48 Split, path?

Continuing forward along the dangerous single path of the lower levels, finally, at last, I have arrived!

A fork in the road!

A path?

Yes.

Before me lies an unbroken expanse.

That is, it is not a path splitting, nor one spreading out, nor one vanishing entirely.

How wide? Even my eyes, capable of piercing darkness through Dark Vision, cannot see ahead.

Hmm.

Which way should I proceed?

With the previous single path, there was no confusion. But this empty, vast space—this is a problem.

It is like entering a desert with no path at all.

Not knowing which direction to take—this is truly frightening.

One might walk endlessly through a landscape that never changes, unconsciously tracing a wide arc, and ultimately return to the starting point.

It's not as if one could be a spider, but truly, no idea which direction to take.

Landmarks would be pillars of rock scattered here and there.

But they all look alike—too similar to serve as reliable markers.

Snails are everywhere; one wouldn't starve even in the worst case, but getting lost might go unnoticed.

Well, back to fundamentals of dungeon navigation—move along the wall.

As before, follow the right wall.

But it's vast.

The horizontal span is immense.

And vertically, it's wide as well.

The ceiling, supported by rock pillars, appears to be about one hundred meters high.

A height that demands looking up.

Ironically, despite being inside a dungeon, there is no sense of confinement.

Strange—though entirely made of rock, it carries the grandeur of nature itself.

Here, one becomes acutely aware of how insignificant they truly are.

In a past life, there was a television program about the world’s hidden wonders.

At the time, it did not evoke any sense of wonder.

The beautiful landscapes seen through a screen were, ultimately, stories from a distant world with no relevance to me.

No emotion of wonder existed—only indifference.

Even now, I find it strange that I watched it at all.

But I am here now.

This place is my world.

It is not irrelevant.

Indifference is no longer possible.

To feel wonder at the place where one stands—something impossible when I was human.

Even if I had remained in a nest called home, I could not have achieved this.

In that sense, I may owe gratitude to the arsonist who dragged me into the outside world.

Ah, thinking about it again—I’m annoyed.

No, forget it.

How could I possibly feel gratitude toward someone like that?

Next time I see him, I’ll wrap him in string, drag him through the dungeon, and finish him off with a poisoned fang.

Hmph.

Recalling something unpleasant.

I’ll take a moment to gaze upon the grandeur of this dungeon and regain composure.

‘Failed to鉴定 status of Baguraguratch LV14.’

A massive monster appears silently.

The overall aura is sluggish, vaguely resembling a sloth—slow-moving, dull—but its mouth shatters that impression entirely.

A crocodile-like maw, bristling with countless jagged fangs.

A grotesque mouth attached to a primate-like torso creates a severe imbalance—visually oppressive and menacing.

Not healing at all.

Indeed.

This is a dungeon.

Not nature.

This is dangerous.

Understood?

Yes, confirmed.

Thus, suppressing all traces, escape initiated.

Managed to avoid detection.

Well, I couldn’t help but imagine something unsettling.

This vast, endless expanse—surely not the lowest level?

Don’t know the criteria for level transitions, but a stretch of straight path leading to such an open area—calling this a level shift isn’t unreasonable.

The path was straight. No strong sense of descent. But perhaps it was a gradual slope, imperceptible to notice.

Considering that…

No.

Definitely not.

Just exited a wide area.

Yes.

Or perhaps ascended into the middle layer.

Ah, that one’s valid.

Yes. This is undoubtedly the middle layer.

Huh. Finally escaped the dangerous zone of the lower levels.

『Failed to鉴定 status of Baguragurachi LV8』

『Failed to鉴定 status of Baguragurachi LV4』

『Failed to鉴定 status of Baguragurachi LV11』

There's no way something like this belongs in the middle layer.

I'm invisible.

Ah, a spider.

For now, suppress presence.

Slip away quietly.

After gaining sufficient distance, recall—hadn't yet examined the monster.

『Baguragurachi: Aberrant creature with massive jaws. Moves in groups, attacks prey collectively.』

Huh.

Even stronger-looking, and still in groups?

No chance of victory.

Yeah.

Forget the middle layer theory.

This isn't middle-layer difficulty—this is ridiculous!

Ugh. Just praying I'm not actually still in the lowest layer.