章 10: Chapter 9: Hidden Dimension
Continue our cooperation?
Upon hearing this, the girl's expression instantly turned sour.
This guy still hasn't realized the situation, and he wants me to lead him out?
At this point, even she is unsure if she can save her own life, let alone carry a burden.
But she patiently explained anyway: "Considering the current condition, the known two B-rank Catastrophes on the third and fourth floors may have mutated into A-rank. Other monsters probably also mutated. I'm not sure I can get out alive..."
Leonard Churchill knew the other party misunderstood him, so he explained: "No. What I meant was... have you ever thought about changing our strategy to clear the stage?"
...
"???"
Upon hearing this, the mechanical arm girl looked puzzled.
Her initial reaction was this guy must be trying to grasp at straws.
But looking at him and his ever calm gaze, she felt conflicting emotions.
Although they haven't been together for long, they had learned quite a bit about one another.
She knew very well including herself that her temporary teammate was weak, but he wasn't dumb.
Like the first time they met, when she said "cooperation," what she really meant was "I need a decoy".
It was an unspoken agreement.
And now, what she inferred from his words was: I have a way out, but I need a teammate.
Even though she finds it unbelievable, the mechanical arm girl still asked after a moment of silence, "What do you mean...?"
Leonard Churchill didn't answer directly but asked rhetorically: "Assuming the exit is somewhere on the fourth floor ... how confident are you that you can make it there alive?"
Not understanding why he would ask this, the mechanical girl answered truthfully, "I have no confidence."
Leonard Churchill questioned again: "Well, do you think anyone else could potentially do it?"
Upon hearing this, the mechanical arm girl hesitated and responded: "It's almost impossible."
She knew very well that she was at the peak of the Card Master Apprentice, holding secrecy as her most powerful weapon, making her one of the few at the zenith of non-Professionals' combat power pyramid.
This statement was already quite conservative.
Truthfully, if she couldn't make it out alive, then no one else stood a chance.
A mysterious smile spread across Leonard Churchill's face: "So, there lies the problem."
Although he suspected that this teammate was very strong, hearing her confirm it herself further consolidates his speculation: this copy is "much harder than it should be"!
...
Though Leonard Churchill hasn't fully grasped what kind of existence this "Alternate Dimension" in this world truly is...
But given the information he currently has and just witnessing a monster die and drop equipment and materials, he was confident in his speculation.
The Alternate Dimension mirrors a game, like a checkpoint challenge with reward mechanisms.
Passing the challenge results in rewards.
A challenge that players cannot overcome is meaningless.
The painstakingly intricate design of game levels exists, not for the players to die off.
Since the monsters are beyond the players' means to defeat, then the approach is incorrect.
Therefore, there must be a correct way to clear this Alternate Dimension.
Like... a secret passage.
Or perhaps, some plot item required to pass.
Fortunately, Leonard Churchill had stumbled upon some clues earlier on.
...
Without beating around the bush, Leonard Churchill shared his thoughts: "Given the current situation, we can almost certainly conclude that all the monsters in the Alternate Dimension have been corrupted by some mysterious power, making them stronger than normal monsters. It's nearly impossible to forcefully break in, let alone tackle the creatures on the second floor, let alone the third or fourth."
If the Dimension limits the level of entering adventurers, then the power of the monsters inside should have limits as well.
However, contrary to expectations, the monsters are so strong that even top-tier fighters can't kill them.
So,
Either there's a special way for players to kill the monsters;
Or,
Brute forcing the slaying of monsters is not the correct way to clear the stage!
"..."
Hearing this, the girl remained silent.
She had considered this way before and thought it made sense.
Without giving her much time to think, Leonard Churchill said again, "And there's another point, we've clearly discovered that this space consists of four floors. But our exploration rate hasn't exceeded fifty percent. And the hidden plot item was somehow triggered before, causing the exploration rate to drop to around 30%. So, the issue arises, the unknown area must be more than just the unopened rooms. So even if you could make it to the fourth floor alive, chances are you still wouldn't find the exit."
Right!
The overlooked exploration rate!
Hearing this, the girl's gaze towards Leonard Churchill gradually changed.
This guy's mind was so meticulous that he even remembered such tiny changes.
But I understand the logic.
However...
Besides depending on luck in the fourth floor for an exit, what else can we do?
At this moment, she increasingly felt that the man in front of her seemed to really have a plan.
Leonard Churchill didn't say anything more, but looked at the girl with a meaningful gaze as if waiting for something.
Seeing his gaze, the girl immediately understood and said lightly, "If you find the correct clue, I can agree to cooperate."
Hearing this, Leonard Churchill grinned slightly.
This was the commitment he was waiting for.
Their previous collaboration led Leonard Churchill to believe that this temporary teammate was to his liking. Coincidentally, as his physical strength was almost depleted, he needed a reliable partner with strong combat power.
A teammate who keeps promises and has strong abilities couldn't be more suitable.
After a pause, the girl asked, "So, what do we do now?"
...
Not bothering to beat around the bush any longer, Leonard Churchill stood up and pointed to the wall next to him, saying, "Break through this wall."
"Impossible!"
Upon hearing this, the girl with the mechanical arm suddenly felt somewhat disappointed.
If it was this easy to break through, someone would have tried it by now.
She looked at Leonard Churchill and earnestly explained, "This wall is part of the space rule, and cannot be breached by physical force!"
"..."
Leonard Churchill gave a mysterious smile, how could he have overlooked that the wall couldn't be broken?
All the walls of this room remained undamaged despite the intense battle before, meaning they indeed couldn't be broken by physical force.
He didn't elaborate further, but outlined a space the size of a door frame, 1.5*2.2m, next to him and said, "Not elsewhere, but right here."
"???"
Hearing this, the girl with the mechanical arm looked at him skeptically.
It's all the same wall, what's the difference?
Leonard Churchill knew he needed to come up with a credible explanation and directly explained his discovery, "Each of my steps measures 75 centimeters, previously we went through all the rooms on the second floor, and I distinctly counted, it was 20 steps between each room door. So the distance between them is a standard 15 meters. But between rooms 2012 and 2013, I took an extra small step..."
"This...?"
Hearing this, the girl with the mechanical arm, who was full of doubt just now, suddenly seemed thoughtful.
She immediately understood the implications: there is a hidden space between the rooms!
At the same time, she was amazed, how did this guy manage to do this?
Depending on stride measurement...
He was following her during the day, and she thought he was just a burden, but he managed to count the distance between the doors and even discovered such minute discrepancies?!
Eagerly waiting but inevitably fearing disappointment.
Using stride length to measure distance, this method sounded suspect. Did he miscalculate?
A series of questions popped up in her mind.
Leonard Churchill didn't let her thoughts wander, and continued, "There's another issue with the distance in the room. Although it seems the same, the wall at the entrance is almost a meter short relative to the wall close to the bed. So, the shape of the room is not the rectangle we see, but a trapezoid."
After a pause, he concluded confidently, "Which means... behind this wall, there's a hidden space."
Hearing this, the expression on the girl with the mechanical arm instantly changed.
Once reminded, she immediately saw the problem!
PS. after signing the contract, you can vote now, asking for all kinds of support. Data is extremely important for a new book, it's a matter of life and death, thanks everyone.
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