"Oh... oh no, no, noooooo!!!" Trinity suddenly collapsed, clutching her head, and in an instant, she fainted.
"Wait! Trinity?!" Panic surged through me as I attempted to rush to her side, but tentacles from the meat-like monster lashed out, blocking my path.
"Suzanne, get Trinity to safety! Draw the monster's attention away!" Ava shouted.
"Got it!" I swung my blade, severing the monster's tentacles as I backed away from Trinity. In that moment, Ava scooped Trinity into her arms, retreating towards Snow, who stood ready to defend.
"Hey! I'm the one you're facing off against!"
—"Fireball!"
I unleashed a fireball, striking at the monster's eye—its apparent weak spot—while fending off its wriggling tentacles, but it was deflected by another class entirely.
"Gyaaaahhh!"
The grotesque creature let out a sickening cry, and suddenly, a ring of light appeared around its eye. It shrank down to a single point before releasing a piercing beam of light.
"Wh-what? A beam from its eye?!"
I quickly dodged to the side using my swift technique. The beam whizzed past me, scorching a hole into the debris in the square. What power…
"Watch out, Suzuku!"
In my moment of distraction, a tentacle rushed toward me. I barely managed to dodge, but another one snatched my left arm from the blind spot, pulling me closer to the mass of flesh. We were in a tug-of-war, each trying to gain the upper hand.
As the tentacles lashed out, I found myself immobilized, unable to unleash the full extent of my swordsmanship. But instead of despairing, I decided to use this situation to my advantage. It was clear that the monster's eye was its weak point, and the beam attack confirmed it.
With determination, I struck at the tentacle holding me, preparing to chant my spell.
I pulled myself into the monstrous mass using the tentacle gripping my left arm.
"Bladesinger Style: Ice Shot Flash Fang!"
With a powerful thrust of my magically-enhanced sword, I unleashed a technique from the Bladesinger style, leaping forward with precision, aiming for the monster's core.
Caught off guard by my sudden advance, the mass of flesh was pierced through the eye. Simultaneously, my magical sword, Ava Subrit, sliced through the creature's body.
"Grkgrgrg!"
Though the monster's structure was a mystery, it was clear that my strike dealt a fatal blow. Seizing the moment when the tentacle's grip loosened, I performed a backstep to create distance.
Despite having lost its eye, the monster conjured five glowing rings in front of it. These rings converged into a single point, spiraling together as they released a beam of light from the creature's remaining eye.
I couldn't evade the attack, as the monster targeted me the instant I landed from my backstep. A bolt of light, thicker than before, surged toward me.
Just as I thought I would be struck directly, a figure suddenly appeared before me, slicing through the beam.
"Hm, Mode: Sword Flash Crescent—
Sword Technique: May Rain: Gather!"
The person who saved me was someone I'd met not long ago. I couldn't help but shout their name in relief.
"Ms. Mihaba!"
**Adventure Log:**
**653:** Anonymous Adventurer: 5/5/2059 18:01:44 ID: Flee9S2leeKc
The Central Ruins are absolutely insane!
**654:** Amishu: 5/5/2059 18:02:32 ID: Am3Sh6sh
Huh? What's going on? (o'ω'o) Mokyu?
**655:** Anonymous Adventurer: 5/5/2059 18:04:10 ID: bla510Pls10
Yeah, the Central Ruins can be pretty brutal.
**656:** Anonymous Adventurer: 5/5/2059 18:05:24 ID: lizer00GndM
The monsters there are surprisingly annoying.
Slimes this, slimes that, slimes everywhere.
**657:** Anonymous Adventurer: 5/5/2059 18:06:45 ID: HkOj33sSn
The Central Ruins have a danger level of C, so they can be quite tough, you know?
**658:** Anonymous Adventurer: 5/5/2059 18:08:31 ID: AYa20Kwii
>>656 Just how many slimes are there? LOL
**659:** Anonymous Adventurer: 5/5/2059 18:09:44 ID: Flee9S2leeKc
I fought a meatball hybrid beast in the Central Ruins, and it was incredibly strong! I stood no chance, haha. A passing adventurer helped me, but I ended up fleeing and leaving my teammate behind. My bad!
**660:** Anonymous Adventurer: 5/5/2059 18:10:10 ID: bla510Pls10
670: Anonymous Adventurer: 5/5/2059 (Mon) 18:18:32 ID: HkOj33sSn
Unlike other games, AIWOn feels "alive" in its world. Wrong actions as a human will be judged.
671: Anonymous Adventurer: 5/5/2059 (Mon) 18:20:44 ID: Flee9S2leeKc
Huh? But since teammates are also players, isn't it okay? Sure, it takes a month, but players can remake their characters after dying, right?
672: Amishu: 5/5/2059 (Mon) 18:21:45 ID: Am3Sh6sh
The victim will definitely report it to the Adventurer's Guild—Lock on!! (｀・д『+』
673: Angry Rookie: 5/5/2059 (Mon) 18:22:03 ID: EVA2014Srd
You can't run—you mustn't run—you can't run—you mustn't run—you can't run!
674: Anonymous Adventurer: 5/5/2059 (Mon) 18:22:55 ID: eRleNAaD4
If things go south, an assassin from the Thieves' Guild might be sent after you.
675: Anonymous Adventurer: 5/5/2059 (Mon) 18:24:10 ID: bla510Pls10
Thinking it's okay to die is a dangerous mindset in AIWOn. If someone who died came back to life, it would cause chaos among the people!
676: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/5/5 (Mon) 18:25:26 ID: AYa20Kwii
It's understood that when you die and create a new character, you reset your relationships from the previous character.
677: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/5/5 (Mon) 18:26:44 ID: Flee9S2leeKc
Why should anyone be criticized for something that's just a game?
678: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/5/5 (Mon) 18:27:33 ID: gI11z2DHr
From the perspective of the in-game NPCs, it's like, "What's this guy talking about?" Plus, if they realize that players can die and come back to life, it gets really creepy. Some players have actually experienced that.
679: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/5/5 (Mon) 18:29:32 ID: HkOj33sSn
Saying it's just a game is where you're wrong. AIWOn is not "just a game."
680: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/5/5 (Mon) 18:31:24 ID: lizer00GndM
In AIWOn, connections with NPCs (the "Tenchijin") are as important as those between players.
681: Anonymous Adventurer: 2059/5/5 (Mon) 18:32:54 ID: Ca9seR69
After all, the tagline is "Survive in a different world!" It's a game where you have only one life.
682: Angry Newcomer: 2059/5/5 (Mon) 18:35:03 ID: EVA2014Srd
"Don't die, don't die, don't die, don't die, don't die!"
"Miha-san!"
"Ah, it's you... Two days, right?"
With a swift slash, Miha-san sliced through the thick beam shot from the mass of flesh monster, raising her hand toward me as if nothing had happened.
The monster, sensing Miha-san's presence, stirred up a cloud of dust with its flailing tentacles and chose to flee in fear.
"Gya-gya-gya-gya-gya-gya-gya-gya!"
"Ah! You're not getting away!"
I sprang forward to chase the monster, but Miha-san stopped me.
"…No need to worry; it's fatally wounded, so let it go. You should be more concerned about your companion."
That's right! I had completely forgotten that Trinity had lost consciousness.
Prompted by Miha-san, I hurried over to Trinity's side.
Although she hadn't been attacked by the monster, there was still the possibility that it possessed some kind of mental attack.
When I asked Ava, who was tending to Trinity, about her condition, she explained that she had merely fainted from the shock of the events unfolding in front of her.
"What the hell, making me worry like that?"
After a little while, Trinity finally came to.
"Wait... I... oh, I must have fainted. I'm sorry, it seems I've caused some trouble."
"What's going on? You're acting all modest all of a sudden. Did you get hit with some weird mental attack or something?"
Taken aback by her sudden change in demeanor from her usual brash self to that of an ordinary girl, I watched as Trinity quickly tried to cover it up by resorting to insults.
"W-What do you mean I'm acting modest!? I'm not as thick-skinned as you lot, who can just stand by while someone gets eaten right in front of you! Besides, isn't it you, Suzanne, who's really the one under mental strain? You look like you're seeing hallucinations that make me seem modest!"
As she rambled on, it became clear to me that her initial behavior was just a figment of imagination. Come to think of it, just like Trinity said, I actually managed to stay quite calm while witnessing someone get devoured. It's something that might haunt my dreams, though. I couldn't tell if my body was just built to handle the stress of this bloody world or if I was simply more resilient than I thought.
"Well, if you're able to hurl insults like that, you should be fine. Oh, and by the way, thanks earlier. If Miba hadn't helped me, I would have been in a serious bind."
"...Uh, you're welcome."
"More importantly, why is Miba here? Did you come to explore ruins with the clan this time?"
"It's because I called for her."
"Huh? Ava called her, which means..."
"What? Miba is a specialist on the underground labyrinth?!"
Trinity and I instinctively turned to look at Miba. She was flashing a V sign, wearing an expression that screamed confidence—at least, that's what I imagined, since her face was typically expressionless.
"That's right. I doubt anyone knows this underground labyrinth better than Miba. After all, a powerhouse like her has spent over three months mastering every corner of it."
...That's impressive. Even the labyrinth guides would be envious.
"So, you mean Miba knows the locations of the 'Apostle of Gems' and the 'Apostle of the Labyrinth'?"
"...Yeah, absolutely."
That's reassuring. Reports say that it can take at least six months to navigate the expansive underground labyrinth, which stretches all the way to the neighboring continent. I definitely don't have enough time to search for Yuki.
However, it seemed that dealing with the 26 apostles would be a different matter altogether.
"What? There are multiple 'Apostles of Gems' and 'Apostles of the Labyrinth' in the underground labyrinth?"
"...Yeah, that's right. These two apostles send their own copies into the labyrinth."
"Wait, so if we defeat one of those copies, does that count as completing the Angel Quest?"
Trinity asked Miba, dropping her playful tone and speaking in her usual manner. Since her identity had already been revealed in the earlier conversation, there was no need to hide it anymore; she was back to her normal self.
"...Yeah, it's fine. Even if we lose a body, we can still obtain the Apostle's Proof."
"The 'Apostle of the Labyrinth' has its clones positioned at specific points, and if you're with us, Miba-san knows exactly where they all are."
"...Yes, they generally stand as sentinels near the entrances to the surface. Then they're stationed as guards at key facilities within the underground labyrinth, like treasure vaults."
"The real issue is with the 'Apostle of Gems.' It roams the underground labyrinth, so even though there are multiple clones, finding them will be quite a challenge. Miba-san has said she'll take care of that part, but…"
Ava looks at Miba with a questioning gaze, as if to say, "Are you really okay with this?"
I watch their exchange, my mind racing. The Minotaur... it's a classic monster of the labyrinth. Perfect for the 'Apostle of the Labyrinth.'
But facing a Minotaur will undoubtedly bring some tough challenges. It's probably on the level of a B-rank... no, it might even be an A-rank monster.
And then there's the 'Apostle of Gems.' Just from the name, it sounds like a creature made of minerals or something.
When I ask Miba about it, she reveals that its true form is a female monster.
She looks completely human, yet each clone possesses its unique abilities. The clone with red hair is called Ruby and specializes in strength. Apparently, it has the power to break the ground with its bare hands.
The green-haired clone is called Emerald, specializing primarily in combat techniques. It wields every conceivable battle skill, easily outmaneuvering adventurers.
The silver-haired clone is known as Diamond, focusing mainly on defense. Its impregnable shield can withstand any attack, be it a combat skill, magic, or Ava's techniques.
The blue-haired clone, named Sapphire, specializes in speed. Armed with a dagger, its lightning-fast strikes can deliver devastating blows, making it nearly impossible for us to land a hit.
The purple-haired clone is called Amethyst, and it excels in magic, unleashing spells with overwhelming power that sweep away everything in their path.