Chương 38: Chapter 10 First Contact(Part 3)

Tachibana's POV"First, it's time."

"Is it?" Tsukasa—no, First—rose to her feet.

"Then let us continue. The end of our little picnic is close at hand." The transformation was immediate. The exhausted woman who had been sprawled across the floor moments ago vanished. In her place stood the mysterious guide from the beginning of the broadcast. Watching it happen was unsettling. Actors immersed themselves in their roles all the time. But this felt deeper than acting. As though she had become someone else entirely. With a faint smile, she led us onward.

The Fourth Floor proved far more complicated than the previous levels. Branches split in every direction. Containers appeared frequently. Most contained the same things we'd already found—gold coins, raw materials, and various strange items. One container, however, held something different. A small ampoule filled with pink liquid. I picked it up and activated my appraisal skill. Healing Potion That was all. No details. No explanation.

"First?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you know what this is?"

"Of course." She took the ampoule casually.

"A healing potion."

"How can you tell?"

"Because I have some." She reached into her ring and produced three more ampoules. These were different. One contained crimson liquid. One was completely black. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. The last was black as well, but tiny lights shimmered inside it like stars.

"Appraise them." I did. The results left me speechless. The crimson potion could heal severe injuries and broken bones almost instantly. The black potion could regenerate lost limbs. The black-and-starlit potion... I reread the description twice. Then a third time.

"Impossible."

"Is it?"

"According to this, if used within a certain time limit, it can restore someone even if they're reduced to fragments."

"Ah." First smiled.

"So that one's the strongest after all." I stared at her. She was discussing a miracle as casually as someone comparing brands of coffee.

"Where did you get these?"

"They were given to me."

"You can obtain more?"

"Probably."

"Can we negotiate with the Sotes?"

"No." The answer came instantly.

"They don't care what we want." Her smile faded slightly.

"They'll move heaven and earth to accomplish their goals."

"But our requests?" She shook her head.

"Different story." I returned the potions. Even one of them would reshape the world. All three together could overturn medicine itself. Yet she stored them away as if they were ordinary supplies.

"Look again." She handed me the pink potion. I activated Appraisal. This time, more information appeared. Not much. But more than before. I blinked.

"My skill improved."

"Exactly."

"Just from handling it?"

"Congratulations." She sounded genuinely pleased.

"Looks like you've grown a little." The implications were enormous. Skills could develop. Knowledge could deepen. The Gate rewarded experience.

"Want those stronger potions?" First asked.

"Then search."

"Search where?" She pointed vaguely ahead.

"Somewhere inside."

"That isn't helpful."

"I never said it would be." Hours later, after exploring every path on the Fourth Floor, we finally located the stairs leading down. The Fifth Floor. Our destination. The place where the exit should be. We descended carefully. Miyafuji approached me and lowered his voice.

"Message from Itsuki."

"How bad?"

"Public Security is gathering outside." I sighed. Of course they were. A live broadcast revealing monsters, magic, and impossible resources would attract attention. The fact that we'd lasted this long without interruption was already a miracle.

"They can't arrest us in here," I replied quietly.

"Not yet."

"True." Miyafuji nodded.

"Equipment's holding up, but we don't know how much longer."

"Let's hope it's enough." Before we could continue the conversation, First glanced back.

"Problem?"

"Nothing important."

"Good." She smiled.

"Let's hurry."

"You have plans after this?"

"Tomorrow?" Her smile widened. For a moment, the mysterious Witch vanished. The expression belonged entirely to Tsukasa.

"Yes." She looked almost shy.

"I'm taking my wife shopping."

Tsukasa's POV At last. The Fifth Floor. Rina had begged me not to come. I'd ignored her. But now it was almost over. Somewhere on this floor was the exit gate. Find it. Leave. Mission accomplished. Simple. Or at least, that was the plan. Unfortunately, reality had other ideas.

"This floor has way too many branches."

"No kidding." We'd already passed more intersections than I could count. Without my floating fire markers, we'd have gotten lost hours ago. The Gate wasn't designed for human navigation. Eventually, after another maze of stone corridors, we found something important. And something very inconvenient. The exit gate. And monsters. Several of them. We immediately ducked behind cover.

"See that?" I whispered. Tachibana nodded.

"The sign says Exit."

"Good." Unfortunately, six monsters were standing between us and it. Two of the anemone-headed creatures. Four Three-Eyes. A lovely welcome party.

"How many can you handle?"

"Five fighters including Miyafuji."

"Not ideal."

"No." I glanced toward the Fire Mage. Then back at the monsters.

"We open with magic."

"Works for me."

"You're counting."

"Understood." I tightened my grip on the rod. The monsters still hadn't noticed us. Good. Maybe we'd get lucky. Tachibana raised a hand.

"Three." Everyone tensed.

"Two." Weapons came up. I felt the familiar pressure building inside my chest.

"One." Tachibana's hand dropped.

"GO!"