WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Oblivious
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The World Is Not a Game ◈
Chapter 15
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Chuck smiled in satisfaction at Hyeokjin's words, and the other Closers nodded, the corners of their mouths lifting.
Considering how hostile most shadow worlds were to humans, this was highly unusual.
They could obtain unlimited supplies without even having to risk their lives to gather resources. It was like using a cheat code in a game.
But unlike the other Closers, who were pleased, Hyeokjin frowned and shook his head.
“Sir, this isn't particularly good news.”
“...Hmm? Why not? We can produce almost unlimited quantities of whatever supplies we need. Isn't that a good thing?”
“In terms of supplies alone, it certainly is. But the problem is that this substance is everywhere. We can't detect any poison in its current state, but considering how easily it changes, it could turn into a deadly poison and engulf us at any moment. If a monster capable of alchemy appeared and went on a rampage, we'd have a serious problem. Even an A-rank monster might display power beyond that of an S-rank...”
“...That's a fair point. We'll need to work out some countermeasures. I suppose it's some comfort that we can make active use of this environment ourselves?”
Chuck rubbed his chin, his expression serious. What Hyeokjin had described was quite literally the worst-case scenario. But given how well the monsters that appeared in a dungeon suited its environment, there was a good chance that scenario would come true.
As the Closers exchanged opinions on the possibility Hyeokjin had raised, Nikki opened her eyes. She had been scattering black mist around them to explore their surroundings. Now she rubbed her temple with a finger as though she had a headache.
“Damn it. This is going to be a pain.”
“Starting with a curse, are you? I take it your spatial scan didn't turn up anything good either?”
Nikki sighed and nodded at Chuck's question.
While Hyeokjin's role was rear support and detailed environmental analysis, hers was backup combatant and scout.
Her special ability, a black mist that distorted space, was extremely useful for examining the space around her. Thanks to it, expeditions that included Nikki could always obtain a rough map of the shadow world.
With the team's eyes on her, she frowned and explained what she had found.
“This place is very different from the shadow worlds we've seen so far. How should I put it? Its spatial axes aren't fixed.”
She raised an index finger and drew a circle in the air as she continued.
“Imagine a tube bent into a doughnut shape. If you walk through it, you should eventually end up back where you started, right? But not here. You reach a different space, even though, in three-dimensional terms, you should clearly be back in the same spot. If I try to make a three-dimensional map of this place the way I usually do, the spaces overlap. Still, if space were simply distorted, I could separate each overlapping area into individual three-dimensional sections and map them...”
She trailed off for a moment, then sighed and continued.
“But the structure here and the flow of time keep changing, so even that's impossible. This place is a maze of distorted space-time where our common sense doesn't apply.”
Unlike her usual cynical, relaxed self, Nikki looked visibly tense as she spoke. Seeing this unfamiliar side of her, the other Closers seemed to realize how serious the situation was. Their expressions grew grim.
The bad news, combined with their creepy surroundings, created an uneasy mood among the Closers. As it settled over them, a Closer with melee abilities looked around at his grim-faced teammates with disapproval. Then he suddenly smashed his gauntleted fists together.
Clang!
A deafening crash, like huge metal bells striking each other, rang out from between his fists.
The barrier separating them from the outside kept the sound from escaping, but that only made it worse. The crash echoed over and over inside it.
Everyone frowned at the sudden assault on their ears and glared at the Closer responsible. With both hands on his hips, he addressed his watching teammates in a scornful tone.
“Why are you all getting nervous like a bunch of little girls? A maze of distorted space-time? Ha! That's not even funny. Since when did we care about common sense?”
“...What?”
“Listen up. We've fought the shadows lurking beyond people's sight and killed countless creepy monsters that defy reason. Space-time is distorted? That's nothing compared to the madness we've been through!”
After that loud declaration, he paused to catch his breath. Then he looked around at his teammates and continued.
“Don't overthink it! In the end, all we have to do is smash this dungeon's core. And we're better at that than anyone else in the world. If you're really not confident, just trust me and follow my lead! I've broken through every obstacle I've ever faced.”
The Closer spoke confidently, pounding his chest with a clenched silver gauntlet. Nikki stared at him for a moment...
Then she let out a disbelieving laugh and shook her head.
“Everyone here has overcome the obstacles they've faced, you thickheaded bastard. Haah. I should've gone to the Association and complained when the final roster came out. I should've insisted they pick someone who'd at least finished high school... No, someone who could understand what people were saying. Letting them choose an idiot like you, who only knows how to swing his fists, was my mistake.”
“...What? Are you looking down on me because I didn't get much schooling?”
“No, I'm looking down on you for being stupid, not for your lack of schooling. You don't seem to understand what distorted space-time means...”
“No! I understand perfectly.”
The Closer with the silver gauntlets cut Nikki off just as she was about to explain.
Her brow twitched rhythmically at the interruption, but he carried on in a confident tone, apparently unconcerned by her irritation.
“I've seen that sort of thing up close plenty of times. That black mist of yours distorts space-time too, doesn't it? Just imagine your ability spreading through this whole place. Terrain that changes from moment to moment? Honestly, we've all dealt with plenty of that, haven't we? Everyone seems to be making this complicated because of all this talk about distorted space-time. Let's keep it simple, all right?”
At his confident answer, Nikki muttered, “Of course,” and lowered her head, pressing a hand to her forehead as though it hurt.
A moment later, she raised her head slightly and sneered at him.
“Hey. Do you remember the formula for estimating the location of a dungeon's core?”
“Uh, well... Why are we suddenly talking about that?”
“Right. You're saying all this because you don't know. Listen carefully. We locate a dungeon's core using the strength of the warp waves it emits and the time those waves have traveled. So what happens when space-time is distorted? We can't pin down those variables. I can't tell whether a wave I've detected was emitted a few minutes ago or dozens of hours ago, and the distortion of space makes the strength readings come out all over the place! Got it?!”
Nikki tried to speak calmly, but her face gradually twisted as her irritation mounted. By the end, she was practically shrieking.
Yet the Closer with the silver gauntlets merely blinked, apparently still unable to understand why she was so annoyed.
At the sight, she sighed and covered her face with both hands, then muttered wearily.
“...In short, it means we can't find the dungeon's core. Look. I really hate to say this, but try doing some studying instead of just swinging your fists. The formula for estimating a core's location is one of the first and most basic things a Closer learns. You're an S-rank Closer, and you don't know something even a brand-new recruit knows. Does that make any sense?”
“Oh, you should've said so earlier.”
Only after Nikki's final explanation did the Closer with the silver gauntlets understand why everyone had looked so serious. He scratched the back of his head and gave an awkward smile. Then he turned to the team again.
“Well, things aren't looking good, but let's keep our spirits up! Moping around won't change anything, will it? If we keep scouting, we'll find the core eventually...”
“You want to go wandering off to scout a place where space-time keeps twisting? Lost in space-time... That's a pretty classic sci-fi horror movie setup, isn't it? Would you like to volunteer?”
“...That could be a problem.”
Nikki lowered her hands from her face and gave him an icy look as she asked. Unlike before, the Closer with the silver gauntlets quickly backed down. Everyone let out a disbelieving laugh.
It had been an absurd exchange, but it had eased the tension considerably.
Once they had finished that brief, silly laugh, Chuck clapped a few times to get everyone's attention. Then he turned to Hyeokjin.
“All right, enough joking. Roughly how long could we stay here, Hyeokjin?”
“In material terms, we could settle here for the rest of our lives. With all these resources, I can provide medical care and equipment, synthesize drugs and food, and even make prosthetic bodies. But mentally...”
“Yes. Even we couldn't last long in an atmosphere like this.”
Chuck frowned and rubbed his temple. The strange, inexplicable atmosphere hanging over this place was creepy enough to be hard even for him to endure.
Simply being there put a considerable strain on the mind.
As Chuck continued rubbing his temple, Hyeokjin spoke cautiously.
“I can also manufacture narcotics using warp energy. If it comes to it, using drugs to calm our minds and bodies might be a good...”
“No. Absolutely not. If we loosen our mental barriers to calm ourselves with drugs, I suspect this bizarre madness will swallow us up. Drugs are a last resort. We need to do what we can before that. How long do you all think you can hold out here? I'd say seven weeks at most for me.”
Chuck firmly rejected Hyeokjin's suggestion to use drugs, then turned to question the other Closers. Each gave an estimate of their own limit.
Most said between six and seven weeks. Once the other Closers had all answered and only Hyeokjin remained, Hyeokjin spoke bitterly.
“...Three weeks. With my mental fortitude, I can't manage any longer than that.”
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