Please note: The original text contains a notice regarding the deletion of comments and a request to refrain from self-promotion. I have translated this notice as it was presented.
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* * * Note * * *
This is my first time using the comment deletion feature.
I apologize, but please refrain from promoting your own work in the comments section.
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I got carried away writing and the character count became enormous, but I won’t be splitting it anymore.
Only those with strong hearts, unfazed by any development, should bear witness to the conclusion of this terrible quest.
I will say it again, you can skip this chapter and still follow the story without any problems.
The cultists who killed Lucas, an Adventurer who came with us to the underground ruins, immediately turned and fled.
“Wha!? Wait!!”
It would be bad if I let them escape here.
Judging this, I pursued them with Godspeed Cancel Movement.
(Step, Slash Step, Slash Step, Ggh!?)
However, the moment the cultist rounded a corner, a fireball flew at me from the front.
(An ambush!?)
I managed to dodge by changing my final step backward.
But my Godspeed Cancel Movement was interrupted due to the surprise.
Skill Cancel is an advanced technique.
If concentration is lost, combos cannot be maintained.
“They…?”
After the stun wore off, I peered cautiously into the depths again, but…
“They’re gone, huh…”
Their rapid hit-and-run tactics, targeting those who strayed from the group, and their preparedness to retreat after pre-arranging magical support.
They were clearly capable of planning and executing tactics far more sophisticated than those of Monsters.
(This is going to be a tougher fight than I imagined…)
With a bleak feeling, before returning, I idly looked at a nearby wall and saw…
+ ±
There, I found a pattern unlike any I had found before, despite searching.
(Is it a human face after all? A facial expression?)
However, I couldn’t grasp the meaning of the figures yet. I thought about various things.
Should I interpret the unchanged cross on the left as having significant meaning?
Considering the words “decapitated priest,” it’s natural to think of it as the priest’s head or a cross.
But from there, my imagination couldn’t go any further.
So, I looked for other commonalities and found…
(That’s it! The number of lines hasn’t changed!)
If we consider the L as two lines, the number of strokes used in ‘+ |L’ is five.
And the number of strokes used in ‘+ ±’ is also five.
Even though I noticed this, the problem is how to interpret it.
Should we consider these figures to have continuity, or…
“They’re here! Cultists!”
However, I didn’t have time to ponder slowly.
The shout from behind me broke my train of thought.
(Could it be a diversion?!)
Unlike Monsters, cultists use their heads.
It’s entirely possible they would employ such tactics.
I cursed my carelessness and hurried back to my original position.
(The situation is…?)
I checked the battlefield.
It seems that three cultists had attacked anew.
However, the situation seemed to be developing in our favor.
All three cultists’ weapons were swords.
While they seemed to have some coordination, they were outnumbered.
There’s no way three people could defeat nearly 20 Adventurers.
If that’s the case…
(It’s us who are the diversion!)
The moment I reached that conclusion…
“Guaaah!”
Another one of our Adventurers was ambushed by a cultist’s dagger that appeared from a side path.
Continually, fireballs flew, and an Adventurer nearby was engulfed in flames.
(Too slow!)
Clicking my tongue, I approached the dagger wielder with a Step.
This guy is undoubtedly skilled.
Though I can’t tell from his attire, I can tell from his combat style and weapon.
This is the same person who killed Lucas initially.
“Giilga!!”
Sensing my approach, the dagger wielder lets out a creaking sound.
However…
“Dila?!”
I made a right-angle turn in front of the dagger wielder and jumped into the side path.
I don’t know if I can win if I fight him head-on.
It’s better to take care of the troublesome magic caster first.
With normal movement, there’s a risk of being attacked from behind, but the movement Speed of Godspeed Cancel Movement is top-notch.
Even speed-focused characters can’t catch up.
“Rigeiaaa!”
The cultist who had drawn his staff at the end of the passage lets out a shout.
At the same time, another fireball flies, but…
“I don’t know what you’re saying!”
I dodged it with a diagonal Step, and further closed the distance, then…
“Purple Lightning Slash!!”
I unleashed a powerful sword Skill.
That single blow struck the cultist holding the staff, and…
“Go, ah…”
With an unpleasant sound, the cultist fell.
Magic casters have low defense, and there was probably a level difference as well.
It seems I was able to defeat him in one hit.
(First one down!)
While stopped by the Skill’s recovery time, I rejoiced in my heart, when…
“Gurro!!”
A large chunk of iron rushed towards me.
(Step!)
Just barely recovering from my stun, I jumped back and dodged the attack.
While jumping back with a Skill, I confirmed the appearance of the newly appeared enemy.
This cultist who ambushed me was a burly man wielding a large axe, who could be described as a ‘Executioner’.
It didn’t look like I could break through easily.
“Gangyi!”
Worst of all, the dagger wielder was catching up from behind.
A complete pincer attack.
But, at that moment…
“Mekida!?”
Lightning bolts flashed through the narrow passage, separating me and the cultists.
Lightning magic support!
It’s good to have reliable companions.
(Now!)
Without missing the brief opening created by the enemy, I slipped past the dagger wielder and managed to return to my allies.
“Gi, gigi”
The cultists watched this with frustration, but perhaps judging that they couldn’t fight outnumbered, they…
They gazed at the corpse of the magic caster I had defeated with emotionless eyes, then turned and vanished deeper into the ruins.
I assessed the situation.
In the distance, the corpse of the man who was killed first, Lucas.
Next to him were the bodies of the man killed by the dagger wielder and the Adventurer hit by the fireball.
On the other hand, it seems the three cultists who came as a diversion were defeated without any casualties.
The three corpses, wrapped in shabby rags, were also lying deeper in the passage.
(Our casualties are 3 people. We defeated 4 cultists.)
In terms of numbers, it seems we have the advantage, but we don’t know how many enemies there are.
Besides, when I think that people have actually died, I can’t just consider it a mere three.
However, there was one thing I couldn’t ignore.
(Why aren’t the corpses disappearing?)
Not just Monsters, but characters whose HP reaches 0 should disappear as particles of light.
Why are they still here?
…Honestly, I can only imagine unpleasant things.
Although I seriously considered sprinkling holy water,
“…Regardless, let’s move from here.”
I decided to prioritize movement.
If we stay in the same place, we might be ambushed again.
I want to avoid further casualties as much as possible.
Turning our backs on the numerous corpses, we hastily left the area.
It was a little farther on when that happened.
“Asama-san!”
Turning around at the voice I heard, I saw…
I found a large door, unlike anything I’d seen before.
It was likely the door the Village Chief mentioned, leading to the sacrificial altar.
And upon this door was carved…
＋ －
A new symbol, similar to the previous two.
(What could this mean?)
The left was the same as before, but the right side clearly had fewer lines.
My hypothesis about the number of strokes was completely debunked here.
While pondering the mystery of the patterns, we tried to open the door together, but it wouldn’t budge.
However, this door didn’t even have a keyhole.
It would be most natural to assume it opens through some special event.
As for any clues, the patterns on the door were the only ones we had.
In RPGs, there are often mechanisms where you manipulate something to complete a pattern matching the door, which then opens it.
(Could it be that finding a pattern identical to this door’s will open it?)
That might be a bit too simple, though…
“…Hm?”
Just then, I felt something red dart across my peripheral vision.
I instinctively followed it with my eyes.
“A red Imp?”
It disappeared down the passage in an instant, but there was no mistake.
It was an Imp, a type of low-level demon often found in RPGs.
Paula had told me that Cultists were deeply connected to demons.
This might be a clue.
“Let’s chase it!”
I called out to my companions and dashed off, pursuing the red Imp.
Fortunately, the red Imp’s Speed wasn’t that high.
I thought I’d catch up soon, but…
“Pikiiiree!”
While chasing the Imp, I ran into a group of Cultists.
If I continued like this, the Imp would escape.
That’s what I thought, but…
“…What?”
The Imp evaded even the Cultists, who should have been its allies, and veered off to escape.
(Are the Cultists and the Imp in conflict?)
Such a thought flashed through my mind for a moment, but the Cultists before me raised their weapons.
“Damn it, get out of the way!”
I was forced to confront the Cultists before I could pursue the Imp.
The two Cultists that appeared then were weak.
It seemed that the ones who attacked us initially were exceptionally strong among the Cultists.
It was good that we could easily repel the enemies, but in my haste to chase the Imp, it seemed some Humans got separated.
Likely two fewer people.
While backtracking a bit, searching for the Adventurers who got separated from the red Imp, I found a new pattern on a wall.
+L
A new pattern.
But it seemed similar in shape to the very first pattern.
I still didn’t understand its meaning.
We continued to wander through the ruins.
For a while, the wall patterns were all ‘+L’, but after some time…
|L
Patterns like this began to appear, and soon…
±
We started seeing this.
The rule that ‘+’ was always present, and even the commonality of having at least two symbols, no longer held.
I didn’t know how to predict it.
However, the number of samples was now abundant.
The words “beheaded priest.”
Looping symbols.
Figures that simplified as we progressed.
There is a pattern.
There must be.
If only I could have a flash of insight, it felt like it could be easily solved.
But I didn’t arrive at the answer then.
Something terrible happened before that.
“Gisharaba!!”
“Gweighg!!”
The grating screams of Cultists, piercing my ears.
The skilled Cultists I had let escape earlier.
An attack from the dagger-wielding and great-axe-wielding ones.
“This is tough…”
After the battle, I lowered my sword and spat out the words.
New corpses littered the corridor.
Three of them were from our side, fellow Adventurers.
And one was the enemy, the one with the great axe.
“Rad, answer me, Rad!
Damn it, Cultists, damn it!”
An Adventurer who had lost a comrade sobbed while clinging to their dead friend.
“Cultists! Cultists!
Why, why are you always… damn it!!”
Taking advantage of the fact that the bodies didn’t disappear, another Adventurer kicked the body of the Cultist who had killed their comrade.
I could understand their feelings.
If I had lost a comrade, I might have done the same.
However, at least at that moment, I didn’t feel like doing that.
There was more important work to be done.
There was only one enemy corpse.
That of the axe wielder.
This meant the dagger wielder, who had killed the most of us and shown the highest skill among the Cultists, was still alive.
“Everyone, wait here.”
I didn’t know what drove them to such recklessness, but both the dagger-wielder and the great-axe-wielder, who attacked with what seemed like suicidal charges, seemed to be targeting me.
Perhaps they judged me to be the leader of the group, or perhaps they were simply programmed to target Players.
However, if I were to wander the ruins alone, there was a high chance of them launching a surprise attack.
(I won’t let anyone else die.)
With that resolve, I left the group and walked alone in the direction the dagger-wielder had fled.
I proceeded through the ruins with caution, but I couldn’t find the dagger-wielder for a while.
Instead, I saw several wall patterns.
All the symbols I found were the same.
Ξ
A completely new pattern at this point.
It seemed safer to assume that all the patterns I had considered so far were incorrect.
While trying to balance thought and vigilance, I arrived at a familiar place.
“This is…”
The large door in front of the altar that I had found earlier.
And what was noteworthy was the symbol drawn on that door.
Ξ
In other words, this is…
“The symbol has changed?”
At that moment, I realized my big mistake.
I had assumed from the beginning that various symbols were depicted on the walls of this ruin.
But that was wrong.
The symbols depicted on the walls of the ruins are always of a single type.
It’s just that the symbol displayed there changes based on some condition.
That’s why this ‘Ξ’ symbol was likely being displayed on all the walls now.
–And with that understanding, even someone as slow-witted as me could grasp the meaning of this symbol.
No, “symbol” is not the right word.
This is neither a figure nor a drawing, and it’s not even a cipher.
(Honestly, what was this “beheaded priest” thing!!)
The Village Chief’s words had influenced my imagination.
Still, if I arranged the symbols in order, the truth became clear.
This is…
“Nn!? Who’s there!!”
While thinking and remaining aware of my surroundings, I saw a moving shadow within my vision.
What crossed the corner of my eye was a small red shadow.
It was that red Imp, probably holding the secret to this ruin.
“Wait!”
I chased the Imp again as it fled.
I expected this pursuit to be lengthy, but it ended unexpectedly.
An imp tripped and fell.
“Where… is this? The starting point?”
What the imp tripped over were three piled-up corpses of Cultists. Unbeknownst to us, we had somehow returned to the place where we were first attacked by Cultists.
“Gil, lu, lu…”
The imp, lying on its back and looking up at me, seemed strangely terrified. What should I do with it? The moment I hesitated,
“Gil!”
The imp pointed behind me. Without a second thought about it being a trap, I immediately turned around.
“Wh-?!”
There, a shadowy figure was creeping up.
(A Cultist dagger user!!)
At close range, his unsanitary, crooked teeth were bared. By the time I turned, he was already raising his knife.
—Am I going to die?
In that fleeting moment, I thought such a thing. Would it be okay to die now? Such weakness brushed against my mind.
But at that moment, words from my memory resurfaced.
“—That’s why, Asama. You absolutely must save the girl who was taken, okay?”
At the same time, I recalled Paula’s pained expression when she said those words.
That’s right!! For their sake, I can’t give up here!
“This!”
My sword, moved in desperation, struck the attacker’s right wrist.
“Gi!!”
For some reason, he was repelled and retreated. I didn’t know why, but it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. I closed the distance with a Step, intending to use Purple Lightning Slash…
“Ninguah!!”
He wasn’t going to stand by idly. With a shrill cry, he swung his knife upwards with a move that seemed like a Skill. Even so,
“I… won’t lose!!”
I short-canceled my Step and activated Purple Lightning Slash. The Cultist’s knife and my sword hit our bodies almost simultaneously…
“I… win…”
However, it was probably due to the difference in attack Speed before the Skill activation. My Purple Lightning Slash dealt damage to the Cultist a moment sooner, and that damage interrupted his Skill. I also sustained a slight wound to my chest, but that was all. He took the full force of my attack, lost all his HP, and collapsed to the ground. I thought it was a victory by a paper-thin margin, but…
“…It wasn’t quite like that, was it?”
In a way, the dagger user’s final attack had also dealt a fatal blow to me. The physical damage was almost none. However, my ‘Exorcism Grass Charm’ at my chest had been broken. With that gone, I had no way to protect myself from the miasma. I sighed and mentally apologized to Paula… but.
“My HP isn’t decreasing?”
The HP reduction I had expected didn’t happen. However, thinking about it, the Cultists didn’t seem to be affected by the miasma. Or perhaps they were also equipped with items like grass charms? I tried to look at the corpses of the Cultists that should have been there, but…
“…Wh, at?”
I saw something I couldn’t comprehend. The Cultist dagger user I had just defeated. Where he should have been lying, there was a person dressed like a normal Adventurer. I had no idea what was happening.
(Could it be a Bug…?)
As I thought that, I turned my gaze slightly to the side.
“No way…?”
I saw the three Cultist corpses lying piled up. Or at least, that’s what I thought. But lying there wasn’t a Cultist in ragged cloth, but an Adventurer I recognized.
“Abel, Beat, Cliff…”
The three Adventurers, who should have been in another location doing the ‘Labyrinth of Monsters’ quest, lay dead.
I no longer knew what was what, or what to believe.
(Could it be that these guys were the Cultists? No, but that’s impossible…)
As I was confused,
“Oh, big brother, are you okay?”
A voice called out from behind. Turning around with slow movements, a small girl with a red necklace around her neck peered at me with concern.
“Ah, yeah. I think I’m okay?”
I answered reflexively, but my caution quickly flared up. This girl was undoubtedly the one from the village painting. In other words, she was the ‘Sacrificed Girl’. But where had this girl been? How did she approach me? Perhaps my feelings were evident in my gaze, or perhaps it was a programmed action. The girl began to introduce herself.
“Ah, um, I’m Rifa. I was running away, being chased by you, big brother.”
“Running away?”
At first, I didn’t understand what the girl Rifa was saying. But suddenly, I had a flash of insight.
“You don’t mean… the red demon from just now?”
When I asked, she nodded.
“Probably. Until just now, you were wearing the ‘Illusory Grass Charm’…”
“Illusory, Grass Charm…?”
Hearing that, there was only one thing that came to mind. The ‘Exorcism Grass Charm’ given to me by the Village Chief to protect me from the miasma. But no one had actually tested its effect.
“It said that if you wear that grass charm in this ‘Labyrinth of Sealing’, you can see illusions…”
“Illusions…?”
I looked at Abel and the others lying on the ground. Indeed, the moment my necklace broke, the Cultist corpses started appearing as Abel and the others.
…Thinking about it. The Cultists were supposed to be just ‘Humans’ who believed in a cult. I couldn’t imagine them surviving in the miasma, nor was there any necessity for them to wrap themselves in such dirty cloth. Even if I accepted that, their ear-piercing, animal-like cries were clearly strange. It was an illusion that exploited our ‘prejudice against Cultists’.
However, if that’s the case, then… Even if their appearance was an illusion, the opponent we were fighting was real and had substance. Then, then…
—What was it that we were fighting until just now?
Deep down, I felt like I already knew the answer. But I was afraid to confirm it.
(It can’t be, it can’t be…)
While desperately telling myself that in my head, I was already half-convinced. I turned back to the corpses lying on the ground that I had just defeated. With a single breath, I flipped over the small bodies that were face down.
“Aaaah, aaaaahhh!!”
At the sight that greeted me, a meaningless groan escaped my lips. The strongest Cultist who had tormented me, tormented us. No, the opponent I had thought of as a Cultist was…
“Paula-san…”
It was Paula, the Adventurer with short brown hair.
“B-big brother…”
Rifa called out to me with a frightened look. But I didn’t have the luxury to respond now.
“I won’t forgive…!”
I quickly understood what had been done to us. The hints were everywhere. The ‘Sacrificed Girl’ and the ‘Labyrinth of Monsters’ happening at the same time in different locations. The reward amount being exorbitant compared to the quest details. Paula’s words that sacrificing just one girl wouldn’t accomplish much, and the information that Adventurers had died suppressing Cultists two years ago were all hints.
Furthermore, I had overheard the correct quest name for this quest, “Labyrinth of Sacrifice.”
…That’s right.
Just as “The Sacrificed Girl” and “Labyrinth of Monsters” combine to form “Labyrinth of Sacrifice,” these two quests are one.
This is a most horrific quest where Adventurers who participated in “The Sacrificed Girl” and Adventurers who participated in “Labyrinth of Monsters” are made to wear equipment that induces illusions, causing them to kill each other.
I looked at Paula’s corpse once more.
On her wrist was a bracelet woven from black grass, strikingly similar to the “Illusion Grass Ornament” I was wearing.
If my necklace has the effect of “making humans wearing bracelets appear as Cultists,” then this bracelet likely has the effect of “making humans wearing necklaces appear as Monsters.”
Just as we, who accepted “The Sacrificed Girl,” attacked Paula and her group, mistaking them for Cultists, I can imagine that Paula and her group, who accepted “Labyrinth of Monsters,” attacked us, mistaking us for Monsters.
Their objective was probably…
“Hey, Rifa. Why are you in a place like this?”
“Um, my father said he’d give me a present if I could escape before the number becomes one… I told him I was scared and didn’t want to, but he forced me to come here…”
Listening to Rifa’s words, which sounded as though she might cry, I thought,
(So, that’s how it is…!)
I bit my lip.
The mastermind and motive behind this quest can be understood from the glowing patterns that appeared on the ruins’ walls.
They were not figures, nor pictures, nor ciphers. If followed along with the situation, it would become clear what they indicated.
At the very beginning, before entering the ruins, the pattern that appeared was:
+ |L
This was the starting point.
Afterward, I was attacked by Paula, and Adventurer Lucas from the “The Sacrificed Girl” side died. The wall pattern at that time became:
+ ±
Then, there was a second attack, resulting in the deaths of two Adventurers, Abel and his three companions. After that, I killed Paula’s comrade, the mage.
+ –
The pattern changed to this. Afterward, I killed two more Cultists, no, Adventurers.
+L
The pattern became this, and while searching for the two Adventurers who had split off, the wall pattern changed via:
|L
to:
±
And then came the attack by Paula and her comrade, the axeman Randy. Randy and three Adventurers died.
Ξ
It became this.
By now, you should have understood.
This was simply a number.
What appeared as wall patterns was merely Chinese numerals, made slightly difficult to understand.
I stared intently at the current display on the wall:
=
The number on the wall started at eighteen and decreased each time a person died, regardless of whether they were enemy or ally. This was likely a countdown. A countdown to the revival of something dreadful, counting the sacrifices.
It’s hard to imagine anyone other than Rifa’s current father, the Village Chief of Saiga Village, could have orchestrated something like this. However, I don’t believe this large-scale quest was solely orchestrated by the Village Chief. My guess is that all the villagers of Saiga Village are Cultists or Monsters. We were completely trapped by the entire village.
There’s a part of me that wants to give up right now and pretend none of this ever happened. But before that, I won’t rest until I at least exact some retribution upon them. Just as I was solidifying such a dark resolve,
“H-help! Monsters…!”
A female Adventurer ran into the corridor. Behind her, pursuing her was:
“You Cultists! For Rad’s sake, for Rad’s revenge!!”
That Adventurer who had been crying while clinging to his companion’s corpse. He was ordered to wait, but apparently couldn’t stand it.
“Wait! Stop! She’s…”
I desperately called out to stop him, but it was too late.
“Die! Filthy Cultists!!”
The man’s sword swung down and pierced the back of the fleeing female Adventurer.
“Ah… ahh…”
A sigh of despair escaped my lips. The female Adventurer fell before my eyes, and the number on the wall changed.
–
And then, the quest finally reached its conclusion.
“Well done, Adventurers… No, our precious, sacrifices.”
A familiar voice suddenly echoed throughout the labyrinth.
“This voice!”
“Father!?”
And then,
“Ah, Rifa. My precious daughter. Come here.”
As the Village Chief’s voice spoke, Rifa’s red necklace glowed ominously.
“Huh? What’s this? Big brother, he—”
“Rifa!”
An instant later, Rifa’s figure vanished from the ruins. The Village Chief’s voice continued.
“As some of you may have understood by now, you were made to kill each other for the revival of the Great One. Ah, to be a foundation for His revival is truly enviable. Unfortunately, I am a Demon, so I cannot be a sacrifice to Him.”
The Village Chief spoke of his wicked deeds in a casual tone, as if discussing everyday matters.
“Oh, and also. If you cannot believe that you were killing your colleagues, I recommend removing the accessories you put on before entering this Labyrinth. You should understand in an instant.”
A particle of light passed by my side. Puzzled, I saw that particles of light were emerging from the corpses scattered everywhere and flying off somewhere.
“I put a lot of thought into devising this, you know? If we were to clash head-on, we would also suffer damage and our subsequent activities would be hindered. When I thought of having you kill each other and become sacrifices, I thought I was a genius.”
I ran, following the particles of light. Perhaps, beyond this…
“We annihilated the Adventurers from two years ago to silence them, but there is no need for that this time. Seventeen excellent and high-quality sacrifices have been gathered. For the last one, we shall use something prepared here… Now, Rifa, it’s your turn.”
There it was! The particles of light were heading towards the large door. The gate leading to the sacrifice altar, on which the character of ‘—’ had appeared.
“F-father…? Why are you tying me up? I…”
Rifa’s confused voice echoed within the labyrinth. Rifa was beyond this door.
“What are you going to do to me? Hey, what’s that axe? Father, stop it, father!!”
I swung my sword with all my might towards the door. However, the door did not budge.
“It’s alright, Rifa. I wouldn’t do anything terrible to you, would I?”
“Father, I—”
A dull thud echoed through the labyrinth.
Next, what reached my ears was a demon’s whisper.
“But becoming a sacrifice to **that person** is the greatest honor imaginable, isn’t it? You must be happy too, right?”
And then,
“No…”
Before my eyes, the inscription on the great door changed.
***
At that moment, everything ended.
“Ahahahahahaha!
It’s finally happened!
My lifelong wish has been fulfilled!
Humans, take heed!
**That person** will finally be resurrected!!”
The only sound echoing in the labyrinth was mad, uncontrollable laughter.
“Ahahahahahaha!
Ahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!”
Then, darkness spilled from the door, a darkness that ended everything, and…
“I’m sorry…”
I spoke my last words to my two companions, who were no longer by my side.
“Tiel, Marurin, I—”
GAME OVER
“…Sigh. This is the worst.”
I let out a sigh, gazing at the GAME OVER screen that filled my vision. I had no motivation to continue playing. I brought up the menu screen in the still-pitch-black game and chose to log out, interrupting my session.
“What a terrible scenario…”
Freed from the VR Machine, I muttered to myself. It had been quite some time since I started playing ‘New Communicate Online’. I knew this game had a knack for meanness, but the sheer spitefulness of this scenario was off the charts. If a child played this, it would probably be traumatizing. I wondered if they had intended to make this quest playable in an online game, given how much they had advertised it even before switching to offline mode. That wasn’t brave; it was downright reckless.
“What should I do today…”
Every time I encountered a scenario like this, I’d think about quitting, but after a while, I’d find myself wanting to play again and turning on the machine. There were still many elements I looked forward to, so I couldn’t just stop. For now, my goal was to reach 100 friendship with my companion character, Tiel, and trigger her marriage event. To do that…
“Alright! I’ll try again after dinner!”
Leaving it on a bad ending wouldn’t sit right. The great thing about games is that you can retry as many times as you want, even after failing.
Muttering to myself, a habit that had become more frequent since I started living alone, I decided to re-challenge ‘Labyrinth of Sacrifice’.
However, I had no idea then that I’d already cleared the most difficult part. I couldn’t imagine that what came next would, in a way, be the true hell.
“Damn it, why?!”
I cursed, for what felt like the hundredth time. Clearing the ‘Labyrinth of Sacrifice’ quest itself was easy once I understood the trick. Although there were occasional accidents where players were harmed, once I realized the flower ornaments were the root of all evil, I only had to persuade my allies to remove them. By answering the questions set by the staff for this quest appropriately, the relatively intelligent AI of ‘New Communicate Online’ would understand the possibility of the villagers being deceived and allow the removal of the flower ornaments.
Once one team had all removed their flower ornaments, the conflict would cease. Explaining the situation to the opposing team would naturally lead to a unified goal: defeating the cultists of Saiga Village, who were clearly the masterminds. After that, it was a large-scale battle against the cultists of Saiga Village. Cooperating with Paula, Abel, and others, we fought the cultists of Saiga Village and the demons disguised as villagers, eventually defeating the quest’s boss, a powerful demon and the village chief.
With the incident resolved, we were supposed to destroy the entrance to the labyrinth where “that person” was sealed underground, leading to a happy ending.
—However, for some reason, I couldn’t save the girl chosen as the sacrifice, Rifa, no matter what I did.
Rifa’s first danger was being killed by adventurers wearing the flower ornaments. But we could prevent this for the most part by quickly removing our own ornaments and reaching the door area before the other team. The problem came after that. Rifa would be teleported to the altar by the power of the red necklace when either the “sacrifice countdown reached one” or “adventurers realized the cultists’ plot and removed their flower ornaments.” Currently, I couldn’t find a way to enter the sacrificial altar beyond that great door.
No matter what attacks I used, the altar remained unfazed. Even when cornering the village chief, he acted as if Rifa didn’t exist, never mentioning her. I tried various things to prevent Rifa from being teleported to the altar, but all failed. If I killed the village chief before the quest even started, the quest wouldn’t progress, and Rifa would remain trapped in the labyrinth. I considered turning back, but once inside the labyrinth, there was a system-imposed restriction preventing adventurers from leaving until everyone removed their flower ornaments.
If only I could do something about Rifa’s red necklace, but it was an indestructible object and seemingly couldn’t be unequipped.
“What in the world is going on…”
Unable to save Rifa after countless retries, I finally resorted to a forbidden method. I decided to consult the fan-run strategy guide for ‘New Communicate Online’, the Nekomeko Wiki.
Upon viewing the ‘Labyrinth of Sacrifice’ section of the Nekomeko Wiki, I nearly screamed out loud at its shocking content.
“What… in the world is that?”
After all, my arduous efforts were rendered pointless in an instant. According to the Nekomeko Wiki…
—There was no such place as a sacrificial altar within that underground labyrinth, according to the game data.
In short, the sacrificial altar was not implemented in the game. Therefore, beyond that large door, there was nothing. It was merely a misleading door, with the implication of an altar beyond it, but in reality, no room for an altar had been set up. And, of course, the “event where I help Rifa by reaching the altar,” which I had desperately searched for, never existed in the first place. Perhaps the staff forgot about Rifa midway through, or maybe they simply couldn’t be bothered to create the altar room and the final confrontation event. Regardless, a “happy ending where Rifa is saved” was never intended for this quest from the start.
“…Are you kidding me?”
The idea of pitting players against each other in this quest was… well, it was cruel, but there was a way to avoid it. In fact, the story was quite well-constructed. The problem lay with Rifa. If she were to become a sacrifice for the sake of narrative depiction or story necessity, it would be understandable. But to be unable to save the person you most want to save due to mere staff oversight or laziness…
“That’s just not fair!”
It was the worst possible outcome. I had never seen a more hopeless story.
I spat out, filled with indignation.
” —The staff who made this should all go to hell!!”
