfortunately, that's impossible right now. The current me is in another dungeon, and I'm quite busy here. More importantly, look at this projection quality! Reproducing it across dungeons was quite difficult. It's irritating, but I had to reference the cord mechanism made by that research idiot. When you meet him next time, tell him I said thanks."

It's been a full seven years, yet this guy acts as if we're continuing from yesterday.

This feels unpleasant. I can clearly see that in his mind, I'm still stuck as Antares from Genesis Light.

"Why did you appear?"

"Your words are cold, Antares. Shouldn't you have more to say? Like "I thought you were dead!" or "Where have you been hiding!" something like that."

"I have no intention of indulging in pointless talk."

"That's cruel. I get hurt too, you know. It's been a while since I've talked to a proper human being."

Like I'd know.

"Don't make such a disgusted face. Fine, I get it. I'll properly answer your question. What was it again? "Why did you appear?" Is that right?"

"..."

"It's simple. I'm searching for someone. Recently, I've started wanting to do something new, and I made an organization along the way, but as expected, we're desperately short-handed. Then I heard there's promising talent in Shinjuku Dungeon, and just as I was thinking of recruiting them—you appeared to interfere."

"Are you the cause of the frequent zombie outbreaks and murders?"

"Ah, sorry. I only give general instructions, so I don't know the details about how things are done. Well, I think one or two people dying in a dungeon is trivial, so don't worry about it."

...I see.

Linli, this guy knows exactly what gets on my nerves.

"At first, I was doing things secretly behind the scenes so you wouldn't find out, but it became such a pain. And then after various things happened, the Chiffons ended up contacting you. Of course I had to come, right? You have no mercy, you know. If you don't know how to deal with it, you'll be cornered."

"You talk as if you know how to deal with me."

"Yeah, I do. Or rather, you're the one who's going to find out."

Water dripped from the ceiling onto my face, as if cutting through the highly viscous air. The short dry season had ended, and the rain was once again beginning to wet the ground. The rain on the 17th floor would gradually grow stronger from now on.

"Let me teach you something good. Each Chiffon has an individual self. They have memories. They have consciousness. They have a pulse, blood flows, they breathe, and they're alive. Though they have some defects... you're kind, aren't you? I'm sure you'll recognize all of them as individual human beings."

Linli gently caressed the face of a nearby Chiffon. The way he touched him was so beautiful and gentle that it could make you mistake that he truly loved him from the bottom of his heart.

That's why, every time I face this guy, I can't help but expect normal humanity from him. Even though no matter how deep you dig, it doesn't exist.

"I'm sending an order. Gate holders, open the gates."

When Linli said that, the atmosphere of several of the surrounding Chiffons changed. As if something had switched, they stared at a single point in empty space, placing both their hands on their necks.

Was it some kind of ritual, or perhaps the activation condition for a pre-installed magical tool? What appeared behind them was a hazy, black mist.

And, I sensed it immediately. The presence of multiple beings coming from beyond the mist.

...This is the worst.

In the blink of an eye, a Sand Wolf descended to the 17th floor through the mist. Following that, monsters appeared from the mists in all four directions, swarming forward.

At first glance, they looked like normal monsters. But my intuition told me otherwise.

"They're simple gates connected to zombified monsters. If there's one drawback, it would be that they can't be controlled. They attack anything they perceive without discrimination."

A large number of zombies, and a large number of targets. The worst possible situation I could imagine was now right before my eyes.

"Well then, do your best. You like helping people, right?"

Leaving those words behind, Linli's projection disappeared.