BCST 30

chapter 30

Descending the stairs, I began to see things that were different from before but still strangely familiar.

[Information Exploration Zone]

The structures repeated like glitches, just as before.

However, unlike the previous basement level, this floor consisted of ground-level structures.

Immediately, the deepest part of the dungeon came to mind.

Well, one could assume that the “Artist Behind” has infinite expansion power, so there might be no end.

Still, it was better to choose a target that made some sense.

Neuroteca 58 is a building spanning from Basement 1 to Ground Floor 3.

I descended into the basement, but instead of encountering Basement 1, I found Ground Floor 1?

Then it wasn’t strange to imagine a symmetrical structure where the lower I went, the higher the floors I’d encounter: Ground 2, then Ground 3.

Two more floors ahead.

If I reached the topmost part corresponding to Ground Floor 3, I could reach the dungeon’s core.

That was my tentative conclusion.

Squeeeak-

Opening the door to the information exploration zone revealed a vast auditorium.

At first glance, it looked like a lobby, but this lobby was layered dozens of times, with a high ceiling and enormous internal space.

And irregularly, pillars towering about 20 meters held up the ceiling.

Thoom.

Boom.

Between those pillars, I glimpsed massive shadows moving.

“Those are…”

At first, they looked like human figures.

But under the light streaming from the ceiling, parts of their bodies were far too grotesque to be human.

“They’re mutants.”

Parts of their bodies were grotesquely oversized muscles with gray, hardened skin.

Their size was easily around five meters.

Through the skin protruded long, scythe-like bones, swinging threateningly.

One of the representative monsters that roamed outside Arkham City’s walls:

[Bone Grinder].

Why was it here?

Well, it made sense.

This was a dungeon where the “Artist Behind” materialized the twisted imagery of its host.

So whatever appeared here came from the host.

Had it gone out to make a documentary beyond the walls, driven by some mania?

I laughed at the thought and drew my magic toward it.

This one was stronger than the “picky vampire” I had fought before.

Still, I had grown far stronger than back then.

Especially since the previous vampire had extremely high magic resistance, this one would likely be easier to handle.

I was about to fire an Arcane Blast at it when…

Fssss!

Changing my mind, I reorganized my magic and canceled the Arcane Blast.

No need to confront it directly.

Right now, I was competing with Painuf over U.M.O.

Whether or not Painuf had passed through here first, I couldn’t afford to waste time.

I could destroy the creature if I wanted, but priority couldn’t be confused by aggression.

Recalling the lessons from Zhan’s grimoire, I lowered my presence completely.

The distance was far, and the space wide.

Even the pillars provided cover.

This wasn’t a boss raid; it was a stealth segment.

Thoom.

Boom.

Tap tap tap!

Every time I moved out of its sight, I advanced quickly.

It was much faster than fighting it to pass.

Halfway through, I saw doors on the opposite side.

Seeing my destination so clearly made me greedy.

Hmm.

Could I just sprint the rest of the way?

Swish.

The moment I stepped forward with that thought…

Kraaaang!

The creature’s whip-like bone swung out, smashing all the pillars between us.

A highway opened straight ahead.

Our eyes met.

“Caught you.”

I reflexively started running.

“……”

For some reason, the creature just stood there.

What?

Monsters like this usually attack humans instantly.

Yet it was just staring?

Then I realized its gaze felt… familiar.

It was exactly like the civilians on the first floor who stared at me in a trance.

Focusing more, I saw it clearly.

“…I see.”

When the “Artist Behind” rampaged and warped this space, was it only the basement that got caught?

Of course not.

It likely consumed all the ground floors too.

Proof was right there.

A face embedded beneath its oversized trapezius.

“….”

It was the face of someone I had seen on the first floor.

So much had been warped.

But why wasn’t it attacking me?

Even as a mutant, typically filled with relentless malice toward humans?

Curious, I steadily moved toward the exit.

I couldn’t attack it, after all.

And it wasn’t in a state to respond anyway.

Reaching the wall safely, I opened the next door—another staircase appeared.

A stairway descending to the basement.

As expected, the dungeon representation of Ground Floor 2.

Or perhaps just a randomly repeated location.

Time to check.

My guess was correct.

The lower floor reconfigured the capsule rooms and BD storage rooms from the second-floor research zone.

Even the people I had met on the second floor when I first entered Neuroteca appeared.

“Ughhh…”

Mutants like those on the upper floor, grotesquely oversized.

The difference here: a security hat perched atop a human head protruding through the muscles.

The shotgun they once carried had transformed into flesh-like tissue, fused with their muscular hands.

They looked much stronger than before.

Was it just carrying a weapon that made such a difference?

No, the mutants themselves had higher specs.

I stood in front of the security mutant, examining it with interest.

A non-hostile mutant was fascinating, and I needed to note weak points for later battles.

Down here, there was no trace of Painuf.

I had apparently overtaken him.

A little research was fine.

I wondered briefly if hitting its cheek would provoke it, but… probably a bad idea.

Anyway, this was already the second floor.

One more floor down should be the dungeon’s core.

The end felt near.

I had only come to scout, but I’d already been dragged in too deep.

Leaving the security mutant behind, I opened the next door.

Squeeeak-

A heap of mutants appeared, not just one.

I stiffened.

Too many?

No. They weren’t attacking anyway.

The real shock: all were dead.

Even decapitated at a single blow.

Were they really that strong?

The gray, massive mutants’ bodies radiated outward, as if killed while charging a single point.

All fell in one strike.

Suddenly, my head ached.

Painuf was several levels above my expectation.

I could never let him get U.M.O. first.

But my judgment collapsed as I kicked a mutant head on the floor.

Crack.

The exposed cross-section was perfect.

Mutant muscle fibers denser and tougher than ordinary organisms, cut cleanly without irregularities.

It looked less like sliced and more like space itself had been severed.

Painuf did this?

Impossible.

It had to be someone else.

Chills ran through me as my mind raced.

Painuf?

Strong, yes.

I was third-ranked, but a fight might not guarantee victory.

But a 20-point difficulty?

No. Facing Tulon Goksel was only 6 points.

Perhaps U.M.O. would fall to him first…

Was the “Artist Behind” 20 points when it fell into Painuf’s hands?

No. Not even that.

Something was off about the “Artist Behind” output. 20 points was too high for a mere artifact-user.

I accepted this 20-point quest because I had [Madness Immunity].

Before the U.M.O. manifestation was released, only intangible mental interference was possible.

Painuf might have fought something only visible to him—affected by that.

In this world, [Madness] is the ultimate mental debuff.

I was immune, giving me superior synergy against lower mental debuffs.

That’s why I came here for investigation.

Early rumors, a clever trick, maybe I could get U.M.O. in the initial phase.

Even when I upgraded Ares’ security team, my mission or points weren’t affected.

This time, I assumed the 20-point difficulty wouldn’t affect me either.

But if the system was absolute and the challenge assigned by fate?

Then there was another reason this quest should be 20 points.

At the same time, my [Senses] screamed like a brass bowl struck repeatedly.

A vivid shadow of death struck me without warning.

Suddenly, the decapitated bodies overlapped with my vision.

[Pick & Blink]

Flash!

Did I dodge?

…No!

Even with random movement, I instinctively felt it.

I was still in the enemy’s grasp.

Their attacks still targeted me, and I had never escaped.

It felt as if they could manipulate time and space beyond the physical world.

From here, it became pure instinct and sensory perception.

The still-unrefined third-tier spell [Counter Spell] was deployed, combined with [Magic Detection].

This alone could neutralize most projectile magic.

But the attack wasn’t projectile-based.

Probably a phasic infiltration, squeezing through space.

Hence, even [Pick & Blink] was dismantled just to avoid contact.

Impossible to perform rationally.

[Magic Detection]
[Counter Spell]
[Pick & Blink]

Three spells fused.

And they interfered with the attack from beyond space, right before it struck.

Fshhh!

“…Huh?”

A close shave with the slicing attack.

A sharp stinging sensation rose up my neck.

Reflexively, I brought my hands to my neck as blood poured.

Under my palm, too much blood flowed dangerously.

“You are…”

Using [Low-Level Regeneration], I healed my wounds and slowly turned toward the voice’s owner.