Trap
From where did things go wrong, and how should I correct it?
Telling Yernil to keep quiet wasn't a wrong judgment.
If anything, I should've shut her up much earlier. If she had enough leeway to chatter, she should've been checking ahead, watching her footing, and scanning the walls one more time. I should've told her not to waste even a second of focus. We weren't on a picnic, and the labyrinth isn't forgiving. That's what I should've said.
'Think.'
I have to resolve this pinch situation somehow. Let's start with analyzing the situation.
Right now, we're standing side by side in a corridor about five meters wide.
Wall, me, Yernil, wall.
…In that order.
The walls matter.
On the first floor of the labyrinth, many traps involve weapons shooting out from the walls.
If you calculate average human walking speed, the primary danger zone is about one meter forward and backward from the spot where the trap is triggered.
Thankfully, "rolling your eyes" doesn't consume action points.
I desperately examined the wall on Yernil's side.
There were no "holes" there.
No vents where spears or arrows could shoot out.
Then what about my side?
Could something come out of the wall to my left?
It could. This all happened at the exact moment I foolishly showed a bit of goodwill and told Yernil it was fine to talk quietly. With my head turned toward her, and with the hourglass active, I couldn't see my left side.
[48]
More than ten seconds had already passed.
'Use action points.'
They're precious, but time is even more precious. I turned my head to the left and rolled my eyes as far as they'd go.
[Action Points: ■■■□]
The human field of view is about 200 degrees horizontally. Of course, recognition at the extreme edges is much worse than straight ahead.
But if what I'm looking for are two-centimeter-wide holes drilled into the wall, even a rough view is enough to spot them.
[Action Points: ■■□□]
Turning my head about thirty degrees cost me two action points. In exchange, I gained information about the wall to my left.
'No holes.'
This isn't a wall-mounted trap.
'Then a falling trap?'
Something like a log could swing down from the ceiling.
I rolled my eyes upward and checked the ceiling.
'Looks fine.'
I couldn't be one hundred percent sure, but based on my in-game experience, ceiling traps always come with subtle differences in the ceiling's shape.
That leaves only one possibility.
A floor trap.
I mentally listed the types of floor traps I'd encountered on the first floor of the labyrinth.
Type One: Rising spike trap.
Spikes would shoot straight up, shredding Yernil's foot from sole to instep. I wouldn't be injured, but she'd have serious trouble walking afterward.
Type Two: Exploding caltrop trap.
Not only Yernil's left foot, but her entire lower body—and the outer side of my right leg standing to her left—would likely be torn to shreds. A serious injury for me, a fatal one for her.
Type Three: Gas trap.
Poison gas or sleep gas would erupt from beneath her foot, knocking us both out. Either way, the ending would be us becoming monster food.
Type Four: Pitfall trap.
The floor collapses and we fall to the second floor of the labyrinth. If it's this one, we have exactly zero hope of survival.
'What do I do?'
Types One and Four are a matter of luck. Once the trap is triggered, there's nothing I can do.
But Types Two and Three are different.
Those activate the moment the foot that stepped on them is lifted.
Once the hourglass deactivates, Yernil will almost certainly lift her foot due to walking inertia.
How do I know?
Her heel was already raised.
[20]
[19]
[18]
Then a crucial realization hit me.
The timing of the hourglass activation.
The hourglass didn't activate when the fat man and the fanatic were stabbed to death.
If the button under Yernil's foot were a Type One trap, the only one harmed would be Yernil. There's no way this selfish hourglass would activate for that.
Therefore, it's one of Types Two, Three, or Four.
And no matter which it is, once it triggers, I'm in danger too.
[6]
[5]
[4]
"Ahhh!"
I shouted in frustration.
"I'll step on it."
That's the only way.
That way, if it's Type Two or Three, I can prevent it from triggering.
If it's Type Four, we're screwed anyway—but please, let it not be Type Four.
I used my remaining action points and shoved my right foot toward Yernil's.
[All action points have been consumed]
[Ending your turn.]
Tap!
My toe barely caught the edge of the button.
"Eek!"
At the same time, Yernil stumbled as my foot tangled with hers. From her perspective, it must've felt like I suddenly tripped her.
"Wh—why did you do that…?"
She asked after barely regaining her balance.
"…Yernil, you stepped on a trap."
"A trap?"
Thankfully, it wasn't Type Four. The floor hadn't collapsed, and we were still on the first floor.
And as expected, it wasn't Type One either. This was either an exploding caltrop trap or a gas trap.
"The moment you lift your foot, it'll trigger. To stop it, I had no choice but to step on it instead."
"…."
Yernil was completely flustered.
"R-really? I'm sorry… What should we do…?"
There is one standard way to deal with this kind of trap.
Place a heavy object on it instead.
"Yernil. Do you remember the two barrels we passed earlier?"
"Yes."
"Can you bring them here?"
I was certain that Yernil wouldn't betray me.
Judging from her fear of the labyrinth, losing the last party member and ending up alone would be the most horrifying nightmare imaginable for her.
And since the barrels were on the path we had already traveled, the chance of her encountering monsters was extremely low.
Therefore, Yernil would succeed at the task I gave her.
That was the reasoning behind why I stepped on the trap in her place—but even so, once Yernil left and I was alone, my heart began to waver.
Thirty minutes after Yernil left.
'Why isn't she back?'
Ominous thoughts began to surface one by one.
What if something unexpected happened to Yernil?
There hadn't been any monsters on the path so far—but what if something entered through another corridor in the meantime?
What if she was killed by them?
'What if there's another trap?'
There might have have been traps we passed by without triggering. What if Yernil stepped on one and got blown to pieces?
Was stepping on the trap for Yernil a crazy thing to do after all?
If it had been a gas trap, we would both have died—but if it had been an exploding caltrop trap, I could have survived.
Yernil would bleed out and die, but I could limp onward.
Should I have gambled on that instead?
Or should I have stepped on the trap and then grabbed Yernil? Ordered her to step back on the button while I went to fetch the barrels?
That might have been the better option.
If she'd been too scared and resisted stepping back on it, I could've threatened her. Whether I aimed a wand or a fist at her, the timid Yernil would've obeyed.
I should have left her standing there and gone to get the barrels myself.
Regret flooded in at the thought that I'd been too gentle.
'I should've been more selfish.'
It wasn't like I'd truly been looking out for her anyway. This was a matter of life and death.
Anger and regret churned as I blamed my own lack of ruthlessness.
Just then—
"Caleb! I brought it!"
Yernil appeared, straining as she carried an orc barrel.
"Did I make you wait long? I'm sorry. It was really heavy."
"..."
Only then did the horrifying fantasies in my head vanish completely, and I returned—at least for a while—to being a civilized person who understood concepts like honor, consideration, and leadership.
Humans are cunning, fast-adapting creatures.
"Place it next to my foot. On this stone tile."
"Yes!"
After finishing the work together, I backed away to a safe distance and pulled out a magic wand.
The Telekinesis wand the fat man had carried. Among the spells I had, it had the longest range.
"I'll try knocking over that barrel."
I needed to confirm the nature of the trap—whether it truly was an exploding caltrop trap or a gas trap, just as I'd calculated.
Or whether some new, unknown type of trap existed here, beyond my knowledge.
If it was the latter, things would get troublesome going forward. The calculations would become far more complicated.
"Move by an unseen hand."
As I spoke the incantation, telekinetic force nudged the end of the barrel.
I tipped it past its center of gravity.
Thud.
The barrel toppled over and rolled away. The moment it came off the button—
KWAANG!
With a violent explosion, iron spikes erupted outward.
"Kyaaaah!"
Yernil screamed in terror, and I exhaled in relief.
My calculations were correct.
After the trap incident, the way Yernil looked at me changed a little.
Hmm—how should I put it.
If it were romantic interest, I'd feel more at ease, but this was closer to reverent respect.
Don't do that.
I was someone who thought only of himself.
Someone who regretted not forcing you to step on the button instead after sending you to fetch the barrel.
And let's imagine something even more brutal.
What if the trap had been a rising spike trap?
What if only Yernil would have been injured even if it triggered?
Would I still have risked myself to step on it and stop the trap?
'Who knows.'
Honestly, I'm not confident.
In the end, I only stuck my foot out to avoid getting hurt myself. I was just gambling between three outcomes: dying alone on the trap, both of us getting destroyed together, or both of us surviving.
That's all it was.
So when she looks at me with such admiration, it's honestly a bit uncomfortable.
Still, her feelings toward me had a positive effect in one regard.
"Somehow… I feel like we might actually make it out alive."
She had begun to feel optimistic about survival.
It seemed she'd gained trust from seeing me instantly kill two goblins, step on the trap for her, and handle the situation with experience.
From my perspective, that trust wasn't a bad thing.
From now on, Yernil would move as I instructed.
That's critically important.
In the game, I controlled all four members of the party—but now, even moving my own body is taxing enough.
For victory in combat, it's essential that my party members move like limbs in response to my commands.
I will absolutely need party members with that level of trust going forward.
Yernil's combat power is lacking for now, but in that respect, she seems acceptable. If she grows properly, she might become useful.
Though not as a wizard.