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Despite the lack of a way to get out, that doesn't mean I will just stop and cry on a corner because we cannot get out. Since earlier, the pressure that is trying to keep our body heavy seems to have gotten worse around here. I tried using Insight but I can only see dark energy miasma flowing in this place.

"It seems we have to interrogate the people around here, that way, we might have a chance to see how to get out of here," I muttered.

"You mean, those illusions?" Maple looked confused.

"Although they are illusions, it seems like they have minds on their own. This means they can communicate and they are some things you can have a conversation with. If we interrogate them, we might be able to find out how to escape from here."

"Are you sure that will work? I don't think they will tell since they are illusions."

"We can only try."

Maple decided to agree with my suggestion since there is no other choice because brute force is not working as expected. We backtracked to where we both came from and checked the place for any actors currently available. I didn't kill all of them after all.

As we walk into the dark corridor, a bloody man appeared in the hallway, walking towards us like some sort of apparition.

"Is this supposed to be scary?" I asked Maple.

"Nah, souls are not looking like this. Either they are dead people animated to walk again or they are some sort of demon trying to imitate human looks. Human souls are more like wisps."

"Heh... is that so? Then this one is just an actor? Then, time to take some action," I said and cracked my knuckles.

"Let me catch this guy. I am still pissed by these guys ruining my day," Maple pulled out a whip with barbed thorns on the end of the whip making it look very painful if it ever hit you somewhere in your body.

"[Restrain]!"

She cracks the whip to the floor and the whip suddenly moves on its own, quickly making its way towards the actor. The actor was just not expecting anything except to scare the customers. He didn't expect that a whip will suddenly wrap around his body and restrain his movements.

"WAUGH?!" he fell facedown and no matter how he tries to move, his body wriggles as he tries to escape from the whip of Maple.

"Give it up, this whip will not undo itself unless I wanted to do so," Maple threatened the guy.

"Spare me! I didn't do anything to you guys!"

"We will do so once you answered our question. And if we are satisfied with your answer then we will let you go. However, if the answer is nowhere to be a good one, then we have no choice."

"I will answer! Just don't kill me!"

"We are reasonable so just be honest with us and you will immediately be freed from the whip. Now, here is the question. How do we get out of here?"

"Huh?" the worker was speechless when he heard my question.

"How do we get out of here? Are you deaf?"

The worker smirked at us and he let out a small laugh at us. "If you want to get out, just use the exit, and you are done! How simple is that?!"

His way of answering is sarcastic. You can tell it was sarcastic on the way he delivers it with the exaggerated tone in his voice. Maple looked at me in hesitation.

"What a good answer. You deserve a reward."

Before the man can react or do something more idiotic, in his lifetime, I grab his head and bashed it on the floor before igniting his head into flames. His screams echo in the empty hallway but that didn't matter much to the others as they thought it is a customer.

It takes a few seconds before he was reduced to dust after his death, his scream still lingered a bit but it slowly disappears after he dissipated.

"Even the illusions know how to spout nonsense," I sighed as we lost one clue.

"It doesn't matter. If one is useless, there are other guys here we can interrogate."

Just as we are about to leave and continue our backtracking, the walls on the side from where we are suddenly collapsed, revealing a new hallway.

"A new hallway? How did the walls collapse and reveal this place? This was just a wall a few minutes ago!" Maple is confused.

Due to this sudden event, I activated my [Insight] to make sure this is a real hallway and not just an illusion meant to confuse our eyes. And thank goodness, this was indeed a real hallway, newly opened and ready to be explored.

"Who would have thought we would be able to see a new road here. Maybe we can find a clue on how to get out of here?"

Approaching the new hallway, I just realized that the rubble that should have scattered all over the floor has already disappeared like it didn't exist, to begin with, and this hallway already existed before. Inspecting for traps, I immediately concluded it is safe to walk past here.

"It is safe. We can get past here."

"No traps laid out for us?"

"None from what I can see. I tested a few things before going in and nothing was triggered. I can safely assume this hallway is trap free."

"Alright, let's proceed."

The more we get deeper into the new hallway, the heavier and spookier it gets. The designs of the place also get older and the floorboards also start to creak every time you take a step.

"Is it just I or the hallway is changing every step?" Maple looked around her as she holds the hilt of Masamune Sword.

"It's not just you. I can tell the hallway is changing like it is being decorated as we slowly walk in the corridor. Maybe this is part of the illusion."

"No, I can sense intense mana fluctuations from these walls. It seems like it is holding a big curse or something similar for it to produce lots of negative energy."

Hatred seems better in the description of the energy that seemed to gather around. I usually feel this kind of negative energy in monster-infested places like the G.A.T.E.S I first entered and the Phantasmal Reality of Catmod during the monster stampede. However, this is the first time I felt that kind of energy around here that is not connected to any of the latter places.

A few more steps later, we arrived at the end of the hallway. There is nothing here except a room that leads us to a big empty room that looks like a former bedroom due to some clutter and a broken bed on the side. Most of all, a noose is hanging on the ceiling with a toppled chair beneath it, making the room more ominous.

"Is this some sort of haunted room?" I inspected the noose and found out that it is attached to the ceiling. The texture of the rope used as a noose is also very sturdy that anyone trying to use it for suicide will immediately die.

"I don't like the look of that noose, Kazuma. I request you to burn it to crisp. Might as well destroy the evil things left to allow the negative energy to dissipate instead of gathering in one point."

Maple has a point. The noose is a big taboo symbol of suicide so it is best to get rid of it.

But as soon as I ignited the flames in my hands, the noose, all of a sudden stretched out and moved on its own.

"What the f*ck?!"

The noose did not just move all by itself, it became similar to a snake and it quickly attached to our necks and suddenly tighten.

"Muramasa! Cut these ropes from us!" Maple commanded as she was slowly lifted in the air by the noose.

Muramasa goes out from the scabbard and with a swift swing, the moving ominous noose was immediately diced to pieces. However, I can still feel the negative energy from it even if Muramasa managed to slice it so thinly. I didn't waste my time and ignited the remains of the noose. I almost died back there. If not for Maple's command, my coffin must have been nailed already.

"Although the noose has been burned, the darkness still looms around the place. The ones who controlled the noose are still here. But where is this enemy hiding?"

"No one can hide if we destroy this place to pieces!"

Igniting my flames to their maximum potential I can immediately pull off, the method of demolition.

BANG!

Big explosions appeared all around the room as I thrash the place with my flames. I am getting impatient already. If the main reason we can't get out is due to the bastards trying to trick us. As I said before, destroying them will be the only fate they will receive from me.

"Calm down Kazuma!" 

BOOM BOOM!

It took some time before the whole place was thrashed to the ground. The negative energy that has been hanging around the place has no longer manifested and the heaviness in the air suddenly got lifted all of a sudden.

"Ha~ Nothing beats around a good old thrashing. I always feel satisfied.~"

Maple was speechless looking at all the rubble that fell after I destroyed the whole place. It was like she never expected things to get this serious. While the rubbles slowly disappear, one of the walls that have been part of the room collapsed, and just like the last time, a hallway once again appeared. Blue then suddenly popped and started speaking.

"Now I know why. Once you destroy part of the place or one of the main employees of the horror house has been killed, a new path will appear. Just continue that way Kazuma! Things will go smoothly as long as destruction occurs on your way!"