Depraved Hero's Path-Chapter 54: Undying Archives Of Old: What Am I Missing?

’Appearing from there goes completely against the museum’s layout-’

While Léa was running ahead, the Smilodon leapt from the right.

The only reason why it missed target was because Léa had suddenly lost her balance as she instinctively pulled back while running forward.

Having lost her balance, Léa swiftly decided to let herself fall to the ground. The Smilodon’s claws barely missed her as it leapt beyond her.

Léa quickly turned around as she slipped on the ground. Wasting no time, the Saber-Toothed Cat turned around even faster.

Snap-

Another Snapflare was used, causing the Smilodon to growl, close its eyes, and turn away.

’This should buy me more time!’ Léa thought to herself, gulping and breathing heavily as she started running again.

The restroom was close. Because of the way she had slipped on the ground and recovered from the fall, running towards the restroom was more natural. Either of the two other paths meant passing by the blinded growling Smilodon anyways.

’As I thought, there’s no other path!’ Léa clenched her teeth, arriving at the restroom’s doors. ’There’s no path. Where did it come from? Did it go through the walls? It is a Ghost. But it pulled those bones down, brought down the door... It can control when to slip through things and when not to? That would explain why it managed to follow me when I went through the ventilation ducts!’ Léa slowly and quietely closed the restroom’s door behind her. ’The door won’t handle it. Even if I push against the door, that won’t change anything. These things can weigh up to 280 kilograms. There’s no way I can stop it!’

The idea that the Ghost Of The Past could slip through things answered a couple of questions. Still, Léa felt there was something more to it. A strange feeling she couldn’t just yet understand.

’If it can slip through things, then why did the Flaming Spear wound it? Why didn’t the blade just pass through its body? Wait...’ Léa frowned, her back firmly pushing against the door. ’Did the blade really wound it? When I blinded it just now... It didn’t have a wound.’

Léa’s confusion grew, before things started to click.

’What...’ Her eyes shone as she adjusted her glasses for the final showdown. ’Am I missing?’

There was nowhere to run anymore.

***

"Ugh...!" Marianne coughed after her back hit the wall.

The hit had launched her a whole meter off the ground.

The Trickster wasn’t giving her a second to breath though.

Two spikes immediately pierced through the air, aimed at her chest as she started falling!

The moment that Marianne’s feet reached the ground,

Fwoosh!

The spikes stabbed the wall! Marianne was nowhere to be seen.

[You have selected the "Quickstep[D]" Skill as your Reward!]

[Your "Quickstep[D]" Skill is Activating!]

[Your Agility Stat increases!]

With a base Agility Stat of 35, Marianne’s current Agility Stat was over 50!

"Thirty seconds..." She muttered before spitting blood on the ground. "Is not going to cut it."

Marianne immediately took the opportunity to run away and get as far from The Trickster’s Amulet as possible.

’I thought I could spend the whole time in front of it, but I can’t. Three minutes. The speed increased massively after one minute. Will it increase again once there’s only a minute left? I can’t take that gamble.’ She thought to herself with a gulp. ’I’m running away!’

Running as fast as she could through the blackened corridor, Marianne arrived at a fork in the hallway.

Wasting no time to decide, she turned to the right.

Seconds later, what she found was,

"Shiiiit-"

Crack! Crack!

The ground broke right where she had been standing.

"We meet again." Marianne whispered and clicked her tongue.

Fifteen steps ahead, there was The Trickster’s Amulet.

Marianne looked around as she dodged the flurry of attacks. With the Quickstep Skill, she would be untouchable for thirty seconds. However, after those thirty seconds pass,

’I need to figure this out.’ Marianne thought to herself, her eyes scanning every part of the corridor. Am I back in the same place? Did the Amulet move to follow me, or did I come back to it? The exhibit tables, pedestals, and display cases...The ground and walls... Practically nothing is broken here.’

Marianne frowned.

Everything seemed to indicate that the Amulet had moved to follow her. The area where the Game had started had been smashed after all.

’Still, the layout of the pieces, that glass case, and that exhibit table... I’m sure of it. This is exactly where we started.’

Had certain objects, parts of the walls and ground, cases, and tables been restored somehow?

Why?

’If they were restored, then why wasn’t everything restored?’

Crack!

’What...’ Marianne clenched her teeth as she dodged a horizontal swing by jumping in the air. ’Am I missing?’

***

"These Games are a way for us to get used to fighting and to the Apocalypse, right?"

"Nyan?" Rifna held a finger to her chin. "You could say that. They’re mostly just for fun though."

"I was told that everyone who has entered the museum stayed."

"Right." She chuckled. "No one has made it out just yet."

"Don’t you think that’s a bit unfair?" Elijah muttered with a reprimanding tone.

"Well... Nahaha. They just have to try harder." Rifna shrugged. "Games are supposed to involve tactics, strategy, and quick thinking. If it were just about brute strength, then it wouldn’t be a fun Game for everyone."

"Judging by the previous Participants of your Games, I don’t think many found them fun."

"...!"

"Isn’t that right, Zarath?" Elijah turned towards the Succubus for her to assist his point.

"Yeah." She nodded.

"Why are you asking the Succubus?" Rifna frowned.

"I, at least, made people happy with my games." Zarath explained, and Elijah nodded. "They couldn’t get enough of my Games, even when they knew that they would kill them."

"Gross." Rifna said as she pretended to puke, sticking her tongue out and making a retching sound.

"Hmph! Doesn’t look like anyone is coming for seconds when it comes to your Games!"

"...!"

"Who’s the better Game Master now...?" Elijah muttered with a hand to his chin.

"D-Don’t make this an actual discussion!!" Rifna complained. "C-Change of subject!"