"I managed to... get away... somehow..."

The labyrinth is a kind of otherworld.

It's not simply a connected cave system; inside and outside are clearly separate realms. I can sense the presence of spirit energy, but as soon as I entered the labyrinth, even the aura of the Great Spirit was completely cut off.

If the Great Spirit were to somehow enter the labyrinth, I’d know it instinctively, but that possibility doesn't need to be considered.

The labyrinth forms due to the Great Spirit’s power acting equally throughout.

If that balance is disrupted, the labyrinth will collapse.

According to Refrea, even the Great Spirit wouldn’t go that far... or so it seems. Given how the Great Spirits I’ve encountered recently have felt, I’m not so sure anymore.

"Well... if the Great Spirit comes in here, it's all over,"

There's only so far you can retreat downward.

We might make it to the fourth layer, but descending to the fifth would truly be like being caught between the tiger at the front door and the wolf at the back.

In that case, we'd have no choice but to use random teleportation to escape.

Or maybe, once the Great Spirit enters, the labyrinth itself will collapse?

"…Thinking about it won't help."

Honestly, I was pretty exhausted.

Not just physically, but especially mentally.

Ferdinand died in a way that was close to self-destruction, but whether the story about him being Serika's lover was true or not—well, in the end, we never found out.

As Jeanne said, maybe it's better to forget about Earth.

And probably, Nanami being reselected as a transmigrant was just a lie too.

She had brought up Serika's name. She must have fully understood what Nanami meant to me.

　

Life in another world broadcast worldwide.

The terror of it, both Jeanne and I had fully understood, or at least we should have.

But even with all our precautions, this happened.

"……I'm exhausted. ……Truly exhausted."

Even with stamina potions, sleep deprivation leaves a heavy, lingering fatigue. Your body moves, but your mind remains worn down.

The First Layer, "Twilight Underworld Street," is exactly as its name suggests—a layer resembling a ruined city.

The ceiling is tinted in twilight hues, perpetually evoking an endless dusk.

It seems the locals feel a strange nostalgia here too.

Sometimes, locals come here to pray, believing the souls of the dead who cannot ascend to heaven wander

these grounds. Perhaps because they heard the names of Nanami and Serika

from someone from Earth. Standing within this twilight, I find myself

overwhelmed with sentimentality. I wonder if everyone is living well—whether, even now, they're looking

toward me. I was transferred to this world without ever being able to

say goodbye. Maybe that's

why I can't, as Jeanne suggests, simply accept it and "forget" Earth. Or is it

just because I'm weak? The Twilight Underworld Street is

lined with stone ruins, many of them roofless. I walk listlessly,

eventually entering one of the more suitable buildings.

The skeletons wander the corridors but somehow won't enter indoors.

For now, I'll settle down and wait for Refraya and Jeanne.

Maybe I'll take a short nap.

I haven't slept a full 24 hours.

— Once the two of us meet up, we'll slip past the great spirit's eye and leave this town.

They say the capital city of Stranoya, where Alex and the others went on their mission, has a large port. From there, we'll take a ship to the Southern Ringpil Continent, sail further south, transfer to another ship, and head toward the Rochechil Continent. From Rochechil, we'll travel overland to Gran Arismalis.

It will be a long journey.

But perhaps, during this grueling journey, I'll gradually forget about Earth— that's what I feel.

◇◆◆◆◇

I woke up to the sound of someone's footsteps—somebody's step.

The first layer's abandoned building had no doors, so anyone outside would be immediately noticeable.

At the very moment I realized it wasn't Refleia or Jeanne, but someone else,

a soft popping sound echoed—pash, pash.

"—Huh?"

Again, a small burst of light, like a firework, exploded right before my eyes, and I was struck with a sudden force, thrown back.

"Gah...!"

My body felt hot.

Looking down, I saw that part of the newly crafted mithril scale mail—the chest piece—was dented and pierced through.

Even though I was dozing off, I was still inside the labyrinth.

There was a chance someone might be stealing things (especially on the first layer), and I wasn't fully asleep to begin with.

He hadn't gone so far as to break the barrier stone beforehand, but maybe that had been a mistake.

The man in front of me—the one who'd just attacked me—was standing straight, holding his gun with both hands, observing me.

His eyes and mouth were slack, curled into a smirk.

The masked man.

The one who'd been with Ferdinand.

"Oops, I was aiming for the head."

"Hey, you..."

"I didn't think you'd survive facing the Great Spirit, but too bad. Sleeping here, defenseless like this—what kind of nerve do you have, huh?"

When he'd been with Ferdinand, he'd stayed hidden behind him, saying almost nothing, but this guy now was strangely talkative.

Yet, this man's... that condescending tone and voice... I'd heard it somewhere before—

A hole in my chest is letting something precious slip away second by second, and a wave of numbness spreads through my entire body.

I was on the verge of realizing the culprit's identity, but my physical state gave me no calm moment to think it through.

I’d been shot in the chest with a gun.

(Healing scroll—no, wait, the barrier stone first.)

In my fading consciousness, I managed to pull out the barrier stone and smash it.

"Still got it, huh? Tch, really annoying."

The masked man muttered in annoyance.

I remained leaning against the wall, staring at him with the gun still pointed at me.

The distance between us was about five meters.

Now that Ferdinand is dead, why is this guy still fixated on me?

Don’t tell me he’s gonna start claiming he’s Karen’s boyfriend next—

As my consciousness blurred, I found myself thinking these thoughts when, suddenly, my body began to glow.

Pain, fatigue—everything cleared up as if it had all been a lie.

It was just like using a healing scroll, though I hadn’t used one yet.

　

"Damn it, a substitute ring? I thought I’d killed you."

The answer came from the masked man.

The ring on my right ring finger fell off with a clatter.

For now, I seemed to have escaped the immediate danger.

If only there were a barrier for safety, but he’s got a gun.

If Jeanne or Refleia show up, they might get shot.

I’ll have to neutralize him before then.

The masked man entered the abandoned building completely unguarded.

The gun was still pointed at me, but he was grinning widely—completely careless.

"You didn't know this, did you?"

The masked man said, taking another step forward.

The distance between us had already dropped below three meters.

I gripped the hilt of the sword at my waist with my left hand and lifted my hips slightly, ready to move.

　

The masked man lowered the gun from his left hand and began rummaging in his pocket.

What he pulled out was a barrier stone.

He shattered it in one breath, then raised the gun again with both hands.

A new barrier formed around the masked man.

The new barrier's range overlapped exactly with the one I had created.

I had never imagined what kind of result this would produce.

"No way..."

I couldn't believe it—could they actually merge into one large barrier?

"Die!"

The masked man screamed, foam flying from his mouth, as he pulled the trigger of his gun.

Even as I saw his figure right before me, I felt strangely calm.

(A gun. I've been shot at with one before, with Serika.)

From the look of it, his gun was larger than 9mm— a large .45 caliber pistol.

The recoil would be too strong for an amateur. Since I only took one shot earlier, but heard three gunshots, that means two missed.

I've fired a gun before, but handling firearms—especially pistols—requires skill.

Naturally, you need to be a stable, unwavering foundation to send the bullet straight.

If I had maxed out my stamina, I'd handle it with ease. But this guy has already missed twice. Probably has only level one skill.

Then—

The bullet is fired with a soft *pssh, pssh* sound through the suppressor. It's impossible to dodge a bullet traveling at over 200 meters per second after seeing it.

But if you manage to move far enough away from the line of fire, it's naturally impossible to be hit.

At the exact moment the trigger is pulled, I kicked off with my right foot.

The trigger was pulled, the hammer struck the firing pin, and the firing pin activated the primer in the cartridge.

That brief moment was enough. Thanks to my Level 2 Physical Boost and the benefits of leveling up from monster hunting, I escaped the kill zone.

Pistols are weak against lateral movement, especially at this close range.

Once the aim is lost, there's no way to recover with a handgun.

"Huh? Where the hell are you?"

By the time the masked man realized he'd lost sight of my form, I was already behind him.

　

"Fear"

, whispered like a spell cast at his ear.

A gun is too powerful a weapon.

No matter how much one trains their body, a bullet to a vital spot means certain death.

That's why he must have faced me with absolute confidence—and the only reason I survived his first attack was because he was inexperienced.

Of course, the fact that I had a substitute ring made a big difference too.

In any case, this must have been a miscalculation for the masked man.

　

I'm not familiar with items that allow point exchanges, but there shouldn't have been anything capable of nullifying magic.

The masked man collapsed to his knees, as if all his strength had drained away from the effects of Fear.

"Shadow Bind"

"Summon Dark Knight"

He secured the bind for good measure and had the Dark Knight retrieve the gun.

A large automatic pistol with a suppressor—solid and heavy in his hands.

The magazine was longer than that of a regular pistol, indicating a modified version with a higher ammo capacity.

"Still nine rounds left... You really brought something outrageous."

Jeanne would probably be thrilled if he told her he'd acquired a firearm.

For killing locals, nothing beats a gun.

The masked man had the Dark Knight pin him from behind—now he was completely helpless.

Even if this guy had taken the stamina upgrade at level five, he might have broken free from Dark Knight's restraint, but judging by how he handled the gun, that was unlikely.

The man showed slight resistance, but quickly seemed to realize it was futile.

"Phew... So, what exactly are you? Why did you try to kill me?"

"G... Give it back... That's my gun..."

"I'm not giving it back."

"Damn it... Why... Why would someone like you... Why would someone like you do this... Damn it, damn it, damn it..."

The masked man muttered bitter complaints under his breath.

In the end, he was watching me as a viewer and harbored some kind of resentment... that must be it.

"Answer me. Why did you try to kill me?"

The masked man looked up at me and said, grinning with a creepy smile.

"...I was with that girl... with Soma Nanami. We were lovers. That girl you killed, you know?"

"………………huh? What was that?"

"I was dating Soma Nanami."

"……I didn't mishear, did I?"

It's fine that Ferdinand said he was Selica's lover.

I didn't know everything about my younger sister, and brothers having secrets—well, maybe even a hundred or two hundred—wasn't surprising, especially since Selica had such a wide circle of friends.

But Nanami's boyfriend? That's a bit hard to believe.

"So you're saying you're from the same town as me and Nanami? Or maybe even from the same school? ...No, that voice..."

"That's right. We're from the same school. If you took off the mask, wouldn't you recognize me?"

"Mask? Wasn't it just to hide some injury?"

The man didn't answer.

Ordered Dark Knight to remove the mask—

"...You... that time..."

The tone and voice made him briefly consider the possibility.

But in reality, it was an astronomically low chance, a probability so negligible that dismissing it posed no problem.

Yet, that face was unforgettable.

There, in the mask, was the face of a nameless classmate—the one who had slaughtered Nanami, her father, and her mother.