The Villainous Me Turned the Losers into Blackened Bosses-Chapter 173 - The Witch’s Box (1)

—

And so, Will led the only two male members of the team through the door on the right.

Why did he choose the door on the right?

Will wasn’t sure. Everyone has their habits, and choosing the right side had always been Will’s “habit.”

Sigh…

The moment they stepped through the door and it closed behind them, the world on the other side disappeared.

Click.

Will raised his head, conjuring a small flame in his palm to light the way.

They had arrived at the 59th floor—Right.

The scene before them was still that of an icy cavern.

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

In Moonlit Ice Extreme, most of the dungeon’s floors resembled this kind of cavern, with frozen stalactites hanging from the ceiling and walls that seemed ready to shed frost at the slightest touch.

Rather than feeling like they had entered the 59th floor, it felt more like an extension of the 58th.

Will didn’t let his guard down, standing still and scanning his surroundings.

The reason he remained vigilant…

Was because the moment he opened that door, he felt as though something was “watching” him.

No, “watching” was too mild a word.

It was…

“Monitoring” him.

An unblinking, constant gaze that followed his every move.

However, more terrifying than the feeling itself was the thought that followed.

Because Will knew full well…

With his “overly dull” body’s level of perception, how could he possibly “sharply” sense someone watching them? How could he be the first to notice an enemy’s gaze?

Will turned his head, looking left and right. In such an “enclosed” cavern, if there were eyes watching them, it might belong to some lurking ice bat-like creature.

But there was nothing.

The ceiling of Moonlit Ice Extreme’s caverns was pristine, adorned only with frozen stalactites.

When he looked forward…

No, no, no, no…

The most terrifying thing wasn’t just the feeling of being watched.

But…

The two men behind him, whether out of self-reassurance or genuine relief, had already started celebrating—

“See? There’s nothing here! Looks just like the last floor!”

“Exactly, I think you guys are overthinking it. Reading too many books has made you paranoid!”

“Looks fine to me.”

“Let’s just walk through safely.”

“Is… is that so?”

Will replied, forcing a smile.

“Y-yeah. Looks fine to me.”

He laughed, patting the two men on the shoulders. Though, standing next to these burly adventurers, his gesture as a “captain” felt awkward and out of place.

“Alright, alright! Nothing to worry about, let’s keep moving—hahaha…”

The louder he laughed, the more he tried to mask his unease.

Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.

As he stared at the path ahead, the louder his voice became, the more it betrayed his inner anxiety.

Because…

He was the only one among the three who had done his homework—memorizing every floor’s map.

And he knew.

Under the flickering light of the flame, while the environment and atmosphere seemed identical to the 58th floor and matched the description of the 59th floor in the guide…

It was a “mirror image.”

This wasn’t the old days when maps were just written descriptions! There were photographs now!

Will had seen the first team’s photos of the 59th floor in the guide.

The piece of shale sticking up on the left in the photo was now on the right.

The patch of frost that had peeled off on the right in the photo was now on the left.

A mirror image!

Without prior knowledge or familiarity with the floor, one wouldn’t notice this subtle difference. The scenery in Moonlit Ice Extreme was too uniform.

But Will had an exceptional memory for maps—of course, he did, because back when he worked on games, he personally adjusted the maps for updates. He remembered every detail that could potentially bug out!

“There aren’t even many monsters.”

“Hahaha, we were so scared for nothing!”

“Looks like we don’t even need a healer to get through this!”

“Exactly.”

…

The chatter of his teammates ahead made Will decide to keep his discovery about the mirrored layout to himself.

Whatever. Just keep moving forward.

At worst, they’d stop and wait for rescue.

But…

“After entering one of the doors, the team discovered that everything behind it was a ‘mirror image’ of what they had prepared for.”

The words from Dungeon Legends and Supernatural Tales echoed in Will’s mind.

No… it couldn’t be.

Was this really…

Becoming that ghost story?

Will tightened his grip on his staff.

The iron staff, though made from materials sourced from a fire-element dungeon and primarily used for fire magic, felt especially cold in his hands now.

He looked up to find that his two teammates had, at some point, wandered ahead and turned a corner, disappearing from view—a corner that, in his memory, was also mirrored, making it

feel disorienting.

“Don’t go too far ahead; let’s stick together.”

No matter what…

He couldn’t pretend to be as nonchalant as the other two.

He called out, jogging to catch up.

However…

“Ahhh—!!!!”

A scream echoed through the cavern.

“The team, initially unconcerned about the mirrored layout, boldly marched forward.”

“What happened?! Did you run into an ice snake or something—”

“He’s gone… he’s gone—didn’t you see him?! He was right behind me, and when I turned around, he was gone!”

Before Will stood the shield-bearer, alone at the edge of the light and darkness in the cavern.

Ahead of him lay a deep, dark abyss.

Behind him…

Was Will.

Will’s eyes widened…

He was certain that in the few seconds it took him to run over, he hadn’t seen anyone pass by—of course, the “anyone” in question being the swordsman.

And…

Was it just condensation on his glasses?

Why did the surrounding mist seem so thick, with a faint red hue?

“Slowly, one by one, their teammates vanished into the deep darkness.”

“First, the one in the middle disappeared after turning a corner.”

“Don’t panic, don’t panic. It’s normal to lose track of someone in a place like this. Let’s keep moving—if there’s a monster ambush, we’ll be closer to the exit.”

Will rubbed his forehead.

This was so eerie.

The ghost story from the legends was coming to life…

As if the words from the book were being recreated, word for word.

“I can’t go on, Will. I’m too scared to move.”

“I’m at least a decade younger than you; don’t call me ‘bro.’”

But what was even scarier…

With one teammate already missing…

Will could feel the “gaze” on him growing more intense.

It didn’t matter…

He remembered the map.

As long as the door they entered wasn’t the “dead-end” one, they should reach the door to the 60th floor soon.

Even with fewer people, they could retreat from the 60th floor. It would be fine… it had to be fine.

But the strange thing was…

This wasn’t just a “mirror image.”

So far, they hadn’t encountered a single monster.

The eerie silence and emptiness of the dark cavern, with only their cautious footsteps breaking the stillness, made the atmosphere even more unsettling.

Could it be…

There was no exit?

“On that floor, there were no monsters. For a high-level dungeon floor, the absence of monsters was highly unusual.”

“The deeper they went, the less anyone dared to speak.”

“They feared that what awaited them wasn’t an ‘exit,’ but a ‘dead end.’”

“Hah… hah…”

Will struggled up a slope.

Why did it feel hotter the further he walked?

Moonlit Ice Extreme was supposed to be an ice-element dungeon, and they were wearing thick adventurer gear…

Why did it feel like the temperature was rising?

Was it…

Was his body’s temperature perception starting to fail?

“It’s fine… we’re almost there…”

“Come on, we should be near the door.”

Will turned to call out to the shield-bearer behind him.

But…

Like a stone dropped into a bottomless abyss, his voice echoed into the cavern, met only with endless reverberations. There was no reply.

Unbeknownst to him…

Both of his “teammates” had vanished.

Will swallowed hard, staring into the yawning darkness of the cavern, taking a step back.

He could feel it—that gaze locking onto him, more intense than ever.

It was as if something wanted to devour him whole…

“Calm down.”

—Right, calm down. You’re the type to stay calm in any situation.

“If there are two doors, you have to prepare for the worst-case scenario…”

—Yes, a good student, always thinking of the best solutions even now.

“No matter what, if there’s an exit, I’ll get out first and then call for help from Shuna’s side.”

—You’re still thinking about her? Do you really think she’ll come to save you?

“Let’s just see what’s left at the ‘door’ on this floor—”

Will turned around, but where he expected to see the “door”…

He found a smooth, glass-like sheet of ice.

It was damp with droplets of water, eerily similar to the door they had entered through…

“They didn’t find a door to the next floor.”

“At the ‘end,’ they found the ‘entrance.’”

Before Will could fully process this, he found himself running.

“I have to find the exit.”

“As long as I can get out, that’s all that matters.”

“I can’t get trapped here. I can’t just wait to die.”

“The other two… there’s still time to call for help…”

“The mirrored map—where am I now? Where do I go?”

“It’s just… just me now…”

“Door! Door! Door!”

“The door that will let me out—”

…

He stopped.

His breathing was ragged, his heart pounding uncontrollably.

“Hah… hah… hah…”

Before him stood the door he had been desperately searching for.

A red wooden door.

He squinted, tapping his head as if to clear his thoughts. For some reason, after running, his mind felt even foggier…

“I… I need to get out…”

Will’s eyes locked onto the door in front of him.

He gripped the handle tightly.

He didn’t even notice the blood-red mist swirling around him.

He didn’t notice that the door was no longer an ice door.

Nor did he notice…

The massive witch’s hat emblem engraved on the door, identical to the one on his staff.