Broken Possessors of Infinite Regression Academy

As we stepped into the Gate, it was eerily quiet. I cast a detection spell to survey the surroundings, but nothing was detected. I expanded the range of the spell, but still, nothing was found.

“Let’s keep going for now.”

We continued walking until we reached a crossroads.

“A fork in the road.”

“Indeed.”

Four paths lay before us. It was a rather obvious structure, and as I suspected, neither the communication magic tools nor the necklace that Elysier had given me worked.

This meant that unless the paths converged later, we had no way of contacting each other.

“What should we do? Should we all stick together or split up?”

“We should split up. I’ve encountered similar structures in Gates on Earth a few times, and going together just wastes time. This Gate isn’t strong enough for us to not handle separately.”

“Alright. Then, you guys can pair up. I’ll go alone. Just be careful not to lose contact once we split up.”

“Okay.”

There was a hint of disappointment on their faces, as if they had hoped to be paired with me. But it quickly faded, as they knew that I was the type to volunteer to go alone rather than send someone else.

The disappointment was brief, and without further discussion, they naturally paired up. Priscilla and Nika, Rosalia and Leona, Elysier and Latina.

Latina, who was the only one unfamiliar with this experience, stood awkwardly until Elysier grabbed her and stood by her side.

“Be careful, my lady.”

“You too, don’t get hurt. If it’s too dangerous, just run away.”

After confirming that the other teams had disappeared down their respective paths, I proceeded down the last remaining corridor. The path was smooth, and the place was eerily quiet. It was almost too calm.

My detection magic didn’t pick up on anything, and there were no signs of monsters or magical creatures ambushing us. Not even a single creature hiding and waiting to pounce. I continued on, puzzled by the situation.

The silence and the questions remained until we reached what appeared to be the dungeon core.

“……”

The conclusion was more anticlimactic than I expected, and I stared at the spherical object that seemed to be the dungeon core. Could it really be this easy? Just walk down the path and clear the Gate? Really?

Or maybe I had chosen the lucky path, and the other teams were stuck in traps, struggling to survive. That seemed more plausible.

As I pondered, I was about to destroy the dungeon core when—

Kurururung……

The structure of the dungeon seemed to shift, and the wall next to us opened up. From it, Priscilla and Nika appeared. Their faces were filled with confusion.

“Huh? What are you guys doing here?”

“That’s what we were about to ask you……”

“Isn’t this path connected to all the others? This is ridiculous.”

Everyone had puzzled looks on their faces. There were no signs of battle, so it seemed that they had simply walked down their respective paths and ended up here.

“Didn’t you find anything?”

“No. What about you, Mira?”

“Nothing either.”

The more we discussed, the more bizarre the Gate seemed. We huddled together, staring at the spherical object that was likely the dungeon core. Without a boss, destroying this would probably clear the Gate.

“……Is it really that simple? Just walk in and clear the Gate?”

“The mana flowing from the Gate is unusual. Maybe the boss is hiding somewhere, waiting to ambush us.”

“Ugh, I don’t like that. Do we have to search every corner of this place?”

Priscilla made a face at the thought.

“……”

There were still some suspicious points. For example, why didn’t we detect the other teams with detection magic until the walls opened up?

It wasn’t because the magic was sloppy. Especially if I had used it, it would have been far more precise.

“Let’s go back and think about it. Be careful, something might pop out.”

“Yes, Master……”

As soon as Nika touched the dungeon core, an unusual phenomenon occurred. The floor beneath our feet began to squirm and transform into a fleshy pink wall.

At the same time, a viscous liquid oozed out from the walls, pooling in a depression to form a yellowish puddle. The liquid writhed and sent out ripples with every movement.

It wasn’t just the floor. The walls and ceiling, which had once resembled a cave, also transformed into fleshy pink walls. It was as if the entire place had become a digestive organ.

My detection magic went wild, warning me of danger from all sides. I sighed and dispelled the magic.

“……I think I understand what’s going on. This entire Gate is a monster. It intentionally made us walk down a long path to make it harder to escape. That sphere-like object, which we assumed to be the dungeon core, is probably a trigger to awaken this creature.”

The dungeon core that Nika had touched was being absorbed into the fleshy walls and disappearing. Whether it was real or a decoy, it was clear that the owner of this digestive system was intentionally hiding.

“Eek, did I do something wrong? Should I have left it alone?”

“Then we would have been stuck here forever. Until we triggered the dungeon core, these walls were just part of the Gate, not considered monsters.”

That was how I would explain it using Earth’s concepts. Until the dungeon core, which served as a trigger, was activated, the walls were not detected as monsters by detection magic. It was a clever design.

To clear the Gate, we would have to fight while being digested by this creature. It was a rather nasty setup.

Priscilla quickly cast a protection spell, surrounding us with a translucent sphere. Beyond the sphere, the yellowish liquid churned.

“Ugh. What is that?”

Rosalia gagged at the sight.

“Everyone, get behind me. Let’s at least make a hole first.”

I gripped the Holy Spear in my left hand. This wasn’t a creature that could be defeated with just Yeongwon. Golden light radiated from the spear, and the writhing of the fleshy walls intensified. Ignoring it, I channeled divine power.

The six of them quickly realized my intention and stepped back. The Holy Spear flashed with light.

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“There are Gates like that too. We should probably come up with countermeasures in case they appear on Earth as well.”

The next day, I explained to Laura, who had returned from Earth, about the Gate we had entered.

The fact that the entire Gate was a kind of monster, and that we had to fight while being digested from the inside after triggering it, made Laura look exhausted.

“I’ll pass on the message. What a troublesome creature. If we’re not careful, we could end up being digested alive.”

“I suppose so. With the power of A-rank Hunters on Earth, it would be difficult to catch them once they transform. By the way, what were you up to?”

“It was related to the Sword Saint… or rather, Rachel. While she was out exploring Earth to adapt to the new world, she got into a fight with some external Hunters.”

Everyone in the Eternal Guild knew about Rachel, thanks to Priscilla’s prior briefing. Her skills had been proven to be A-rank level within the guild, so there were no complaints.

Although her identity was unclear, the fact that her appearance had changed due to the mana in the atmosphere, just like the rest of us, wasn’t a major flaw.

Priscilla had vouched for her identity, and since we were also introduced as having our appearances changed due to the mana in the atmosphere, it wasn’t a big deal. There were only minor complaints.

“It’s impressive that they dared to pick a fight with someone from the Eternal Guild, knowing full well who she is. They must be quite something.”

“They are. Without an arm or an eye, and looking like an ordinary woman at first glance, how could they not think she was an easy target? Especially after drinking, they probably didn’t see what was right in front of them.”

In a world where healing magic exists and severed limbs can be reattached with magic, the existence of a one-armed, one-eyed woman wandering around would surely raise some eyebrows.

Those guys must be quite something.

“What happened?”

“They ended up losing their arms and legs and are now lying in bed. Three A-ranks and six B-ranks were all taken down, and there’s an uproar about it being an excessive response. But don’t worry, we might even be able to squeeze some money out of them. Do you want to hear the details?”

“No, I don’t need to. All it would do is confirm how idiotic they are.”

“A wise choice. So……”

Red eyes turned to my left.

Rosalia, wearing a golden and silver dress instead of her usual nun’s habit woven from the Starlight Thread, and with a crown on her head, stood there with a sullen expression.

“How could you do this to me! It was just a joke!”

“Are you going back on your word to the people who came to hear a lecture from the Saint? If you wish, I shall convey your message. The Saint says she doesn’t want to teach guys like you, so get lost.”

“Hey! I never said that!”

“You are truly amazing, Saint. You even receive revelations from the Goddess. You are truly a miracle worker and deserve the title of Saint. Please continue to be our Saint.”

“Who are you mocking?! You guys are just taking advantage of the fact that it’s not your problem!”

“We wrote the script and told you the content of the lecture. All you have to do is go there and say it. How hard can it be?”

“Why are you making me do it! You do it yourself!”

Rosalia growled at Elysier, Latina, Priscilla, and the others, who were chiming in from the side, but since there was nothing she could do, she grumbled and headed into the classroom.

Laura, who was smirking at the scene, continued.

“……So, the Empire’s first lecture on how to deal with Gates has been created, and the Saint herself is teaching it. Where has Erestika gone?”

“She’s still holed up in the chairman’s office.”

“Why is she still ignoring my father’s call? I wonder what’s wrong.”

Laura furrowed her brows. Ever since Nika had tricked her and caused her to spray milk, Erestika had been holed up in the chairman’s office, refusing to come out.

She had even ignored the Emperor’s summons and hadn’t shown up for the inauguration of the new lecture.

“You should probably go see her.”

“I was planning to. Later, if anyone asks where I was, would you mind saying that I went to see the chairman?”

“Don’t worry, go ahead.”

With Laura’s send-off, I headed to the chairman’s office on the top floor of the main building. The corridor was still quiet. I shuddered as a chill ran down my spine, and I stopped in front of the tightly closed door.

“……”

As if to prove that the chill that had just run down my spine was not groundless, a faint smell of milk was seeping out from the tightly closed door.