56 Speech And Doubts (2/2)

The mist covered everyone's eyes, Shesmu couldn't see even see five meters past his nose. He looked around and saw Leo, Kazumi, and Amaterasu standing next to him.

”Guys, whatever you do, never let me leave your sight. This place has shapeshifter monsters, and remember that Nyarlathotep can shapeshift too. This place is the perfect hunting ground for him.”

Shesmu then looked to his left and found DepressedRyan's body lying down. He carried him on his back and looked around.

”Everyone! I want everyone's attention please!”

Shesmu heard murmurs everywhere after his declaration.

”I want everyone to come closer and stay close to each other. I know that everyone's tense, knowing that one of us here is a monster, but believe me, this is the only way we can defeat it and pass this-”

”Hey, are you the monster!?”

Players one after the other appeared in a circle that surrounded Shesmu. After hearing his call, everyone gathered around him.

”No, I'm not. Whether that makes you believe me or not, I don't know and frankly, I don't really care. But I'll give you my reasoning on why this is our best shot at this challenge.”

Shesmu then took a deep breath.

”My name is Shesmu, the leader of the party that slew the Red Wolf King and the Greater Steel Doll. These were the bosses of the first floor and the second floor respectively. I know that all of you are scared-that all of you are paranoid, knowing that any of us could be the monster… and that's great. We need to not leave the monster any room to breath. Doubt, suspect and share your thoughts! With all of us here looking for even the slightest of suspicious movement, the monster will not be able to do anything!”

”Guys, he is definitely the monster! He wants to sound all smart so that he gets the leader position and then stab us in the back when we least expect it!”

This time, it was a guy in the back, covered by the veil of the mist that shouted his concerns.

”Then prove it! Here, I am the center of all attention, everyone sees but me. Do you think that if I do anything suspicious, people wouldn't notice? Plus, if I was the monster, why would I ever take the lead with my team and kill the bosses? Look around you! How many players are left? How many already died? Do you really think any of you would have reached this place if we didn't clear the floor for you guys?”

”T-that… I don't know.”

”Let's say you're right.” A burly man holding a battle ax appeared from behind the mist. ”What are we supposed to look for?”

”Nothing in particular, just keep track of your surroundings and the movement of the other players. We have no idea what will the monster do or what is his strategy. Focusing on one thing will only make holes for the monster to exploit.”

”True. Okay, it's decided. You have the full support and cooperation of the Appolyon party. Let's kill that monster.”

”We'll do just that.”

Shesmu's mouth was still open when three sentences written in red covered his vision.

[Illusion and Reality in the mist converge]

[The Shadows loom over, evil heralds disorder]

[Traps and schemes you shall unveil through a guiding light, as it emerges]

A golden light appeared on Shesmu's minimap. The map showed him as a blue point standing next to several green ones, while far in the distance, a golden point shone.

The red text faded, and in its wake, a countdown appeared.

”Four hours?”

”Let's get going. The goal is eight kilometers away. If we consider the traps and the monsters in the way, four hours are barely enough.”

Amaterasu's quick response put a smile on Shesmu's face.

”The little girl is right, we can't stay here all day, let's go.”