Chapter 36

How a Regressor Conquers the Tower of Urban Legends

Chapter 36

I opened my eyes.

Fortunately, there wasn't a sack falling toward my head.

The brutal, ancient interior of the elevator filled my vision, while countless memories rushed through my mind.

The gills that had suddenly appeared on my neck.

The fact that I'd been able to speak underwater.

And that thing that had wrapped itself around me...

"Uwegh!"

The moment I remembered the music, my stomach turned.

"...!!"

I grabbed the elevator wall and retched.

The mascot immediately approached with both hands outstretched.

"...I'm fine."

I raised a hand to stop it and looked away.

I remembered the thoughts I'd been having just before I died.

Thoughts I would never normally have.

If I had to describe them, they were almost fanatical.

I'd completely discarded concern for my own safety and any rational assessment of the situation.

All that mattered was acting for the sake of some greater collective good.

And...

"..."

I touched the headset still covering my ears.

Even with the headset on, I'd still gone insane.

That meant the problem wasn't simply the sound.

The moment I touched the water itself, something went wrong.

Then what was I supposed to do?

Was there a way to solve this without ever touching the water?

"...?"

"I'm fine. Give me a second."

I stepped out of the elevator and sank into thought.

The notebook was still in my hand.

What had I missed?

First, I absolutely couldn't get near that thing with the lungs protruding from its neck.

Whenever I did, the water flooded in.

And once I touched the water...

"..."

I didn't want to remember what happened after that.

There was no need to deliberately revisit a memory that disgusting.

I forcibly shifted my thoughts elsewhere.

How do I get out of here?

"...Damn it. I seriously can't think of anything."

"?"

"Nothing."

I looked away from the mascot, which had been patting my back.

For starters, that creature wasn't something I could fight.

Then again, I wasn't sure there was anything in this place I could fight.

Which meant someone else would have to deal with it.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...?"

"Yeah. No matter how I look at it, we're completely outmatched."

"????"

The mascot stared at me as if I were saying something ridiculous.

I ignored it and continued thinking.

We couldn't win through combat.

Then how were we supposed to get past?

I mentally reviewed every item I possessed.

The Silent Headset.

The old flip phone.

The mascot... though I wasn't sure whether I should count it as an item.

And the Mannequin's Hand.

"..."

Nothing.

I couldn't see any obvious solution with what I had.

Then let's organize everything I could use.

I sat down on the floor, flipped through the notebook, placed the phone beside me, and thought.

"There is one way..."

"?"

A method suddenly came to mind.

The downside was that if it failed, I could die.

Unfortunately for that downside, I was already far too experienced with dying.

I abruptly stood.

The mascot looked at me curiously.

Ignoring that, I met its gaze and spoke.

"Let's go back."

I had business in the lobby.

"...!! ...!"

The entire way back, the mascot kept anxiously looking around.

"Maybe I really should teach you how to read."

It understood spoken language, but not being able to communicate through writing was extremely inconvenient.

Next time we reached Floor 0.5, maybe I should actually try teaching it.

While thinking that, I looked ahead.

"Found him."

The figure in the doctor's coat was wandering around while holding the eyeball I'd given it.

Calling it a person was admittedly a stretch.

"...Phew."

I took a deep breath and walked toward it.

The doctor-like figure straightened when it saw me.

The eyeball in its hand spun around and stared at me in a distinctly threatening way.

The mascot immediately stepped protectively in front of me.

I held out a hand to stop it.

Then I spoke.

"There's water ahead."

"..."

"And there's a monster there with lungs growing out of its neck."

"..."

"I need your help."

"..."

The figure silently stared at me.

Then it raised one hand.

It didn't point at me.

It pointed toward the corridor I'd just come from.

"Yes. I'll guide you."

I started walking.

The figure watched me for a moment, then slowly followed.

It showed no sign of hostility.

"...!"

The mascot stayed beside me, staring warily at the figure.

I looked away from the worried mascot.

"The world I came from wasn't like this..."

"...?"

"But I think this world was destroyed."

A world drowned beneath endless water.

The people of Jeina Tree Hospital had probably tried everything they could think of to save humanity.

Whether through rescue, research, or whatever methods remained available.

"There must have been people who struggled desperately to save others."

"..."

"That doesn't mean I think what they did was right."

Understanding their circumstances and agreeing with their actions were two different things.

I had no idea what methods they'd tried in order to overcome the disaster.

All I knew was that those methods included horrific things like modifying humans into mermaid-like creatures.

Still...

"...At least I think I know what their enemy is."

The fishy smell grew stronger.

Soon, I heard splashing.

The doctor-like figure was now standing beside me.

Still holding the eyeball.

Completely still, as though rooted to the ground.

The splashing grew louder.

The creature standing in the water began moving again.

Dancing.

No.

I knew now that it wasn't dancing.

A creature born to live underwater couldn't survive properly on land.

Those movements were nothing more than desperate attempts to stay alive.

And I wasn't the only one who understood that.

SPLASH!

The figure beside me suddenly kicked off the floor and charged forward.

Before I could react, the doctor-like figure collided with the lung-creature.

CRASH!

The two tangled together and rolled straight into the water.

"...Now!"

This was our chance.

"Carry me!"

"??"

"No, listen! If I touch the water, I go insane. You don't!"

"????"

The mascot tilted its head repeatedly, but still gestured as if it understood enough.

Then it lifted me up, tucked me under one arm, and ran.

It was naturally slower than when we both ran separately.

But at least I wouldn't touch the water.

Held tightly under the mascot's arm, I looked back.

The doctor-like figure was still violently wrestling with the monster.

The two rolled across the floor as though they were mortal enemies.

We needed to escape now.

I started turning my head forward.

Then...

"...!"

A chill pierced my spine.

I took a deep breath.

The thing with the swollen lungs had turned its head toward me.

I understood why.

It must have seemed strange.

I was someone it had never seen before, yet I was carrying a scent similar to theirs.

That was why it kept staring at me.

Why am I even thinking about leaving?

Obviously, I should help them—

SLAP!

I struck myself hard across the cheek.

Don't think crazy thoughts.

Get a grip.

Run.

SPLASH!

The mascot's wet feet struck the floor.

Once we reached the invisible wall, it quickly put me down.

"...Good."

I took a deep breath and slammed my head straight into the invisible barrier.

BANG!

"Ugh!"

Instead of passing through, my forehead struck an elevator wall.

Tears sprang to my eyes from the sharp pain.

But I didn't have time to care.

"W-What the hell?"

Why had I ended up inside here?

I rubbed my forehead and frantically looked around.

It was the elevator I knew.

How had I returned here?

Was that even physically possible?

There definitely hadn't been an elevator interior on the other side of the invisible wall.

No.

More importantly...

"...!"

If I'd returned here, didn't that mean the monster that kept smashing my head was nearby too?

I immediately looked ahead.

A sudden fishy smell filled my nose.

Then I saw it.

The monster lay on the floor, bloated like a drowned corpse.

Its swollen flesh had absorbed water.

Even the sack that had once dripped blood was now leaking water instead.

"What the hell happened...?"

I looked around in confusion.

Then I remembered.

The creature that had stared at me.

I thought I understood what emotion it had felt toward me.

Ding!

A clear chime sounded.

The elevator doors slowly began to close.

As I watched them, two completely different emotions crossed through me.

One was relief.

I'd finally escaped.

The other...

SPLASH!

The sound of waves seemed to echo in my ears like an auditory hallucination.

Even with the headset still on, I suddenly felt as though I were standing beside a quiet ocean.

"??"

"...I survived."

I looked away from the mascot, which tilted its head.

Yes.

I survived.

But...

Maybe I'd attracted the attention of something truly strange.

With that thought, I looked upward.

A cheerful chime rang out.

Then an announcement filled the elevator.

<You have discovered the back door of the seventh floor.>

<You have tasted a fragment of the seventh floor's truth.>

<You encountered something on the seventh floor that should never have been seen and survived.>

<Calculation will now begin.>

For now, it was time for rewards.

<Calculating rewards.>

<You have achieved the best result among all currently existing participants.>

<A reward will be issued.>

CLINK!

Something metallic scattered across the floor.

If I was right...

I quickly looked down.

"Of course."

Several pyramid-shaped ornaments were rolling across the floor.

"...Three."

Three of them.

That was a lot.

The phone had cost two.

The headset had cost four.

Considering how valuable both had been, three ornaments could probably buy something quite useful.

"...I hate that this is what I'm thinking about."

I hated how quickly I was adapting to this miserable building.

As I looked away from the ornaments...

Rustle...

Something fell from above.

I quickly raised my head.

Something red drifted down toward me.

"What is this?"

I touched my head.

Soft fabric brushed against my fingers.

When I pulled it down, a long strip of cloth came into view.

"...A scarf?"

A red scarf.

What was I supposed to do with this?

I stared at it in confusion.

Then...

"...!!!"

The mascot, which had been punching at the ceiling, suddenly jumped and rushed toward me.

Its soft footsteps pattered across the floor.

Then it pointed frantically at the scarf.

"You know what this is?"

"!!!"

"Is it yours?"

"......!"

Didn't seem like it.

Otherwise, it wouldn't have taken that long to answer.

Still...

"......"

It was pointing at the scarf with such desperate intensity that I couldn't really ignore it.

"What does it do?"

<Unknown.>

I'd asked the mascot.

The elevator answered instead.

"..."

Unknown.

Meaning if I used it, I had no idea what would happen.

"Then what if the mascot uses it?"

<...We cannot answer questions unless they are asked by the individual concerned.>

"!!!!?!??!!"

The mascot covered its nonexistent mouth, mimed zipping it shut, then pointed angrily at the ceiling.

Right.

Even without words, I understood that one.

Anyway...

"Fine."

Then there was no reason for me to use it.

And the mascot had always been my greatest help.

I handed the scarf over.

The mascot quietly stared at it.

"..."

Without moving for a moment, it continued looking down at the scarf.

Then it slowly wrapped the red scarf around its neck.

"Did anything change?"

"!"

"Really? What?"

"...!!"

The mascot raised both arms and struck a muscular pose.

It didn't look any different to me.

Still, if it said something had changed, then something probably had.

Good.

Then next...

<Disinfection will now be performed.>

"Huh?"

"?"

What was that supposed to mean?

<Foreign material attached during the seventh floor will now be removed.>

"Wait, what—"

<This process is harmless to the human body, though you may experience minor fear.>

"What do you mean, fear—?!"

CLUNK!

The elevator suddenly shook.

Then the lights went out.

Darkness swallowed everything.