Chapter 12: Mummy

Clank, clank.

From behind, the sound of something winding up gradually approaches, accompanied by the grinding of metal.

Soon after, the sound of heavy breathing and urgent voices can be heard.

“Hey! Are you still there?”

“Guys, it’s not budging. What the hell is this thing made of?”

“Just wait a little longer!”

Cold sweat drips down Helena’s golden hair.

With her sharp eyes fixed on the uphill path ahead, Helena glances at the inscription beside her.

[IV. If there is an uphill path, immediately take a fork. If there is no fork, crouch down and protect your head as much as possible.]

Rumble—

Soon after, the sound of a massive boulder rolling down.

In an instant, the huge boulder is right in front of Helena.

“Everyone, gather around!”

At Helena’s urgent shout, the hunters gather around the blonde woman wearing a witch’s hat.

Helena stands among them, staring at the rolling boulder.

“Now!”

With a *pop*, the hunters disappear.

Moments later, the hunters reappear on the other side of the rolling boulder.

Crash!

The boulder crushes everything in its path, sweeping past the teleported hunters and obliterating the golems chasing them from behind.

“Whew, we made it.”

“Yeah, let’s not come back to this room.”

[XVII. This is an empty room. However, if you’re unlucky, you might encounter the guardians of the pyramid.]

“Guess we were unlucky.”

“If we get unlucky twice, we’re dead for real.”

The hunters curse as they collapse onto the floor.

About five or six hunters who had been wandering around join the group.

Helena claps her hands to get their attention.

“We’re not safe yet. The traps will reset soon.”

Thanks to the boulder taking out the golems, they have a brief moment of respite, 

But the pyramid won’t let intruders off the hook.

Soon, another trap will come their way.

In the meantime, the hunters frantically search the bulletin board for information about the traps.

Another World – KR World

[Reveal the probabilities before I send a truck your way.]

I repeat.

Reveal the probabilities of surviving in Another Works right now.

[XVII. This is an empty room. However, if you’re unlucky, you might encounter the guardians of the pyramid.]

It says so right here.

It says so right here!!

(A screenshot of a character torn to shreds by a golem)

This is the 10th time.

Besides this,

[XV. This room contains the Pharaoh’s treasure. However, if you’re unlucky, the chest will explode.]

[VI. There’s a high probability that nothing will happen. However, if you’re unlucky, the ceiling will collapse.]

Did they really collapse the ceiling?

Even gacha games have ceilings, you bastards.

LOL

“You’re just unlucky.”

“You son of a bitch.”

“Why not just not go in?” 

(Seriously, I don’t know.)

The choices were that or a path of thorns.

“I should’ve chosen the path of thorns.”

“This grave robber’s got a lot to say.”

“You’re gonna get kidnapped by the Sphinx, you bastard.”

“Reveal the probabilities!”

“Let’s not go into rooms like that anymore. It’s just going to get more dangerous.”

“I agree.”

Helena says this and starts writing something in a corner of the pyramid.

“Here’s a list of the traps we’ve found so far.”

[1. Do not stay in a room for too long.]

[II. The right corridor is a path of thorns, so take the left path.]

[III. Item II is false. The right corridor is safe, while the left path has arrow traps. Go right.]

[IV. If there is an uphill path, immediately take a fork. If there is no fork, crouch down and protect your head as much as possible.]

[XI. If the ground suddenly shakes, leave the area immediately.]

.

[XVII. This is an empty room. However, if you’re unlucky, you might encounter the guardians of the pyramid.]

“This damn architect is a real sadist.”

“Wait, isn’t this something like the Pharaoh’s curse? It was written on the stone tablet.”

The hunters murmur among themselves.

Helena leans her tired body against the wall and glances at the window.

[Isn’t this a historical inaccuracy?]

(A collection of pyramid traps)

There are so many types, but they all operate on a limited set of principles, like something out of a martial arts novel.

“Isn’t this supposed to be the Pharaoh’s curse?”

Instead of Goldberg devices like arrow traps or thorny paths, shouldn’t there be debuffs or something?

This is just instant death.

I don’t even know what to do.

“Just say you don’t want to see it.”

These traps are just instant death. 

At least debuffs would be manageable.

The Pharaoh must have been an architect.

Wait, didn’t the records say he was cursed after building the pyramid? Could a curse create such intricate traps?

Who knows?

Hey, stop talking and just hit reset.

Damn it.

‘It feels like it was designed this way from the start.’

In the game, we just brushed it off as a game mechanic, but seeing the traps in real life, it feels like they were built this way from the beginning.

Helena brushes away a loose brick under the boulder that just rolled by.

‘If only we could teleport out of the pyramid.’

She wants to escape immediately, but the pyramid is surrounded by a massive barrier, making it impossible.

For some reason, unlike other dungeons, this one doesn’t allow escape.

The huge barrier cuts off all connections to the outside, even blocking rescue requests through the status window.

Earlier, a loud noise created a hole in the barrier, but it quickly regenerated.

The only way out seems to be through the exit in the game.

‘So this is why you could only enter through the Sphinx in the game.’

Are mysterious dungeons not freely accessible like regular dungeons?

As she ponders this.

Creak.

As if refusing to let them rest, the walls on both sides slowly begin to close in.

Crack.

The pressure from the closing walls causes the defensive magic to start cracking.

Helena stands up and addresses the hunters.

“Looks like it’s time to move. Let’s go.”

How long will they have to wander this labyrinth?

Helena sighs and lifts her tired body.

‘I miss Lia…’

A cute girl with black hair and amber eyes.

As if longing for her, Helena waves her hand.

Since the Sphinx is no exception, Lia must still be inside.

I hope she’s not hurt.

She seemed fragile, so Helena wears a worried expression as she moves forward through the pyramid.

There are many useful strategies for exploring labyrinths or dungeons.

Our ancestors developed various strategies long ago for when they got lost in caves or labyrinths.

Her pale, almost white fingers touch the wall.

Swoosh—

A thin black thread shoots out and flies along the left wall.

The thread follows the left wall until it catches on something.

Crash!

With a loud explosion, the wall collapses, and the thread loses its direction and dissipates.

The pyramid’s architect must have hated left-handed techniques.

Thinking idly, she looks at the fork in the path ahead.

Though it’s pitch dark, her glowing amber eyes clearly see the shapes of objects.

[XVII. This is an empty room. However, if you’re unlucky, you might encounter the guardians of the pyramid.]

She takes a step forward.

At the same time, with a clunking sound, golems appear.

“Hello?”

The inside of the pyramid is filled with darkness.

The surrounding darkness takes the shape of blades and pierces the golems’ bodies.

The charging golems stop in their tracks.

They turn around and, as if nothing happened, return to the empty room.

Clank.

The door closes, and when it opens again, the room is empty.

“Lucky.”

She enters the next room.

[IV. If there is an uphill path, immediately take a fork. If there is no fork, crouch down and protect your head as much as possible.]

At the same time, a massive boulder comes rolling down with a rumbling sound.

She extends her palm and clenches her fist.

Crackle.

The boulder compresses into a handful of rocks.

“Feels like touching a meteorite.”

It’s the same boulder, so maybe the material is a bit different.

As she wanders through the pyramid, she soon sees a large room.

[Warning! Do not enter under any circumstances.]

This just makes me want to enter more.

Tap—

She pauses for a moment.

She closes her eyes.

Through the darkness in the room, she scans the shapes inside.

‘Someone lying down? A mummy? And several artifacts.’

But it doesn’t hurt to be cautious.

Flick—

She flicks her finger, manipulating the darkness.

‘Feels a bit like desecrating a corpse.’

Squelch.

The darkness pierces the mummy in the room.

Hmm… Cleanup complete!

Creak—

She opens the door and steps inside.

***

Tap, tap.

The sound of footsteps.

The mummy, which had been peacefully resting for thousands of years, opens its red eyes.

“Has the time finally come?”

The Sphinx that guarded the pyramid for millennia is gone.

The barrier that held firm for thousands of years has been damaged.

Dozens of intruders have disrupted the chains of the seal.

“My slumber of thousands of years is over. I shall rise again.”

A massive hand wrapped in bandages smashes the sarcophagus and raises its arm.

“Now—”

But the mummy’s words are cut short.

Squelch.

The surrounding darkness forms into dozens of blades and pierces the mummy.