NOVEL NEXT Chapter 8
At the moment I was about to explore Cave Number 3…
A new assistant arrived!
【002】—
The departure was momentarily delayed.
I needed to explain my current situation to 002.
I started to calmly repeat the story I had told Pururu.
This place is another world.
It’s a labyrinth teeming with monsters, and I began with the story of how I was dragged here from Earth.
【002】—
I’m currently streaming from this other world.
My role is as an explorer who explores the labyrinth, and your role is as my supporting assistant.
After explaining the roles of explorer and assistant…
【002】—
This is my second time coming to this other world.
My powers are sealed.
Other people can’t see this broadcast.
I conveyed what I had told Pururu without missing a detail.
It was hard to tell if they believed me or not.
002 was still only using emoticons without typing in the chat.
“Excuse me, Public C.”
“Did you understand what I said?”
【002】—
An emoticon with a doubtful expression.
It seems they didn’t believe me.
Well, I didn’t expect them to believe me right away.
Of course, I had a way to make them believe.
“Didn’t you see the spider on my shoulder? The Dog Spider.”
I called out to the Dog Spider and patted its head with my finger.
“Screee!”
It seemed to be in a good mood.
The Dog Spider rubbed its face against my finger.
“See this? This little guy is a monster.”
Though its size was still comparable to an ordinary spider.
There’s no creature that looks like this on Earth.
Even being a juvenile Dog Spider, it was enough to prove that monsters do exist.
“Do you believe me now?”
“Does that mean you believe me?”
“No, just stop using emoticons and type something.”
【002】—
“Is this person crazy?”
I couldn’t help but think this is frustrating.
Why weren’t they typing in the chat?
People can be so annoying.
Okay, let’s not overthink it.
Even if they can’t believe me yet…
If they keep watching the broadcast, they’ll naturally come to believe it.
Of course.
If I don’t provide solid proof soon, they might leave the broadcast.
But at that point, I would just feel disappointed, and it wouldn’t be a huge blow to me since I already have an assistant who supports me unconditionally.
For now, just having Pururu is enough.
After all, they’re a friendly person toward me.
【002】—
002 hasn’t been engaging in conversation.
They don’t seem like someone who would actually support me, so there’s no need to hold onto them too tightly.
That said, I’m not wishing for them to leave either.
More assistants would be beneficial after all.
Even if they’re a strange person, it’s better for them to stick around for now.
‘Let’s not ask about that person’s identity. They clearly want to keep their identity a secret like Pururu.’
I had no intention of holding them back.
I also didn’t want to burden them unnecessarily and drive them away.
*
I stepped into Passage Number 3.
This time, my goals were not just exploring the cave but also securing food and water.
I moved my steps while quietly asking the Dog Spider.
“Dog Spider.”
“Si?”
“You don’t have any abilities other than spitting webs, right?”
“Sii…”
The Dog Spider answered with a glum face.
Seems the little guy has no other abilities besides web spinning.
Well, if they had other abilities, they would’ve shown them earlier.
I didn’t have high expectations.
I just asked just in case.
【002】—
My steps felt heavy.
I was already starting to worry.
If I encounter a monster…
Will I be able to handle it with just the Dog Spider?
‘I think that’s impossible…’
The difficulty level of this labyrinth is quite high.
Even the giant skeleton monster I faced at the start had an S-Class danger level.
I couldn’t fully assess the monsters around it because I was in a panic, but from what I glimpsed, they all looked to be at least B-Class.
Moreover, the Dog Spider beside me is also B-Class.
If we consider the worst-case scenario…
This could be the deepest part of the labyrinth, or it might only contain boss-level monsters.
‘If this assumption is correct, the Dog Spider’s ability has to at least be on par or higher. Otherwise, there won’t be any chance of winning.’
Additionally…
I should be able to nullify magic as well.
If the danger level exceeds B-Class, there will be plenty of magic-users around.
I don’t even hope to nullify psychic abilities, but please let the Nullification Web have a magic suppression effect too.
“A bit? I don’t know what kind of monster I might face.”
I continued organizing my thoughts as I walked.
Then suddenly, one question popped into my head.
‘By the way, how did Min Hyeong-seok manage to make the monsters obey him in the first place?’
To use the power of domination, a ruler would have to bring a monster to a near-death state.
Min Hyeong-seok didn’t look like he had that kind of power.
He seemed pretty ordinary to me.
Though he was quite agile, he didn’t seem like a superhuman or anything.
In other words, it’s highly probable that Min Hyeong-seok was an ordinary human until he was dragged into this place.
‘Ah. It’s not impossible though.’
My curiosity was quickly resolved.
It was an easy question that had an answer with just a bit of thought.
In the description of a ruler, it said this:
“You can make them obey if they’re brought to a near-death state.”
However, it didn’t explicitly say to make them near-death directly.
So that means a monster that is near death due to another target can also be brought under control.
‘If I tame a monster with healing abilities, I’ll have to use the same method as Min Hyeong-seok. It’s safer than engaging in combat.’
Thinking of Min Hyeong-seok brought back memories of his death.
And after he died…
I remembered the strange change in the monsters I felt when I briefly looked back after hiding in Passage One.
‘…Was that just an illusion?’
That change was likely an illusion.
I had seen it only briefly with a sidelong glance.
When I glanced over Min Hyeong-seok’s monsters, I barely took a proper look.
Thus, my instinct to gauge strength had certainly not been properly activated.
It had to be that way.
If it weren’t an illusion, I wouldn’t survive in this labyrinth unless I undid all the seals.
What kind of illusion could that be?
At that time, I felt like all the monsters had generally gotten stronger.
And it wasn’t just a little bit.
They had jumped up in danger level by two ranks.
The giant skeleton looked like an SSS-Class.
And the other monsters appeared to be above S-Class.
If that isn’t an illusion, then it doesn’t make sense.
‘I’ve been trying hard not to think about it, but it popped back into my mind… Just forget it. Monsters don’t just become two levels stronger out of the blue, right?’
I mentally tried to erase those thoughts.
Assuming the worst-case scenario can help with survival sometimes, but being overly anxious can negatively impact it instead.
*
About 20 minutes had passed since I entered Cave Number 3.
【002】—
I hadn’t found any food or water yet.
Instead, I discovered something else.
A monster freely swimming in the air came into view.
I quickly hid behind a rock.
Then I peeked out to carefully observe the creature.
The monster’s appearance resembled that of a jellyfish.
‘That’s…’
With its familiar form, my eyes widened instantly.
Could it be that I was seeing things wrong?
I rubbed my eyes and looked at it again.
Now it looked even clearer.
And I realized I was definitely not mistaken.
That jellyfish was certainly a monster I had encountered in this other world before.
‘Jellyfish?’
A monster with strength on par with heroes and demon kings.
Danger level S-Class, the Demon King Jellyfish.
‘Of all times for an S-Class monster to appear… Huh? Wait a minute.’
Under normal circumstances, I should have run without a second thought.
The chances of the Dog Spider’s nullification web affecting an S-Class are extremely low.
But I didn’t run.
I felt something strange.
I remained hidden behind the rock, calmly observing it once more.
‘What’s going on? It definitely looks like a Jellyfish…’
For some unknown reason…
The danger level of that Jellyfish was at the same B-Class level as the Dog Spider.