Chapter 93 Birene Mine Tunnel – Hiyori Sashima
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The party pressed deeper into the Birene Mine Tunnel. The air was thick with a clammy chill, the passage shrouded in a murk that gave off a sinister weight. Here and there, giant mushrooms glowed faintly, throwing off a pale light that made the shadows only more uncanny.
”It’s so dark in here,” Hiyori murmured.
”Yes… and it feels like we’re being watched,” Misaki replied quietly.
”Don’t say things like that, Ms. Misa,” Hiyori whispered, shuddering. Her greatest fear was not pain itself, but the sudden shock of something terrifying springing out of nowhere. That was why she had never played horror games back in her own world—zombies in VR were unthinkable. And now this wasn’t a game. This was real, with real pain, real suffering.
They pushed on, hearts pounding. From ahead came a sound: clack, skitter-skitter-skitter.
”What was that?” Hiyori asked, barely audible.
”I thought I heard something too,” Misaki said. The three exchanged tense glances, all of them straining their ears.
The sound came again—clack, skitter-skitter-skitter. There was no mistaking it. Something was ahead. Turning back was never an option; they wouldn’t have come here otherwise. Holding their breath, they crept forward to discover the source.
And there it was—an ant, walking upright on two legs.
It clutched a spear fashioned from bone and stood guard like a sentry. The grotesque sight made their stomachs tighten.
”What the—? What is that thing?” Misaki whispered, unsettled.
”Disgusting…” Hiyori muttered, unable to stop her revulsion. The creature’s very presence stirred a primal nausea, blending fear with instinctive loathing.
They wanted to avoid combat if possible—but they had no choice.
Luckily, Ootori Fuuka’s strength had mostly recovered. She closed her eyes, murmured the [Silent] spell, and at the same time loosed a Wind Arrow from her fingertips.
The strike landed squarely. Before the ant-creature could even sense their presence, its head was severed cleanly. It collapsed in a heap, lifeless. Fuuka raised both fists to her chest in triumph, grinning as if to say, Yes!
Hiyori and Misaki mirrored her, fists at their chests, cheering under their breath as they cautiously checked the fallen body with weapons drawn.
”What is this creature? I’ve never heard of anything like it. Not in Alyurein, not even in the Imperial Capital of Goon. Could it be a new species?” Misaki said, her face tightening with unease.
”Speculation won’t help us now. Let’s find Ms. Mineyama and get out of this place,” she added firmly.
She had barely finished speaking when a roar split the tunnel—GYUUUUIIIIIIIIIII! The stone walls reverberated with the beastly cry.
They spun around. A thunder of footsteps rushed toward them from the darkness.
”Run! Both of you!” Misaki barked.
They sprinted, but questions tangled in her mind. Fuuka’s magic had been perfect. The creature had fallen without raising any alarm. Then why—why now?
No time to answer. The uneven floor, the narrowness of the tunnel, the pounding in their lungs—it all worked against them. Their breaths grew ragged, panic clawing closer.
Fuuka stumbled, her face pale, on the verge of tears.
”I—I can’t… I can’t keep up…”
”Don’t say that! Keep running!” Misaki shouted, forcing encouragement into her voice.
Hiyori too was faltering, both she and Fuuka nearly at their limit, when a voice rang out ahead of them:
”If you don’t want to die, keep running!”
A figure stood at the far end of the tunnel, silhouetted against faint light. All three of them gasped as they recognized the voice.
”Sanai?!”
As they dashed past, Ayumu Sanai hurled a lit Valento-made firebomb onto the ground. Flames roared up in an instant, sealing the path behind them in a wall of fire.
Notes:
• Misaki – a sharp-featured beauty and one of Hiyori Sashima’s closest friends, alongside Ootori Fuuka. She is portrayed as a loyal and caring individual who prioritizes her friends’ well-being above all else. Misaki possesses a combat-oriented blessing, which she uses to protect the group from dangers in the otherworld, particularly bandits.
• Ootori – First appears in Chapter 49 of the story. One of Hiyori Sashima’s best friends, alongside Tokihara Misaki. Fuuka is currently experiencing menstrual pain, which slows her down and causes her discomfort, but she persists in moving forward with her friends. Her blessing makes her a target for those with ill intent, so she relies on Misaki’s combat skills and Hiyori’s barrier abilities for protection.
• Mineyama – Vice class rep, serious and disciplined.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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