Episode 120 – A Change of Mind (4)

A Change of Mind (4)

The place Gerkhen Kal Doon led us to was an apartment building.

An apartment standing tall instead of an exit at what seemed to be the end of the maze. Its exterior was shabby, but it stretched endlessly high into the foggy sky.

We slowly approached the suspicious-looking building.

“Ah, here.”

As expected, there was a card reader at the entrance where we could tag our cards.

We held up the key we had assembled from pieces.

Beep-

The automatic door opened. The three of us entered almost simultaneously.

The first-floor lobby was ordinary.

There were mailboxes for each household like in old apartments, corridors on both sides, stairs in the middle… The only suspicious thing was a person sitting in the middle of it all, head bowed low.

An enemy?

I clenched my bone knife.

-You finally arrived.

He spoke first from the other side. His voice was peculiar. The tone itself was huskily ordinary, but it pierced my ears like telepathy.

-Congratulations.

A ‘woman’ exuding a noir atmosphere, dressed in a black coat and suit pants.

Her long, black hair was tied back like a horse’s tail.

As soon as I saw her sharp face, I knew at a glance.

It’s not that she’s not, she’s a celebrity in the underworld.

Also a connection from before my regression.

-You’re the first ones.

Her name is Akane Kedzen Meol.

Her jobs are numerous. Puppeteer, necromancer, designer, surgeon, magician, Theia Esil’s biggest rival…

A monster.

-Did you enjoy the maze?

She was sitting on an old-fashioned leather carrier. It was a travel bag big enough to fit 2-3 people.

“What are you doing here?”

I almost unconsciously asked that. We had a pretty good relationship before my regression, so I almost blurted out in informal speech.

-You ask what I’m doing, not who I am. You seem to know me.

Akane narrowed one eye sharply.

“…You’re famous.”

Fortunately, she was a genius known since her childhood.

-That’s old news… Anyway, tell me your names first.

She took out a cigarette from her pocket.

Gerkhen Kal Doon looked at me. Soliette also looked at me.

It seemed like they wanted me to go first, just in case. The ranking could be determined by just a name.

I’m good at repaying favors.

“I’m Shion Ascal.”

-Shion As…

Her eyebrows furrowed. She bit so hard that the filter part of the cigarette broke off.

Soliette (who was quitting smoking) blankly stared at the cigarette that fell to the floor.

“You seem to know me.”

I returned her words. Akane took out another cigarette and lit it.

-I know. Are you okay?

Akane was confident.

“……”

Whether in the past or now, I don’t particularly like those who recite my medical history, but Akane is an exception.

It was rather surprising.

Akane was someone who treated me as if she ‘already knew me’ from our first meeting before my regression, and she was doing the same now, even though I’m four years younger.

“I got better a while ago.”

-…Is that so.

Akane lit another cigarette. She exhaled smoke and spoke.

-Next? The order doesn’t matter.

“I’m Soliette Arkne.”

“Snicker.” Akane openly scoffed at her.

─Are you still after Knightmare?

“This crazy—”

Soliette’s face turned ashen. She glared at Akane with fiery eyes.

─You must be Gerkhen Kal Doon. How’s your brother?

“…….”

Could this be part of the assessment too? Akane was prodding us like a needle, and even Gerkhen Kal Doon momentarily lost his composure.

No, this time, I was surprised too.

Gerkhen Kal Doon has a brother?

“Weren’t you an only child?”

“……Is that important?”

Gerkhen Kal Doon retorted. His voice was unusually tight.

I quietly stepped back.

“It’s not important.”

─Three of you. Noted. I’m Akane, the maze designer hired by the association. I’m also the administrator here, ensuring your safety until you leave.

“…….”

So, the monster is the administrator.

It was slightly absurd, but, well.

The fact that she was a monster wouldn’t be revealed until at least four years later. She hid it for an incredibly long time. At this point, she’s a person of enough stature to receive a contract from the university association.

─The association asked me to evaluate problem-solving ability, physical ability, judgment, survival skills, magical ability, and finally, mental strength when they commissioned the maze.

Akane said.

─So, the final stage, this apartment, is simple. It evaluates mental strength. During the remaining time, just climb as high as you can. There are 100 stairs per floor.

I looked at the central staircase. I remembered the height of the apartment before we entered.

Looks like this is as far as I go.

─Ask if you have more questions.

“……Is it okay if my question is not related to the assessment?”

It was Soliette.

She calmly concealed her hostility. Akane met her gaze with a blank expression.

─It’s not allowed.

“Why not? You were the one who first mentioned something unrelated to the assessment—”

─However, if you reach the 100th floor, I’ll give you my business card as a reward. Contact me anytime.

“…….”

Soliette clenched her teeth, but soon nodded quietly.

Then— I sensed a ‘development’ that felt like fate.

Before my return, Soliette and Akane were colleagues. Soliette was the reason I met Akane.

So, is this the beginning of their story?

Is this the start of an ‘inevitable event’ that won’t change whether I return or not?

─Also. Let me announce.

Huuu… Akane lit a cigarette and stretched her fingers.

─Never enter room 101.

Room 101. Right in front of the corridor on the right.

I looked at the door. I felt a faintly ominous aura.

─Are you curious?

Akane smirked. I nodded.

Hmm- She got up, supporting herself on her knee. She was tall and slender. Even taller than me now.

─There’s an assassin who came for me there.

“……An assassin? Shouldn’t we inform the outside then?”

─It’s okay. We’re kind, you see. We’ve decided to postpone it until your assessment is over.

Akane rubbed out her cigarette and checked her wristwatch.

“Twenty hours left. You can rest in your rooms and then ascend, or you can ascend right now. Do as you please.”

I looked at Gerkhen Kal Doon and Soliette.

“Are you going up right away?”

“Yes.”

Soliette answered, glaring at Akane, and Gerkhen Kal Doon nodded without a word.

Both of them looked furious. Probably because Akane had provoked them.

“Alright. I’m going to rest for a bit.”

I’ve reached my limit.

I can’t go on any longer.

My body, which was never in good shape to begin with, is exhausted from the near-homeless camping and lack of sleep.

“You’ve worked hard.”

Gerkhen Kal Doon and Soliette immediately ascended the central staircase, and I entered room 102.

______________________________________________________________________

Shhhhh—

I’m in the middle of a shower.

Finally, a shower with warm water.

It feels like the fatigue is melting off my body.

“Ughhhhhhh….”

An old man’s groan slips out.

There’s only 20 hours left, but I don’t care about the scores anymore.

Being in the top 100 is enough.

But.

“I met Akane here.”

I stood under the hot water, lost in thought for a moment.

Akane was a rival of my master, Theia. They wanted to kill each other but couldn’t, a strange relationship. She willingly helped my master when she was in the most danger.

She even made a perfect prosthetic arm for me, who had lost an arm.

“Assassin….”

I rummaged through my memory around the keyword.

Akane and the assassin.

…I almost died that time. It took me three months to recover. I haven’t been able to catch Gao since that day.

A part of the memory that suddenly came to mind.

The future when I went to her to get a prosthetic arm surgery.

The ‘that time’ she mentioned must be now.

…I should have killed that bastard Growl then. He’s still a headache.

“Grawl.”

I muttered under my breath and opened my eyes.

S-class monster, Grawl.

He’s a societal evil who later becomes an assassin for Libra, specifically for Derek. He massacred countless people in the name of Libra and assassinated my old comrade.

The sooner he dies, the better for me, but I can’t lay a finger on him at my current level.

“….”

No, it might be possible in ‘specific circumstances’.

Grawl is about to have a bloody battle with Akane. Almost certainly, they will both be fatally wounded. Even Akane will be driven to the brink of death.

Of course, even a dying Grawl, I could kill with my little finger.

But….

The future I know must change.

Because my future is filled with nothing but defeat and frustration.

If I don’t kill Grawl now, I won’t be able to kill him until I die.

“Let’s give it a shot.”

I turned off the shower. I dried off with a towel and walked out of the bathroom. I put on my pants first.

Then.

—I’m just going to take a shower and then go up. You go ahead.

For some reason, the door swung open with a familiar voice.

I blinked and looked in that direction.

“……”

It was Elise.

“……”

Her initially vacant eyes gradually widened. Her pupils rolled around. Whether it was an earthquake of pupils or a quick scan of my body, I was glad I was wearing pants.

Soon, her cheeks turned bright red.

I only said one thing.

“This is my room.”

Bang-!

Elise immediately closed the door.

I scratched the back of my neck, walked over, and locked the door. I lay down on the bed without a second thought.

As soon as I lay down, my eyelids closed.

Sleep was creeping in, then it poured down.

______________________________________________________________________

“Haaaaam~”

When I woke up, there were only 10 hours left until the end of the evaluation test.

I had slept soundly for 10 hours. Thanks to that, my condition was at its best.

I came out to the lobby.

─You’re relaxed. The others have already left a long time ago.

Akane started talking from the same spot. Only then did I realize her true identity.

“Are you a doll?”

─You just realized now. You’re slow.

“……Can you tell me how many people have come?

─97.

97.

Assuming there are about 4,000 in total, that’s in the top 2~3%.

“That’s enough. I’m satisfied.”

─You lack ambition.

I looked at room 101. The magic power rumbling inside was still the same. It seemed like it was preparing for something.

Let’s ignore it for now.

─Don’t underestimate the stairs.

I stepped onto the central staircase. As Akane advised, I carefully went up.

There was no problem.

I think I’ve said this before, but my stamina is quite peculiar.

The stamina itself is small, but the recovery is exceptional, so I get tired quickly but also recover quickly.

It’s not ‘excellent’, it’s just ‘peculiar’.

“Ah, I’m tired.”

This apartment has 200 steps from the 1st floor. It’s a tough number even without any obstacles.

I rested for 2 minutes every 50 steps.

[2nd floor]

By the time I reached the 2nd floor, my whole body was already drenched in sweat.

I didn’t use stepping or Body Flow.

In such long-distance marathons, it’s even more tiring to use magic.

Just go up one step at a time.

[3rd floor]

[4th floor]

[……]

[11th floor]

11th floor.

I found a guy who was exhausted in the middle of the 11th floor staircase. He was on the verge of exhaustion and couldn’t even breathe properly.

He glanced at me, but he didn’t seem to have the energy to speak.

“?”

I found it strange.

If he made it this far, he should be in the upper ranks, but he’s having trouble climbing the stairs?

[15th floor]

I found one more on the 15th floor. This time, he was completely stuck to the floor like a flatfish.

[18th floor]

From the 18th floor, almost ten people were sprawled out, one for every 20 steps.

“Maybe they’re tired from climbing.”

That’s what I thought.

They should rest a bit and then climb.

[18th floor]

[19th floor]

[20th floor]

[21st floor]

As I continued to climb the stairs, around the 25th floor.

I spotted a massive figure ahead of me.

“Ughhh…”

Shaking like a zombie, he was climbing the stairs with a face that looked like he was about to die. A haphazard bulk.

I passed him quietly and looked back.

“……”

He saw me too. A familiar face. It was Kain.

“Having a hard time?”

I asked nonchalantly. Kain tried to say something, but he clutched his chest as if his heart was strained.

“Huff, huff……”

Leaning on the railing, he gasped for breath, then spat out words as if he was vomiting blood.

“You… how… did you… climb…”

“Just climbed. What’s there to climbing stairs.”

Of course, Kain is not a knight whose strength is physical endurance. Climbing stairs like this is even more disadvantageous for a large person.

“Is this all it takes?”

“Crazy… bastard.”

But Kain looked at me as if I were a monster.

Of course, I’m tired too. I’m not trying to deceive anyone, my arms and legs feel like they’re about to break, my heart is pounding, and sweat is pouring like rain.

But it doesn’t seem like I’m about to have a heart attack like Kain.

“The gravity…..”

Kain said as he collapsed on the floor.

I took a bottle of water from my backpack and put it in his hand.

“Ah… thank you.”

Kain, who is struggling, is surprisingly docile. He knows how to appreciate kindness.

“Hold on, gravity?”

Kain’s words belatedly seemed suspicious.

I unbuttoned my sleeve. I held it in my hand and let it go.

Thud-

It fell.

At an entirely abnormal speed.

“Ugh… uh.”

Kain, who had drunk the water, leaned his face against the wall.

“Should I carry you?”

At that, Kain looked back at me. It was a humiliating expression, but soon he chuckled and laughed weakly.

“……You bastard. You have good stamina.”

He left those words as if acknowledging, then thud-

He fainted.

“What the. Did he die?”

I checked his breathing by his nose.

Fortunately, he’s breathing.

“……Gravity, huh.”

I clenched and unclenched my hand. I picked up the button again and dropped it.

Thud-

The force of gravity pulling from the surface is much greater than usual.

Thinking about it, my body doesn’t feel as light as usual either.

“I see.”

Thanks to this, I’m almost certain.

To put it in a simple── partial immunity to magic interference.

The Magic Spell of the Mechanical Octopus didn’t work on me, and now this gravity spell is being nullified on me.

I don’t know how ‘partial’ it is yet.

For some reason, my body has gained ‘partial immunity’ to magic interference.

If I had to guess the cause, it’s probably… because of the memory of the anti-magic treatment for the magical disease I’ve had suffered from?

“I don’t know.”

Let’s just go up for now.

I left Kain, who had fainted, and stepped onto the stairs.