How a Regressor Conquers the Tower of Urban Legends
Chapter 24
I struggled through the darkness alone, trying my best to ignore the sound of cotton being torn apart.
The mascot...
It had run off before I could even say anything.
At the very least, shouldn't we have discussed what we were going to do?
Judging from its actions, it had almost certainly used the Mannequin's Hand itself.
I didn't know what it had wished for.
But whatever the wish had been, it had caused the monster to chase the mascot instead of me.
Of course, I understood that there hadn't been time for a discussion.
Even so, I couldn't help feeling bitter.
Should I just kill myself now?
Without the mascot, clearing the floor would be a problem in itself.
If I cleared it now, I'd have to tackle the next floor without the mascot.
Moving forward without it...
That was impossible.
"..."
I clenched my fists.
The mascot had given me this life and bought me this time.
I shouldn't waste it by dying immediately.
Instead, I needed to discover as much about the route as possible.
But if I somehow reached the exit, I would kill myself there.
If I memorized the route before starting again, I should be able to clear the floor much more easily than before.
Right.
That was what I'd do.
At the very least, I needed to find the entrance to the back door.
Or perhaps discover a way to defeat those monsters.
Only then would I be able to start over with some peace of mind.
With that decision made, I continued walking.
I pushed endlessly forward through the darkness.
The monster that had been chasing us still hadn't come after me.
Was it busy eating something?
I thought for a moment.
The entrance to the back door.
I searched the notebook carefully, but there was nothing particularly helpful.
Most people had found their way through as quickly as possible before the two monsters could meet.
Those who hadn't managed that had still escaped through the ordinary exit, apparently by relying on their abilities or getting somewhat lucky.
[27. I somehow managed to get through by using my ability.]
[27. But it's something only I can do, so I don't think leaving a tip would be very helpful.]
[27. Good luck.]
[43. I don't think there's any answer except to run like crazy...]
[43. My ability and everything else were useless, so I just ran.]
[43. Fortunately, running marathons was my hobby. Otherwise, I probably would've died long ago...]
Nobody mentioned the monster guarding the exit.
"..."
The people who encountered it probably died before they could record anything.
After passing through roughly seven different stages, I'd started developing certain questions about this place.
The monsters knew about the notebook.
And yet none of them could destroy it.
Or perhaps they'd tried to destroy it and simply failed.
I remembered what the creatures had said earlier.
Oh! That one! Why couldn't we eat the notebook after eating the person?
Because we couldn't swallow it!
Those creatures knew the notebook existed.
They'd even tried to destroy it.
But they couldn't.
Why?
Was the notebook considered an item?
Even if it was, those creatures belonged to this building, didn't they?
And wasn't this building essentially a place designed to devour humans?
Then what was the notebook's purpose?
Countless theories circulated through my mind, but I still didn't have enough evidence to reach a definite conclusion.
I continued walking.
After a while...
"..."
A tall wall appeared before me.
It was different from the walls I'd seen so far.
"What is this?"
I raised my fist and knocked against it.
Knock. Knock.
It sounded solid.
Was this section indestructible?
Or had the monster simply not destroyed it yet?
I still couldn't hear anything moving.
Was the monster still eating the mascot?
Or perhaps...
"..."
No.
Don't think about something so horrible.
For now, let's keep going.
I placed my left hand against the wall and carefully walked alongside it.
I wanted to run, but my legs weren't cooperating.
After running so much earlier, they were trembling uncontrollably.
I followed the wall for some time.
Eventually, an iron door appeared.
There was a small keyhole in it.
A key?
I frantically searched the surrounding area.
But there wasn't even a trace of one.
Naturally, no matter how much I pulled or pushed, the door showed no sign of opening.
I wanted to search more thoroughly.
But a rustling sound in the distance eventually forced me to leave.
Staying in one place for too long was clearly a bad idea.
I continued walking.
After a while...
"..."
The wall ended.
A rather large opening appeared.
It looked as though something with an enormous body had forced its way inside.
How should I describe it?
It looked exactly like...
"...A place that larva could fit into."
If the larva entered, it would probably leave a hole about this size.
I looked inside.
An indescribably disgusting smell assaulted my nose.
"Ugh..."
I couldn't even bring myself to relax my deeply furrowed brow.
Still, I stepped inside.
"...?"
Photographs appeared before me.
They were pictures of the orphanage that the mascot and I had examined earlier.
Why are these here?
Unable to hide my confusion, I picked one up and examined it.
This photograph was different from the earlier ones.
Some children were smiling and waving.
Others had their lips pushed forward, looking openly displeased.
Could the creatures that had been chasing me have once been children at this orphanage?
No.
That didn't seem right.
"These photographs are completely different."
Even their facial features were different.
If I showed both photographs to a hundred people on the street, I was certain they'd all say they depicted different individuals.
Then why were these pictures here?
I went deeper into the opening.
The disgusting smell grew stronger.
But the worse it became, the more convinced I felt.
There was a high probability that this path led to the back door.
However...
Something felt strangely unsettling.
"..."
I was beginning to feel that something was wrong.
It was different from the floors I'd encountered so far.
The unpleasant atmosphere was familiar.
So was the strange sensation of a place that resembled reality but was somehow different.
And yet...
"Why do I feel so uneasy?"
My instinctive anxiety wouldn't disappear.
I suppressed it and continued farther inside.
"Ow."
Thud.
I bumped into something.
"..."
A wall.
An invisible wall.
I immediately remembered what had happened on the third floor.
There had been something similar there.
I'd climbed the cliff in an attempt to cross the sea.
After repeatedly smashing my head against an invisible barrier, I'd managed to reach the forest.
This felt much the same.
Would an exit appear if I kept hitting my head against it?
There was a good chance.
