Chapter 88: Holy Water One of the resolutions I made when I first arrived in this world was: "Never, under any circumstances, go near a Zone."
I mean, think about it. What's left of a mage if you take away their magic?
Not every Zone prohibits magic, but since you can't know the rules until you're already inside, it's only wise to avoid the danger.
But what if it's a Zone from the game?
If I know the rules and come prepared, there's nothing to fear.
Stepping into the Zone, I find myself in a small, cramped room. It's a modest space, containing nothing but a wardrobe and an old bed that lacks even a hint of human warmth.
Scarlet, who entered with me hand-in-hand, is by my side, but the Comedy Duo and Takeo are nowhere to be seen.
"I can't use magic."
As expected of Scarlet. She calmly checks the Zone's rules first and informs me.
"And it seems time flows differently here than it does outside."
I point to the footprints left on the dusty floor.
"I see."
To be honest, I only said that to look cool. I have no idea if those footprints were made three days ago or three seconds ago.
However, Scarlet observes them intently and nods as if agreeing with my assessment.
Wait, can you actually tell? You're not just pretending to know, like I am, are you?
"Let's go."
"Wait. We should investigate the rules more before we set off. It's too reckless."
…Fair point.
Even though I know everything, it would look suspicious if I acted without hesitation as if I were omniscient. Following her lead, I pretend to investigate our surroundings.
Glancing over, I see Scarlet testing the area with some powder and a strange device to identify the rules.
Do you just carry stuff like that around normally? I should probably pack some emergency gear too, just in case.
I appreciate her thoroughness, but Akito is likely preparing his own escape at this very moment. We can't afford to drag this out.
"I'm opening the door."
"…Alright."
Since there's only so much we can do in this tiny room, Scarlet agrees—and then proceeds to rip the door off the wardrobe.
She can't use magic, yet her physical strength is still incredible.
But this Zone doesn't really have "enemies." It's just a maddening place where infinite rooms stretch on forever.
It's almost cute seeing Scarlet holding the wardrobe door like a shield, telling me to be careful as she tries to protect me.
First, I should find the Comedy Duo and Takeo, then regroup with Akito's party.
I watch Scarlet's tense face closely as I open the door.
Naturally, it's another room.
As I try to step inside, Scarlet holds up a hand to stop me, inching forward cautiously with her makeshift shield.
I mean… your shadowboxing is cute and all, but we're going to be late at this rate.
This is a tutorial, Scarlet. A tutorial. There's no danger here. Well, unless you count the risk of starving to death because you can't find the exit.
Having been thrust into the Zone by Yeon-woo's "bet," the three boys stare blankly at the room.
"Did he still hold a grudge…? Tsk, I'm sorry. You guys got dragged into this because of me."
If Yeon-woo had seen him now, he would have asked who this stranger was. Takeo's apology to the other two was remarkably refreshing.
After losing Emma and discovering that the "brother" he trusted most was actually unrecyclable trash, his entire personality had shifted.
Furthermore, since Yeon-woo had covered for his crimes, Takeo didn't resent him, even though he'd been pushed into a Zone without knowing why.
"No need to apologize. Yeon-woo probably doesn't hold a grudge either."
"Seo Yeon-woo, you piece of trash!! Just you wait!!"
"… …"
Watching Rio curse Yeon-woo while glaring at the ceiling, Takeo turns back to Masayoshi, who had been comforting him.
Feeling the awkward gaze, Masayoshi shrugs.
"Seriously. His one bad habit is doing things on his own without telling anyone his intentions. It causes a lot of misunderstandings, but you can usually trust what he does."
Masayoshi's smile, reflecting his unwavering trust in Yeon-woo, is quite handsome.
Takeo stares blankly at him, blinks, rubs his eyes with the back of his hand, and looks again.
The "handsome" part was an illusion, but seeing how much Masayoshi trusts Yeon-woo helps ease Takeo's worries.
Rio is currently hurling insults at Yeon-woo, but even that is a sign of his trust.
Everyone, even civilians, knows how dangerous a Zone is. Forcing someone into one is practically a death sentence. If Rio were truly furious, he would be filled with genuine hatred for the man who tried to kill him.
Seeing the trust and faith the two have in Yeon-woo, Takeo finds himself wanting to be like them. Having been betrayed by the two people he trusted most, he envies the bond these two share with Yeon-woo.
"That bastard will probably show up with Scarlet-senpai."
"Lucky bastard."
"Even if Yeon-woo comes, there's no guarantee he'll end up here. Since there's only one door, I think we need to head out first to make any progress."
Masayoshi checks the Zone with the tools he has and fearlessly opens the door.
Another room.
But this time, there are doors on every wall.
After looking around, Masayoshi touches the dust near a door and rubs his fingers together.
"It's a maze type. We'll have to follow a specific rule or meet certain conditions to escape."
"… …"
"What?"
"Nothing. You just seem… incredibly calm."
Takeo gives him a strange look, unsettled by Masayoshi's uncharacteristically composed behavior. Rio shares the sentiment, eyeing him suspiciously.
"You're not Masayoshi, are you? You're definitely a monster created by the Zone!"
"What are you talking about? It's just because I'm a puzzle master."
Yeon-woo, coming from Earth, might not understand, but in this world, Zones are considered the ultimate form of puzzles.
While no one enters them willingly, the "Zone genre" is popular among puzzle enthusiasts. There are "Zone games" on the internet that compile past cases and man-made rules for brain teasers, and simple problems are frequently posted on community boards.
"Well, seeing as he called himself a master without a shred of shame, it must be Masayoshi…"
"Is that the part that convinces you…?"
Masayoshi gives a bitter smile, stands up, and boldly steps into the room.
"Yeon-woo might look like he just charges in recklessly, but he's actually very meticulous. He only moves once he has a plan. He probably already figured out that this Zone isn't dangerous."
"But don't you only know for sure once you enter a Zone?"
"That's exactly the kind of ignorant thing people who don't know Zones say."
At Takeo's question, the self-proclaimed puzzle master Masayoshi begins to explain condescendingly.
While all of humanity can manipulate mana, the elite known as mages are only produced through talent, vast amounts of time, and significant capital.
Just look at Yggdrasil. It provides students with the Source, high-level instructors, years of intensive training, and massive tax investments.
Would they really do something as insane as throwing mages into a Zone without knowing the dangers? It's unthinkable.
Ever since Zones appeared in human history, they have been actively researched. While not everything can be known, several rules can be identified from the outside.
Of course, those investigations aren't always 100% accurate, but at the very least, they don't blindly sacrifice mages.
Masayoshi believes that Yeon-woo had already done his research while they were on their way.
If he knew that Yeon-woo hadn't done a thing—and didn't even know such research existed—Masayoshi would have grabbed him by the collar. Regardless, regarding this specific Zone, Yeon-woo knows it better than anyone.
"Let's take it easy. It's not a dangerous Zone. As a puzzle master, I actually want to thank Yeon-woo for giving me this opportunity."
With a confident smile, Masayoshi leads the way, while Rio and Takeo follow him with looks of admiration.
Meanwhile, in another room, Akito looks around at his companions.
It has already been five days since they entered the Zone.
Given that there's been no sign of outside intervention, time must be flowing differently here than in the outside world.
And the infinite rooms—having gone in and out hundreds of times, he can guess the scale.
Fortunately, the number of rooms isn't that large.
About 80 rooms have been identified so far. While "not that large" might seem like the wrong choice of words, it could have been worse—they could have faced the nightmare of finding a new room every single time.
"Shiori, are you okay?"
"Yes… I'm sorry for showing you such a pathetic side of myself, Brother…"
Shiori gives a weary, bitter smile, her face gaunt.
There was nothing inherently "dangerous" in the Zone. The problem was that mages are still human; without food and water, they die.
Since they had entered completely unprepared, the only food the group had was a few chocolates Shiori had and a sports drink Kurumi had been carrying.
There were seven of them in total. What they had wasn't even enough for a single meal for one person, let alone the whole group.
Still, once one reaches a certain level of magical proficiency, they can regulate their metabolism. Even if they couldn't use magic in the Zone, their bodies and constitutions had already been altered by mana, allowing them to endure longer than ordinary people.
Because of this, they gave what little food and water they had to the other two.
Kon, the vegetable shop owner Akito often visited, and his daughter Nanami, had initially refused, insisting they all eat together, but eventually, they succumbed to their hunger.
Kon looked grim, feeling guilty for eating while the others went without, and Nanami had even cried while eating, apologizing to everyone.
Why does such misfortune always befall good people?
'I entered Yggdrasil to protect good people like them.'
Akito finds his resolve again as he looks at the two.
The meager snacks weren't enough to satisfy their hunger, and both looked haggard. Kurumi, Ailee, and Emma were in the same state. Even if their bodies could endure to some extent, going three days without a drop of water was agonizing.
Looking at his exhausted companions, Akito stands up.
"We can solve this Zone. Even if we can't, the Zone has already been discovered outside, and elite mages will be here to rescue us soon."
Since the number of rooms isn't that large, if other mages had entered, they would have run into them by now.
The followers, including Shiori, know his words are a lie, but they also know he's saying it to encourage Kon and Nanami, so they don't offer any rebuttal.
Seeing Akito still prioritizing and caring for others even in this situation, the others seem to find strength and stand up as well.
"Yes, just as Brother said, everything will be fine."
"Akito-dono's words are always filled with hope. Let us not abandon that hope."
"I don't know much about the difficult stuff, but I trust Akito. Come on, Nanami, let's go."
As Emma reaches out with a smile, Nanami regains some hope and takes her hand to stand up.
"Don't you have anything to say?"
"…I trust Akito. But I have no interest in playing along with a childish farce."
"Are you still angry about that? I wonder who's really being childish."
At Shiori's question, Ailee clicks her tongue and stands up.
Ever since the deserted island, Ailee has harbored ill will toward Shiori and Kurumi, and their relationship has been strained.
Akito, who should be the mediator, becomes—as Yeon-woo would put it—an indecisive wretch whenever women are involved, and can only offer an awkward smile.
"We've figured out the pattern to some extent, so there isn't much left. Let's go."
Akito encourages the group as they head to the next room.
As he said, they had spent three days grasping the nature of the Zone. With just a few more clues, they should be able to solve it without much trouble, but the problem is their physical strength.
If it had just been them, they might have solved it already.
However, Kon and Nanami are civilians, and out of consideration for their stamina, the exploration hadn't been very aggressive.
But they couldn't just leave them behind. The doors close after a certain amount of time, and the moment they close, they lead to a different room. If they got separated, they would have to wander for a long time before they could regroup.
Though the exploration was slowed by their presence, Akito only thinks of how fortunate it is that he can protect them.
And then, the next room.
"… …"
"Rio…?!"
Akito, who had opened the door, tenses up upon seeing three people collapsed in the room, but then recognizes one of them and rushes over.
A severely gaunt Rio barely opens his eyes as Akito pulls him into an embrace.
"Yeon… ah, Akito… is that you?"
"Yeah, it's me. How are you here?"
"Seo Yeon-woo… that son of a bitch…"
Why was Rio here, and why was Seo Yeon-woo's name coming out of his mouth?
While Akito is stunned by his incomprehensible words, Shiori identifies the other two lying there.
"It's Takeo and Masayoshi. Why are they here?"
"You said you were a puzzle master…"
"Puzzles… take time to solve…"
The group is only more confused by Rio's words and Masayoshi's unintelligible mumbling.
"Wait—Takeo?"
As soon as she confirms it's Takeo, Emma recoils in horror. Shiori gives her a cold look before turning to Akito.
"It looks like severe dehydration."
Though they had entered later than Akito's group, Masayoshi's party had starved much faster.
The cause was Masayoshi's reckless exploration.
Consisting only of Yggdrasil students, they had—unlike Akito—pushed through the rooms without managing their stamina. Eventually, they had stopped even checking the rooms and just kept running to the next one, until their strength was completely depleted and they collapsed.
Masayoshi's reckless pace was one problem, but an even bigger issue was that mages are accustomed to living with magic constantly enveloping their bodies.
Moving as they normally would in a Zone where magic is prohibited was more than their fragile bodies could handle.
The reason Akito's group had lasted this long was actually because Kon and Nanami's presence had forced them to conserve their energy, though no one realized that at the moment.
"Brother, what do we do? The dehydration is too severe."
But Akito has no solution either.
Their remaining water had run out two days ago, and Kon and Nanami were also showing signs of mild dehydration.
"Urine…"
"Pardon?"
"You can… drink… urine…"
As Masayoshi mumbles through parched lips, Shiori recoils in disgust.
"I'm not… a pervert. It's really… in the survival manual…"
"Holy water… give me the holy water…"
When Rio joins in, reaching his hand into the air as if begging for it, the women back away another step in revulsion.
After a moment of deliberation, Akito stands up.
"I'm sorry, but could you look at the wall for a moment?"
"What? Brother, surely you don't mean…"
"We have to save them."
As Akito speaks with a bitter smile, the women hesitate, each looking troubled.
The thought of feeding his urine to someone else is repulsive. But the thought of feeding their own urine to those three is even more disgusting.
As the women grimace and turn toward the wall, Akito takes a deep breath and steels his resolve.
Just then, Kon places a hand on his shoulder and speaks in a solemn voice.
"I will join you."
"Thank you, Mr. Kon."
"Wait… I suddenly feel a bit better…"
"No, nooo… I can't… I want the holy water…"
"Hold on… I don't care… leave me out of this… I'm fine, really…"
From Masayoshi to Rio and Takeo, they all try to stop them in horror, but the ever-kind Akito, insisting their lives are at stake, willingly reaches for his zipper.
If the three of them had any strength left, they would be screaming right now, but unfortunately, they are powerless to resist.
Holding the empty plastic bottle Shiori had given him to use, Akito and Kon look like terrifying demons in the eyes of the three boys.
Akito and Kon had made a great resolution, and their act to save lives was noble, but it was also undeniably revolting.
As the three boys watch with eyes full of terror as Akito prepares to pull his dick out of his pants, a voice of salvation rings out.
"What… are you guys doing…?"
Yeon-woo and Scarlet, who should have followed right behind them, appear in perfect condition.
In fact, they might have even put on a little weight.
Both are holding half-eaten croquettes, staring at the group with expressions of pure disgust.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Read 271 more chapters ahead on NovelDex!
https://noveldex.io/series/the-eroge-is-too-harsh-on-extras
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━