The Final Desperation

After Genji and Joki resolved the situation with the villagers, they found themselves near a farm where three walls obstructed the path forward. The first wall was made from an eerie leather somewhat resembling human skin. Harsh scars and wrinkles dotted the product, providing glimpses into the suffering of its former owners.

Patches of dried blood also stained the surface due to careless processing. Flies buzzed around these spots, pecking away at the easy meal while maggots laid eggs in the open pockets. It was a disgusting sight that invoked Joki’s killing intent.

His spear ignited with blue fire, and he stabbed the barricade with all his strength, setting the material ablaze. Genji allowed this since he didn’t sense any danger.

When the wall burned down, they spotted a large pig reclining on a beach chair, sipping from a cup containing a blend of filtered blood, chopped ligaments, and chewy tendons. These contents flowed up the straw and into its mouth. The pig chewed contentedly, producing disturbing pops and crunches with each bite, followed by a loud gulp. Then it reached for another swig.

A random magazine rested on its chest, held up by its hooves. It brought a hoof to its mouth, licked it, and turned the page. Next, it scratched its butt and sniffed the hoof.

"Hmmm, smells just like shit. Then where is this burnt scent coming from?" the pig muttered to itself.

At this moment, it finally noticed the seething Joki above him. His spear burned brighter than ever as he stabbed down with destructive intent. Joki had never wanted to kill someone more than he did now, and it showed in his attack.

Joki had developed a strong hatred for these man-eating monsters after the last encounter, especially toward those who blatantly flaunted the fact. This pig surpassed the previous demons by a long shot, given the number of victims required to construct such a wall.

The pig hurriedly rolled out of the way, but a few hairs still caught fire. It hastily made a few more rolls to stifle the flames, but Joki was above it by then. Spear strikes rained down on the creature, inflicting a fraction of the torment the pig had imposed upon its victims. After several more exchanges, Joki finally burned a hole through its head.

"Done venting?" Genji asked.

"Somewhat," Joki replied.

"Then I have bad news for you." Genji pointed to the second wall, which was made of human bones.

Some parts still had scraps of flesh attached from lazy deboning. They could tell which parts were older, as those had fully grown maggots tunneling through rotten meat.

Joki nearly gagged at the smell, but his fury overtook those impulses. Another barrage ensued as Joki sought to tear down this wall. It took significantly longer this time since the material was much sturdier than human parchment. Nevertheless, Joki eventually succeeded, and the wall of corpses came tumbling down.

This revealed several pens where a herd of naked humans were kept. Their eyes were dim, and they mechanically carried out their day, eating from dirty bowls of rancid slop, numbly roaming within the range of their chained collars, and fucking whenever they went into heat. They were almost unrecognizable as humans, resembling animals more than anything else.

Behind them, a pig in blue overalls stood, overlooking the herd. It held a pitchfork in hand and nibbled on a chaff of wheat. Whenever a human misbehaved, it would whip them into obedience. Over the years, it had learned that pain, like all punishments, could enforce the best control. Those who dared resist had already been eaten by the pigs and joined the walls, leaving only the helpless.

Joki's killing intent doubled once again at this sight, and he immediately dove into combat. The pig swung its pitchfork and caught the spear between the prongs. Then it twisted the weapon hard, seeking to disarm Joki.

However, the experienced spearman saw through the trick and positioned himself to retrieve his weapon. They then entered a fierce melee where lethal stabs followed one after the other. A blur of metal and magic destroyed the grassland below. Yet despite all this commotion, the 'humans' remained indifferent. They didn’t even react, as if they were dead inside.

This opponent was moderately stronger than the previous one and gave Joki considerable trouble. While Joki had the advantage, it wasn’t by much, and there were still chances for counterattacks. To prevent the fight from dragging on, Genji asked Bruce to support him. As a result, the battle eventually ended with another hole through the head.

Joki leaned back to catch his breath and glared at the last wall. This one had a metallic sheen as if reinforced by magic and other materials. Yet not even this coating could hide the femur and skull outlines entombed within.

Joki gave the wall a few hard strikes, but it wouldn’t budge. Only a small indent appeared at the center of his attacks, which was negligible compared to the overall thickness.

Much to Joki's distaste, they couldn’t tear down this wall in a reasonable amount of time. If they tried, they would only weaken themselves against the opponent on the other side. As such, they were forced to scale over it and leave the structure intact.

A meditating pig entered their sight when they landed on the other side. This pig wore a white martial arts robe and had no traces of fat. Everything was pure muscle and fur.

The pig opened its eyes and said, "So you've arrived. I assume the idiots are dead?" Its voice was apathetic as if asking about a stranger rather than its own family. No, it was even colder, as one would at least be curious when asking about others. "I told them over and over again that they should practice their fighting skills, but they ignored me. Now this is their fate."

The pig stood up and brushed off its clothes. "But be warned, I’m not like them. I’ve trained my whole life for this moment."

In the next instant, the pig suddenly disappeared, and Genji stepped forward with his daggers. A terrifying shockwave burst through the air, and the ground cracked beneath Genji. The pig reappeared above him, its leg against Genji's arm.

Reacting quickly, Joki swiped his spear upward to repel the attacker, revealing a deep bruise on Genji's arm. Genji shook off the pain and activated Berserk, using the surging vitality to stop the internal bleeding.

Then Genji darted forward, exchanging numerous blows. Blood and daggers danced through the air, but the hooves remained strong on defense. There were instances when the hooves brushed against Genji's skin, leaving streaks of blood in their wake, but Genji's speed minimized the damage to mere grazes.

These wounds were negligible since they closed after a few moments. Meanwhile, Joki supported him from a distance, doing his best to hinder the pig's movements.

The pig realized its predicament and moved to break it, only to be repeatedly thwarted by Genji. There was little it could do against Genji’s combat experience and superior martial arts. After a while, Genji fully grasped the pig’s movements, making it struggle to even touch his clothes.

Genji rained down strikes one after the other, gradually bleeding his opponent dry. The pig eventually grew desperate and initiated a powerful attack, yet this only revealed more flaws in its defense. Genji capitalized on this opening and struck it with Lightning Inspiration. He then tagged out of the fight, allowing Joki to fully vent his anger on the enemy.

The pig struggled against Joki due to its injuries. The one-sided beating continued for several more minutes before Genji obtained another rare item and more teeth for a certain fairy.

They cleaned up the scene, and Joki jumped over the wall to address the previous victims. It was unclear how successful his attempt was, but it took several hours before he was ready to leave. Genji didn’t ask, and Joki didn’t talk. Like this, they entered the next zone.

 

---

 

When they opened their eyes, they found themselves by a lake surrounded by several withering oak trees. Despite it being spring, all the leaves had fallen off, leaving the branches more barren than a desert. The sky above was cloudy and blocked out the sun, yet Genji detected no signs of rain. Spooky echoes sounded as the wind traveled through the burrows in the trees.

They looked around and spotted a dry skeleton leaning against a larger tree. A battered book lay beside it, its colors worn away by the seasons. They approached and examined it for clues but found nothing. Joki flipped through the book but soon closed it with a shake of his head.

"The ink has already faded. All the pages are gray and yellow. No words."

"Then let's go. There's no point in concerning ourselves too much," Genji said, gesturing to the beaten path behind the tree.

Joki nodded, and they continued. During this process, they couldn’t help but notice how shriveled everything appeared. Gray and black were the most common colors, followed by brown dirt. Everything else was either some variation of these or transitioning to them.

It was also dead silent as if they were the only living beings there. The background sounds they had come to expect had completely disappeared, leaving them on edge against a potential ambush. However, that attack never came.

Instead, they found a giant oak tree at the end of the path, blocking their way forward. A small tunnel was carved into the roots, indicating their next destination.

As if to further support this idea, the branches rustled, and a large bunny in a suit ran out. It looked at its pocket watch and hollered, "Oh dear, oh dear. I'm late! I'm late!" Then the bunny disappeared into the tunnel.

It was obvious what the zone wanted them to do, but Genji didn’t want to follow that progression. However, a barrier blocked his path when he tried going around the tree. In fact, this barrier had sealed off all routes except for the tree.

Genji let out an annoyed sigh and muttered, "Oh great, another forced event."

"You don't seem too keen on these," Joki commented.

"That’s because I’m not. The barrier removes all choices except for the stupidest option. We’re literally walking into a trap for no reason other than because the zones dictate it." Genji knocked on the barrier and wondered what it would take to shatter these restrictions.

"At least we can guard against these compared to the sudden dangers in normal zones. Come on."

Genji sighed again and followed Joki into the tunnel. They took a few steps forward when the ground abruptly disappeared beneath them, plunging them into a free fall.

Genji spread his cloak, and Bruce weaved a parachute for Joki. It was unclear how far they fell, but the light above had long faded. After a few more seconds, strange objects appeared around them. From distorted clocks to floating chairs and teapots, this assortment of items glided past them at slow rates. Genji reached out to touch one out of curiosity, but the object slipped through his fingers like an elusive mirage.

'An illusion, huh? What did I expect?'

The surroundings shifted, and before they realized it, they were performing a head dive. Genji’s eyes darted around in search of abnormalities as he corrected his posture. Bruce followed, and they soon landed in a hallway with crooked walls and stretched paint. At the end of the hallway, they spotted the rabbit from before running away from them.

Genji exchanged a look with Joki, and they agreed to follow. As they exited the hallway, the rabbit ran through a random door among the countless in the room and shut it behind itself. They tried following, but the door was locked.

This forced them to observe their new surroundings. Countless nonsensical doors appeared in their sight as they looked around. These doors had no consistent design. They came in different shapes, colors, sizes, and locations. Some were on the ceiling, unreachable unless they could flip gravity. Others were so small that they couldn’t reasonably fit through them.

Yet this was only the tip of the iceberg in terms of bizarreness. Some doors couldn’t even be called doors, as they lacked any knobs, making it impossible to open them; they tried. The planks just wouldn’t budge. Perhaps there was nothing behind them?

The corners of the room warped at different rates, expanding and twisting in unnatural ways. They struggled to grasp the bizarre dimensions before looking away, their heads throbbing from the strain.

"Can this place get any stranger?" Genji wondered aloud.

"I hope not," Joki replied, rubbing his forehead.

They kept searching until Astros screeched in excitement and pointed at a certain corner. Looking over, they spotted a sideways table with a key on it. With no other leads, they decided to grab it.

Genji conjured an energy chain and hooked the key, ignoring the suspicious bottle labeled "Drink me" and the cake with "Eat me" beside the table.

They matched the key to a corresponding door and continued after the rabbit. The next area was a snaking hallway filled with sharp turns and uneven elevations. The color scheme was just as mismatched as the previous room, brimming with nauseating distortions.

The door behind them closed automatically as water began flooding the room from seemingly nowhere. Forced to scramble, they ran for higher ground. They found temporary relief on a raised spot, but the water soon caught up.

Unwilling to get wet, Genji and Joki sprinted for the room’s exit as the flood surged behind them. Astros looked back and noticed several animals riding the waves as if on a water slide, laughing and cheering. Among them were a dodo bird, a mouse, and a parrot.

The team picked up their pace and reached the door at the end of the hallway, only to find it locked. This time, they didn't have the luxury of time. Genji’s instincts were acting up again and he didn't want to stick around to confront the upcoming danger.

So, he kicked the door open and stepped through. Although startled by the sudden action, Joki quickly followed him.

The next thing they knew, the door vanished behind them, and they found themselves in a jungle of towering plants. Everything seemed enormous compared to their normal counterparts. Ants the size of elephants carried boulders of food above their heads, while worms the size of houses burrowed through the ground.

The stalks of grass stretched taller than mountains, and the tree branches were beyond their sight. Either everything had been magnified countless times, or they had been shrunken down. It was only a matter of perspective, but it was clear that the fever dream had only gotten started.

"Did we just experience a zone teleportation?" Genji asked.

"I think so? But the rules haven’t changed. We’re still dealing with weird dimensions and distorted objects," Joki answered uncertaintly.

Genji grimaced at the confirmation. If that was true, they were dealing with a complicated zone principle that spanned multiple areas—a rabbit hole of trouble, no matter how they looked at it.

"I really hope this is just a coincidence. I’m not paid enough for this," Genji mumbled.

"Complaining won’t help us. Come on. Let’s focus on surviving first," Joki urged.

As they navigated the strange surroundings, they encountered various oversized creatures. Bugs that were normally easy to squash had become towering threats, their size drastically boosting their strength. Many of them required several of their strongest attacks to kill, further adding to their troublesome nature.

While some ignored them, most treated them as easy prey, forcing constant battles that drained their stamina and pushed them into hiding.

Genji grew annoyed at the constant attacks and minimized his presence. Joki tried copying him, but his technique was subpar. He could only maintain this state while stationary. Beyond that, his concentration would falter and his concealment would waver.

They couldn’t do anything about it since Joki wasn’t accustomed to sneaking around. On the bright side, the bugs were now only attracted to a single person, greatly reducing the number of insects that noticed them. Genji took advantage of this and ambushed the bugs from their blind spots while they were focused on Joki, lessening the burden of combat.

They continued like this for another hour before arriving at a large mushroom with a caterpillar perched on top. The caterpillar lazily smoked from a wooden tobacco pipe, exhaling wisps of strange-smelling smoke.

"Who are you?" the caterpillar asked with a drawl, barely lifting its gaze.

Joki was about to answer when Genji stepped forward, signaling to let him handle it. "It doesn’t matter who we are. The better question is who are you?" Genji began approaching as he spoke.

"Me? I know who I am. Do you?" the caterpillar retorted.

24 meters.

"Of course. Why wouldn’t I?"

17 meters.

"Then why don’t you tell me?"

12 meters.

"But why should I? Don't you know it's basic manners to introduce yourself before asking about someone else?" Genji shot back.

6 meters.

"But I asked first. Shouldn’t you answer my question?"

1 meter.

"No, I don’t want to."

Genji was now directly in front of the caterpillar.

"Then why are we even having this conversation? You won’t answer, and I won’t answer. What’s the point?"

"Because I was stalling." With that, Genji manifested [Curse Bearer] and pressed it against the caterpillar’s head. Everyone froze in shock. "So, do you want to do this the easy way or the hard way? Tell me how to leave this zone."

"W-w-what are you doing?!?" the caterpillar stammered.

"Can’t you see? I’m threatening you." A tense silence hung in the air. "Well? I don’t have all day. Start talking, unless you want a hole in your head." The muzzle dug deeper, bruising the surrounding skin.

"Okay, okay! I’ll talk! It’s the mushroom below me. Half of it will make you shrink, the other half will make you bigger. You can leave when you grow large enough to dwarf this place."

Genji patted his sheath and a red streak flashed across the air, sending two chunks into Genji's hand. "Which one is which?"

"The right one makes you grow, the left one shrinks you," the caterpillar answered instantly, afraid Genji would lose his patience. 

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! What do you take me for?"

"Then open up."

The caterpillar began to panic at this request. "W-why?"

"What do you think?" Genji asked, staring it dead in the eye. "Will you cooperate, or do I need to pry your mouth open?"

"Wait, I lied! The right one shrinks, and the left one grows."

"Open up," Genji commanded, his voice growing colder.

"Hold on, actually, the mushroom is divided into three sections: one grows, one shrinks, and one kills instantly. You’re holding the shrinking and the deadly parts."

"Open. Up." Genji’s voice was emotionless and his frozen gaze bore into the creature like a drill.

"What more do you want? I’m telling the truth!" The caterpillar yelled desperately. 

*Bang*

Genji pulled the trigger and wiped the brain matter off his sleeve while Bruce cleaned up the blood. Then he shoved the left piece of the mushroom into the caterpillar’s mouth, causing its body to shrink by 10%. Afterward, he fed the corpse the other chunk, inducing severe withering across its skin. By the end, the caterpillar looked like it had been left out in the sun for weeks: shriveled and brittle.

Joki winced at the sight and inwardly thanked Genji for being so cautious.

Genji carved out more chunks from the mushroom and fed them to the corpse. After experimenting, he determined which sections had which effects. He cut out a large piece of the growth-inducing part and tossed it to Joki. "Start eating."

The taste of raw dirt filled Joki’s mouth, making him want to spit it out, but he persisted. With each bite, the world around them shrank, becoming more normal. The towering grass shrunk from mountain heights to the size of trees to just above the knee, until finally, typical weeds.

The only things that remained constant in size were Joki, Genji, the mushroom, and the dead caterpillar. Everything else followed the shrinking pattern. Joki continued eating despite the bitter taste, inwardly grumbling, ‘Why do I have to eat all this? Can’t he help me?’

The trees became like grass, the mountains became like ants, and eventually, everything vanished beneath their shoes. Genji and Joki disappeared when the surroundings reached this point, having successfully exited the area.

A few minutes later, at the site of the mushroom, the scattered parts of the caterpillar reassembled. The shriveled pieces inflated, the dried skin regained suppleness, and the battered grayness faded. The expanded parts shrank, the shrunken parts expanded, and the decayed portions regained life.

In mere moments, the caterpillar was as good as new, returning to before Genji cruelly experimented on its body. It was as if someone had hit the rewind button and reality obeyed. The caterpillar’s eyes snapped open, sprung up, and cracked its neck.

"How cynical. He didn’t believe a single thing I said. Just wait, I’ll get you back for this."

Then it reignited its pipe and sauntered off, humming a little tune as it crossed into another colleague’s territory.

Yet what the caterpillar failed to notice, was the disposable motion sensor hidden in Genji's previous position, scanning and reporting any movements back to its source.