Chapter 97

(Whisper) Miu: Ah

(Whisper) Miu: ♥♥.....

“...Huh?”

Yeonhoo’s awkward laugh froze on his lips. In the past, he would have assumed the two hearts were an expression of affection.

But now he knew what hearts meant in game chat.

Did Miu just swear at me?

He opened and closed his mouth in confusion before sending a whisper back.

(Whisper) 0momo0: Miu...??

(Whisper) 0momo0: Did you just swear at me? ;_;

(Whisper) 0momo0: Did I do something wrong?

(Whisper) 0momo0: Or do you hate hearing my voice?? ;_;

Anyone could see how utterly dejected the messages sounded. Miu did not answer for a moment.

(Whisper) Miu: It’s a heart

(Whisper) 0momo0: Huh???

(Whisper) Miu: I didn’t swear I typed that ♥ myself

(Whisper) 0momo0: Why did you send a heart???

(Whisper) Miu: Because I liked it ♥

But if he liked it...

(Whisper) Miu: I liked your voice so much

(Whisper) Miu: That’s why I sent you a heart ♥

(Whisper) Miu: Why am I not allowed to send you hearts?

(Whisper) 0momo0: It’s just... you don’t sound very happy... ;_;

(Whisper) 0momo0: ;_;

The hearts were there, but his tone still felt downright murderous. When Yeonhoo honestly told him how it came across, Miu—who had been replying with machine-like speed—paused before answering.

(Whisper) Miu: That’s not true haha

(Whisper) Miu: You’re imagining things hahaha

(Whisper) Miu: I always talk like this hahaha ♥

No matter how he looked at it, that heart seemed forcibly tacked on.

(Whisper) 0momo0: Is that so??

(Whisper) Miu: Yes ever since I got close to you I smile all the time haha and I’ve gotten so affectionate haha haven’t I? haha

(Whisper) 0momo0: I guess you might be right...

Did I misunderstand something?

(Whisper) Miu: But why did you suddenly turn on your mic?

(Whisper) Miu: You never used a mic before??

(Whisper) 0momo0: Oh!! I just forgot I bought one before

(Whisper) 0momo0: I’ve had it this whole time

(Whisper) Miu: ?

(Whisper) Miu: You had one this whole time but never used it

(Whisper) Miu: Why now?

(Whisper) 0momo0: Huh??? What do you mean why? I told you I forgot about it...

(Whisper) Miu: Now of all times?

The string of nearly identical questions made Yeonhoo tilt his head.

(Whisper) Miu: Are you doing it because of YoureGettingSued?

What did YoureGettingSued have to do with his microphone?

(Whisper) 0momo0: Why would Sued matter???

(Whisper) Miu: Use her full handle

(Whisper) 0momo0: ;; Why would YoureGettingSued matter??

(Whisper) Miu: Do you really not understand?

(Whisper) Miu: YoureGettingSued is a woman

(Whisper) 0momo0: Huh???

Yeonhoo still couldn’t understand what YoureGettingSued being a woman had to do with him turning on his microphone because he couldn’t type properly.

But Miu abruptly fell silent, and YoureGettingSued spoke at that exact moment, leaving Yeonhoo no chance to press him.

—Eek, well, Momo has his mic on now and BBQ is back from the restroom, so should we get moving?

They were still inside a dungeon, after all.

(Cook) BBQ: yup lol sounds good

(Cook) BBQ: I can’t be bothered with voice so I’m just gonna type is that okay?

—Huh? That should be fine, right? You already know everything, BBQ. But are Momo and Miu still there?

“Yes, I’m here.”

—And Miu... Oh, he’s already sending a ready check. I’ll hurry! All right, let’s go!

Miu said nothing in the chat window, but he made it clear that he was ready by sending the party a Ready for Combat check.

I’ll have to ask him about it again later.

Miu kept saying strange things today, and it bothered Yeonhoo. But they weren’t alone, and they had a raid to finish, so he focused on the dungeon for now.

Let’s do well this time!

The fact that he found this dungeon less enjoyable than <Sky Terror> probably meant he simply wasn’t suited to dungeons that required this much thinking.

Still, his competitive spirit had been ignited. He didn’t want to give up.

—It started! Let’s do this!

“Let’s do this!”

(Cook) BBQ: lets go lets go

The party entered Round One once again.

Maybe it was because Yeonhoo was determined to clear it this time. Maybe it was the microphone.

—What?! Momo, what is that movement?! Eek!! You’re actually so good!

(Cook) BBQ: what is this lol who are you?? lmao

He only fumbled through the beginning and forced them to restart a few times. With every attempt, however, they progressed much faster.

Before long, he could dodge the patients in the corridors without YoureGettingSued’s briefing or anyone else warning him.

And contrary to all his fears, the puzzle rooms went smoothly as well, until—

Whirrrr—THUD!!!

They solved the final puzzle.

(Cook) BBQ: heyyy long time no see

—Eek, it’s been ages.

Once the separated party members reunited in the corridor, there was a heavy thud, followed by several loud, bizarre noises like a clockwork mechanism being wound.

What was that?

Yeonhoo looked around and froze. The patients, nurses, and children who had been laughing and chatting...

Every character except the party members had begun moving unnaturally slowly.

Then the same patients they had seen at the dungeon entrance appeared before them.

—Oh... honestly... I told... you... not to... run...

They were the same voices Yeonhoo had heard upon entering the building.

Now, however, they were dramatically slower, and their movements were strange.

—Doc...tor... I can... walk... properly... now...

—E...ric... that’s... right... like... that... like... that...

—Heh... hehehe... heh... heh... heh...

Eventually, they could no longer complete their sentences. They merely repeated the same words over and over before finally stopping altogether.

The space fell deathly silent, without even a trace of their former chatter.

<Memoria Locked Ward> Round One CLEAR

Yeonhoo, who had been blinking in confusion, nearly jumped out of his skin. The system window announcing the end of Round One had appeared with a loud chime in the middle of the silence.

“It’s... over, right?”

The atmosphere was disturbingly ominous. When he cautiously looked around and asked, YoureGettingSued answered cheerfully.

—Yes! That’s the end of Round One! We cleared it faster than I expected!

“Wow! We finally escaped. Thank goodness. Great work, everyone!”

The ending left a strange taste in his mouth, but Yeonhoo could finally smile.

After all his anxiety about repeating the same mistakes, they had cleared Round One with ease once he put on the headset.

(Cook) BBQ: grats grats grats good work lol

Their success this time was partly because Yeonhoo had gained some experience, but more than anything, luck had been on their side.

Before, almost every time they entered a puzzle room, Yeonhoo had been assigned the role that required him to give the briefing. The puzzles could not be solved without his messages, forcing him into the crucial role every single time.

(Cook) BBQ: But seriously does Zombie Village listen to our conversations??

(Cook) BBQ: How did Momo stop getting picked the second he turned on his mic?? lmaooo

—Eek, exactly! What if this game really was listening to everything we said?! Still, at least we cleared it!

But the instant Yeonhoo started using his microphone, the crucial role mysteriously began going to the others instead.

He had entered voice chat because he was afraid he would be picked again, only to clear every mechanic easily through the other three’s briefings without ever getting to use the mic himself.

It was honestly absurd.

“Haha... Seriously. We only cleared it because all three of you did so well.”

Yeonhoo laughed awkwardly.

—Oh, no way. We cleared because you did well, Momo. Near the end, I even saw you recognizing the patients’ movement patterns in the corridor and waiting for them to pass!

“Oh... you saw that?”

—Yes! You learn incredibly fast, Momo.

“I wouldn’t say that, but honestly...”

His embarrassment lasted only a moment. As YoureGettingSued continued, the corners of Yeonhoo’s mouth gradually began twitching upward.

“I did start seeing the patterns... just a little...”

He modestly twisted his body from side to side, prompting YoureGettingSued to burst into delighted laughter.

—Oh my gosh, you could see them “just a little”?! That means you’re good!! I’ve taught plenty of beginners, so I would know! Do you have any idea how hard it is to remember something after hearing it once and immediately apply it on the next attempt?

YoureGettingSued showered him with extravagant praise. His confidence had taken a slight blow after struggling so badly at the beginning, but now his body began bouncing with barely contained delight.

“That’s not true... It was all because you gave such a good briefing, Sued.”

—No! This was all because you did such an amazing job, Momo...

(Sniper) Miu: Are we not leaving?

(Sniper) Miu: We still have Round Two left