"We can't go this way."
Colin said in a low voice, quashing his two subordinates' urge to explore farther below.
So far, aside from the little mishap when the Wailing Girl appeared, the information from the prompts had been accurate.
So this time, Colin didn't try to enter the underground passage. He decided to think of another way first.
Neither Servant showed the slightest doubt about Colin's order.
The facts had already proven that the Lord's every decision was wise and brilliant.
Colin turned around. The monster was still outside the door.
It seemed to be sitting there quietly, in no hurry to do anything. It was simply waiting for them to break down.
The only good news was that they had just completed the Trigger Quest, and the Hurricane Lamp had plenty of blood. Colin and the others weren't pressed for time just yet.
But that couldn't last long.
"My Lord, it doesn't seem to be moving at all. Should we sneak out through a window now?" Servant No. 2 asked quietly.
"Idiot!"
Before Colin could answer, Servant One snapped, "If that monster were as stupid as you and could be dealt with so easily, would the Lord be struggling? Do you think you'd even get your feet on the ground before it killed you?"
"Uh, sorry." Servant No. 2 had thought of that too and hurriedly apologized to Colin.
Colin was about to speak, but his expression suddenly changed.
[You suddenly realize that you have been out exploring for three hours and twenty-six minutes. You feel that if you cannot return to the Wooden Cabin within the next hour and seven minutes, your chances of making it through the night unharmed are practically zero.]
"Three hours? It feels like I only found out about this a little over an hour ago!"
Colin's expression darkened at once.
One hour and seven minutes.
In reality, he had only thirty minutes left!
If he couldn't think of a solution within thirty minutes, then...
Everything would go terribly wrong.
Although Colin had no idea what would happen when night fell, that didn't stop him from realizing how terrifying it could be.
"My Lord, what happened?" Seeing Colin's expression suddenly change, the two Servants immediately grew cautious. They wondered whether their argument just now had angered him.
"Nothing. It has nothing to do with you."
Colin shook his head and said nothing. He didn't intend to tell them about the message.
It would only add to the pressure and serve almost no purpose.
The room fell silent for a minute.
Suddenly, as if he'd thought of something, Colin took out the Parchment and opened [World Chat].
"Please, someone kind, help me! I'm about to die of thirst. I don't even have any piss left to drink. Waaaaah!"
"I'm begging you, tell me how to light the lamp. Whoever tells me, this life of mine is yours."
"Didn't someone already say it? The first person to give out a tip like that will have to pay an unbearable, terrifying price. Nobody wants to be the one to stick their neck out. Stop being naive. Let's wait here and die together. (Note 1)"
"If you still want to see tomorrow's sun, then stop hesitating and use your food reserves. I've figured it out: the game gave us all the same amount of stamina. If we can't figure out how to light the Hurricane Lamp on the first day, we'll starve to death unless we get ruthless."
"Honestly, I want to help you all, but I really don't want to face that thing. Facing it will drain a ton of energy. This game is too cruel to your life."
As expected, the Chat Channel was filled with despair and hopelessness.
Colin had already guessed that revealing how to light the Hurricane Lamp would draw an unknown, terrifying threat.
He just hadn't known that the threat targeted only the first person to reveal it.
This threat had made billions of people afraid to step forward and help one another.
Colin had opened the Chat Channel because a bold idea had suddenly occurred to him—
Yes, Colin was planning to reveal how to light the Hurricane Lamp.
According to the information he'd gotten from the prompts, the Lord-level Aberration outside was hunting anyone who entered this patch of woods. If someone came in, there was a good chance it would leave.
After all, it couldn't kill him by sitting here.
Colin believed that the Lord-level Aberration had the ability to sense when other people entered the woods. Otherwise, it wouldn't have appeared outside his door.
Once he revealed the method, almost everyone in the game would quickly learn how to light the lamp.
That included people in Colin's Regional Channel.
If even one person came to these woods within half an hour, Colin would have his chance to escape!
[In your despair, you come up with this plan. You think it is full of uncertainties, but still feasible. At least it gives you a better chance than your other options.]
[However, you realize that this will bring down an unavoidable Sanction upon you in a few days.]
[The Sanction will be extremely difficult to endure. Before then, you must also pass a Willpower Check, which is why no one dares to stick their neck out.]
"A Sanction in a few days."
Colin narrowed his eyes. He was about to die now. Why should he care about a few days from now?
To hell with a few days from now. He had to survive today!
Soon, Colin finished writing a message. But just as he was about to send it with the Megaphone, he suddenly froze. His gaze went unfocused and his pupils dilated.
In an instant, darkness swallowed Colin's vision.
He felt as if he had been stripped of his sight, hearing, smell, touch, and every other sense.
All he could feel was an absolute darkness.
If his consciousness itself hadn't remained, Colin would have thought he'd been erased in an instant.
Just then, Colin suddenly felt the darkness before him twist.
It was no longer quite so pure. It seemed to contain many things he couldn't put into words.
Their existence made no sense at all. They seemed to possess a mass greater than that of celestial bodies, moved at unimaginable speeds, and operated according to unknown laws.
Colin felt how insignificant he was.
He tried to use his prompt ability to obtain some information, but a sudden chill ran through him. His instincts warned him not to do it.
But then, a bizarre coldness began to rise from deep within him.
Colin suddenly felt gazes from somewhere beyond his perception fall upon this place, making the hair on his whole body stand on end.
Before he could process anything, Colin's "eyes" flew wide open, and he froze in place.
At some point, a huge eyeball veined with blood had appeared in front of him.
"What the fuck is this thing now?!"
Colin's scalp prickled. As the eyeball stared at him, he felt his understanding of reality twisting.
And if he still refused to give up on sending his message...
The bloodshot eyeball contained an utterly absolute, utterly pure malice.
In the face of that malice, even the Crazy Little Girl seemed gentle.
Colin felt intensely uneasy and wanted to back down.
But it was only a thought. Backing down meant certain death!
He was more afraid of dying than anything else!
Gradually, everything before him suddenly vanished.
He returned to reality.
It was as if none of it had ever happened.
Willpower Check passed.
Note 1: This setting comes from an anomaly detection system in a certain ** game where you can get banned just for standing around.
Before you continue