7 Journeying Through the Dungeon

"(…My apologies, but I began to question whether you really read through the module I gave you…)"

I reflectively and rapidly replied to her in a sassy manner, "Well, can you blame me, though? I was really scared by that monster! Any human—though, I'm no longer a human—BUT STILL! My point stands! Anyone would know that they should run if there's a damned creature a hundred times the normal size in sight."

Asfi went silent for a few seconds. Soon, she let out a sighing, resigned voice in my head.

"(*sigh*… It appears that your former self as a human was still stuck in you. I have no authority to change that. But please, keep your emotions in consideration.)"

Her words emanated dissatisfaction. I could feel it. She was understandably disappointed, for she found me probably like some defiant that did not act like how the herd mostly do.

Honestly, I was embarrassed that I acted like this, despite knowing mostly all I needed to know from the Almanac of Automatons.

But I did not regret my actions earlier. After all, anyone would naturally run if they saw a giant frog, let alone a poisonous one.

Even so, to be fair, I apologized to her.

"Eheh… I get it, Asfi. Sorry."

"(Reply: Very well. If you understand, let us continue our journey. If you happen to encounter the same creature again, please do not run, for I will guide you on how to slay it.)"

"Haha. That'll be a ton of help. I appreciate that. Well, then, shall we go?"

"(Yes… let's.)"

And so, we continued our journey once again.

This time, Asfi guided me to go through unassuming passages that I did not expect to be the road to reach the upper level.

While passing through a dark and tight hallway lighted only by the fewest of torches, I said to her, "You know this place well, huh, Asfi? From the bottom up to this point, you understood the layout like the back of your hand."

"(Statement invalid. I am currently do not have arms.)"

"Oops. Forgot 'bout that, sorry."

"(To answer your question, I have the data regarding the layout of this dungeon.)"

"Huh, I thought your memories were erased."

"(Allow me to reiterate: Only a part of my memory was deleted. The only hollow in my memory database was the records of one day before, during, and a day after I was scrapped.)"

"O-Oh, right. You did say that, sorry."

I nearly forgot that. But thinking about her case for a moment, naturally, I thought it was strange.

The records containing three days of memories during the most critical point in her case were gone empty. But the rest of her entire memory was still intact. It begged a question.

Why?

Based on the almanac, when an automaton and their creator agreed to scrapping the former, all data would be deleted from the automaton's memory database, and then their energy would be drained empty from their respective reactor. Only then they would be scrapped and thrown into the graveyard of automatons where I found Asfi.

However, Asfi's case was odd. Her reactor was still active, and even still had energy to sustain considerable amount of lifetime. Her memories were still intact, too. She claimed that she never agreed to be scrapped.

Nevertheless, I couldn't just believe her entirely. It would be possible that she DID agree to be scrapped but she did not remember it.

With those things in mind, I could connect some dots. Naturally, it led me to a guess that the reason Asfi was intentionally scrapped in a premature way was to achieve a certain goal.

That was my initial idea, but I would not go further from there. I lacked the grasp of the case. Maybes and guesses would amount to nothing but a mere conjecture. That's why, I kept it simply at the back of my mind.

For the time being, my goal was to get out of this forsaken dungeon first.

Did I say forsaken?

Well, that was not without a reason.

Asfi was right. This entire section of the dungeon was heavily infested with abnormal otherworldly entities that I never saw before. From large poisonous frogs to glimmering centipedes. Even mosquitoes were about the size of a mice. What the hell, man?

As I said before, she was great at giving directions. Using my sights, Asfi guided me through the passages of the area while avoiding encounters with those monsters.

She said to me during one of our monster evasions, "(It would be best to avoid even the slightest of danger, considering you still have humanly fears.)"

*sob* Thanks Asfi. She put that in consideration.

With her guidelines and my understanding of her words, we eventually reached another staircase heading up. It wasn't a tall one, so, it was just a short climb.

Upon reaching the top, I jokingly asked her, "Hey, Asfi… how deep are we right now? So far, there were many staircases, passages, and chambers we go through, yet we haven't reached the exit."

She replied, "(Answer: we are currently at the middlemost section of the dungeon. To reach the top, I have calculated that roughly about 14 days will be spent to reach the exit.)"

"FO-FOURTEEN DAYS?!" I shouted, much to my surprise. I certainly did not expect the need to travel that long. She replied to me, "(Yes. Fourteen days. That is based on my rough calculations. It would be possible that we reach the exit sooner, or worse, later.)"

Yikes. Two weeks before I could finally see the sun again.

Honest be told, I had been on business trips that took a considerable amount of time. But it was a journey that allowed my eyes to see the world around me; the sea when I travelled by ship, and land beneath me as I flew with an airplane.

Now… I had to travel on foot for two weeks, with nothing but brick walls around me and monsters in my way.

"Gimme a break man…" I said in a resigned voice.

Continuing our journey, I reconstructed my spirits to travel through this enormous, humid dungeon by assuring myself that I would be gifted lots of meal and drink when I finally got out.

It worked.

Just when my spirits went up, we found ourselves at an unexpected encounter.

"(Caution: Zal. I heard voices from afar.)"

"(Yeah, I know. I can hear footsteps, too.)"

We were currently at a doorway leading to an unusually long hallway with poor lighting (few torches only) and some junctions to I didn't know where. Around that point, I heard some voices somewhat gibberish just nearby. Added with the footstep noises, I could guess just what was waiting for us at the hallway.

Asfi directed me, "(Please exercise caution as you proceed. Take the fourth junction to the right,)" to which I nodded and replied telepathically, "(Got it. Fourth junction to the right.)"

If I were still a human, I would've been drenching in cold sweat right now. The stillness and quietness did not help at all.

Cleared my throat I did, yet again, it didn't feel the same when I was a human. Guided by the faint light from those torches on the wall and the words from my travelling companion on my back, Asfi, I proceeded onwards.

Silently, I sneaked forth while hoping I didn't attract any attention.

Passed the first junction I did, the voices sounded bigger now. I believed they were at the third or perhaps most unfortunate, the fourth. I just hoped they'd be at the fifth, though.

The second one had been passed successfully. I peeped to the left and right and saw nobody.

Suddenly, the voices went AWOL.

At the same time, too, Asfi confirmed, "(Be advised, I no longer perceive any voices nor footsteps in our vicinity. We can now proceed without too much concern.)"

"(Hm. Got it, Asfi. Thanks for the heads up.)"

Yes! It's safer now!

Glad I was that the danger had disappeared. Even so, I kept myself at high alert while proceeding to walk towards the fourth junction and then took the right turn to a large corridor with a door by the end.

I asked Asfi whether the door was our destination to which she confirmed, "(Yes. Please go through the door and I will scan again to determine our next destination.)"

"(Noice. Let's hit it, then!)" I smiled with a toothy grin while trotting towards the old wooden door by the end.

*thud*

I heard something, no, perhaps someone dropping to the floor and landed by their feet. I stopped right where I was and turned around.

*SHING*

My face was nearly skewered by a spearhead that suddenly thrusted into my nose. Luckily, I evaded it just in the nick of time with a leap closer towards the door behind me.

I was in for a surprise.

Two, no, three more thrusts were struck upon me, but I leapt backwards as fast as I could while simultaneously avoiding those piercing attacks through the wind.

My eyes were focused on the iron spearhead that was trying to impale my face, but when it stopped, I finally able to see the spear user.

A young girl about the age of seventeen, wearing a breastplate and peasant dressings while armed with a spear was right in front of me. She had an unusual red hair braided to shoulder length with an iris flower hairclip.

For some reason I didn't know, she was pointing her spear to me. Her expression was livid, threatened as she saw me. Did she think I was some monster?