Chapter 9
Thud!
With that sound, the head of the Runner shattered, and the body that had been sprinting collapsed and rolled across the ground.
The Runner stopped moving completely. Soon, a quest-clear message appeared.
People should have been cheering in victory, celebrating their survival.
Normally, that’s how it should have been.
But—
Boom!
What really happened was completely different.
With a sound like metal crashing, the head of the golf club broke off in one swing and flew away.
“The golf club head broke in one hit?! What the hell!”
“End it, end it~ eheheheheh!”
The Runner rammed straight into the man standing in front of him.
In that instant, the man’s body was smashed into pieces beyond words.
Of course. There was no way this thing would let us clear it so easily.
The man’s body exploded into fragments and scattered on the ground.
Not only that. The morale, spirit, and pride of the survivors watching also plummeted instantly.
The rest was obvious. The other four who had sided with him screamed in terror and tried to run away, but soon their final cries echoed out as well.
Crazy… it’s literally a tank.
That was the image that came to mind after seeing the Runner.
That 190cm-tall man who had been standing in front of it? No different than a dog or cat standing in the way of a speeding tank.
“…If you hadn’t warned us about the risk factor, I’d be scattered across the floor too. Ugh.”
Kenta clutched his arms and shuddered.
For the first time, I was glad the lighting here was so dim.
Otherwise, I would have had to see that gruesome scene in sharp detail.
Especially for someone as young as Rei—it would’ve been unbearable.
HahahaHAHAHA!
The Runner, covered in blood and body parts, laughed creepily as it kept running.
The laugh—whether mocking, joyful, or just meant to terrify—was impossible to read.
But that laugh alone was chilling, and combined with its grotesque appearance, it was beyond horrifying.
[4 people have died.]
[The next stop time has been extended by 40 minutes, making it a total of 65 minutes.]
[Currently, 8 people remain alive.]
…Wait. Did I hear that wrong?
A moment ago, there were 12 survivors.
The people who confronted the Runner were 5.
So the survivors should be 7, not 8.
“Um… isn’t the survivor count wrong?” Rei asked me carefully.
“You’re right. It should be 7.”
“Hm? Then why 8? Does that mean one of the ones who got hit is still alive?”
“Let’s go check.”
“Why bother? Even if they are alive, they’d be too badly injured to help us. If we leave them, they’ll just die and give us an extra 10 minutes. That’s better for us.”
“But they survived a head-on hit from the Runner. They might know something.”
“…Fair point. Then let’s look. If they aren’t dead, you might be able to keep them alive, right?”
Besides, a sense of human decency—and maybe my job habit—wouldn’t let me ignore it.
“But sir, going without a weapon is suicide. Remember the little ones clustered near the passage earlier?”
Kenta pulled out a trekking pole from his inventory.
“Would you rather use a golf club? It might be better.”
“If you’re offering, I’ll take it. A golf club suits me more than a trekking pole.”
I immediately pulled a golf club from my inventory and handed it to him.
He swung it a few times with a full swing and grinned, saying he could handle the creatures easily as long as he wasn’t surrounded.
So, we left the display racks and headed toward the crash site.
“Hyaah!”
Kenta swung wildly like a horse off its leash.
Each time, a monster’s skull burst apart or their bodies flew like golf balls.
“Been a while since I got real exercise. Perfect warm-up! Get lost!”
It was literally one shot, one kill.
Wow. Even when I aimed at the head, I couldn’t kill them in one strike like that.
Looks like his “Ruffian’s Talent” was a lot stronger than I thought.
Of course, since these creatures didn’t react to sound, it was safe as long as we avoided being surrounded.
Found her.
A young Western woman, brown ponytail, hooded padded jacket.
She lay on top of blood and flesh fragments that weren’t hers. Definitely one of the 5 who had been in front.
At least no body parts are missing.
But her right arm and left leg were bleeding heavily.
The impact must’ve been enormous to knock her unconscious and cause that much bleeding.
There’s probably a fracture too… First, stop the bleeding and move her to safety.
With Rei’s help, I carried her fireman-style, and with Kenta’s cover we moved her behind the store racks.
“U-ugh…”
Even unconscious, her body reacted in pain.
“Sir, from the blood loss, I doubt we can stop it easily.”
I nodded.
She’d already lost a lot of blood, and we wasted more time carrying her here.
If my first aid skill wasn’t above expectations, she’d die.
I have no choice but to try.
I pulled out my backpack and the first-aid kit inside.
[You use the First Aid skill. Prepare the tools needed.]
[If treatment is done correctly, the injury will be reduced.]
I pressed bandages on the wounds, tied above the heart to stop flow, and raised her arm higher than her chest.
No proper tourniquet was in the kit.
Please…
[Hemostasis complete.]
[The bleeding decreases rapidly.]
In less than a minute, the bleeding completely stopped.
“Unbelievable. Your skill’s even stronger than I thought.”
Even I was more shocked than Kenta.
With this efficiency, as long as the wound wasn’t instantly fatal, I could probably keep people alive.
About 15 minutes later, she finally opened her eyes.
“Are you awake?”
“…Where am I?”
“Behind the racks in the store. You fainted, so we brought you here.”
“Miss, thank this man. Without him, you’d have died from shock due to blood loss.”
“Th-thank you for saving me. Ugh!”
She clutched her right arm, grimacing in pain.
It must have been broken or cracked.
“I’ll splint it. Hold on.”
I snapped a straight plastic hanger, used it as a splint, and tied it with a bandage.
[You splinted a fracture.]
[Pain decreases, and with proper treatment, it will heal quickly.]
“…Unbelievable. The pain’s almost gone. Are you a doctor?”
“No, just a medical student.”
“If even you can do this, then real doctors must have incredible skills. Cough, cough.”
Honestly, I wondered the same.
“But how did you survive the Runner’s hit? Everyone else was torn apart.”
“I don’t know either… I was hit the same way. But only I… survived.”
She shook her head with a pained look.
Anyone who saw people splatter like cakes thrown on the floor would be shaken.
I hoped for some clue, but… nothing.
Like entering a secret path expecting treasure, only to find it empty.
But… wait. A clue?
I turned to Rei.
“Rei. This time, I need your power.”
“M-my… power?”
“Yeah. Your divination. We’ve gathered a lot of pieces, but we’re missing the one to connect them. Can I ask you?”
“…Okay.”
Rei pulled out tarot cards, shuffled expertly, and asked me to draw one.
I handed her a card.
It glowed faint blue.
She set it on the floor and flipped it. Starlight-like sparks scattered.
The Hermit.
Hermit.
That’s what it meant.
“Rei, what does this mean?”
“Wait a moment…”
She stared at the card.
For a second, I thought I saw faint blue smoke rise in her eyes.
“They say… you already have the clue you’re looking for. You just haven’t realized it yet.”
I… have it?
I crossed my arms and recalled all the information since arriving here.
But nothing looked like a key to move forward.
“Little miss, are you sure?”
“I-I’m sure. If I get it wrong, I could be eliminated too. Why would I lie…?”
Her voice trembled as she tried not to cry.
“Fair enough. Sorry for doubting you. Sir, any ideas?”
“Not yet…”
“Honestly, I’m not good at thinking. That’s why I’m relying on you. Don’t let me down.”
“I’m not smart either. I just squeeze my brain dry.”
In the tutorial, it was Noh Eun who actually planned and judged things.
I just followed her.
The only decision I’d made myself was a last-minute improvisation when things went wrong.
I’m just copying what I saw from her…
“…Excuse me.”
The rescued woman raised her now bandaged right arm.
“Yes?”
“Listening to you all, I thought of something. May I say it?”
“Please do.”
Now wasn’t the time to be picky.
Even if it came from a monster, I’d take any clue.
“She said you have it, not just know it. What if it’s not intangible—but an actual thing you’re carrying?”
An actual object I have?
One thing instantly came to mind. I quickly pulled out my backpack and searched inside.
[Game Taves: In Search of the Form!]
The book I’d requested as a reward for clearing the tutorial.
Thanks to reading it in the cabin, I got this backpack.
Strictly speaking, it was because of a folded A4 paper tucked at the end.
Either way, it was the only item that might contain a clue.
Rustle rustle…
Found it!
—Discussion on Quests (About Floor 87)
◆◆◆ Page 50
As listed in the index, I turned to page 50 and spread it open for everyone.
…Excerpt…
Q: While developing this game, did you research real-world things?
A: Yes. We studied ghost stories, horror, incidents, and games. We had to transform them while keeping their essence. Even for a closed beta, testers should enjoy it.
Q: Can you give a hint on what’s applied?
A: Each floor has a concept. It’s based on the floor’s original place. For Floor 87, it was a sports/outdoor store, so we designed the game accordingly. Testers will see it themselves.
So that’s why the passage was shaped like a track, and the Runner in sportswear was the key entity.
Though I never imagined it’d be a murderous tank.
I chuckled bitterly and kept reading.
Q: Since we’re on Floor 87, can you give one tip for clearing it?
A: A person who becomes an outsider first complains about others. Because deep down, they want someone with them. Not everyone does this, but you might.
Q: …That’s cryptic, but interesting. Thank you. That was reporter Amy Hershel.
What? That’s it?
There didn’t seem to be any helpful hints at all.
I tilted my head. Maybe I missed something? I reread it, but it was the same.
“Sir, is there any other mention of Floor 87 in the book?”
“No. Not in the index. Maybe if we read it all, but we don’t have the time.”
From what I remembered, there was no other mention anyway.
“I’m sorry. Maybe I just confused things by suggesting it…”
“No need to apologize. We were already stuck.”
This was bad. If we wasted more time, the floor itself might vanish beneath us.
“Um…”
Rei tugged at my arm.
“What is it?”
“While you were reading… I found something odd.”
She pointed her finger at one spot.
