Chapter 23
We planned our escape.
The end of the 4th floor was in sight.
“The dolls are ready. Let me explain the objective. From now on, we will send the monster outside—that demon worshiper’s evil spirit—back into the doll’s body.”
“How could that body even house an evil spirit…?” the Crown Prince asked in disbelief.
It looked like a real demon.
Over three meters tall, with the body of a professional bodybuilder.
Everyone silently agreed with the Crown Prince’s doubts.
Sian cleared his throat.
“According to the founding chronicles, when the first emperor’s party faced the demon worshiper of the dungeon, they gathered the corpse fragments. Once reassembled, the spirit returned to its body and fell into eternal sleep. But the moment the body appeared, the spirit raged wildly.”
“Then it’s not raging now?” Max asked in alarm.
Yeniel replied.
“Unfortunately, not yet. Without a body to return to, the spirit feels a natural emptiness. If the body is damaged by the thousand-year ritual that scatters the flesh, the soul can never return. Once the spirit senses its body, it becomes much more dangerous. That’s why we decided to assemble the doll outside. The longer it takes to complete, the longer it delays the monster’s strengthening.”
It was reassuring to have capable leaders like Yeniel and Sian. It felt like being carried by competent group leaders to an A+ without lifting a finger.
I wasn’t too worried anymore since I had a special trait now.
‘Everyone else has traits too, so their stats and durability must have improved. Survival chances are higher.’
Once we passed the 4th floor, things would improve greatly. On the 3rd floor, we could finally meet other survivors again—trading, auctions, cooperation would all be possible.
Sian gave the final instructions:
“Each of you, carry a fragment to Room 203. Lady Yeniel and I will assemble the doll. Focus on survival.”
And we opened the door.
I, Max, and Yeniel carried doll fragments and ran.
The demon worshiper, as if waiting, swung its massive sword and thundered toward us.
Its chest split open and revealed glowing red demonic eyes as it fixated on the Crown Prince.
“Your Highness! The monster is prioritizing you! Change of plan! Follow Lady Yeniel! Huidrion!”
Behind us, brilliant azure flames roared to life.
The heat and purity of the fire were palpable.
We couldn’t afford to look back at the spirit.
Beside me, Yeniel, the Crown Prince, and Max might be struck at any moment.
The demon worshiper burned within the flames, yet still thundered after the Crown Prince.
“Uuurrrghh!”
Max cried out at the terrifying sight.
“Being a spirit, it feels no pain! It hasn’t fused with the body yet! I’ll bind it outside with a high-tier spirit! Get inside quickly!”
But if we rushed straight into Room 203, one or two of us would surely be caught.
So we lured it away to Room 212 before looping back to 203.
Yeniel was clearly exhausted from the constant running.
The demon worshiper hurled its greatsword at her.
“Lady Yeniel!”
I pulled her toward me, shielding her. The blade missed, then returned to its master’s hand like a summoned weapon.
‘Auto-recall, huh.’
If that had been Phase 1, this was now Phase 2 or even Phase 3.
“…Thank you, Lady April,” Yeniel whispered.
Oddly out of place for the moment, her cheeks briefly flushed.
“Yeniel’s affection toward you has greatly increased.”
‘Wait… if I confessed to her, do I actually have a chance?’
Her sincere gaze almost made me believe it.
Inside Room 203, chaos awaited. The demon worshiper had not only shattered the door but cracked the wall too.
We stepped over the ruined frame. The coffin remained empty.
Max, pale, shouted, “Wh-what do we do?! Lady Yeniel! I can’t assemble this!”
“I’ll handle it. Put it down here. Sir Sian told me how.”
Truly, Yeniel was dependable.
She set down the torso she carried. I placed the head upon it.
Fitting torso and legs together took time.
Click. Clack. Snap—
“Still assembling? The monster is going berserk! I can’t hold it much longer! If I summon stronger spirits, the building will collapse!” Sian shouted from outside.
The Crown Prince exhaled nervously.
“Hurry! It broke through—we lost it! It’s heading your way!”
Yeniel quickly finished. The doll was complete and laid inside the coffin.
BOOM. A thunderous sound shook the building.
“Did it succeed? I’ll lure the monster inside with me!” Sian yelled.
The demon worshiper slowed as it entered Room 203.
It stomped toward the coffin as though its soul was being dragged into it.
Light burst from the coffin.
Though it was only a doll’s body, the pull was irresistible.
The demon worshiper resisted, but failed.
It was dragged inside by force.
The doll trembled violently.
The monster’s body faded into smoke, its flesh turning to ash and dust.
With a thud, its clothing and the fake Max’s hair collapsed limply onto the floor.
Finally, the greatsword crashed down with a roar.
The trembling doll grew still.
Sian and the Crown Prince, panting heavily, looked relieved.
“It’s over.”
Of course, saying things like “It’s over” was often like casting a spell to revive enemies—but the Crown Prince didn’t know that.
Somewhere, a massive rumble echoed—like a colossal door moving.
It was the door at the end of the corridor.
“Now we only need to exit through the dungeon’s back gate,” Sian said wearily. “Soon, the 3rd floor. If others are lost like us, we might meet them there. Joining forces would be good.”
We left Room 203 and stopped before the vast door ahead.
Through it, we saw the rear garden.
The massive door allowed us to glimpse much of the scenery even from afar.
A tranquil courtyard stretched out.
The weather wasn’t as gloomy as at the 4th-floor entrance, but the sun was black.
Broken marble and shattered pillars gave the place a temple-like grandeur.
“A reverse temple indeed…” the Crown Prince muttered, horrified yet awed.
“Let’s go,” Yeniel said.
But at that moment—
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Other numbered rooms burst open in unison.
From five of them emerged… us. Each holding a weapon.
“Th-those! Aaaah! It’s the mirror monsters! They’re back—outside the mirrors now!” Max screamed.
‘So he didn’t know.’
These monsters had special kill conditions. If not slain properly, they revived endlessly.
‘Because this is the reverse world.’
I skipped the lore, but that much I knew.
Defeated monsters? They revived.
Slain foes? They still came back.
The doppelgangers, more grotesque than in the mirrors, grinned with chilling, twisted smiles.
It was as if they had swapped places with the demon worshiper.
“Run! They’re spirits too—spirits won’t work on them!” Sian shouted.
We sprinted toward the 4th floor’s massive gate.
“Thank goodness it’s open,” the Crown Prince sighed.
We rushed through.
‘This part was always about escape, not combat. Boss encounters here were random.’
But then—
“What? They’re turning back,” the Crown Prince said in confusion.
“They chased us so fiercely… why stop now?”
The doppelgangers froze, smiling even more creepily.
Some tilted their heads back and forth like eerie clowns.
Yeniel’s face hardened.
“Doesn’t it look like their goal was to drive us in here?”
“Y-you mean… a trap?” Max shivered.
“As if their purpose all along was to herd us into this room.”
Suddenly, a vast shadow loomed above.
How could one describe hell?
Sulfur stench? Flames? The metallic scent of fresh blood?
Blinding darkness surrounded us as we tried to retreat.
Without a sound, the 4th floor’s boss revealed its overwhelming presence.
As the darkness parted, someone cried out in horror—
“A demon…!”
