Chapter 26: Scenes and Visions Existing at a Certain Moment
[C1, status report]
[We have entered the entrance area of Nutty Putty Cave. The situation here is no different from yesterday.]
After the original C1 team leader, Shinomiya Kaguya, vanished without a trace, the explorer impersonated by a monster became the new C1, taking over as the leader of this exploration team.
There was no C2, only Takakai and Fujiwara Chika as two C3 members.
Hearing the radio transmission from the command room, Takakai understood that the current team was officially considered to have only two people, which was an unusual situation that did not align with standard regulations. However, under orders from the command room and the threat of machine guns, Takakai had no choice but to step into the cave.
He had no idea if Kaguya's side was trying anything.
Exchanging intelligence within this dark dungeon, trying to grasp each other's status—it was truly troublesome.
If only there were a tool that allowed him to communicate with Maki and Kaguya, no matter how far apart they were, to know their situation… how great would that be?
That unrealistic wish flashed through Takakai's mind before quickly being pushed aside.
Now was not the time to be thinking about such things.
Figuring out how to deal with the situation at hand was the top priority.
Laughter echoed around him.
Groups of tourists passed by, chatting and laughing.
A couple walked past Takakai, leading a little boy who was still licking an ice cream.
A pair of lovers were taking commemorative photos in front of a strangely shaped rock.
An old man and a young man were animatedly discussing the features of the cave, seemingly comparing it to other caves they had visited before.
Everything appeared completely normal.
However, this so-called "normalcy" should not be occurring right now.
The explorer impersonated by the monster remained silent, moving forward toward the stone forest path.
Takakai also advanced quietly while keeping an eye on Fujiwara Chika's reaction beside him. He noticed that despite her evident nervousness, she was still carefully feeling her way forward.
Her demeanor did not suggest that she was seeing the tourists around them.
After a day of cooperation, Takakai had come to understand Chika's personality quite well. She was not particularly brave; when encountering something frightening, she would often be startled repeatedly, at best managing to keep a stiff expression and remain silent.
With someone like Chika, if she could see the tourists around them, she would undoubtedly have some sort of emotional reaction.
But now, she had no response whatsoever. Judging by her expression, it was exactly the same as when they were exploring the chaotic section of the cave earlier. In other words, in her eyes, the cave was likely just a pitch-black, deserted cavern—completely different from what Takakai was seeing.
So, ultimately, what was it that he was seeing?
Everything in his vision appeared completely normal.
Yet, his own blessing sense failed to detect anything at all, as if these people were mere illusions, not truly existing here.
At this moment, Takakai no longer had the mind to worry about Maki's situation. He had to proceed with caution, moving forward while avoiding those tourists to prevent any contact with them. Although Takakai suspected that these people might be some kind of past illusions, it was still better to avoid touching them. Who knew what sort of abnormal event might occur upon contact? He wasn't certain he could handle it.
Moreover, he was beginning to feel that gaze again.
That eerie gaze sent chills down his spine, its origin unknown.
It seemed to be separated from Takakai by something, but… the barrier was thin. Compared to before, he could now perceive the existence of that gaze more clearly than ever.
As if… it was right there?
Instinctively, he lifted his head, looking in the direction of the gaze.
Takakai saw a few tourists happily chatting.
It seemed that something had disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Takakai remained silent, turned his head back, looked ahead at the path, at the dazzling light, at C1 continuing forward, and at a tourist walking toward C1.
Thud—
In that instant, their shoulders collided—C1 and the tourist both staggered slightly.
Did they just make physical contact?!
These tourists could be touched? They had physical forms? They weren't illusions?
Realizing this, Takakai immediately became alert, but the tourist merely shot C1 a glance, muttered a low curse, and walked away.
As for C1, who had been periodically reporting the situation to the command room, this time, he remained silent—saying nothing at all, as if the collision had never happened, and continued moving forward.
That gaze grew even stronger.
Takakai felt as if the presence was right beside him, having just brushed past him.
But this time, he didn't turn his head to look—he simply remained silent and kept moving forward.
[This place really isn't bad at all.]
A passing tourist excitedly remarked.
[Yeah, this cave is quite spacious, and the paths are easy to walk. Unlike the caves we visited before, where everything was uneven and navigating them was such a hassle.]
The tourist's companion nodded in agreement.
[Really? I think this place has too many artificial modifications. Natural caves are still more interesting.]
[Interesting? Do you think you're some kind of explorer? If you really want to see natural caves, why don't you get an exploration certification and check out the Big Slide area? I heard two teams went in there today. The Exploration Guild even designated that area as a guide point for newcomers.]
[Ahaha, no thanks. I just want to enjoy the scenery. Climbing mountains and wading through water aren't my thing.]
[That's why I never understood people who enjoy cave exploration. If you're a researcher, fine, but if you're just looking for a thrill, why squeeze into narrow caves where you can only crawl through? Aren't you afraid of getting stuck? Just thinking about it makes me uncomfortable.]
The two tourists continued chatting as they walked past Takakai, nearly moving in parallel with him.
A child clutching a toy robot ran by, giggling. From the corner of his eye, Takakai caught a glimpse of the robot in the child's hands—it was Bumblebee.
For a fleeting moment, that stalking gaze grew even more intense—this time, from ahead.
Takakai couldn't avert his eyes in time. He saw a white shadow flash by in an instant, sweeping past a slightly chubby tourist walking ahead.
White… It looked like some kind of thin fabric… A dress?
Instinctively, Takakai formed a few hypotheses about what he had just seen. But the very next moment, he could no longer sense that gaze—almost as if the entity had temporarily shifted its attention away, no longer interested in his presence.
At this point, the three of them had passed through the stone forest path and reached the plains.
[C1 reporting, we have arrived at the plains. "Guard Station" detected. "Guard Station" is currently closed, no lights on. A hole has been discovered in the fence sealing off the Big Slide area. Requesting orders.]
The explorer leading the group reported to the command room in a hollow voice.
Fujiwara Chika looked toward the security guard station, her brows slightly furrowed.
Takakai also stopped walking, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
He could not see the guard station.
At this moment, in Takakai's field of vision, there was no such thing as a security guard station. Under the bright lights, the place where the guard station was supposed to be was completely empty.
Not only that, but he also could not see the wall blocking off the big slide area. Instead, he saw a tall fence blocking the path, even leaving a designated passage. A person wearing a light blue striped uniform, seemingly a staff member, was standing there, absentmindedly leaning against the fence with a bored expression.
What era of Nutty Putty Cave was he actually seeing right now?
As he was pondering this, a new directive came from the command room.
[Exploration team, proceed into the big slide area. You must at least explore up to the "Great Cliff" area.]
This order…
Entering the big slide was definitely not a wise decision.
Along the way, they had already gathered enough clues to know that the big slide was not a place to enter lightly. Given the strange state of Takakai's current vision, if he stepped into that area, there was no telling what eerie events might unfold.
It was time to act.
Takakai decided to find a way to create an accident to destroy the communication device on his person, allowing him to break free from the current control.
That intense gaze returned once again.
This time, Takakai felt it as if it were right behind him.
A faint metallic scent of blood seeped into his nostrils.
C1, walking ahead, lifted its foot and took a step toward the big slide.
Takakai also lifted his foot to follow, but then he stumbled and fell to the ground. As he twisted to the side, his loosely worn earpiece conveniently slipped off, and with a decisive motion, he pressed his arm down hard on it, crushing it instantly.
At that very moment, C1 halted, turning to look at Takakai, its pale, lifeless eyes showing no trace of emotion.
Not knowing what was happening, Chika also stopped in her tracks. Although she had no idea why Takakai had suddenly fallen, she quickly stepped forward to help him up.
"Sorry, my earpiece is broken," Takakai said apologetically to C1.
[...]
C1 remained silent. It seemed unable to comprehend the current situation or decide on a course of action.
But the moment Takakai spoke, he noticed that all the tourists exploring the cave had simultaneously stopped moving.
Then, in the blink of an eye, all of them vanished, leaving only scattered clothing on the ground.
What was going on? Did his voice somehow trigger a certain effect on these things?
Realizing that his actions might be causing unpredictable situations, Takakai grew tense.
At the same time, through the vision of the doll he was controlling, he saw Maki rummaging through Professor Fornell's desk, pulling out an old, tattered notebook.
On the notebook's cover was the name "Austin."
Flipping to the first page, the first title written was:
"Preliminary Survey of Nutty Putty Cave and Research on the Primitive Beliefs of the Ancient Chichazuala Tribe, Indigenous Native Americans".