It didn’t feel particularly hot, but I was sweating all the same. And my breathing was labored too. My arms and legs felt as heavy as lead, and my vision was swimming—all symptoms of the poison status effect.
Around fifteen minutes after I started using Dimension, I encountered and fought a Rank 1 monster. I’d been avoiding all monster encounters, but by chance, I ended up spotting a monster that was immobile. If I hadn’t been using Dimension, I probably wouldn’t have cottoned on to the slightly oversized frog that was lying utterly motionless underneath the rubble. It was Rank 1, and I assumed from appearances that it was sleeping. Its name being very straightforward (“Big Frog”), I thought it would get me some EXP without any danger, so I slaughtered it with my sword. It perished in one blow, but its fluids stuck to my body. And since I was battered and bruised, I had cuts and wounds all over me. The frog’s fluids entered my body through those wounds, and thus, I got slapped with the poison status effect.
When I saw it in my menu, I turned pale and immediately used the antidote in my inventory, but it didn’t remove the poison status. I read the description of the antidote and realized the graveness of my situation.
【ANTIDOTE】
A typical antidote. Formulated to counter the venom of Poison Bees. Succeeds in curing other poisons 5% of the time.
It appeared there were different types of antidotes. If it was as this item description claimed, I only had a five percent chance of an antidote curing me. Sure enough, I’d failed that RNG roll. I used all of my remaining antidotes, but to no avail.
“I’m out of antidotes... Oh shit, oh shit!”
The composure Dimension had afforded me was now gone. I was sweating buckets and my health was dropping. I tried using the ice spell to place ice in my mouth and rehydrate, but the game’s system didn’t register any HP recovery from it.
I couldn’t help but check my menu again:
【STATUS】
NAME: Aikawa Kanami
HP: 17/51
MP: 61/72
CLASS:
LEVEL 1
STR 1.11
VIT 1.03
DEX 1.01
AGI 2.02
INT 4.00
MAG 2.00
APT 7.00
CONDITION: Confusion 1.09, Blood Loss 0.21, Poison 1.00
EXP: 805/100
My HP had healed to around 30 before, but now I was down to 17. The poison that was dinging a point from my life once every few minutes was eroding not only my physical body but also my mind through the frantic frustration. I was panting harshly, and my consciousness was getting blurry. If I didn’t do something, I’d die.
I searched through the recesses of my brain for a solution. I had a handful of ideas, but the success rate for each of them was low. I weighed my options and settled on a plan. I’d sacrifice my MP and intensify my Dimension spell’s power.
It was a method whose validity I had fully confirmed when I was hydrating using Ice. The same spell could differ in effect depending on how much force and MP were put into it, among other variables.
“Spacespell: Dimension!”
My perception field’s area of effect swelled to multiple times its original size. The sensation wasn’t unlike a bunch of remote-controlled cameras rushing around the corridor. The Dungeon teemed with colorful monsters, but I heeded only whatever might lead to a way to resolve my nasty scrape.
Around when my perception field expanded to fifty times its original size, I discovered an area that was very different. That corridor was well maintained. Its floor was smooth and had a mineral coating applied to it. Lamps were installed at regular intervals. It appeared to be man-made.
I expanded my perception field even more, with that area as the center of focus, and found multiple groups of people walking the paved path. Then, I stopped using Dimension—my MP had dwindled into the single digits.
【STATUS】
NAME: Aikawa Kanami
HP: 16/51
MP: 9/72
CLASS:
I gasped for breath and started panting. I’d found people, and they were crossing each other’s paths, but there were no fights or friction between them. I thought back to when I’d been attacked. They had said I was in the Dungeon and that I was outside the “Admin Area.” That meant the conflict had broken out on the path I’d been walking because it was outside the Admin Area, and that conflicts didn’t break out on the well-maintained path because it was within the Admin Area. Or rather, I was betting on that possibility.
“I’ll make it to that path by using the smallest Dimension I can!”
With the direction of the well-maintained path as my only guide, I headed for it. I stopped checking my ever-shrinking HP and just kept walking in search of other people. The antidotes I’d obtained had been taken off dead bodies. It didn’t matter if they gave one to me or I took one from them; either way, I needed to cross paths with other people in order to progress.
My eyes were bloodshot, and I mindlessly put one foot in front of the other so as not to lose consciousness. Fortunately, I didn’t encounter any monsters, managing to make a beeline for the path. Still, I didn’t immediately call out for help. Cautiously, I observed the path, using Dimension to examine the people from behind cover. I didn’t want to get stabbed the second I called out.
First, I expended more of what little MP I had left and eavesdropped on the closest group (consisting of three males) using Dimension. With this, my MP was now at 4.
“...guys, whaddya say we try makin’ it to the seventh floor today?”
“Sounds good. We’ve been on a roll lately. And we’ll make a prettier penny if we go that deep.”
“I’m down too. I’ve been thinking we oughta widen the range of our Dungeon diving sooner or later...”
The three were casually chatting as they walked down the path. From what they were saying, it was clear they were earning money here in the Dungeon. None of them looked like respectable members of society. Judging by their tough guy appearances, in my world they’d probably have been members of an organization that rhymes with “a booza.” I figured they weren’t the ones I wanted to be talking to. I was hoping, instead, to talk to someone one-on-one. Ideally, someone younger than me, ideally someone female, and ideally someone who looked good-natured. The more of those criteria they met, the better. However, if I held out for too long hoping for perfection, I’d die and defeat the purpose. My HP was still ticking down from the poison.
I decided to use the last of my MP (or rather, since I was too scared to bring it down to 0, I left it at 1) and search for someone who skewed closer than not to those parameters with Dimension. I quickly probed a circumference of two hundred meters, and spotted four different groups of people. Or in RPG terms, four parties.
The first of these was the group of three tough guys. The second was a mixed-gender party of five in various getups. The third was a group of four outfitted in silver armor. The last was a pair of women. Without hesitation, I settled on approaching those two. They seemed gentle and kind. Maybe they’d help me out if I talked to them. Unfortunately, the mixed-gender group of five and the silver-armored group were closer to me, so I had to remain behind cover and let them go past me.
I waited on bated breath for time to pass, staying hidden until that safest-looking of groups, the two women, appeared. Or rather, that had been my plan.
“Hey, you. You over there, hiding. Show yourself.”
The silver-armored group saw right through me. The mixed-gender group hadn’t seen me, but it appeared the others had spotted me despite being in their blind spot. My heart jumped when he called out to me, but his group had been my choice for second best, so I steeled my wits and ran through what I’d say in my head. I left my sword behind cover and cautiously stepped out onto the path.
“Hmph. Just some brigand, I take it?” said the tall male, as if I were of no concern.
Unlike the other people I’d encountered thus far, the four in silver armor looked well-off. It was the one woman among their number who drew my eye. She looked to be around my age and height. And she was a startler—startlingly pretty, that is. Her lustrous long hair shone like flowing silver, and her features were so perfect, I reckoned no doll could ever replicate them.
Before long, I averted my gaze; she was so uncanny I felt unmoored from reality. I chose to talk to one of the guys instead, zeroing in on the tallest one. He seemed the honest, upstanding sort.
“No, sir, I’m not a brigand. I felt sick, so I needed to rest.”
“If that were the case, you would’ve rested on the Pathway Proper. You’re a bad liar.”
I could sense a tinge of anger in his voice. It seemed this well-maintained path was called the “Pathway Proper” and that it was suited to resting. My excessive caution had backfired; I should have walked on the path after all. Now, I’d slipped up from the jump, and I could sense I was growing pale.
Concluding that lying would be counterproductive, I chose a policy of earnest sincerity. It seemed to me the honest-looking guy was angry that he’d been lied to more than because I’d been hiding, and if he was as he looked, it behooved me to adapt. “I... I have my reasons. Please believe me; I mean you no harm.”
Upon hearing my frantic plea, his expression softened a little. “Hrm. It’d certainly be foolish to try an ambush by yourself, I’ll give you that.”
The other two guys followed suit. “He’s a kid, and alone at that. There’s no problem here.”
“I’d say he’s either lost or he recklessly tackled the Dungeon. He could also be the last of a wiped-out party he was helping by carrying their luggage.”
I sure was glad they were coming up with plausible stories for me. It appeared they weren’t viewing me as a potential threat, as I was battered and on my own. As much as I could, I waited and watched, not wanting this interaction to balloon out of proportion.
“We mustn’t frighten a child. It would reflect poorly on our chivalry.”
“Shut it, Hine. Right now, we need to be meticulously careful, don’t we? I was just confirming it out of a sense of obligation, that’s all. Real work-minded, aren’t I?” he said, making the tone slightly playful.
At the word “chivalry,” I wondered if they might just fall under the good-natured category. I could infer they were well equipped to handle anything from their affluent-looking outfits as well. This was perhaps the right time to go for it.
I steeled my resolve—I was going to consult them about the poison.
“Well... Well, you see, I—”
But I was cut off by a girl’s voice: “You’re an intriguing one!”