Chapter 227. Seven Rooms (9)
“It’ll open…only if there’s at least five…?” Dalgil slowly read the words on the door.
“There’s seven of us, so isn’t it fine?” Ru Hiana said.
“Yeah, that’s right, but…” Dalgil tilted his head and put his hand on the door. While he was about to apply strength and push, Chi-Woo felt their surroundings lit up all of a sudden. It was especially bright around the expedition members.
“Be careful!” Dalgil, who had just gone through a terrifying experience in the fourth room, quickly pulled his hand away from the door. The rest of the expedition members also prepared to withdraw and go into battle formation, but the only thing happening was the light growing in intensity. Silence fell as the expedition members tried to assess the situation.
“The door,” Hawa called out, and everyone’s eyes shifted back to it. The shining light gradually gathered at the top of the ivory door to form a shape. The shape changed into a number, starting from 1, then 2 and 3 until it finally stopped at 5. The number didn’t go up further, and the door opened automatically.
“Hmm…is it over?” Dalgil lowered his iron club and murmured. It was somewhat of a downer for him after he got so worked up. “Let’s go out for now.” The expedition members went through the door with Dalgil’s lead. Just before leaving, Hawa turned around and looked at the door. Succeeded in entering the next compartment safely, the expedition members finally saw the Narsha Haram as it originally was—a maze full of ivory walls in different shapes. The structure of the first floor was again reflected on the smooth ceiling.
“Is this now the sixth compartment?”
“Yes, if we consider the space we came from the fifth compartment.”
“That seems about right. There really isn’t much left now. We just have to go a little further.” Dalgil spoke to comfort himself, but his voice was noticeably weaker than before. He looked at the still unconscious Bogle and Airi. With a sigh, he looked back at Hawa, who was staring at the ceiling.
Then he asked, “Would you be able to find a shortcut? Even if it’s a little dangerous, I want to leave as fast as possible.”
“No. And even if there is, I can’t guarantee it’s a real door anymore.” Hawa answered and shook her head. The reflection on the ceiling suggested that there would be a door to exit from the fourth room, but that wasn’t the case when they actually arrived. Dalgil recalled what had happened and smacked his lips.
“I guess it can’t be helped. For now, let’s move forward by judging with our own eyes.” The expedition resumed with Dalgil’s declaration. Even though they had returned to the Narsha Haram they knew, the team morale was poor. They felt an unknown sense of foreboding, and soon, they were able to identify the threat. A third into the path, they encountered a group of monsters—three unknown creatures with a bull’s head and a snake’s body.
As soon as he saw them, Dalgil bravely rushed forward and bust one of the monsters with his iron club, but the remaining two on the left and right suddenly shot fire from their mouths, and Dalgil was instantly engulfed in flames. While his whole body was burning, Dalgil endured and swung his club. His power was truly terrifying, but things were getting dangerous, and Ru Amuh had to quit keeping an eye on Bogle and quickly rush forward to help Dalgil. Thanks to Ru Amuh’s support, they were able to win, but Dalgil looked like he was reaching his limit. His iron armor was red, and there was smoke coming from all over his body. Nevertheless, Dalgil resumed his march after pouring a couple bottles of water on himself to cool down the heat. Anybody could see he was straining himself, and in the end, the situation turned for the worst.
When they were two-thirds of the way to the next door, they heard the roar of animals everywhere. Gray wolves covered entirely in spiky fur like a hedgehog surrounded the expedition members. They had to make an all-out effort facing a total of ten wolves. Everyone except Ru Hiana, who was in charge of protecting Bogle and Airi, picked a side and fought the wolves. As expected, a bloody battle broke out. Chi-Woo, who was struggling against two wolves, suddenly heard a piercing scream. He saw Dalgil fall with blood all over him; he had sustained an injury while trying to fight four wolves at once. Chi-Woo and Hawa joined forces to fight off the group Ru Amuh was fighting, and Ru Amuh, now freed, quickly rushed towards Dalgil and saved him. Soon after, they won the battle thanks to Ru Amuh’s abilities, but it was a victory full of injuries and pain. Dalgil was critically injured, and Ru Amuh had also suffered a deep wound in his left arm due to neglecting his defense while trying to save Dalgil in a hurry.
Above all, Ru Amuh had used so much mana just now that he could no longer maintain the magic sword’s effect. Chi-Woo and Hawa weren’t as injured as them, but they were busy pulling out bloody thorns stuck in their bodies. In particular, Hawa had been stabbed in the ankle, and her mobility was seriously compromised.
“…I’m sorry,” Dalgil quietly apologized as he lay on the ground.
However, no one said anything or complained because Dalgil had taken the most risks so far by taking the lead. They had gone through numerous fights; it was only natural that they would accumulate many injuries, and it was inevitable that their combat power would decrease as time passed by. The other expedition members wanted to tell him to step back, but couldn’t since this was Dalgil’s test.
Ru Amuh was injured himself, but he approached Dalgil with two bottles of healing potion. “Sir, you should receive treatment first.”
“How many healing potions do we have left?”
“There are three bottles left, including the ones I’m holding.”
“…Then one bottle, no, give me half a bottle.”
“That’s too little. Sir, if you continue like this—”
“I just need enough to move. We still have to go further, so I can’t use all of it now.”
Ru Amuh insisted that Dalgil take more potion, but Dalgil stubbornly refused. He didn’t say it out loud, but it seemed he was leaving the healing potions to Bogle and Airi. They might also be the reason he seemed so impatient throughout the battle. As Dalgil requested, Ru Amuh used only half a bottle on him and got up. Although the expedition members looked like they had recovered to some extent, the atmosphere was extremely heavy. Contrary to when they left the second room, the morale was low. Ru Amuh was managing to still hold out, but he was no longer in a good shape.
Frankly, it would not be strange at all to discuss giving up the expedition right now. The door to leave had disappeared, so they had no choice but to move on, but if that wasn’t the case, someone would have definitely suggested going back. If there was a mid-level boss in the next room, the expedition members would have to worry about their lives. The only comfort they had was that the end was near. Hawa guided the team while looking up at the ceiling and limping, and they were able to finally reach an ivory door. Unlike the other doors, they saw multiple patterns on this one.
On the left, there was a tightly sealed mouth with an X on it. Following the right arrow next to it, there was an open mouth with an O on it. A closed mouth with an X and an opened mouth with an O.
“…Is it telling us to recite a spell or something?” Dalgil shook his head. There were so many possible interpretations that it was hard to say. In the end, there was only one thing left to do—to open the door. Hearing from Hawa that there was something huge and unmoving in the center of the room, Dalgil exhaled a long breath and raised his hand. After a short countdown, he opened the door. The expedition members, who prepared themselves for any upcoming threat, became speechless at the sight in front of them. They did not expect this. The first thing they saw was a broad stone pillar that looked like a monument in the center, and there was a door. The monument was covered in small, mysterious letters.
“…We’re going in.” Dalgil announced that they were going to slowly enter. And as soon as all the expedition members entered the room—
Bam! The door that they came through closed automatically and disappeared. The expedition members, who were now suffering from PTSD, looked frantically around. Their expressions became blank again.
“The door…” Dalgil sighed. There was not one, not two, but three doors. They hadn’t realized it from the outside, but the room was enormous. It was more spacious than any room they’d been so far; there were even stairs going up in the left corner. And at the end of the stairs, they saw an iron door the color of dark blood. On the contrary, there was a bluish door with no stairs in the right corner.
“A second floor? No way. There should still be one compartment left…?” Dalgil frowned, alternating between the red door at the top of the stairs on the left and ivory colored door in the front.
“Why don’t we read the inscription on the headstone first?”
Dalgil followed Ru Amuh’s suggestion and began reading the monument.
[To those who’ve reached all the way here. First, I want to say you’ve worked extremely hard. It must not have been easy to reach this room. I praise you for going through various hardships and trials and finally being on the verge of reaching the end of the first floor. However, there is one thing I must advise you. Too much is not better than too little. A leader that leads a group should know when it is time to move forward or step back. You’ve already proven enough by just coming here. Courage is not just winning a fight. Knowing when to give up for a bigger cause can also be considered courage. Even if you aren’t able to obtain a token, choosing the blue door for the sake of your comrades and promising to come back at a later time is also an excellent choice. But if you still decide to continue walking the path you’ve decided, I won’t stop you either. However, do not resent me for the despair that will be waiting for you behind the white door. I’ll give you time to think if you’re feeling conflicted, but it won’t be for long; predators on the second floor, which are incomparably stronger than the ones on the first floor, would have caught your scent and are now coming for you. The red door can only be opened from the inside and not the outside, but don’t let that fool you into relaxing your guard. Those who crave your blood and flesh will not give up. They will keep knocking on the door. You’ll have to make a decision before the number of knocks reaches three digits.]
An eerie silence fell. Everyone was organizing their respective thoughts. “First,” Dalgil was the one to break the silence. “That red door should never be opened.” He looked up at the stairs on the left side as he spoke, and everyone agreed.
They were already having a difficult time; the mere thought of facing monsters on the second floor that were incomparably stronger than those on the first floor gave them chills.
“It seems the blue door would allow us to get out of Narsha Haram,” Ru Amuh said. Leaving had been impossible since the door leading back had disappeared, but an unexpected lifeline was now dropped in front of them. If they opened the blue door, they would finally get out of this blasted tower. Of course, Dalgil would have to give up on his token, but considering the condition the expedition members were in, it was a choice to consider carefully. There was nothing much to the white door either; it would only allow them to move to the next compartment. Still, it was a little worrisome that despair was said to be waiting for them there.
Dalgil fell into thought. He contemplated if they should keep going or give up. “Too much is no better than too little… Knowing when to give up for a bigger cause can also be considered courage…” Dalgil muttered to himself for a while and looked up. “To tell you all what I think…I want to open the white door. There’s only one compartment left, and I don’t want to quit here.” He softly voiced his thoughts while looking at his comrades. “Of course, I’m well aware of our current condition. I know that it’s an underestimate to say we’re having a difficult time.”
“So I’d like to hear your opinions one by one—”
Bam! A sudden burst of noises rang out in the room. It was a terrible sound of metals clashing. Startled, the expedition members looked at the red door on the stairs. After a while—
Bam! There was another explosive sound. Hawa narrowed her eyes and murmured ‘two’ under her breath. It was not just a tap, but the sound of something hitting the door with all its strength, as if it was trying to break through and eat all those on the other side at all costs.
“Is that from the predators or whatever?” Dalgil asked.
“Yes, it seems to be the case,” Ru Amuh answered.
“They must be very impatient. They came so fast.”
Bam! While Dalgil grumbled, the sound rang in the room again. They banged on the door every seven or eight seconds; the pacing was quite fast.
“Three times now. Since it was written that we have to make a decision before it reaches three-digit, 99 times would be the limit.”
Dalgil snorted at Hawa’s words and said sarcastically, “Then I guess we can rest and talk until the count reaches 90 even though it’s a bit noisy.” However, he didn’t sit down to rest. “Well, there’s no need to go that far. Anyway—”
At that moment, a husky moan interrupted Dalgil. The small figure in Ru Amuh’s arms trembled and wriggled.
“Ca…ptain…?” Bogle called out faintly.