Chapter 102
Trigger Happy was seized by fear.
She had grown up on the battlefield, lived a hard life, and had never flinched at blood or guns.
But when it came to unknown entities, an instinctive human wariness kicked in. Especially when it came to phenomena or beings in the dungeon that defied human understanding, this kind of fear was common.
Trigger Happy was feeling the same kind of urgency as when she encountered such grotesque supernatural events.
(Finger Man, does this mean I underestimated you?)
While rapidly recovering her stamina through Sleep, her arm had somehow regrown without her noticing. If she were to describe what just happened honestly, there would be no other way to explain it.
(A skill that regenerates arms? And in this short amount of time? Impossible... it's impossible.)
As she patted her arm with both hands, Trigger Happy struggled to accept reality.
Advanced healing skills were rare even in the world. Rather than feeling gratitude, she felt fear toward Finger Man, who had wielded such a power with ease.
(This guy is dangerous... what... what even is he? And more importantly, what does he want from me...?)
Her mind spun with anxiety.
First, the unbelievable reality. Then, Finger Man's true identity. And finally, his motives.
As she mulled it over, her speculations grew, yet Finger Man didn't seem concerned at all—instead, he casually inserted a slug into the attacker's ear. What madness.
If there was one thing she could take comfort in, it was that Finger Man had a gentle demeanor. She didn't know what that really meant, but as long as he maintained this "friendly coworker explorer met in a crisis" facade, she felt confident the relationship wouldn't break.
And so, Happy chose to keep the status quo.
"Now then, Miss Happy, shall we begin the interrogation of this clawed man?"
Finger Man raised the arm holding the slug.
Immediately, the clawed man stood up straight.
His eyes were vacant, his mouth half-open.
He didn't look sane.
(So this is Finger Man's brainwashing ability... there's no sign he's resisting. In other words, it's such a powerful brainwashing that the target can't even struggle.)
Even Trigger Happy felt a chill.
She imagined what it would be like if she were brainwashed like that, and the thought terrified her.
She glanced at Finger Man.
His expression hadn't changed at all. She mistakenly assumed it was because he was used to seeing this.
(With this powerful brainwashing, just how many people has he turned into puppets and interrogated before...?)
Trigger Happy also tried to keep her expression neutral, determined not to show any weakness or let Finger Man look down on her.
"Why did you attack me and Miss Happy?"
Finger Man asked the question.
(Finger Man speaks so politely... but it's definitely just to cover his true nature. People like this are the most dangerous—whether in Russia or Japan. Come to think of it, it's suspicious how he always wears sunglasses. He must be afraid his bloodshot, violent true self will show in his eyes... it all makes sense now.)
Happy couldn't stop thinking about Finger Man.
"You... are to become sacrifices... to nourish the dungeon..."
"You said that earlier too. What exactly do you mean by 'nourish the dungeon'?"
"...The silver dungeon... will obtain the Ark... but to do that, this tower must reach the surface... we need more sacrifices..."
Finger Man furrowed his brow and said, "Hmm, I see."
Watching this, Happy was amazed at Finger Man's extraordinary deductive abilities, thinking, (Just what does Finger Man understand...?)
For the record, the true interpretation of "Hmm, I see" was: "I don't get it at all, but I can't look dumb in front of a cute girl, so I'll pretend I do—just pretend——."
"Well then, Gii-san, do you have any questions? (Translation: Gii-san, please ask a well-phrased question to prompt this idiot to explain more clearly.)"
"Gii. (Translation: Understood.)"
The Calamity Mollusk let out a sigh-like sound and concisely said, "Gii."
The clawed man answered.
"We offer sacrifices to the dungeon... and release all the apostles. Then... it shall be revealed... the fulfillment... of our wish... we receive... the blessing... our world shall obtain the Ark... Metania... Melunia......——"
The clawed man stopped speaking and suddenly looked off in a completely unrelated direction.
Finger Man didn't seem startled but tilted his head at the strange behavior.
"Ah, so you were there............——gh, guh... guh——!!?"
Of course, something went wrong.
The clawed man began to convulse.
His pale skin became even more ashen as he writhed in agony. Was he fighting something within? He clawed at his chest, scratched at his neck, desperately trying to tear something out.
His nails ripped through his skin, staining the flesh and blood underneath.
Faced with the grotesque scene, Happy scowled and tightened her grip on her gun.
Suddenly, Finger Man reached out in front of her chest and made her take a step back.
Happy flinched and instinctively stepped back. She felt a flicker of irritation at having obeyed Finger Man's will so easily.
"Guh... uaaahhh!!"
"!"
The clawed man screamed like something unhinged and bolted like a startled rabbit.
Happy reached out her hand. But before he could even take four steps, it was over.
Countless dull-colored root-like or tentacle-like things burst from his mouth. Their quantity grew, tearing his body apart from the inside, and soon they bloomed upward like tree roots reaching toward the heavens.
Happy gently touched her ear. It felt like the screams were still echoing deep inside.
"Chi. (Translation: Archon-chi! The Archon has revived, chi! How dare they do this to their own servant—such cruelty is unforgivable, chi!)"
The bird was filled with righteous fury at the evil in the world.
"Gii. (Translation: If the Archon truly descended, it wouldn't end with just this. It's probably an apostle's authority, senpai.)"
The insect offered a sharp deduction.
"Hmm, I see."
Finger Man put on a solemn face—for now.