TM-Chapter 124

Eventually Meeting Again

The woman that the me before possession had killed.

The woman whose reason for murder was that someone had possessed her body.

But it turns out she was alive.

The woman who was in the same party as me before.

The woman who was even my lover.

Eight-tailed deep-layer adventurer, Hyedam of the Yoho tribe, who was considered Windham’s greatest shaman.

‘…I have to meet her now?’

Honestly speaking, it’s burdensome.

This wasn’t in my plans yet. If I were to face Hyedam, I’d prefer to have more information. I’d like to know more about what kind of person Hyedam is, what the possessor village is like, and what plans Bipa and Mugol were hatching.

Meeting now, who knows what unexpected situations might occur. For example, the following.

Scenario 1.

Hello Hyedam! It’s been a while.

The moment I give a cheerful greeting, the deep-layer Yoho tribe member smashes my skull with a fox orb.

‘You dared try to kill me!’

Game over just like that.

Scenario 2.

The Yoho tribe woman warmly embraces me.

I missed you. Let’s forget all our past and live together here in this inter-floor village!

I’ll just leave.

No!

I get imprisoned in the inter-floor village.

Scenario 3.

Caleb? I don’t know who that is.

The possessor points to herself and says.

I’m just a modern person who has taken over this Yoho tribe’s body. Sob sob. I want to go home.

Then why did you call me here?

You were lovers, right? Don’t you know anything about this body? Tell me something!

Any development could happen and it wouldn’t be strange.

“How about it? Caleb?”

Bipa urges an answer.

For now, I don’t sense any threatening feeling from the Windham duo.

If they intended to lure me out and do something to me, they wouldn’t have made the proposal in a place where deep-layer adventurers are gathered like this.

Even without going through that elevator, entry to the inter-floor village is possible.

They could have arranged a meeting with Hyedam for me in other ways as well.

The reason they’re bringing this up now is probably because they think there’s no problem taking me to the possessor village.

Because.

‘They think I’m not a possessor.’

They once suspected this point and tried to capture me, but I proved my innocence(?) against lie prevention magic.

“Wait a minute.”

Displeased Meldini stepped forward, tapping his palm with his wand.

“You fellows have done things before, and now you want to take Caleb down to the labyrinth?”

“Don’t worry. We’ll take complete responsibility for his safety.”

“Then I’ll go along too.”

Professor Isilof touchingly stepped forward, saying he’d personally accompany us.

“With you two plus me and Caleb. Four of us can move together through the elevator gate at once, can’t we?”

“Sorry, but that won’t do.”

Mugol flatly refused.

“We can’t reveal our destination to anyone.”

“Did you hide a golden calf in the labyrinth?”

Meldini sneered heartily while grabbing my shoulder.

“No need to get involved with such people. Caleb. Just go back. Leave the cleanup and investigation of this place to Security Headquarters.”

“…I’ll just go for a quick visit.”

“What!”

The professors were startled.

Honestly speaking, it’s somewhat of a gamble from my position too.

As I said earlier, I don’t know what will happen when I go down to the inter-floor village and face Hyedam.

But if I follow them now, there’s tremendously much I can gain.

First, I’ll discover the possessor village.

Second, I’ll learn a lot about my past and Hyedam.

Third, I might be able to identify what the ‘living sacrifice’ they’re preparing is.

Fourth, I’ll be able to make contact with other possessors in the possessor village.

For now, it doesn’t seem like Bipa or Mugol intend to harm me.

The practical benefits I can gain are certain.

And if push comes to shove, I have one insurance policy.

***

Rilwid’s simple elevator penetrates to the 4th floor, so the inter-floor village where Bipa and Mugol relocated the possessors is one of the following four.

1.5 floor, 2.5 floor, 3.5 floor, 4.5 floor.

Which one among them?

Without question, just 3.5 floor.

There are two reasons.

First. Among the four candidates above, it’s the only place where the inter-floor village stairs are always exposed.

For example, when visiting 1.5 floor, I took the Undead Backstab as a detection dog, roughly figured out the stair location, and then sat side by side with party members above it, waiting patiently.

For the stairs to open.

While other inter-floor villages require similar troublesome activities, 3.5 floor just has stairs wide open right in front of the large-scale evil extermination monument.

Of course, there’s the disadvantage that accessibility for other adventurers also improves, but anyway, until I reported about the urns, inter-floor villages had no popularity among adventurers.

Moreover, since inter-floor villages are tremendously huge cities, even if someone enters through the stairs, finding the possessor hideout would be difficult.

And the second reason.

‘Spider Doctor.’

That fellow is the ruler of the 3rd floor and the inter-floor lord of 3.5 floor.

Maybe that’s why he knew well about the possessor village and blabbed to me?

Spider Doctor said that if I restored his body, in exchange he’d tell me very very important information about possessors – maybe that wasn’t about Hyedam?

…I was having such suspicions.

But it turned out to be fact.

[3rd floor]

Bipa set the elevator’s destination.

I thought so.

“You’re going to 3.5 floor, right?”

After crossing the gate together and arriving in the inter-wall space, I asked.

“That’s right.”

“Follow this way. Caleb.”

Bipa took the lead.

The inter-wall space of the 3rd floor is an empty space with nothing. However, everything is pure white.

If you tilt your head back and look up, a white sky without perspective concept continues endlessly, and you can’t tell whether a ceiling exists or not, whether what’s above is sky or what.

The boundary-less floor and walls just spread endlessly.

A place that would commonly appear in internet ghost stories with themes like ‘Would you take the challenge of enduring several days for several billion?’

The plunderers who cross the inter-wall space to hunt adventurers are newly respectable.

“Don’t be afraid since we’re together.”

The fact that you’re together is what makes me nervous.

“The 3rd floor is truly harsh with cold every time we enter.”

After crossing the inter-wall space, Bipa shivered.

The tiger tribe with cold resistance was fine though.

“This is a place where tremendous cold and confusion periodically assault. Do you know?”

“Of course.”

Snap!

Bipa opened his fan.

“Long Long Summer Day.”

For a Taoist who has reached the level of ascension through transformation, the 3rd floor’s cold and confusion are laughable.

“…Let it be so.”

Within 300 meters radius from Bipa.

The snow melts.

The gloomy snowy mountain scenery is erased and a clear, bright summer unfolds.

***

“What?”

Backstab, who came to find Nataniel Temple’s hospital room with Aimus, tilted his head.

Because Caleb wasn’t there.

“Where’s Brother Caleb?”

Instead, only Yernil sat there blankly.

Unable to do this or that.

“Did he get discharged?”

To Aimus’s question, Yernil shook her head.

“That’s not it… He went out.”

“Went out?”

“He said he had to go to the university to meet professors and attend the Soren leadership conference together.”

“Wow, first time seeing someone go to such a meeting.”

Backstab stuck out his tongue.

“Brother Caleb has made it big.”

“I heard Caleb was the first to notice about this labyrinth eruption incident. He must have known something. Maybe he went to testify about such things?”

Aimus placed the fruit basket he brought on the table.

“But Brother, didn’t you get scolded by sister-in-law?”

Backstab asked.

“Why would I get scolded?”

“Even though her husband is a mid-layer adventurer, wouldn’t she expect him to come running to rescue his family?”

“…”

“But instead of going to Guild Village, you fought at Security Headquarters, didn’t you?”

“That’s right.”

Aimus was already feeling troubled about that matter.

It was like that day long ago when he worried between the woman who begged him to become lovers and the teachings of Mount Dalai.

At that time, Aimus made the right choice.

But did he make the right choice this time too?

Fighting monsters at Security Headquarters to protect the city, and running to his family’s side to protect them.

What should Aimus have chosen between those?

“Honestly speaking.”

The monk was a family man.

“I somewhat regret it.”

“…”

“While my wife was evacuating urgently, our youngest got hurt bumping into a wall. He’s fine now though.”

General citizens evacuated to safe houses under the guidance of low-layer adventurers.

When he met his wife again there, who had been terrified while handling three children alone, Aimus’s heart welled up.

“Perhaps where all men should be is beside their women. Not something grand like protecting the city or protecting the party.”

“Brother, you’re so sweet I might get diabetes.”

While Backstab responded with nonsense, Yernil’s ears perked up.

“Caleb would be too… Right?”

“Caleb is single though?”

“But…”

Yernil suddenly recalls a story she heard once. When they encountered Bipa and Mugol in front of Teramond’s murder scene, they said that.

That Hyedam was Caleb’s lover.

Clunk!

The temple door opened. Someone appeared carrying another fruit basket.

It was Neko.

“Where’s Caleb?”

“He went to the Soren leadership conference.”

Yernil replied. Her eyebrows curved slightly. She didn’t particularly like that cat wizard. Because she had suddenly hugged Caleb on the 4th floor and groomed him. It’s not that she shouldn’t do that, but…

“That conference already ended though?”

“Huh?”

“And everyone went to Fog Cliff and returned to Soren. But why isn’t Caleb here…”

Neko’s statement brought brief confusion to the hospital room.

And someone butted in behind Neko.

“Caleb went to the labyrinth.”

Izel dropped shocking news.

“What!”

Backstab, Yernil, and Aimus jumped simultaneously.

“Why would someone whose body hasn’t fully recovered suddenly go to the labyrinth?”

“Alone!? He went to the labyrinth alone?”

“But isn’t the Labyrinth Guild still keeping the stairs and elevators closed? Saying they’re handling the eruption…?”

“Yes.”

Izel had come to meet her youngest brother Abisson in the temple’s VIP room and joined the conversation.

Because she felt she should tell them.

“He went down with the Windham duo using Ingelram’s simple elevator.”

“Wait, miss. I can’t digest a single word of what you’re saying.”

Backstab became even more confused.

“What are the Windham duo and why is Ingelram’s simple elevator mentioned?”

“They went to Fog Cliff to find that elevator. And going down to the labyrinth was…”

Yernil felt like she might faint at the following words.

“He said he was going to meet his old lover.”

“Old lover?”

“No way, that brother pretended to be innocent but had something after all? Well, wasting that face by keeping it to himself would be a waste…”

“Let’s…”

Yernil jumped out beside Backstab and shouted.

“Let’s go!”

“Where to?”

“Let’s go! To find Caleb! He went to the labyrinth alone!”

“Stupid Elf. The labyrinth is closed, how do we get in?”

“We can use the simple elevator too!”

“Not just anyone can use that.”

Neko quickly said.

“It’s an asset taken over by Security Headquarters.”

“I’m a Citizen Security Officer!”

Yernil quickly pulled out her badge and shouted.

***

The inter-floor village is quiet.

Monsters like urn Managers or boundary sentinels are beings that cannot be completely eliminated. Even if killed, they respawn throughout the inter-floor village and attack again.

So, even if the Windham duo and Hyedam took over this village, those monsters still exist in this village together.

‘They must be hiding.’

The possessor village will be somewhere among the abandoned buildings in this huge inter-floor village.

They’ll be repairing and cleaning usable houses to live in, and will try not to be discovered by monsters by spreading noise prevention magic extensively.

What about food?

Do they farm here?

Or do Bipa and Mugol bring it to them?

Maybe the Windham duo even have contracts with Rilwid or Ingelram.

To supply food and drinking water.

Passing the crumbling mill and crossing the small houses clustered together. Then an alley that looks like an old market street appears.

We walked for about three hours.

“Almost there.”

Even after Bipa explained that, we moved for another 20 minutes.

Still, nothing resembling possessors was visible.

However…

‘What’s this.’

I discovered something strange.

The hourglass sparkled.

The message window next to it catches my eye.

[The hourglass’s dominion ability has expanded.]

[Please select a person to subjugate.]

1.Aimus (Trust level: 100%)

2.Backstab (Trust level: 100%)

3.Izel (Trust level: 100%)

4.Neko (Trust level: 100%)

5.Bernard (Trust level: 100%)

A new message line is added at the end.

6.Hyedam (Trust level: 100%)

I’ve never even met…

“Caleb?”

On the rooftop of the building to the left.

A Yoho tribe woman with eight tails was sitting there.

Holding a paulownia wood pipe the size of a forearm, smoking.

Puff puff.

She who exhales smoke from her mouth slightly furrows her brow.

The sun rises in the inter-floor village too.

The sunlight was dazzling so we couldn’t see each other properly, but she recognized me first.

Tap.

The pipe bounced and rolled on the building rooftop.

She had already jumped down in front of me.

A sharp and sweet tobacco scent.

Mysteriously beautiful appearance with lake-like spiritual eyes.

Embrace!

The skin that pulls my head into an embrace is soft.