It was finally time to tackle the fourteenth floor. I headed to the dungeon and used my Dungeon Elevator skill to go straight there. I hadn’t really paid much attention to it the last time, but now I could see it was a straight corridor with a sign at the end. Beyond it, the way split into four paths, each with a number written on the ground.
The trials beyond this point will vary, the sign read. If you are a party of one, take the first path. If you are two, take the second. If you are three, take the third. If you are four, take the fourth.
I’d come here alone, so I guess that meant I should take the first path.
The corridor led straight away from me, but it was really long. I must have walked for fifteen minutes by the time the corridor started to feel different. There was a turn in the path ahead of me with another sign on the wall. I paused a long way short of it and used Variable Visual Acuity to adjust my eyesight enough to read it. After all, it was better to be safe than sorry. I didn’t want any enemies getting the jump on me.
Do not kill a single one, this one stated. If you do, you shall have to start again.
I wonder what that meant. I hurried forward and looked around the corner. The sight on the other side took my breath away. The entire hallway was moving. Or at least, something was moving over it. There were snakes on the floor, spiders and lizards all over the walls, and some kind of black insects on the ceiling. There were so many of them that I couldn’t see the surfaces beneath. Now and then, bugs fell off and spattered down onto the floor like black rain.
A shiver went down my spine. I wasn’t afraid of a few bugs, but this was way more than just a few. I retreated a few steps to compose myself.
“Guess I’ll just have to roast them…wait…”
The sign said not to kill a single one. Really?! That was impossible! If I went anywhere near them, I was bound to tread on something. I couldn’t even slap them away if they crawled up my legs! Was I meant to befriend them? I wasn’t sure I could manage that.
I stood there for ages, trying to think of some skill I could make that would help, but I kept coming up blank. Still, failure wasn’t going to kill me, so out of curiosity I went and trod on a bug to see what would happen.
“Hngh…”
A strange feeling came over me, like falling from a great height. The world distorted, and when it cleared, I was standing somewhere else.
“I’m back at the start of the floor? Urgh, I really can’t get away with killing any of them…”
For some reason, that made me feel utterly hopeless. I slumped down onto the floor and sighed. There was no way I could do this. In the end, I took the Dungeon Elevator back up to the second floor.
<Dun dun duuuuun! Noir has arrived!>
“Glad you’re in a good mood. I’m stuck.”
<Oooh, and you have come here to rest your head on your dear Olivia’s bosom? Tell me what happened.>
I wasn’t sure about that first part, but I did explain the situation in the hope that she could help.
<Maybe you could try some kind of armor? Oh, but I guess they might get inside the joints or something.>
“Exactly, and there’s no way I could walk down the corridor without killing a single one. Maybe I could put them in suspended animation first? But there are so many! I’m not sure if that’d even be possible.”
<So why don’t you pick a different path next time?> she asked. <Or ask one of your friends for help. You do have friends, right?>
“I do, but I don’t really want to bring them here. It’s so dangerous.”
<I know how you feel, but you need to trust your friends. I never had anyone I could depend on. You can choose to live another way, Noir.>
I nodded vaguely and left the dungeon.
Olivia had never had anyone to lean on? Maybe that was why she’d ended up trapped in those chains… No matter how strong you were, if you didn’t have anyone to watch your back, you could never let your guard down. And Olivia was hundreds of times more powerful than me, but, well.
She was probably right. It was best to get help. Still, I wanted to get some fresh air and chew things over on my way home, so I stopped at the Arrone Plains. As I walked through the grass, I caught sight of someone battling a monster. The fighter’s red clothes really stood out. I could tell from miles off that it was Emma, facing off against a large hare. She’d had so much trouble with them before, but now she cut through them like butter. Run Like the Wind made her much lighter on her feet. She had her opponent wrapped around her little finger long before she used her signature Wind Strike to blow its head to pieces.
“Yeah!” I cheered her on. “Perfectly executed!”
I came closer and checked on her with Discerning Eye. She’d already gone up a level from when I last checked. She was Level 69 now.
“What are you doing here?” she asked me.
“I got stuck on something in the dungeon,” I said. “Thought a change of scenery might help.”
“Well, at least you can relax here. There aren’t any monsters in the area.”
“Not anymore, at least,” I said, eyeing the dead hare.
We headed a short way into the grass and sat down to watch the sunset. The breeze was warm and light and Emma’s blonde hair danced in it. She was so beautiful in the long golden light. No wonder she had so many admirers. I must have used up all my luck just getting to grow up with her.
“I know you want to save Ms. Olivia,” Emma said. “But don’t push yourself too hard, okay?”
“Don’t worry. You know I’m a coward.”
Emma shook her head. “You keep saying that, and maybe you’re cautious when it’s just you, but I’ve seen you get really reckless when someone else needs your help.”
I’d never really thought about it like that. Had I been wrong about myself all this time?
“Don’t forget that you have me,” Emma said. “I’m always here if you need someone.”
It made me feel all warm and fuzzy to hear that. I reached out and hugged her.
“Did…something happen?” she asked.
“I want you to come to the dungeon with me,” I muttered into her hair. “I swear I’ll make sure you stay safe.”
“Noir… Of course I’ll come. You know I’d go to the ends of the earth for you!”
“Thank you.” I squeezed her a little tighter.