The Shaman can't become a Hero
Act 2: Pig
Chapter 7: First time Spelunking
"A-ah... I'm sorry, please don't do anything painful, please."
Right now, I'm in full blown begging-for-my-life mode. I hope you don't see this as shameful though.
"Momokawa Kotarou. To have met again, we are thus glad."
I face the Grim Reaper, or rather, the God who bestowed me with the oh-so-wonderful vocation of shaman, Curse God Ruinhilde. A skeleton body similar to the one you could find in the biology lab, he unleashes a fierce, indomitable presence.
Not only is that skull face in the worn out black robe super scary, I also had painful experiences with him like having my head messed with and chest pierced. So, obviously, with no half-baked-ness, I'd up and start begging for mercy.
"Umm... Have I perhaps, done something wrong?"
Please spare me from unfair scoldings like, Pathetic, to be done in by some DQN despite being a shaman. As I can't really reply to a literal God with, Then why don't you just give me some super strong Curse to make Higuchi suffer and die, huh.
Thine grudge, it doth taste rather sweet, we praise thou.
It seems he's not angry for that event, but rather seems happy. Whew, I'm relieved from the bottom of my heart. I can't even imagine what this God'd do to me if I made him mad.
"Yes, it was my pleasure. Then, why have I been called here, if I may inquire?"[1]
I’d suddenly woken up, to find myself in this God's space. Though in pitch darkness, strangely, you can see each other and the surroundings. Like outer space scenes in Sci-Fi movies.
I was in the fairy square, testing out various mixtures of herbs, but seems like my fatigue had built up and I'd dozed off.
That's a safe area not approached by any monsters, so sleeping there wouldn't be a problem. I hope nothing attacks my immobile, defenseless body lying there on the flower garden. No, not in the sexual meaning, the predatory one.
"We shalt grant thee, a novel Curse."
"Eh!? You will! Thankyou very much!"
An unexpected level-up. I guess the beating the Armor Bear must have gotten me a heap of exp. I mean, that thing has to be at least mid-boss tier. If you got that guy as you first encounter in a game, that would be a game-breaking bug.
Whatever it is, if I can get a new move, I'll thankfully accept. If possible, something that can directly damage monsters. Please, God.
"Recieveth it well."
With such majestic phrasing, Ruinhilde's arm moves. Um, feel like I've seen this bef- when that bad feeling had raced through my body, the bony right hand was already gripping my head. More specifically, it was gripping my slightly long black hair.
"U uwaAAa! Again- gUFuoAAAAaa!?"
While I was crying out, he had spear handed me right in the middle of the belly. My hard-abs-less squishy abdomen offered not the slightest resistance, and let the sharp fingertips pass through all too easily.
"Begrudge, envy, but stops not thine legs. Indeed, doth thou possess the aptness of a Shaman. We expect much, young devotee, Momokawa Kotarou."
Ruinhilde was rattling his skull face saying something, but I didn't have a moment, even a speck of time to listen to God's words. Actually, my consciousness is already... Ah, damn, what is this nightmare...
"Alright, got myself a new blessing, made lots of meds too, time to head out!"
I’d received the blessing like one of those splatter films, and was a bit depressed, so tried to get myself riled up even if forcefully. I mean, if I don't then I'd never have the guts to step into that dark passage AKA 'underground labyrinth dungeon'.
"H-headin' oouuut..."
In the end, with terrified-witless steps, I really began my dungeon spelunking.
The thin rubber soles of my indoor shoes clearly transmitted the feeling of stone underfoot. The fairy square seemed like a neatly cut off nature park, right after which, the passage was made in stone only, like the stairway.
However, those gray walls were rough, covered in mosses, and had large cracks running along them. Breaking through the gaps in the stone, unknown weeds sprouted everywhere.
Intuition Pharmacy was like, "Weeds with no effect at all. Worthless. They should just go extinct.", and dishing out some sick burns-cum-explanations in my head. Was it always this kind of power?[2]
Though these weeds were growing so happily, there's no mistaking that this place was deep underground where the sun’s light doesn't reach.
The light here, is of course that same magic white light. However, the space between these luminescent magic tiles was sparse, and the light didn't reach each and every corner of the of the passage. From the edges of areas shrouded in darkness, I felt like I saw some big bugs crawling about.
"Ha, ahaha... no way, can't be a cockro-"
Another rustle as I swallow my breath. The shadow reflected in my vision for an instant, looked nothing but like that reddish brown thing that's hated unilaterally all across Japan.
I'm not that bad with insects, and won't hesitate to smash that with a rolled up newspaper. Nevertheless, if it gets to palm sized, it's no good. Something, many things are no good. That's not something humans can handle. We'll go into decline.
Shivering in such thoughts, I just quickly keep walking through the passage without checking left, right or back. Fortunately, I stopped hearing any of the creepy noises that makes. Fuu~ as I breath a sincere sigh of relief, my feet stop.
"Fork in the road... no, looks like a main road."
At the end of the passage, appeared a large open area. On the ceiling high up, I see the large type luminescent tiles which light up the present scenery. And also, paths that could hold 2 lanes of cars, splitting in front of me.
"Kinda, looks like long tunnels."
Though their semi-circular ceilings were orange in color though, there isn't a sodium bulb in sight. Looking left or right, the road, slightly curves until it melds into the darkness. It felt like a subway train could come out from there any second.
"I'll go... right."
I'd opened the magic notebook to check the compass. The arrow on the dimly glowing white magic circle did in fact indicate towards the right-hand-side road. Not shaking or wavering, pointed stiff.
I, having nothing else to rely on, kept on walking where the arrow so confidently indicated with no particular doubts.
"This thing, isn't broken or anything, right?"
When it isn't changing at all thirty minutes into walking in the tunnel, naturally, those kinds of doubts would surface. Every time I check the notebook, the arrow's still just pointing forward.
I needlessly doubt it for a few more dozens of minutes. The arrow shifts direction.
"Uaa... is this was really ok?"
The arrow pointed straight at the back of a wall that was crumbling, revealing a narrow passage. Without a doubt, that doesn't look like it was made along with this tunnel, but by someone else who drilled a hole to the other side.
Along the way here, I'd seen similar places with the wall crumbled, but if you tell me to go into one, I'd be a little hesitant.
Well, no use worrying. This must work as a shortcut, with such positive thoughts, I slide myself into the large crack in the wall.
And inside, there was a passage just like the one I entered in from, from the fairy square. So similar, I was beginning to doubt, this dungeon consisted of only these tunnel and dim passage type paths.
For now, without expecting any spectacular fantasy-esque scenery, I started walking on when,
"-Dagoaa!"
I heard a voice.
"Who's... no, not a person..."
At first, I thought it could be a classmate shouting. But, that voice didn't sound Japanese at all, it was a jarring cry impossible to comprehend. Could be someone from this world speaking its language, but the roughness of it, could be some beast as well.
"...looks like it's from that room."
The voice had come from a door midway through this straight passage. Seemed like the inside of the room was brighter than in here, and white light was seeping in through the slightly opened door. It was just the right gap to peek through.
This could even be a new monster following the Armor Bear. If it finds me, I have no countermeasures at all. The new Curse I got from Curse God Ruinhilde is, unfortunately, not the offensive kind.
Though I feared it dangerous, that didn't stop me from checking what lay inside that room. I got curious, I got super curious about it. Really, if there's a new monster, I at least want to confirm what it looks like. I could get some valuable insights too.
Feeling my rapidly rising heartbeat, I kill the sound of my footsteps, and stealthily approach the door. The indecipherable cry reaching my ears get progressively louder. I get the image of that wood-like door being kicked open and the owner of that cry jumping out, in my head, as I finally reach the door.
I hold my breath, and slowly, peer into the gap-
"--!?"
Not a shout, not a sound of surprise. That I didn't do either of those could be said to be nothing but miraculous. Because, what I saw beyond the door, broke past my imagination.
"They're eating... human..."
I only said that in my head. Eating human flesh. If I had to say it in words, those would match what I was seeing.
It was a stone room with no peculiar features. The size would be about half of a class room. Diagonally at the edge of the room form the door I was peeking from, were 3 shadows.
No, those were really only black in color. Those bodies glistening black under the white light as if smeared in oil, gave me the same aversion as when I saw those cockroaches. But they, standing on two legs, holding things with their two hands, wearing worn and torn clothing, seemed much closer to humans than any roach.
Nevertheless, no one has to convince me that those 3 black things are not human at all. Eating a person, with just that one point, I refuse to acknowledge them as human.
"huff... huf.... What the hell, is that monster..."
At the back of the room, those three are gathered around something- no, I already recognized what that was. Lying there was unmistakably, a girl from my class. In the middle of that red-black pool of blood, I spotted the familiar deep-blue sailor uniform. From that pleated skirt, the legs peeking out shone strangely white.
Though I could see so clearly, I didn't know that girl's name. Because I can't see her face. From my position I could only see the back of the head, with black shoulder length hair- just the back of the head, disconnected to the body, rolling on the floor.
To add, it was not only her head, but both arms were missing from her body too. Right arm from the shoulder, and left, from the elbow, had been cut away.
Grunch, grunch, resounds the vulgar sound of mastication. The missing arms were each in the possession of one of the black ones who were in the middle of gnawing at those white slender fingertips.
"Ugh...uu..."
The contents of my stomach were flowing back up, but I managed to swallow it down. I wonder if I got some resistance from watching all those zombie flicks with Masaru that had nothing but the gore going for them.
Still, no masterpiece of horror filmography can hope to accomplish what this undoubtedly real scene presented in cruelty, frustration, discomfort, disgust... ah, I feel sick, so sick... a feeling, nothing but, sick.
I look at the black thing's face as it chews the middle finger of the right hand. A face uglier than even zombies.
Its piercing round, yellow eyeballs stand out from the pitch-black skin. Though they seem to glitter in the light, it's unlike the shine of gold, but rather like the yolk of a rotten egg.
Its nose at the center of its face was short as if smashed in. Maybe human meat is just that good, or perhaps is it eating a girl that got them excited, I don't even want to know. But seeing that rough breathing through its nostrils, it sure gave that kind of impression.
Most of all, its mouth, wholeheartedly indulging in the white finger with no thought of wiping off the dripping blood, gave me the worst disgust. A big mouth deviating from the meaning of that expression. Its mouth stretched up to the middle of its cheeks. From that large oral cavity peeked out white and yellow filthy, uneven teeth, and a strangely long red tongue. Its teeth tore away at the finger meat, like a leech, not spilling a single drop of blood, then licking the meatless finger bones.
It's unbearable to look at, but those two eating just the hands were still better. Much better than the other one. Lifting up the hem of the sailor uniform, it was excitedly shoving its face into the slender, white, naked belly underneath. Shoved it right in the middle where you'd find the navel. It was slurping out her intestines from there and devouring them. Even though it had its two hands, it still ate like a stray dog eating from a trash can. Despite it's human form, it's filthy dining wouldn't be seen in even monkeys.
"Huff... huff... g-gotta get out of-!?"
"Guuara!"
Suddenly, one of them raised a shrill cry. Throwing aside the half-eaten right arm, it grabbed the rusted axe hanging by its waist, and turned around. Yes, it turned around right towards the door I'm peeking from.
Crap, they found me-
"DegyeEEE!"
Or so I'd've thought, but it turned back round right there. Seems like, it hadn't actually noticed me.
The hell man, fuck you, scaring me like that. As I was cursing them in my heart,
Chok! a dull sound reverberated throughout the room. What is that- before I question the sound, that things action burns into my eyes.
It had swung down its axe at full power. Where? it's obvious. On her corpse. The target was the leg. At the base of the thigh.
Chok-chock, chek-chok. The sound of piercing meat repeats. I saw it madly striking repeatedly with the unsharpened, rusted blade. The part of the human body, next in thickness after the waist, was battered countless times by the unwieldly axe. Rather than being cleanly severed, it was raggedly being shaven into.
The girl's pale legs are drenched in blood and defiled in red cuts. The skirt, turned up from the violence, revealing a pair of prim light-blue underwear, only to be accentuated the graphicness of it all. I'd dream of staring at a girl's panties, but that thing's vigorous axe thrashing, made it completely into a nightmare.
Yes, a nightmare. Being attacked by the Armor Bear, having my core stolen by Higuchi. That misfortune felt oh so warm. Right now I felt like the luckiest person in the world. I mean, I'm here, alive, and she's there, dead, being eaten. In all vulgarity and sloppiness, by those ugly, barbaric monsters, devoured to bits.
"GuveEE!"
Crkk, a different, larger sound reached my ears. It was undoubtedly the sound on the femur being forcefully split after half of it had been chopped through. Then, finally it grabbed the chopped off leg with both hands, and sank its filthy wide mouth into the meaty thigh in ecstasy.
I unwillingly hear it going GueE or Buhea as if it's satisfied with the dish it's gorging on.
"No... no... just, enough already..."
The two others, as if provoked by the one ravishing its leg, started wildly fighting over the half-eaten thigh in that one's hands. At that juncture, I'd had enough, and slowly backed away with my trembling feet.
That's enough insight. Much more than enough. I understand that this dungeon has demons that'll happily devour human flesh.
From their hairless, slimier than smooth, bald head, with two short protrusions like a deformed snail shell sticking out, I'd be right in calling them demons.
"I have to get out... absolutely, no matter what... from this hell"
With unabated fear rising from deep in my heart, I rapidly advance through the dark passage.
[1]He's super polite with kamisama.
[2]Intuition Pharmacy-chan confirmed for best girl :D