In a dungeon imbued with the power of the Void, the most important task is distinguishing between what is truth and what is false.
Here, anything can be true or false. If you fail to discern this, you'll pay the price.
In other words, once you learn how to spot all the falsehoods, this dungeon becomes one of the easiest.
Of course, it's easier said than done. Under the power of the Void, it's almost impossible to make these distinctions.
Finding all the lies that are almost indistinguishable from the truth is practically a joke. Usually, people overcome this challenge by using various magical tools or items blessed with divine miracles.
I even wrote about this in my guide for newbies.
But here's the thing.
Saying it's hard to distinguish everything is only because it's "almost" impossible, not "completely" impossible.
For someone like me, who's been through the filth of this world, it's entirely doable.
Just look at the monster charging at us now.
A deer the size of a truck, with red eyes, is threatening us with its antlers.
The others around me are all panicking, saying we need to defend ourselves, but I haven't even raised my shield and am instead stepping forward.
"Lady?!"
"Lady!!"
"Lucy Allen! What are you doing?!"
"I'm watching, you amateurs."
The deer's horns rush toward me, but I remain calm.
<Lucy!>
Then, the moment the deer and I collided, I wasn't harmed at all.
The illusionary deer simply passed through me and ran back into the fog.
"...What was that?"
The perverted apostle, who had rushed to my side to protect me, stood dazed, staring at the deer's retreating figure and spoke up.
"What else would it be? It’s fake. Can you not even tell that, you useless crow?"
"Fake."
"How pathetic. Besides being a pervert, what are you good at?"
I always brush off the perverted apostle’s confusion with my Mesugaki skill, but I can understand why he's puzzled.
Back when I was speedrunning, I had no time to gather items, so I just memorized how to distinguish all these illusions. Without that, it would have been hard to spot the oddities here.
How could I have spotted the oddness of the antlers, the fur's coloring, or the feet? It's not an easy task.
<...Even if you noticed all that, isn’t charging into it with your bare body too dangerous?>
'Illusions like that can cause problems if mishandled. If I know it’s an illusion, this is the safest way to deal with it.'
I told Grandpa that it was the best way to handle the situation, and he sighed deeply before speaking slowly.
<Aren’t you afraid?>
'Well, not completely fearless.'
If a deer the size of a truck charges at you, anyone would be scared, right?
Of course, it's frightening. It's like looking down from the top of a roller coaster.
But...
'If I don’t do it, who will?'
If I decide it's fake, then I should be the one to take the risk. Isn’t that common sense?
'And, I’ll recover quickly from a shock like that.'
My body is strong, but more importantly, I have the perverted apostle and Fabius by my side. Even if something goes wrong, it shouldn’t be a big issue.
'I’ve thought about it carefully.'
<...I see.>
Grandpa sounded somewhat dissatisfied but didn't try to stop me.
So, I shrugged my shoulders and turned back toward my friends.
"Move as I say. If you amateurs try to act, it’ll just cause trouble."
I lightly brushed off their concerns and once again took the lead, heading into the dark forest.
I successfully spotted the first illusion, and after that, I overcame a few more, but I failed once in the middle.
I failed to distinguish whether the tree roots flying toward me were real or fake.
With the short time I had to decide, I failed to make the correct judgment, biting my lip and raising my shield.
Thud!
The tree root, thicker than my waist, slammed into my shield, sending a shock through my arms.
It was real.
"Perverted apostle!"
"I’ll handle it."
What’s different about this one from the real thing?
Ah. Damn it. The part near the dirt is slightly off.
I couldn't catch that in the darkness.
Not being able to judge quickly, I had to take the shock.
It wasn’t the shock from the tree root’s attack that bothered me.
No, I was annoyed with myself.
It’s been more than a year since I left the monitor behind.
During that time, my senses dulled.
It’s only natural. How could it be the same as when I spent every day immersed in the game?
But, you know.
My pride as the "rotten water" of this world can’t just be dismissed with excuses.
In a situation like this, I can’t afford to take it lightly.
I bit my lip and furrowed my brow, gripping my shield tightly.
Meanwhile, Joey, who had joined Lucy, was informed by the Apostle of the Arts about the current situation.
They learned that the dungeon they were facing was completely different from the one they had originally planned to conquer.
This dungeon was created by the Void Evil God using its powers.
They had ended up in this place by accident.
And Lucy’s true objective was to conquer this dungeon.
As Joey processed all this, countless questions swirled in his mind.
Why hadn’t she told them?
Did she think they weren’t trustworthy enough?
Did they look like children who always needed protecting?
Why didn’t she consider that others might be worried about her while she was worrying about them?
As he met Lucy Allen’s eyes, full of concern for their group, Joey almost blurted out all these thoughts, but he quickly held them back.
Right now, the most important thing was getting out of the dungeon.
He could ask those questions after they got out.
Thinking that, Joey suppressed his questions and quietly followed Lucy’s lead.
However, as time passed, his concerns grew louder in his mind.
If they made even a small mistake, someone was bound to get seriously hurt.
They had already faced multiple dangers and gotten wounded in the process.
Still, Lucy, standing at the front, looked so vulnerable.
Joey didn’t completely distrust Lucy Allen.
She had proven herself to be exceptional, especially in the dungeon, where she displayed almost godlike skill.
There had to be a reason she kept repeating such dangerous actions.
He understood that. He really did.
But understanding it didn’t mean he could accept it emotionally.
How could he just watch his friend walk into danger with nothing but confidence?
It felt like he was becoming a burden to Lucy, just like the time in the academy entrance exam when he almost died.
While Joey’s thoughts spiraled, the fog that had been surrounding them began to move inward.
It seemed as though it was being sucked into something, and it didn’t feel like a natural occurrence.
"Huh. You’re a conceited, arrogant fool, but at least you’re not completely stupid, huh? Seeing this and running away, huh? It’s disgusting. Just like an evil god."
Lucy smirked as she spoke, then started walking toward the place where the fog was being sucked in, with the others following her as usual.
In the middle of the forest they arrived at, there were stairs leading down to the underground, and from the entrance came the nauseating smells of blood and decaying flesh.
Joey, upon catching a whiff, felt a sudden wave of nausea and searched his past memories.
Then, he realized where he had smelled that scent before.
It was the place that had haunted his nightmares for a long time. Even now, sometimes, he would confront it in his dreams. It symbolized his own helplessness.
The place where the alchemist had stayed.
Upon realizing this, Joey froze and stared at the entrance.
He could still recall the terrible enemies he had faced there. The multiple times he had narrowly escaped death.
And then, he faced...
"Idiot."
Hearing the sharp voice ringing in his ears, Joey snapped back to reality and met Lucy’s concerned eyes.
"Why do you look like you’re about to pee your pants?"
"Who... Who looks like that?! This is slander!"
"Heh, well, what will you do now? Want to stay here? If you sit down and shiver, I’ll go deal with the idiot down below."
Joey thought for a moment before responding.
If Lucy Allen said this, she must have the confidence to handle it.
Maybe she thought he was just a hindrance.
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"...No. I’m fine. Why retreat when I have a chance to get revenge?"
Though he thought that, Joey didn’t back down.
If he backed down now, he felt like he would always remain a hindrance in Lucy’s eyes, so he gritted his teeth.
Lucy, seeing him, paused for a moment before letting out her usual teasing laugh.
"Trying to act tough, huh? Don’t you think it would be embarrassing if you start crying like a baby once we’re inside?"
"It won’t happen."
"Really? Alright. Do as you please, crybaby idiot."
"It won’t happen, I swear."
After that, Lucy asked the same question to the others, and the answers were all the same.
No one was planning to back down.
Seeing that, Lucy shrugged and took the lead, stepping toward the stairs first.