Chapter 218
Osai died. He didn’t just die; he was eaten alive by the inquisitor. It was a cruel and terrible death.
The possibility that only his Clone was eaten and his main body survived was extremely low. The inquisitor didn’t seem like a monster that could be fooled so easily.
To Cheonchilbaek, Osai was a villain. He was a Devil-like Being of Glitch Hall who harassed and tormented the newcomers.
That devil died by an even more terrible being. It would be a lie to say he had never wished for him to die, but not like this.
'Let’s get a grip. It’s not like he’s really dead anyway. I’ll see him again once we leave the Simulation…'
Cheonchilbaek breathed heavily and shook his head.
He consciously tried to forget the inquisitor’s filthy eating sounds and Osai’s desperate screams that lingered like an echo in his ears.
“Let’s move again. The inquisitor might attack again. One-Eyed Jack’s death… it’s not the end of this, either.”
Paradox comforted the Companions with a calm voice. Cheonchilbaek grabbed his trembling legs and stood up.
Since Osai was dead, he had to continue with the mindset of doing his share.
If he didn’t get his act together and trolled, ruining the Simulation after Osai had met such a gruesome death, it was obvious he would get beaten to a pulp by Osai once they got out.
“Kekekek…”
Amidst the somber atmosphere, an annoying giggling sound could be heard. Cheonchilbaek looked at the Inmate with a sharp gaze.
The corners of his mouth were drawn in a subtle arc, as if he found Osai’s death satisfying.
He remembered how Osai had beaten the Inmate’s cunning face.
He held a grudge because of that? It was a perfectly plausible story.
'Is there a possibility it didn’t stop at just a grudge?'
The Inmate had clearly said he knew the knack for control over the inquisitor.
Osai had better physical strength than Cheonchilbaek.
When running away from the inquisitor, he would have naturally been ahead of Cheonchilbaek.
But what was the reason the inquisitor targeted Osai first instead of Cheonchilbaek, who was lagging the furthest behind?
If the Inmate had somehow designated a target for the inquisitor in some way…
That wasn’t the only suspicious thing.
How was the Inmate able to pretend to be dead after being hit by ace’s flames?
He had clearly seen him burn to ashes with his own two eyes.
Did he have some special means he could use since he was a researcher? Or -
At that moment, Paradox’s telepathy briefly rang in his head.
[It seems the Inmate is also a Supernatural Ability User, so be careful. I suspect it’s an ability to deceive the eyes of others. If you think it’s dangerous, you need to step up. Just like you did when you found him hiding.]
Cheonchilbaek tried hard to pretend he wasn’t surprised.
The thought was that the Inmate was a Supernatural Ability User.
That was the “missed point” the GM had warned about.
Thinking about it, it was obvious. The Glitch Hall inside the Simulation was a prison meant to confine Supernatural Ability Users.
If he was the worst vicious criminal locked up there in the depths, he naturally had to be a fellow Supernatural Ability User.
Why had he thought he wouldn’t be a Supernatural Ability User?
Because he wasn’t wearing restraints? Because he claimed to be a Researcher?
Cheonchilbaek observed the Inmate warily while trying his best not to show it on the outside. He flinched in surprise.
The Inmate was also looking at him.
Their eyes met, and Cheonchilbaek averted his gaze from the stare that somehow felt uncomfortably heated. Why was the Inmate acting like that again?
Screeeech -
A creepy noise scratching the empty air rang out. The surroundings began to darken again. Cheonchilbaek’s face turned pale at the crack tearing through the wall.
“The inquisitor! Already?”
The monster of Glitch Hall, unsatisfied with just Osai, was tracking them down once again. Cheonchilbaek reflexively ran away while checking on the inmate’s figure.
The Inmate wasn’t much different in his desperate flight. It didn’t seem like the Inmate had called the inquisitor.
On the contrary, he was actively pointing out the direction and running harder than anyone else with a terrified look.
“Over there, over there! It’s the Restraint Chamber! If we go there, even the inquisitor won’t be able to use its power! Hahaha!”
The inmate shouted in excitement and pointed to a square room shaped like a pitch-black cube, unlike the other rooms in Sector 1.
It didn’t look like a place they’d want to enter, but there was no other way.
Everyone freaked out at the creeping darkness and dove into the Restraint Chamber.
――――――――!
The inquisitor’s angry roar at the fish trying to escape the net pierced the air, making it tingle.
Thud. The Restraint Chamber door closed, and inside the room bathed in a faint red light, Cheonchilbaek felt his sharpened senses sink into a dull numbness.
Crisis detection was turned off.
It was the exact same sensation as when he was wearing the restraints - no, perhaps an even more stifling and heavy constricting feeling.
The others seemed to feel the same, twisting their bodies with expressions of complete discomfort.
The Supernatural Ability suppression function of this place seemed certain, at least.
If the inquisitor were a Machine-Lifeform based on Supernatural abilities, it definitely wouldn’t be able to use its power in here.
A sigh of relief came out at the thought that they had survived. Finding a definite safe zone from the inquisitor’s pursuit was an achievement in itself.
deny
Cheonchilbaek looked at the Outsiders who had unexpectedly moved together with them up to this point, the Inmate and ace.
Unlike them, the Companions' goal was escape from Glitch Hall. The more time they wasted sitting still here, the greater the loss.
They had to leave here and go to the Core Room. The problem was that the moment they left the Restraint Chamber, the inquisitor would immediately target them.
When the prey was willing to leave its burrow on its own, was there any reason not to catch it?
They did have their own countermeasures. The problem was that they were in the hands of someone they couldn’t trust at all.
“Hey, didn’t you say you had a way to lure the inquisitor to the Restraint Chamber? Now is the perfect time to use it. If we drag that guy here and join forces to kill him, it’ll become very safe.”
Paradox spoke while throwing an arm over the Inmate’s shoulder. The Inmate made excuses with an awkward laugh, unlike before.
“Right now? That might be a little… dangerous, and the inquisitor is a being that requires a careful and cautious approach. Cocktail mixing”
His confident attitude was nowhere to be found, and it was obvious he was trying to back out.
“Look here. If we stay trapped in here like this, you’ll be in trouble too - “
Paradox couldn’t finish his sentence.
RUUUMBLE―――!
It was because a loud roar echoed out. The entire Restraint Chamber shook. Cheonchilbaek almost fell over from the tremendous vibration and impact.
Everyone fell into confusion. The illusion of the Restraint Chamber being an absolute safe zone was shattered.
“What is going on right now?”
Paradox grabbed the Inmate by the collar and shouted. However, the Inmate also seemed to have no idea what was happening.
“I-I don’t know either! Is it the inquisitor’s doing? Breaking the Restraint Chamber from the outside? Nonsense. There’s no way that’s possible - “
CRAAAASH――――!
The impact and noise this time were much stronger than before. The red light deepened, and the ceiling shook as dust fell.
It seemed it was possible after all. The monster known as the inquisitor had clearly exceeded even its creator’s expectations.
“What happens if it forcefully breaks in from the outside?”
Paradox asked while yelling, and the Inmate stammered with a pale face.
“Underground, if a supernatural ability lifeform on the level of the inquisitor enters, the vacuum fluctuation will…”
“Shut up and give me the conclusion first!”
“The suppressive force will be maintained, but it will not be enough to stop the inquisitor. Since it’s a Supernatural Lifeform, it will become much weaker than before. Even so.”
CRACKLE――.
The Inmate swallowed hard in terror at the sound of things breaking and tearing away.
It seemed obvious what he had been about to say.
No matter how weakened it was, the inquisitor was the inquisitor.
A massive and vicious physique where a mass of iron and a mass of flesh were fused together. That alone would be enough to kill and chew up everyone here.
Thud-crackle-crunch-crackle-screech-craaaack…
All sorts of bizarre and terrible sounds continued to tear through the wall and dig into their ears. They gradually grew closer, signaling the progress of the inquisitor’s siege.
Paradox threw the Inmate aside and shouted.
“Everyone, get ready to fight. It seems we won’t be able to avoid it.”
He seemed to think this place was the “Boss battle location” of this Simulation.
Fighting and winning against a weakened inquisitor rather than an intact one was still the path with the highest chance of winning.
5 seconds, 10 seconds, 20 seconds, 30 seconds…
Time flowed along with drops of sweat.
It was a hair-trigger situation. Cheonchilbaek tensed up and tightly gripped the pipe wrench he had taken from the supply room.
At some point, it became quiet without any more roars.