Chapter 2 - Day 1, 1st Floor (2/2)

8/100, 15/100, 24/100...

The map was useful. I encountered a few dead ends as well as the overlapping intersections several times. But I never got lost.

Even though I had the map, it was confusing whether or not what I was seeing matched with the map. However, I stayed calm and made the right judgements. This was probably due to the increased spatial perception ability.

[The level of a talent has risen.]

[Cartography LV 1 -> LV 2. Related abilities have increased.]

[Cartography LV 2. 2/200.]

“Hya.”

There was a feeling of accomplishment.

I checked the map that I had drawn so far. The structure of the cave was indeed a maze. Overall, it had a rectangular shape and there was one part that I hadn’t visited yet.

I had a thought as I headed there. Something was strange. Maze. Dungeon. If so, then something should emerge, whether it was a monster or a treasure box. In fact, I was hoping for the latter.

If I left the maze without finding anything...

”Eh?”

As soon as I had that thought I reached the last part of the maze. It was a dead end with a staircase leading down. The stairway underneath the square hole looked like the one in my room.

In front of it was a square box.

[Wooden Box. There seems to be no lock. It is possible to smash it.]

It said the box could be smashed.

Then letters appeared above the stairs behind the box.

[Stairs. It leads to the 2nd floor.]

[The moment you step foot on it, the current floor exploration is over and you will return from the dungeon. The next night at midnight, you will start on the floor at the bottom of the stairs.]

So, it was fixed to one floor per day, but the real point was the next words.

[Changes in the following floor: Dungeon s.p.a.ce has expanded. You can encounter +1 explorer. Monsters below E rank will emerge.]

Monsters... I trembled at that word but the part before it was more surprising. It meant that I could encounter another explorer like me. If that was the case, did the next floor require some type of cooperative play? Or was it a compet.i.tion?

”...”

I stopped thinking about it. They weren’t directly in front of me and I had an object to focus on: the box.

Gulp. I gulped and pushed open the top of the box.  The interior of the box was dark. It was a completely black void that showed nothing.

I put my hand inside the box. In many ways, it was a rash choice.

Ching.

There was a sound as a mechanism was activated. I felt a cool sensation at my waist. Pain.

“...Eh?”

My wrist had been neatly cut off by the top part of the box.

“Ah, waaaaaahhhh!”

A huge pain overwhelmed me and I fell down on my b.u.t.t. I looked up at my ‘HP Bar’ and saw that it had been reduced by 1/4.

[Current Balance: 96/121]

[A bleeding state. Health will decrease by 2 every minute.]

Pain was followed by fear. I lost my hand. The fear of living the rest of my life as a disabled person steamrolled through my mind. I couldn’t believe it as I looked down at the b.l.o.o.d.y stump of my arm. It was a surreal sight as letters rose above the blood.

[Common wounds suffered in the dungeon will be cured by clearing the floor.]

In other words, my hand would return to normal if I headed down the stairs? I felt relieved and immediately stepped towards the stairs. I wanted to escape. The pain of my body being cut was real. I didn’t want to feel like this for one more minute...!

...But.

I stopped right in front of the stairs. My body was telling me to go down. Don’t hesitate to go down quickly, but at the same time, my head was speaking.

It was strange. The box was three steps away from the stairs. Don’t think about it, go down straight away! No. Think about it.

Wouldn’t the trap be useless if they placed it three steps before the stairs? It was like it was trying send me a message ‘Pain? Then quickly go down, down!’

There must be something. If I didn’t go down then something would happen. I thought about earlier. The moment that I received Cartography. I once again looked at my HP Bar.

[Current Balance: 94/121]

[A bleeding state. Health will decrease by 2 every minute.]

People wouldn’t die just from having their wrist cut off. I stepped back from the stairs. Instead, I grabbed my cut off wrist and leaned against a cave wall.

Kaduk.

I gritted my teeth. I was familiar with enduring things. The few things I’ve gained in life had been through struggling. Then letters appeared in front of my eyes.

[Talent has been acquired.]

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