The Broken Possessors of the Infinite Regression Academy

Chapter 225 – Side Story: The Gate of Another World – 2

The gate I stepped into was incredibly quiet. I cast a detection spell while keeping a close watch on the surroundings. Nothing was detected by the spell. I expanded the range a bit more. Still, nothing was detected.

“Let’s just keep going.”

I walked inside and stopped halfway through.

“It’s a fork in the road.”

“It’s a fork in the road.”

There was a four-way fork in the road ahead of us. I thought the purpose was too obvious, so I checked, and found that not only the communication tool, but also the necklace that Elisier had given me didn’t work.

Ultimately, this means that unless the paths merge again in front of me, there is no way to contact the rest of the group.

“What should we do? Pick one and go together? Or should we split up and go?”

“We should split up and go. I’ve seen this type of structure gate on Earth a few times, but going through it all at once is just a waste of time. It’s not a gate that’s strong enough to deal with our level.”

“Okay. Then I think you guys should go in pairs. I’ll go alone. Once we split up, we won’t be able to contact each other, right? Just be careful about that.”

“huh.”

A look of regret crossed his face, as if he had been secretly hoping that I might go with him.

Still, he didn’t seem genuinely disappointed. I guess he knew that I was the type of person who would rather go alone than send someone else away.

The regret was short-lived. Everyone seemed to have gotten used to being the guild leader, so they chose someone to go with without saying a word. Priscilla and Nika, Rosaria and Leona, Elisier and Latina were on the same team.

Latina, the only one who had no such experience, stood there all alone, dumbfounded, until Elisier caught her and made her stand next to her.

“Be careful, my dear.”

“You guys, don’t get hurt for no reason. If you feel it’s dangerous, just run away.”

I checked that the three teams had disappeared beyond the fork in the road and headed toward the last remaining passage. The path was flat. It was really a place with nothing. It was so quiet that it was strange.

The detection magic was also silent, and there were no signs of monsters jumping out or beasts attacking. There weren’t even any who were hiding and trying to make a surprise attack. I kept going, leaving my doubts behind.

The doubt and silence continued until they reached what was presumed to be a dungeon core.

“… … .”

At the ending that was much more absurd than I expected, I looked down at the dungeon core. I wondered if this was right. It was a gate that could be cleared just by walking along the path? Really?

Or maybe I chose the path that has a 1/4 chance of winning and the other team is trapped and struggling. That would be more convincing.

It was at that moment when I, who was worried, was about to break the dungeon core.

-Kururururung… … .

I heard a sound like the dungeon’s structure was changing somewhere, and the wall right next to me opened. Priscilla and Nika appeared inside. When our eyes met, questions arose about their faces.

The questions didn’t end there. The wall right next to them opened and Rosaria and Leona appeared, and the wall next to them opened and Elisier and Latina appeared.

“Huh? What, why are you guys here?”

“That’s what we wanted to say… … ?”

“No matter what you choose, the structure always leads here? This is ridiculous.”

Everyone had a bewildered expression on their face. This was especially true because there was not even the slightest trace of a battle.

“Nothing came out?”

“Yeah. What about you, Mira?”

“Me too.”

The more I dug into it, the more I wondered what the heck it was. We huddled together and looked at a spherical object that seemed to be the dungeon core. Since there was no boss, we would probably clear it if we destroyed it.

“… …Can I just leave like this? Really?”

“That said, the mana flowing out of the gate was unusual. Boss, is he hiding somewhere?”

“Ugh, I don’t like that. It means I have to search every single place.”

Priscilla was disgusted.

“… … .”

The mystery remained. When the other team came here, why didn’t they sense it with their detection magic until the wall opened?

It’s definitely not the kind of magic that you wouldn’t be able to detect just because it’s behind a wall. Especially not if I used it.

“Let’s go back and think about it. Be careful because you never know what might pop up.”

“Yes, master… … sir?”

As soon as Nika touched the dungeon core, something strange happened. The floor we were standing on began to move and change into a crimson flesh wall.

At the same time, a sticky liquid flowed out from the wall and overflowed enough to form a puddle in the hollow. The gray liquid that had collected in the puddle rippled in time with the movement.

It wasn’t just the floor. The walls, the ceiling, the once cave-like spaces had all turned into crimson flesh walls, almost as if they were digestive organs.

The detection magic started beeping like crazy. There were enemies everywhere. I sighed and released the magic.

“… … I see how this situation came to be. This gate itself was a monster. The reason it took so long to come down was probably to make it difficult to escape. That thing that looks like a dungeon core is the medium that awakens this thing.”

The dungeon core that Nika had missed was being absorbed into the wall and disappearing. I don’t know if it was real or fake, but it was clear that the owner of this digestive organ was intentionally trying to hide it.

“Eh, huh? Then I should have just left it alone and not touched it?”

“Then it would have been like that forever. Before the Dungeon Core trigger was activated, it would have been a wall judgment, not a monster judgment.”

If we were to explain it in Earth terms, it would be like this. Before activating the trigger called Dungeon Core, it was not a monster, but an ordinary gate interior. This could be guessed from the change in detection magic.

It’s a pretty vicious design, because it means that in order to clear the gate, you’ll have to fight this guy while being eaten.

Priscilla quickly cast a protective spell. A translucent sphere surrounded her surroundings. Beyond the sphere, a yellow liquid, presumably digestive fluid, sloshed around.

“Ugh. What is that?”

Rosaria retched at the sight.

“Everyone, come behind me. I’ll have to dig a hole first.”

He held the Holy Spear in his left hand. This was not something that could be resolved simply with eternity. As the golden light began to burst out, the trembling of the flesh walls became stronger. He ignored the trembling and raised his divinity.

The six who noticed my intentions quickly retreated. The Holy Spear flashed with light.

“There are gates of that type, too. We need to prepare countermeasures in case one appears on Earth.”

The next day, I told Laura, who had returned from Earth, about the gate we had entered.

The entire gate was a kind of monster, and Laura looked extremely tired at the fact that she had to walk a long way inside and fight while activating the trigger inside.

“I’ll pass it on. He’s a real pain in the ass. If I’m not careful, he could end up being digested alive.”

“That’s right. It wouldn’t be easy for an A-class hunter on Earth to catch one once they turn into a monster. Right. What happened to you?”

“Black Star… … No, it was something related to Rachel. While she was wandering around outside to adapt to Earth, she got into an altercation with an outside hunter.”

Everyone in the Eternal Guild knew about Rachel. It was because Priscilla had informed them in advance. She had already proven her skills against the A-class hunters within the guild, so there were no complaints.

Although the identity was unclear, it was not a major flaw as there were numerous cases of appearances changing due to the mana that spread through the atmosphere after the gate incident.

The guild leader also guaranteed their identity, and it was introduced that 7 members of the Eternal Guild had their appearances changed due to the mana they were waiting for. There were just a few minor complaints.

“There’s someone who does that even though he knows he’s a member of the Eternal Guild? That’s amazing.”

“She has no arms, no eyes, and looks like an ordinary woman on the outside, so how easy would she be? She must have thought it was protecting her family since she was suddenly chosen as a hunter. She was already thinking that way, and she even drank alcohol, so there’s no way she could see anything.”

In a world where healing magic exists and severed limbs can be reattached with just healing magic, have you never thought about what kind of person a woman would be who wanders around with only one eye and one arm?

Those guys seem to be the ones who are in trouble too.

“What was the result?”

“They lost their limbs and lay down in a group. Since three Class A’s and six Class B’s were laid down at once, there was an uproar over the overreaction, but you don’t have to worry. Judging from their actions, it seems like we might be able to extort money from them. Do you want to hear about it?”

“Fine. Even if you listen, you’ll just find out how hopeless they are. Why bother?”

“That was a wise choice. So… … .”

Red eyes turned to my left.

Instead of her usual star-spangled nun’s habit, Rosaria stood there with a sad expression on her face, wearing a gold and silver robe. She even had a crown on her head.

“Where is this! I was just joking!”

“Are you planning to betray the hearts of those who came to hear the lectures given by the saint herself? If you wish, I will tell you so. The saint said that she absolutely does not want to teach people like you, so she told you to get out.”

“Hey! When did I ever do that!”

“You are amazing, Saint. You even received revelations from the Goddess. It is not an exaggeration to call you a true miracle worker. You are the true saint of this era. I think you will continue to be a saint in the future.”

“Who are you kidding?! These people say it’s not their business… … .”

“We wrote the script and gave you the lecture content. All you have to do is go and speak. Is that difficult?”

“If it’s not difficult, then you do it! Why are you asking me to do it?”

Rosaria growled at Elisier, Latina, and Priscilla, who were interfering one by one, but since there was nothing she could do, she had to tremble and go into the classroom.

Laura, who had been watching the scene with a grin, continued speaking.

“… … The first lecture in the Empire on how to deal with the Gate was created, and while a saint was in charge of the lecture, where did Erestica go?”

“I heard he’s locked up in the chairman’s office.”

“Still? My father in this world called me, but I refused, saying he was sick. I don’t know why.”

Laura tilted her head. Ever since Nika teased her and made her squirt breast milk, Erestica had been holed up in the chairman’s office, never leaving the room.

He ignored the Emperor’s summons and did not even show up to the newly established lecture hall.

“I think you should go there sometime.”

“I was going to do that anyway. If they ask me where I went later, can you tell them I went to see the chairman?”

“Don’t worry and have a good trip.”

I went to the chairman’s office on the top floor of the main building, escorted by Laura. The hallway was still quiet. I stopped in front of the door, wiping my arms down with an inexplicable chill.

“… … .”

As if to prove that the chill that had just passed down my spine was not for nothing, a faint smell of milk was wafting out from between the tightly closed doors.