Why is my Isekai in the Slice of Life anime was become a Horror Story?

Chapter 8: This Game Might Be More Twisted Than Expected

"Damn it, what the hell is this place? Full of those socially addicted freaks corpse who just want to team up with others…"

Only after leaving those things far behind, reaching a spot about one meter high and wide enough for two people to rest, did Takakai and Chika finally stop. Temporarily, they sat down in the narrow cave, secured by safety ropes, to take a break.

Takakai's forehead was already dotted with cold sweat. He muttered a few curses under his breath before regaining his composure.

As for Fujiwara Chika, she collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air for a long time. Her beautiful face was pale, her body trembling, and it took her quite a while to recover.

"They… they're not following us, are they?"

Even after some time away from those things, Chika's voice still trembled as she asked.

"Probably not. As long as you refuse them properly and end the conversation, they won't follow. Wasn't the one we encountered last time the same? So next time, if we run into them again, stay calm. Tell them we're 'explorers,' then reject their request to tag along. Other than that, don't answer any questions. Being rude is fine, too. You saw it, right? I swore straight at them, and they didn't do anything."

Takakai sighed, explaining in a low voice to Chika.

The reason those things latched onto them earlier was actually because Chika couldn't hide her expressions, allowing those creatures to sense something was off.

That being said, expecting a girl who had lived peacefully to face four blood-covered, talking corpses that kept approaching and asking questions while maintaining composure was asking too much. Hopefully, it wouldn't happen again, because Takakai wasn't sure he could always handle it so smoothly.

"Sorry, I… I'll try to stay calm next time… But honestly, talking calmly is too much. Maybe I can just stay silent…"

Chika lightly rubbed her cheeks, sighing in frustration.

The man and woman earlier were still manageable. Even Dennis, who showed up later and was also terrifying, at least kept some distance.

But that boy was different. He had come right up to Chika. From Takakai's perspective, the kid only tilted his head to look at her. But to Chika, his head seemed to stretch upward, nearly touching her face, constantly bombarding her with questions.

The terrifying face, contorted as if from asphyxiation, the stench hitting her nose, the strange raspy voice, and the innate mental contamination that came with such grotesque beings—all of it overwhelmed her. At that moment, she could only rely on her instincts to remain motionless, knowing that even a single word of response could shatter her mind on the spot.

If Takakai hadn't pulled her into his arms, pressing her face to his chest to shield her from those things, Fujiwara Chika doubted she would have made it out alive.

Still, his excuse at the time… a girlfriend, huh?

Although she understood it was a justification Takakai came up with in an urgent situation, it did feel a bit strange. Besides, this the first time she had been hugged by someone of the opposite sex, other than her father?

Come to think of it, wasn't he supposed to be Shijo Maki's boyfriend? Yet his actions and tone while holding her earlier seemed so natural.

Perhaps because they were finally safe for now and she could relax a little, Fujiwara Chika found herself unable to control her thoughts, her mind wandering aimlessly.

"Have you rested enough?"

Takakai's voice broke her reverie.

"Umu… pretty much."

The girl exhaled lightly, pushing aside her unnecessary thoughts. She nodded seriously at Takakai, giving him a thumbs-up.

"If there's nothing else, we should keep moving. The place we need to reach is 'the heart.' We don't know exactly what it is, but as 'explorers,' we must go there at least once, right?"

Takakai smiled at Chika and signaled her to prepare for departure.

"Aye aye, Explorer Team Fujiwara Chika, moving out."

The girl nodded seriously again, smiling at Takakai before leading the way, crawling forward in the cave.

By the way, after Takakai and Chika entered this tunnel, they didn't encounter any more forks in the path.

It seemed that the twisted, chaotic cave from before didn't truly exist, and the difficult exploration experience felt as if it had been an illusion.

However, the exploration outfit Chika was wearing was undeniably real.

Takakai couldn't help but think to himself: much like how Xu Sheng had left survival rules and supply boxes in Shirakawa Apartments to combat the grotesque, perhaps someone had also persisted to the very end in this pitch-dark cave devoid of light. Even after becoming part of this horrific tale, they might have found a way to continue supporting those who came after them.

The power of a horror story could easily destroy countless lives, but were those who persisted truly ever severed completely?

He hoped not...

Takakai, deep in thought while watching Fujiwara Chika crawl ahead of him, stopped pondering further and simply followed her forward.

The cave began to narrow once again.

Following the broken safety rope, the two pressed on into the endless darkness ahead.

The destination remained unclear.

At this moment, the only thing they could do was to keep moving forward.

Maki, how are you doing now?

The worry in Takakai's heart was impossible to dismiss.

...

"Kai-kun..."

A faint sigh broke the silence as Shijo Maki turned her head to glance at the corridor ahead.

The girl, wearing an ill-fitting white coat and holding a stack of documents filled with incomprehensible, jumbled characters, walked slowly under the pale white light of the hallway.

There seemed to be dark red droplets of blood dripping down the walls, but upon closer inspection, they disappeared entirely.

In the silent hallway, only her breathing and footsteps could be heard. Yet as she walked, Shijo Maki seemed to faintly perceive a sound following close behind her.

Her gaze flickered to the white walls beside her.

A simple map hung on the wall, labeled "Cave Research Base," summarizing the functions of various rooms within this relatively small laboratory.

This was not where she was supposed to be — the entrance to Nutty Dutty Cave.

In the player-collected information from before, this base had never been mentioned.

However, this place was clearly deeply connected to Nutty Dutty Cave.

After waking up in the dormitory room and finding the rule sheet on the bed, and after reading a few decipherable experimental documents, Shijo Maki confirmed that this strange research base was built directly over Nutty Dutty Cave. The entire entrance to the cave had been sealed off, leaving only one controlled entry point located entirely within this building — an entrance tightly secured within the "quarantine zone."

"No! This can't be right! Just where the hell am I? Damn it, was the information I bought fake?!"

A desperate shout erupted from somewhere within the base.

The shrill noise rapidly grew louder, drowning out the person's screams.

Shijo Maki only caught a fleeting, bloodcurdling scream before all sound abruptly vanished.

Everything fell silent once again.

This is the third one…

Shijo Maki silently counted in her heart.

From the moment she left the second-floor dormitory to arriving here, she had encountered three veteran players who had used admission tickets to enter this dungeon. These individuals, unable to withstand the drastic shifts in the environment, displayed "behaviors they shouldn't have."

None of them survived.

There was some kind of force—or an existence—that was observing everyone here.

Any player who failed to embody their "role" properly was quickly identified and subsequently eliminated in ways beyond rational comprehension.

Creak—

Shijo Maki pushed open a rusty iron door.

The white light flickered momentarily.

Inside the control room, silhouettes stood or sat motionless, all staring blankly at the console ahead. Beyond the thick protective glass, three figures dressed in pale yellow uniforms with stripes waited in the quarantine zone.

Shijo Maki walked past the crumbling abandoned buildings, the cracked floors riddled with fractures.

She approached the side of the pristine control console, placing the stack of documents in her hands onto the desk, her eyes discreetly scanning those beside her.

They were like statues, completely still.

In the deathly silence, only Shijo Maki's footsteps echoed in the empty room. She was the only living person here.

[Preparing to commence the 16th expedition, code name "Cave-16." Explorers C1, C2, and C3, please prepare. The quarantine door will open shortly.]

A raspy voice crackled through the intercom system, mingled with faint sounds resembling anguished cries.

Through the thick glass, Shijo Maki could see the protective doors leading to Nutty Dutty Cave slowly opening, one by one, as lights illuminated the path ahead.

This place seemed to be reenacting an event from the past.

The players entering here appeared to have assumed the roles of certain "individuals" within the scenario—or rather, they carried unnecessary false identities to participate.

On her way to the control room, Shijo Maki had encountered five players in total. Of these, three had played their roles poorly and lost their lives, while the other two had barely managed to maintain their covers without making critical mistakes.

Her thoughts drifted to Takakai and Kaguya, wondering if they were here and what roles they might be playing.

But what she didn't expect was that the first teammate she found would be playing such a significant role in this twisted game.

...

"Prepare for departure, the cave expedition begins now."

Inside the quarantine zone, Kaguya, dressed in the yellow-striped lab uniform, spoke softly without glancing at the two "teammates" behind her. Step by step, she moved forward into the pre-entry inspection chamber for Nutty Dutty Cave, carefully donning live recording equipment and various sensors.

She moved slowly, her actions noticeably clumsy. Meanwhile, another figure in a lab uniform—seemingly another experimenter—dressed swiftly and precisely, but unnaturally rigid, like a lifeless corpse repeating a procedure countless times. Or rather… it was exactly that—it could be considered a corpse in the truest sense.

The other experimenter, evidently a player, trembled as they moved, clearly still struggling to grasp the gravity of the situation before them.

Oong—

The final door of the inspection chamber, leading to the entrance of Nutty Dutty Cave, slowly slid open.

Kaguya took a deep breath, steadied her nerves, activated her lighting equipment, and turned to face the pitch-black cave entrance ahead.