Chương 37: Chapter 10 First Contact(Part 2)

Tsukasa's POV Not long after, we found the entrance to the Fourth Floor and continued deeper into the Gate. The fight had left me with a troubling realization. I had assumed monsters would be relatively similar. The Three-Eye and this thing were clearly not. The giant creature had barely moved, which was the only reason I'd managed to defeat it without injury. But what if there were several of them? What if they were fast? The thought alone was enough to make my stomach tighten. I glanced back.

Tachibana and the others were gripping their weapons far more tightly than before. They'd seen the fight. Seen what kind of place this really was. A little farther ahead, we entered another room filled with containers. Perfect timing. I was exhausted.

"Tachibana."

"Yes?"

"I'm tired." I dropped onto a nearby crate.

"Let's take a break. Stop the stream for now."

"A break?"

"An hour should do. Eat something. Drink some water."

"As you wish, First." Tachibana signaled to Miyafuji. The camera shut off. The three scarfed officers continued watching the entrance, weapons still in hand. Poor guys. I created a floating fireball near the corridor as a makeshift lantern. Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Then I finally released my self-hypnosis. The effect was immediate. An avalanche of exhaustion crashed into me. My legs gave out. I sat down heavily.

Then stretched out flat on my back. I didn't want to move. Ever again.

"Thank you for your hard work," Tachibana said.

"No, seriously. Thank you." I laughed weakly.

"My acting was pretty convincing, wasn't it?"

"Convincing?" Tachibana lit a cigarette and sat beside me.

"At this point, I can't tell which version of you is the real one." That was probably fair. I turned my head. The three officers had finally relaxed enough to start eating. Miyafuji was checking the footage while chewing on a sandwich. Everyone looked exhausted.

"Sorry for making you fight alone," Tachibana said quietly.

"Don't be." I waved a hand.

"I was the obvious choice." I had experience. Barely. But more than anyone else here.

"And we don't have time to ease into this." That was the truth. Nobody knew what tomorrow would bring. This stream was already exposing things humanity wasn't prepared to hear. Gold. Resources. Monsters. And most importantly— The Gates weren't going away. Even if someone tried launching one into space, I doubted it would work. The Sotes had entrusted me with a task. I'd accepted. Which meant I needed answers. More answers. Sooner or later, I'd have to return to the altar and ask them directly.

"Tsukasa-san?" Miyafuji approached nervously.

"Something wrong?"

"Actually... yes." He scratched his head awkwardly.

"I chose Fire Mage."

"Congratulations."

"Thanks. The problem is I have absolutely no idea how to use it." That earned a laugh from me. Fair enough. I'd mostly been improvising too.

"Do you remember the phrase that appeared in your head?"

"The weird one?"

"Yeah."

"Think. Imagine. Visualize. Control. Manifest. Break the laws of reality."

"That's the one." Miyafuji nodded.

"I still have no idea what it means."

"Neither did I." I sat up and held out my hand.

"When my lighter ran out earlier, I wanted a flame." A small sphere of fire appeared above my palm. Everyone nearby turned toward it.

"I think that's the process."

"The process?"

"Think about what you want." The fireball drifted slowly.

"Imagine it exists." Another sphere appeared. A floating orb of water.

"Visualize it clearly." A gust of wind formed beside it.

"Figure out how it should work." A lump of earth appeared next.

"Then manifest it." The four elements hovered together.

"After that?" I grinned.

"You break reality and tell the universe it's happening anyway." The officers stared. Miyafuji stared harder.

"That's your explanation?"

"Pretty much."

"That's terrifying."

"Magic tends to be." The fire mage groaned and rubbed his forehead. Still, he closed his eyes and concentrated.

"Come on," I said.

"You were chosen for the class. There has to be a reason." Miyafuji frowned.

"Fire... fire..." Then suddenly— A tiny flame appeared above his palm. Everyone froze. Miyafuji blinked. The flame remained.

"You did it." His expression became strangely distant.

"... I was in a fire once."

"Uh."

"It was hot."

"... Congratulations?" His thousand-yard stare suggested there was probably a story there. A traumatic one. I decided not to ask. Some doors didn't need opening. Especially inside a dungeon.