Chapter 17: Chapter 16: Results of the Investigation & Debugging

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It's the second day after I started to investigate the mysteries regarding the Dungeon, and I have some results.

First, I was right before. This place is the Dungeon's 4th floor.

The "security room" that my Player Room is connected to had some monitors that showed the various floors of the Dungeon. The monitors marked "3rd floor" show the spider-shaped floor I started the game on, and there are two more unknown floors, one that's connected to the entrance. And it seems the spiders down there are either E-ranks, and there are even D-ranks if I have to judge from their appearance.

That sure killed my enthusiasm for trying to flee the Dungeon that way. And on another note, there's at least 1 more floor here, as there are monitors that point to a 5th floor. Those were broken though, so I can't see the situation there.

I've been trying to look for more monitor rooms on my walks, but to no luck. I also tried to find a new hidden chamber like the one I got the Emergency Quest from. Such a place would have some sorta clues, but no luck there either. I even tried to return to the first chamber, but the wall there won't budge. 

As for the investigation of the papers that I found before, not so good. I could read some parts of them, but [Linguistics] seems to be too low-leveled to read the more complicated words, but I did figure out four things that happened here:

1. The "outer energy" project that the Horror Remnant from before was related to seems to be a sci-fi thing where some magic-researchers or something tried to obtain energy from a different realm. Can't say for sure what energy, or from where, but that was their goal.
2. The Horror Remnants seems to be the sorry end of the researchers. 
3. The culprit for point 2 is likely an otherworldly being that the idiots lured into this world with their stupid experiment.
4. This creature is likely this "Vile Queen".

And while it wasn't written in the papers, I think the Vile Queen acts as the "queen spider" or "primogenitor" of all the spiders in the Dungeon. I mean, the hostile Horror Remnants were covered in spider threads despite there being no spiders in the chamber, and a Dungeon filled with all-female spider monsters..., right?

Even the "last researcher" said something about "threads that bind souls", so I think I'm right here.

But other than that, I got nothing. Not where the Queen is, how to defeat her, or how to get to this 5th floor that is the most likely place for her to hide.

In any case, time for another fun day of walking.

I excited my Player Room, then the monitor room, then started to explore the floor. 

I think I have covered around 70% of the floor, based on the map I have from [Auto-Map] and those put on the walls, but nothing is preventing the Dungeon from adding secret passages. Therefore, I kept on walking while keeping an eye for anything suspicious.

On my way, I greeted the purple spiders that were walking through the corridors as well. The researcher did also mention "with wit and help", and this Quest was specific that I needed to have a good relationship with the NPC spiders, so I refrained from battles and acted courteously with the spiders I met on this floor. 

Maybe I just need to lead a revolution or something against the Vile Queen to clear the Quest? If that's the case, good PR is essential. 

---

After a while of walking, around when I'd mapped 90% of the floor, I discovered something. A safe. 

It looked rusty and old, just like the other urban items here and there in the Dungeon, so it's likely not a mimic. I did try to Identify it, and sure thing, it's a normal safe. No Mimics here. 

Okay, let's try to pick it.

There was no deep meaning in my decision. I just wanted to act like a proper Scout..., or, maybe as a Thief? 

After some time trying to figure out the dial lock used on the vault, I remembered something: my five senses are the worst! No way I can hear the faint clicks of the lock when I find the right combination to the safe! 

In that case, let's just break it. The result of [Identification] told me that this thing has Durability, so it should be possible.

I fired a few [Mystical Threads] at the hinges of the vault door and broke them. That allowed me to remove the door and get to the loot. It's just that the stupid door's a little heavy..., heave and HO!

*Crash*

Phew. I once again tasted the fault of having low STR. But I'm confident in dodging any attacks that would be normally impossible for others of the same rank to dodge.

As for the loot~, we have..., huh? Two potions? And this is..., a vacuum cleaner? This is so surreal that it has deserved an [Identification].

Glitch? No, this is a vacuum cleaner, no? And the lack of rarity..., is it because it's a key item that can be destroyed? The key from the storage Quest when I got [Detect Treasure] had infinite durability.

I have an inkling of how this is supposed to b used, but before that, let's take a look at the potions. They got a silver color, different from the red and blue HP Potions and MP Potions (both being weak variants). 

Skill-up... Is this what I think it is? A level-up item!? For skills, but even so!

Yahoo! This is a dream come true! Wait, isn't this too good to be true? I mean, even the weakest skill requires 3 AP to increase its level. And the name goes out to say the potion's "deteriorated". Maybe there's some side-effect? Better look it up on the BBS before using it.

That only leaves the vacuum cleaner. Glitch..., it has to be talking about these bug-like sparks that I've seen on the 4th floor, no? Is this "magitech" supposed to clean the stuff?

Not that I have anything against that. Seeing such bug-like stuff on the floor is freaking me out. I'm a gamer myself after all. Bugs and glitches are the worst.

If I go by the impression that this vacuum cleaner works in the same fashion as the archetypical ones seen in certain ghost movies, I should try to suck up the glitches, right? Aim the head towards one, and...

*Swoop!*

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Wow! It worked! With a strange sound effect, but even so!

The glitchy-looking part on the floor had been sucked into the strange machine without damaging the floor. For some reason, a special effect that looked like black butterflies appeared on that spot before disappearing after a few seconds. After that pretty event passed, the floor where the glitch had been..., looked like it had gotten a renewal?

Yeah, no joke there. The spot that looked like a messy mix of a dirty, abandoned office floor and the floor of an old, dusty castle now looks like it's made of jet-black marble. What the heck, that's cool!

"Hmm, maybe the current appearance of the Dungeon is the result of the Vile Queen or something else wanting to "overwrite" the old lab used for the Outer Energy project into a castle-type Dungeon? And the glitches are in the way for the full takeover?" - Garami

Story-wise, that would make some meaning. This vacuum cleaner could also be part of the experimental stuff the old researchers worked with. 

The question is: should I continue?

If my theory is right, won't removing the glitches improve the Dungeon? Or better said, allow the Vile Queen's encroachment of the place to become stronger?

.........well, it won't hurt removing a few glitches~. Those butterflies were pretty to watch~.

*Swoop!*

*Beep!*

Huh? A clear beep came after I sucked up a glitch from the wall outside the room where the vault was hidden. Hmm?

The Quest was updated!? Now there's a phase 2, even when I haven't finished the first one, from the looks of it. 

The change happened because I removed the glitch on this wall..., oh? I can see a hollowed-out part of the wall now. A circular hole..., ah. The two medallion halves. They must be the keys.

Thinking about it, it's strange for that Chest Mimic to be placed in a Dungeon filled with spiders. And the second half was from a mini-boss hidden in a nest related to the purple spiders who're occupying this floor instead. 

Did I stumble over a secret path by accident!? Hey, developers! Don't place the hidden door so close to the key item needed to discover..., it...? 

This is starting to feel too easy. Way too easy. Why did the second phase of the Quest start when it says that the first one is still active?

Hmm, let's refrain from challenging the boss for now. At least until I've finished the first phase. And therefore, more swoop-ing! If there's one hidden passage behind these glitches, maybe there are more? And if I'm really lucky, I may even find more Skill-Up Potions! 

Come at me, glitches!!

---

Lots of *swoops!* later:

*Click, click*

Tch, did it break? Or is it filled to the brim?

I shook the vacuum cleaner to see if that made it work again but to no luck. Not that it matters. Looking at the map, I'd say I've cleaned all parts of this floor now.

And the result is stunning! The mess of a Dungeon has transformed into a splendid castle made of black marble, emerald-green gems lodged into the walls that act as magical lightbulbs, and beautiful paintings of various fantasy scenes as you walk down the corridors! 

Even the spiders are amazed over their new environment. And as I spied on the other floors from the monitors in the security room, it seems the effect has been spread to everywhere in the Dungeon!

The only thing I feel is strange (stranger than what already is) is that those black butterflies have started to fly around the Dungeon even after the transformation. The smaller spiders like to chase those hologram-ish bugs and they're not taking any hurt from them, so I guess they're harmless.

But that's not all. I've also found some more documents that probably talk about the Vile Queen, but more important than that, I've also found a total of 10 Skill-Up Potions!! They're all deteriorated, but who cares about that at this point?

And more important than all the points above is this! "Evil Eyes for Dummies"!! A special grimoire just like the beginner magic book I got from the magic shop Quest!

Not that I could use that one. You need to own a Mage-line class to use that.

To keep it short, you have to pay AP to "activate" a Quest connected to the book and have to clear a puzzle within the time limit. Clearing the puzzle will award you with a new skill. Or so the bulletin boards told me. Failing means you simply spent AP for nothing.

I've withheld myself from using the Skill-Up Potions just for this. I mean, an Evil Eye is a much better skill to level up than all the other skills I have! Mwa-hahaha! BWA-HAHAHAHAHA!

Therefore, puzzle-time!!

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