Why is my Isekai in the Slice of Life anime was become a Horror Story?

Chapter 11: Are You Playing Someone, or Is Someone Playing You?

The sound of someone tapping on something echoed faintly.

Takakai paused his crawling for a moment, then continued moving forward.

The sound grew increasingly clear, resembling someone knocking or slapping against a wall.

It was so eerie that it felt as though it emanated from within his very body.

Faintly, the sobbing of someone crying could be heard, as though it came from an extremely deep, far-off place, yet it felt unnervingly close, as if just beside his ear—but he couldn't see anyone.

Takakai's breathing grew heavier.

The suffocating atmosphere of the narrow cave relentlessly strained his nerves with every passing second.

The rough surface of the rocks scraped against his body, and despite the protective suit, the pain was unmistakable.

Takakai was certain the tunnel extended well over a hundred meters. Crawling through a cave like this was no easy feat. Even with the knowledge and physical strength inherited from Xu Sheng's memories, Takakai felt exhaustion creeping in after some time. It was hard to imagine how ordinary people would fare if trapped here.

However, as an explorer, such dangers were to be expected. Choosing this path meant being prepared.

After all, I am an explorer.

"..."

Takakai halted again.

A strange feeling, similar to before, swelled in his chest.

He couldn't pinpoint what was wrong; he simply felt as though something was amiss.

What's the problem?

My thoughts, my reasoning—could there be something wrong with them?

I'm an explorer. I came here to explore; there's nothing unusual about that…

No, I shouldn't think like this. I need to reflect—to recall if something similar has ever happened before.

Takakai slowly crawled forward. By now, he could no longer see Fujiwara Chika ahead of him. At some point, the narrow cave had become a place where only he remained.

Calm down and think carefully.

That's right—the abnormality in my thoughts. I've experienced this before, back at the Shirakawa apartment.

After I put on the rescue team badge, after carrying it for a long time—Obsession—I began to forget who I was. I started to believe I was a member of the rescue team. I genuinely believed I was a rescuer.

Just like now. I'm convinced I'm an explorer, completely certain of this identity, fully embracing it.

Which means—I am not an explorer.

Takakai found it difficult to describe how he felt.

It was as if two distinct lines of thought had formed within him, both separate yet coexisting in the same body. It felt as though he, Takakai, had been split into two, both crammed into this singular body, much like how his physical self was now squeezed into the cramped tunnel.

One version of Takakai was born an explorer. He had explored countless caves, both big and small, accumulating rich experience. He was a cheerful and optimistic young man who had come to Nutty Dutty Cave—a place without any challenges, extremely simple, and suited only for beginners. He had come with a group of fellow explorers to have fun and guide newcomers who shared his passion.

The other Takakai, however, was a player—a man trapped in this place. He wanted to escape this cave. He… he was a somewhat cheeky man with his own limits. Not overly moralistic, but not devoid of principles either. And, yes, he was a bit of a lech… That's right. He needed to find Maki and Kaguya. He had to survive this dungeon, which had undergone a massive transformation, and make it out of this damned place alive. He wasn't an explorer—he was just a player. He was Takakai. Simply Takakai.

"Hah…"

With a tired sigh, Takakai felt as though he had just woken up from a deep sleep, his entire being left in a daze.

In that moment, he finally realized the identity he had been playing and the outfit he wore were not just giving him the role of an "explorer" to function within the dungeon. They were slowly assimilating his mind and body, little by little turning him into that very "explorer."

Was it the memories and identity of a dead explorer in this cave that were merging with him?

Either way, he had to take off these clothes.

And Fujiwara Chika couldn't keep wearing hers, either.

If even Takakai, with his blessed willpower and resilience, had nearly failed to recognize this assimilation phenomenon, Fujiwara Chika—whose mental fortitude clearly wasn't on the same level—stood no chance of perceiving the transformation happening to her own body. She might gradually become part of this deadly cave without ever realizing it.

However, removing the clothes could introduce other dangers.

Takakai understood that the entities wandering the cave hadn't attacked him or Chika because they were both playing the role of "explorers."

The moment they could no longer maintain this identity, what would happen next was unlikely to be good.

They needed to adopt another identity.

Takakai thought of the tourist clothes scattered across the ground earlier.

Wearing tourist clothes? No, that wouldn't work. The strange occurrences he'd seen thus far almost exclusively involved tourists' attire. The identity of "tourists" seemed synonymous with the abnormalities in this cave. Switching to that role would be a terrible idea.

What about wearing the clothes of another explorer, swapping out his current outfit? That wasn't feasible either. The original cave layout had disappeared. The forked paths that had once existed in the "blood vessels" were gone, and there was no way to return to the labyrinthine section of the cave to find another explorer's outfit. Moreover, even if he could change into another explorer's clothes, there was no guarantee it would be safe. The current anomaly stemmed from playing the role of an explorer, and the core issue might not even lie in the outfit itself.

That left only two identities to try.

Takakai's gaze shifted to the black watch on his wrist and the backpack in his hand.

The rescue team badge and the security guard uniform…

Though there were many unknown risks associated with these options, at this moment, they were the only two choices left.

The cave's exit ahead gradually came into view.

Once again, chaotic sounds echoed through the cave.

Harsh noises, like the whirring of a drill boring into rock, and the grating sound of something being dragged.

The oppressive sobbing still hadn't ceased.

[■We■■…■Come■■■■…]

Takakai couldn't discern where the sound was coming from.

All he could do was crawl out of the cave with great effort, collapsing onto the ground as he reached for the zipper of his suit, intent on removing the explorer's outfit.

"Ugh!"

In the next instant, Takakai let out a pained cry.

The explorer's suit clung to his body, fused with the fine hairs on his skin. When he pulled at it, the suit tore away painfully, ripping patches of hair from his skin and peeling off bits of flesh in the process.

Looking down at the suit, he saw that the lining had almost entirely adhered to his body. Forcibly removing it caused it to tear apart, leaving bloodstains on his arms. In places where the suit hadn't been fully removed, patches of skin remained fused to the fabric, connected by grotesque strands of bloody sinew.

"This is disgusting. Can't it just come off normally?"

Takakai muttered in frustration as he took a deep breath, gritting his teeth while prying his hands free from the sticky fabric. Blood immediately began to flow, vivid and stinging.

The cave's temperature seemed to be plummeting.

Compared to when he first entered, it had grown significantly colder. His breaths now condensed into faint, white mist in the frigid air.

Rip—

Takakai finally tore off his explorer's pants.

For some reason, his shoes and helmet hadn't adhered to his body like the rest of his clothes. It seemed that only the explorer's outfit had been affected by this strange phenomenon.

But Takakai had no time to dwell on the mystery. As he turned back, he saw Fujiwara Chika crawling out of the cave. Despite having been ahead of him earlier, she now lagged behind.

According to the blessing's assessment, she was still human—but something about her seemed subtly different from an ordinary person.

There was still time—he had to act now!

Takakai reached out, grabbing Chika by the shoulders and pulling her out of the cave.

"Um, Takahashi-kun, why did you run ahead? And… why did you take off your explorer suit? We're explorers—how can we be explorers if we're not wearing explorer outfits?"

The pink-haired girl, who had just emerged from the cave, still seemed dazed. When she saw Takakai standing there in only a thin t-shirt and underwear, she blurted out her confusion.

But before she could say anything more, Takakai had already pinned her to the ground.

"Sorry," he muttered.

Takakai grabbed the zipper of Chika's exploration suit.

Ziiip—

"Eh? Ehh? Ehhhhh?"

The girl's eyes widened in shock. She started to struggle, but Takakai easily restrained her. One hand firmly held Chika's wrist, one leg pressed across her knee, completely immobilizing her.

"Uwa, Takahashi-kun, what… what are you doing? No, don't, don't…!"

Chika was so frightened she began to cry, desperately trying to resist, but her cries for help were quickly silenced as Takakai tore a piece of fabric from his shirt and stuffed it into her mouth. He then began tearing apart her exploration suit with brute force.

As part of the suit ripped away, Chika's cries of fear turned into cries of pain.

Dark red blood dripped down.

Compared to Takakai, the phenomenon of the exploration suit fusing to Chika's skin was even more severe. During the forceful removal, small pieces of flesh were torn away, exposing raw wounds.

Takakai immediately realized that even if he could remove the suit from Chika, she would suffer severe injuries, equivalent to being flayed. Survival was uncertain.

He pulled out a rescue badge from his watch and pressed it against Chika.

A gentle warmth emanated, and the wounds on Chika's body began to heal immediately. At the same time, the exploration suit rapidly transformed, turning into rescue gear before his very eyes.

Was this due to the simultaneous effects of two Obsessions with [assimilation] functions, leading to an increase in transformation speed and a faster loss of control over the Obsessions?

Takakai didn't let Chika wear the rescue badge for too long. Once her wounds were almost healed, he pulled it off and continued forcibly removing the strange exploration suit she was wearing.

Perhaps due to the influence of the two forces, the assimilation process between the exploration suit and Fujiwara Chika's skin had slowed significantly. In the end, it only peeled off a thin outer layer of skin, leaving behind minor cuts on the girl's body.

"This suit... Why is it like this…"

After the exploration suit was removed, Chika slowly regained consciousness and struggled to stand. Her gaze was filled with fear.

However, she quickly realized she was now only wearing tight-fitting undergarments. Embarrassed, she crossed her arms to cover her chest and closed her legs tightly, a blush spreading across her cheeks.

Even though she knew this man had no ill intentions in removing her exploration suit—in fact, he was saving her—the feeling of being held down, unable to move, unable to resist, and being forced to strip was truly… stimulating…

"Put on this security uniform, quickly."

On the other hand, Takakai paid no attention to her black-gray underwear with floral trim and white panties adorned with a small bow pattern and faint gray dots. Instead, he put on his rescue badge, causing a rescue team uniform to appear on his body.

This Obsession, after Xu Sheng's peaceful passing, seemed to have undergone some changes. When Takakai wore it, the contamination level decreased to a minimal level. Essentially, as long as he avoided fighting with the strange entities, Takakai could wear it all day without issue. Considering that wearing it allowed him to recover from any injury quickly and enhanced his physical abilities far beyond human limits, he felt this item was enough to serve as a superhero transformation tool outside of the cave.

But for now, all he needed was the identity of a "rescue team member."

"Alright, I got it!"

Chika took the security uniform Takakai had tossed her. Hearing strange sounds beginning to emerge from the surrounding cave, she didn't have time to care about the smell of the uniform and hurriedly put it on.

Then, the girl looked up blankly, realizing she was sitting inside a guard station, facing a desk. Under the light, she saw a dark cave outside the opposite window. Three people wearing yellow-striped uniforms were nearby, and the figure of the leading person seemed somewhat familiar, but it was too far away to see clearly.

[Checkpoint identified, not suitable for entry. C1, lead the team back to the entrance.]

[Understood, leading the team back now.]

Shinomiya Kaguya turned around and began to lead the other two team members away.

At that moment, Chika heard the sound of a door opening next to her. She turned her head and saw a figure in a security uniform slowly step inside.

Rattle, rattle—

In the pouring rain, Takakai wiped the rainwater off his face, looking around at the rescue team members and firefighters with a serious expression.

"The current situation in the cave is still unclear. We must ensure our own safety first and then try to save as many people as possible. Now, each of you will get a set of guidelines. Read it in three minutes, memorize it, and then we move out!"

A white man with a scruffy beard in a firefighter's uniform shouted loudly at Takakai, then handed him a waterproof bag containing the guidelines.