After stepping through the gate, I immediately felt as if I had fallen into a completely different world, one that had no connection whatsoever to the one before.
But... I was still fine. I was still alive! Just knowing that alone already eased more than half of my worries.
Hello?
Is everyone okay??
Why is no one saying anything?
Hrm??
Why is no one answering?
Moshi moshi?
I tried looking into the Virtual World, only to discover, to my surprise, that no one was in there at all—except for the souls of Mr. Loyral and Mrs. Seryl, which were still being restored thanks to [Soul Repair].
I hope they recover soon. It's already been quite a long time, after all.
But setting that aside... what exactly is going on here?
Seina, Suzu, Meradis, and the other spirits and elemental spirits who were inside the Virtual World had all vanished. I couldn't sense Seina or Suzu's presence anywhere.
Where did they go?
Could we have been separated?
Or maybe they got stuck during the transition to this place?
Or perhaps... this place has the property of separating people when multiple individuals enter at once?
...But if that's the case, it's kind of illogical. Seina and Suzu shouldn't be able to exist outside without me, right?
No! I need to find them quickly!
A... where should I even go...?
What if I don't make it in time...?
I stod frozen on the spot, panicking, until I suddenly had the sensation of someone tapping me on the head—accompanied by Seina's voice reminding me to always stay calm in any situation.
Right!
First, I need to calm down.
They may be in danger, but so am I. I have to stay calm if I want to survive and figure out where I currently am.
Hmm...
I started observing my surroundings.
There was definitely something off about this place—the scenery was... haunting, to say the least. I was currently standing in an area that wasn't very large, but the atmosphere was dark and eerie.
I began moving.
After just a few steps, I noticed several skeletons scattered around, their species unknown.
Was this... a burial ground or something?
The area was also shrouded in a strange red mist, and even when I activated [Heaven Eye], I still couldn't see through it. My vision was significantly impaired.
With no other choice, I moved forward step by step, hoping I'd run into someone—someone familiar.
This place resembled a large chamber, and in front of me were three paths.
Looking briefly: the first path had a bunch of bones strewn across it, the middle path had strange plants growing along the walls and extending inward, and the third path looked relatively normal.
A choice, huh?
Hmmm...
Stay calm, me.
This might be the choice that changes everything. I still have to find the others, so I need to be very cautious.
Looking carefully, the first path seemed the most dangerous because of the sheer number of bones. But thinking more about it... the bones seemed to have been deliberately placed there to scare people off.
How could it be a coincidence that so many died right here?
The bodies were even laid out neatly...
Too suspicious!
That probably means—this path might actually be the safest one.
The second path, on the other hand, seemed more dangerous. I didn't know what kind of roots those plants were, but any plant that could grow in such a dark place definitely wasn't normal.
Maybe it's a sentient tree like the one I encountered back on the sixth floor, only much stronger.
I tried using [Scan] on it, but the scan failed.
Yup.
If something can cause [Scan] to fail, then it's definitely not safe.
I wasn't exactly afraid, but since my priority was finding the others, it was best to avoid unnecessary conflict for now.
As for the third path, it was clearly suspicious in how normal it looked. There's no way anything could be "normal" in a place like this. It was even possible that those bones originally came from this path but had been dragged over to the first one.
If so... why?
Could there be something hidden in the first path that someone wanted to conceal, so they placed the bones to mislead people?
Hrm...
Or maybe I'm just overthinking everything, and things are exactly as they seem?
Whatever, if it's too hard to figure out, I'll just use my skills.
I have the full combo of [Prophecy], [Inference], and [Scan], so why waste time guessing?
First, I activated [Scan] and expanded its range as far as I could. At the same time, I used [Prophecy] and [Inference] together to catch glimpses of the future.
Ughhh... I'm still not used to this combo, so it was a bit tough to control.
Oh, I see something...
The images were blurry and disjointed, but I saw a room somewhere, with a giant eye continuously absorbing the energy of this place. It even seemed to be sleeping.
I figured that eye was eight or nine parts likely to be connected to that Dark God. If I could get my hands on it, this whole thing might be over.
After identifying the core issue, I began inferring the path leading to that room. But to my disappointment, the path was far too long... and constantly shifting.
Still, no matter how much it changed, I could still infer the correct path thanks to [Prophecy], which was now far superior to the old [Prophecy]. It's on a whole different level.
Having pinpointed the right path, I returned to processing the information gathered from [Scan].
The material used to build this place was strange—not regular stone, but a substance called Bentorim. It was incredibly sturdy and durable.
I tried breaking it a few times but had no success, so the only way was to follow the preexisting paths.
I also learned that this place wasn't as peaceful as it looked. Strange creatures existed here.
They were different from the ones outside. I couldn't get any data on their physical structure. That likely meant they were similar to the spirits.
That would make things tricky.
But I did manage to get info on one familiar species—the elemental spirits. I roughly figured out where they were.
Guess what... they were in the second path.
Woah...
Seriously?
I was just about to avoid that path, and now I have no choice but to go through it?
Alright then, let's go.
I quickly made my way into the second path, which was covered with countless roots clinging to the walls. I could sense a strange energy coming from the branches.
I moved closer and made a cut—immediately, something black and misty oozed out.
Ah...!
I quickly stepped back to avoid contact, but the substance just kept spreading.
This stuff... it's like the Dark Magic used by those other creatures.
So this is the source, huh?
I knew this kind of power could massively increase one's strength, but the side effects were just too dangerous. I ignored it and ran deeper inside.
Before long, I reached the end of the path—
And holy crap...!!
What the hell is that?!
In front of me stood an enormous tree—easily the biggest I'd ever seen. Its roots spread everywhere, and on the canopy were several cocoon-like sacs wrapping around something.
What... is that?
They looked like cocoons, and inside each one, a creature was being completely drained of its life force until death.
I've seen things like this in movies before.
I wasn't entirely sure, but I could sense the elemental spirits trapped inside those cocoons. I immediately jumped up and tried to sever the connection.
But as soon as I cut one open, dozens of vines shot toward it, reconnecting it to the tree as if nothing had happened.
This thing...
I refuse to believe I can't cut through it!
No matter how many times I tried, the cocoon was always quickly reattached to the tree.
Damn it!!
Frustrated, I slashed it quickly, then used my spider silk to pull the cocoon away and fled at full speed. Behind me, vines came chasing relentlessly, and I could even hear eerie hissing noises...
It felt like some creature was screaming in agony.
But I had no time to care—I just kept running.
Oh no!
The root I cut earlier had unleashed more Dark Energy, and now it was blocking the exit. If I wanted to escape, I'd have to make contact with that energy.
Is it okay...?
Ah... truth is, I've always wanted to try that energy out, but with Seina and Suzu around, I had to consider how they felt. That's why I never did.
Maybe... this is the opportunity?
But what if I lose control?
Will I become a mindless monster that kills everything in sight?
Though... I already am a monster. So why worry? Monsters are meant to kill, right?
It's not that I desire it... but right now, I don't have a choice.
Ahh... screw it!
No risk, no reward!
Without stopping, I dashed forward at my fastest speed, running straight through the Dark Energy. At last, I successfully made it back to the original room.
The vines only chased me to the exit, then retreated.
Haha!
I did it.
And nothing happened—
Ah...!
Suddenly, an intense pain erupted from deep within me.
I knew this feeling. I was far too familiar with it.
Damn it!
I thought I had escaped it already!
Looks like I did something really stupid this time...