[NR] Will Rosha Survive? - Chapter 482

Since every one of those bladders was interconnected, blocking off a few wouldn’t actually interrupt the slow flow of sap through them. Even better, they weren’t connected up in a line, but rather as a mesh. So basically, as long as Rosha didn’t block off adjacent plates, it wouldn’t be a problem.

That didn’t make her task easy. Oh no, in fact, getting to the fronds was quite a doozy. Step by step, she had to disable a bladder, move into the new bladder, and then repeat it.

Each bladder? Small! This wasn’t like previous traps that had a single bladder across the entire path. Each one was a bit bigger than the size of her head, though the walkable surface was actually a little smaller than her head because of the overlap.

Annoying, but at least that meant she was close to the next plate she needed to disable. Except it also meant that she was balancing on what felt like a half filled old-fashioned hot water bottle. Not just that, but if she wasn’t careful, her actions on the bladder might break through her work to block it off and activate the trap, anyway.

Then there were the tripwires. So not only was she balancing on the plates, she had to contort herself to fit over and under those vines. And it isn’t like they were all stretched straight across. The vines were connected at all angles, forward and back, almost woven together sometimes.

Though in the end she manages to get past that all. It was hard and even involved a bit of backtracking at one point to make it through a particular mess of vines. Still, she was finally at the first frond.

Fronds, which by themselves are really too easy to handle. All it takes is for Rosha to apply some alchemic super glue to the base. Simple and effective. The problem afterwards is the rest of the frond.

Sure, she could grab it at this point and it wouldn’t activate. However, moving it would, in turn likely activate the other fronds. After all, with how effective they are in catching air, they’re also amazing at moving it.

To finish taking care of the first frond, Rosha first disables another bladder. Then holds the frond steady as she snips it off right before fluff. After the fluff is detached, it is just a matter of time before she has deposited it on the chosen plate. Oh, and she goes back and removes the rest of the frond so it doesn’t get in the way, but a stick is a lot easier to handle than a puff ball.

After that, it is just a matter of repeating everything till the fronds are all taken care of. A tedious task involving a lot of time and her full concentration. The fact that soon enough, over two-thirds of the fronds have been disabled is a feat in and of itself.

Though the fact that Rosha managed to disarm two-thirds of the fronds is being pointed out means the good times don’t continue. She had been going for over three hours straight without a break until she was the one who broke. It was such a small mistake.

Rosha clipped off the fluff of another frond, but was too close to the fluff. Not too much of a problem, as just a few tufts of fluff ended up separated from the rest of it. The problem came from the fact that Rosha reflexively tried to catch the fluff.

She didn’t drop anything and grabbed it no problem. She even remembered not to use the hand holding the rest of the fluff. Still, Rosha moved just a bit too fast, disturbed the air just enough.

Just a few paces away another frond waves before snapping off at the base. Rosha watches in horror as sap begins to well up out of the hole. The trap is about to activate.

No longer caring about being careful, Rosha attempts to retrace her steps at great speed. Still avoiding the vines and bladders so the trap doesn’t instantly activate. Though at the top of her mind isn’t escaping.

Rosha yells out, “I messed up! Run! The trap is going to blow any second!”

Her message ends up being quite literal as mere seconds after she finishes yelling, death arrives. Starting at the edge of the ninth floor’s exit, spears fill the air. A wall of flung weaponry rapidly starts to approach Rosha as the trap begins unwinding.

Rosha gives up avoiding the vines and bladders, dashing away at top speed. Not fast enough though, as soon she is skewered by tens of spears.

As the light begins to fade from her eyes and her HP dips towards zero, fire! Along the edges of the path, the foliage goes up like dry tinder soaked in gas. Rosha’s last moments turn from the cold brought on by bleeding out to a searing heat as the spears stuck in her begin to burn. The only saving grace is that when the System judges nothing can save her, it cuts the pain.

Down the hall, Jason and Courtney hear the previous shout and dash away, though what sounds like a wooden avalanche follows them through nearly a third of the floor. Not that their worries end there. They try to take a rest when the red glow of fire and the smell of smoke urges them on.

Jason, in particular, is suspicious of the fire and so with a side kick, blasts away some of the foliage to reveal the truth. While the plants on the edge of the path are alive and full of water, just beyond them is dry tinder coated in a sticky and oh so flammable sap. The entire floor was a death trap, even if the original trap only went so far.

With that discovery in mind, the duo push themselves. Their escape takes hours as they backtrack through all the floors with thick vegetation. Though even once they reached the area where it was spread out, they only rested enough to have the stamina to push on through.

It isn’t until they reach the arena that they feel safe resting. Both of them are certain that the fire should have stopped well before this. However, they don’t trust the dungeon to clear out the smoke. In fact, the only reason they felt safe resting in the arena is how high the ceiling is, so even if smoke does make it here, they would have enough warning.