The only sound audible in this endless, vast hallway is our footsteps. It's really odd, and creepy, to be completely honest.
After I've managed to clean the blood off my face, I decided to get out of this room and find the exit. And now, here we are.
You would be right if you assumed we're not making any progress.
Sheesh, this place is supposed to be infested with monsters- Demon, yet I can't see a single one. I'm not sure if this is a good sign or not. I recall seeing monsters- Demon- Ugh screw this, I'm too used to calling them monsters, I'll just call them Monsters like the game did. Anyways, when Eve dragged me while I was unconscious, there were many monsters that were looking at me. At least Eve defended me against those monsters. If she didn't, god knows what would've happened.
Silver lining? At least I have the third eye and two guns- Not like I can use both of the guns at the same time, of course, I'm not even sure if I can get a good shot with one gun.
Back to the matter at hand, where the hell did those monsters disappear to? We've been walking for quite a while now.
Don't get me wrong, I don't wanna meet them, but this seems odd, it's way too quiet. Something just doesn't seem right.
"By the way, Eve, did you see that monster- I mean, that Snake thing that did all of this?" I threw a question at her while we were walking. We've already checked most of the rooms, and they had nothing note-worthy, so might as well ask some questions.
"Awoo..." She looked at the ground while walking. I'll take that as a yes.
"Did she have... silver hair?"
"Woof..." She nodded, her bark closer to a whisper.
"...Large breasts?"
Eve gave me a deadpanned expression, as if disappointed in me.
What? I just wanna make sure she's the same monster as the game.
I let out a small cough and continued the questions, "Her snake tail was light purple in color, yes?"
"Woof." Another yes.
"Purple irises?"
Eve suddenly stopped dead in her track, and looked at the ground, one of her eyebrows raised. She was thinking, I could tell.
God, I'm becoming fluent in dog language, both body and speech.
"Woof! Woof!" She shook her head as she stared at me.
Eh? They weren't purple? Well, it isn't news that my game knowledge is incorrect, so I just assume this is just another case of it.
Regardless, even if the irises aren't the same, there's no doubt she's the same boss as in the game. But that monster was supposed to be on the highest floor, and you were supposed to defeat her in order to release Adam.
But Adam is no longer here, I'm not sure if he even exists in this world.
Let's just hope she's on the highest floor, and won't come down here.
I gently rub my temples and continue forward. The situation is stressful, no doubt. I'll be honest with you, I'd much rather die getting mated to death rather than being cut into a salad. Who knows, maybe she can even absorb my soul while killing me. This world is already crazy as it is, so I won't be surprised if she can do something like that.
...
Hmm?
What's this smell?
It's... nice, relaxing, like a flower. The scent of blood and medicine disappeared, and it was replaced with this overpowering aroma. I feel calm as if all my worries simply disappeared.
Not only that but in this portion of this hallway, there was a pink tint in the air. This must be the reason for this aroma.
Shit, it's soothing, too soothing. It's like taking a special medicine that can numb my mind.
This isn't good. There are 2 options right now, either there was the aroma of a special kind of medicine, or,
It's the effect of a monster.
Ah, not good. My mind is becoming increasingly numb, and I just want to take in more of this aroma.
Ah...
It's really...
Soothing...
"Woof!" Eve's loud bark almost made me lose my footing. Jesus, okay! No need to shout into my ear.
Thankfully, her shout made me regain my mind. This aroma is dangerous. I can't stay here, I got to leave.
But, just as I took a step backward, one of the doors suddenly opened, and more of this mind-numbing aroma came from it.
That wasn't the problem, however, the problem was these fucking green vines coming at me at lightning speed.
Shit!
"WOOF!"
The vines' speed suddenly began to slow down, and Eve's barking began to slow down as well.
It's the Third Eye! It activated on its own, just like that fight with Ivy!
It was the same as the fight with Ivy. My heartbeat, my blood flow, my cells, my neurons, I can hear and feel all of them. This was a mix between the third eye and adrenaline!
Damn it, was it Ivy? No, these vines are slower than hers. This means it's likely another monster.
Three, four, five... Five vines... Based on their position, their speed, and their width, I can see their trajectory and where they will land. Perhaps due to the Third Eye's increasing my thought-speed and processing speed, I drew several scenarios in my head, calculating every option I had, and their conclusion.
Damn it, they are extremely fast, but still slower than Ivy. I can dodge this, I can feel it.
But the problem is afterward. I probably can't spam Third Eye, so I just have to grab Eve and make a run for it, and pray that this monster won't catch us.
Alright, let's hope this works!
"WOOOF!"
I grabbed Eve at lightning speed, and with the newfound strength of the adrenaline, I was easily able to lift her and dodge the trajectory of those vines, and immediately made a run for it.
Run, run, run! I can feel the effects of the Third Eye going away, and the dripping of the blood came soon. I can't use it anymore.
Just as I was a few meters away from the tentacles, I heard something coming from the ground.
...?
Ah, shit.
Suddenly, a few vines appeared from the ground and grabbed me. Surprisingly, it didn't grab Eve, just me.
God-damn it, what's this? As if the normal vines weren't enough, but you can do this as well?
"WOOF!" Eve let out a loud bark and pounced at the vines holding me, hoping to cut them off.
Unfortunately, before she can even tackle the vines, they stretched endlessly and sent me to inside the room filled with aroma.
Eve tried to run towards me, but the vines stretched back and closed the door with a strong thud. She kept trying to claw her way through the door, letting out multiple whines and barks, but it was no use. There were vines blocking the door.
Damn it. Well, I appreciate the effort, Eve. It's the thought that counts.
Back to the matter at hand...
The concentration of the aroma in this room is painfully high. No wonder I'm not that nervous. It's numbing my mind!
Damn it, now what?
Something was off with this room. It didn't look like a normal room, and through the rose-tinted air, I can see many vines on the walls and the floor. And on them, there were many huge, violet flowers, and I could tell that the aroma was coming from them.
It was pretty empty, too. There weren't any bookshelves, blood, or anything.
I continuously struggled against the vines holding me, but it was a bit considering that I could barely feel my body. It's as if my body doesn't want to be set free.
Shit, come on!
I bit my lips roughly to the point blood started dripping from them. I need to focus!
Thankfully, that seemed to work. In just a few moments, I miraculously managed to get out of the vines and set myself free. The vines didn't try to launch at me this time and simply disappeared into particles.
"They are beautiful, don't you think?"
...?
I frantically looked around the room. There wasn't a single person here, just flowers. Where the hell did that girlish voice come from?
"After mating with humans, our souls become one, and we become a beautiful flower that lets out an aroma that can cure even the severest of depression. At the beginning of the underworld, we were the first species to be made, Flora, we were called. We are the main reason why the underworld and its many demons are still functioning to this day. Without them, many demons would've gone depressed."
I appreciate the history class, but where the hell are you?!
*Rumble*
Eh? The ground suddenly began to shake, and many vines launched from it a couple of meters away from me. I instinctively looked at the seal that Eve made me in the palm of my hand, but it wasn't glowing. Instead, its color turned into light pink, and there was an X shape on the seal.
Shit. This doesn't look good.
I turned my attention back to the vines, and prepared myself.
...The weird thing is that, instead of launching at me, they entangled each other, and began to shine.
The light was so bright that I had to close my eyes, it was even fiercer than when Eve appeared!
...
"...I wanted to wait quite a bit longer. You see, many of us want to save ourselves, to grow up, so that when we mate with a human, our flower will be larger, and have an even stronger aroma. It's our purpose in this world, our fate."
After the light has died down, many particles floated in the air. And, in the space where the vines were supposed to be, there was a person instead.
Hair that looked like leaves, and a single violet flower on its head. Light green skin that showed it wasn't human. A skirt that looks like an oversized flower that covered all the way till its knees. Scarlet red irises, and a devious smile on its face.
It was a plant monster, just like the ones I'd seen when I tried to contact Adam. She looked like Ivy, but younger. She was short, like 150 cm in height. Her hair was shorter, her skirt was shorter, and even her breasts were smaller than Ivy.
"Unfortunately, many of us can't survive for that long. The resources are running short in the underworld, and many of us die before we reach our true form. And, that's the case for me, as well. I can feel it, I won't survive for much longer."
She let out a saddened sigh, and continued.
"So..."
She slightly put her tongue out, and a weird liquid drooled of off it. Her smile stayed the same, and her eyes were full of lust.
"Why don't you try my nectar and become one with me?"
...
"Uh... No, thank you."