Chapter 64
9 min read ·
Mu?' s Mi? (1)
Pitch-black darkness had swallowed the entire space. It obscured my vision so completely that I couldn't see even an inch in front of me. Bizarre, unidentifiable sounds came from every direction. For some reason, the floor felt squishy, provoking an instinctive revulsion.
Just then, Kai's voice came from one side.
"Are you all right, sir?"
I could only guess which direction his voice was coming from. I couldn't see him at all.
"I'm fine. What about you?"
"I'm not having any serious problems either, but..."
After Kai's answer, we fell silent for a while. We both knew we needed time to adjust to the darkness. The gurgling all around us grew louder, and a grotesque heartbeat pulsed up through the soles of my feet.
How long had we waited? No matter how much time passed, there was no sign of my vision returning. Even when I held my palm right in front of my face, I couldn't see it. I couldn't even properly tell whether my eyes were open or closed.
There was only one explanation for darkness this absolute: there was no light whatsoever in this space. Still, I had prepared a glowstone beforehand, so I went to take it out of my Inventory.
◆Error: Inventory is not responding.
But for some reason, my Inventory wasn't responding?
At that very moment—
FWOOSH!
Blue light erupted to one side, instantly brightening my field of vision. It was the blue aura gathered on Kai's sword. Spreading in every direction, it gradually drove back the pitch-black darkness. Only then could I properly see what this place looked like—
The floor, walls, and ceiling were made of revolting masses of flesh. Swollen muscles and clinging lumps of fat completely covered every wall and the floor. When Kai brought his sword closer, slowly shifting blood vessels revealed themselves within the wall. Dark red blood flowed through their grotesque tangles. Around them oozed sticky mucus, slick like damp skin.
"What in the world..."
Lit by his blue aura, Kai's face filled with bewilderment. One glance was enough to tell that this was no ordinary space.
'Don't tell me this is...'
I sharpened Dragon's Claw[A] and raked the wall—
SKREEEEEE!
A bloodcurdling scream came from inside it. In the gap I had torn open, wrongly attached hands and legs were tangled together with distorted faces. Then a wormlike lump shaped like an eyeball writhed, and a lipless mouth bared its teeth in a silent grin. The flesh slid back together, tangling up again to fill the gap in the wall.
"What was that?"
"... Who knows."
It was a sight I never wanted to see again. As expected of a Devotee of the Fallen Souls, his tastes were fucked up beyond belief. Still, that confirmed that Dragon's Claw[A] was working properly.
'The abilities from Predation seem to be working fine.'
Next, I called up 「Player Information」.
==「Player Information」==
[Name] = Adrian Whitewolf
[Title] = Ruler of the North
[Level] = Level 53
[HP] = 2,550
[MP] = 0
[Stats] = Strength:33 Agility:60.95(+7.95) Stamina:24.15(+3.15) Mana:6
[Experience] = 55.8%
The information appeared before my eyes as normal. In other words, Ian's abilities, I Alone Level Up[EX] and Player's Will[EX], were working properly too. However, the effects of the title <Ruler of the North> weren't being applied. Its [All stats +15%] effect was gone. Only the Agility and Stamina boosts from Promote Metabolism[B+] were active.
That meant this place wasn't in the north. Yet until a moment ago, I had been in Veneron viscounty, a fief in the northern tundra. It was a region where the title <Ruler of the North> applied, but for some reason, its effects weren't working.
◆Error: Inventory is not responding.
'And the Inventory isn't responding either.'
I checked again, with the same result. And judging by the explanation of the Inventory I'd received before—
[The Inventory is a space in which the player's belongings are stored and is classified as a 'subspace.']
The Inventory was classified as a subspace. The fact that this subspace wasn't responding meant we were in a separate place, with a different spacetime from the real world. In other words—
"I think we're inside a barrier."
"Are you saying this is a barrier?"
Kai repeated the question in disbelief. He seemed unable to believe that this mass of flesh was a barrier. In truth, neither could I.
'This is a barrier?'
I'd never seen a barrier like this either. A barrier was a defined area that imposed restrictions on particular actions, not a separate dimension with a different spacetime.
More importantly, Avarus had never used a barrier like this. In my previous life, he had only used Infinite Silence. I'd investigated him thoroughly during my time in the special task force, but there had been no information suggesting he could use such a barrier.
Which meant...
'Did that elixir create this barrier?'
The unidentified elixir Avarus had detonated at the end. That was the only difference from my previous life—the only thing I could call a variable.
Whatever the case, we were inside a barrier Avarus had created. To break through it, I first had to determine what kind of barrier it was. I activated Predatory Instincts[S], and information about the barrier appeared.
◆Mu?' s Mi?
: This ⬚⬙⌺ is [⨳⨊▧▩]. ⦓⧆⬒⧍ is a ⦵⦷⟢ ⬒⌖⧃ with the ⟇⟡⧄ and ⦵⧉⩂ of ⧳⌿[⨀⦜⦏], and a ⩎⩓⦕ ⩍⟞ with [⦘⦍⦷]. ⧋⦓⟑ ⧸[⧒⧑⧘⧷⩆] ⩕⧪, and [⟐⦼⦟⦖⦽] becomes ⩏⧯ ⟛⦰⦔⟄ than ⦶⧀ ⦿⦤ ⦳⟨⩊⦸.
But perhaps because this barrier had been created by that unidentified elixir, Predatory Instincts[S] couldn't discern any information at all. It was even worse than the elixir. The text was so thoroughly corrupted that I couldn't make any of it out. That was the moment my suspicion became certainty.
'Is this an Authority of the Sovereign of the Abyss?'
The Inexplicable Terror of the Unknown—the Sovereign of the Abyss. As the name suggested, he was an unknown terror that nothing in this world could explain or counter. And Avarus was a Devotee of the Fallen Souls who worshipped that very Sovereign.
["I offer my soul to the Great One!!"]
The Great One Avarus had called out to at the end. It seemed this barrier was one of the Authorities belonging to the Sovereign of the Abyss. That would explain, at least to some extent, why Predatory Instincts[S] couldn't discern any information about it.
The Inexplicable Terror of the Unknown—the Sovereign of the Abyss. He was a being not of this world. Even so, a barrier was still a barrier.
'There is a way to break it.'
And Predatory Instincts[S] wasn't all I had. I had my memories of my previous life, and the knowledge I'd learned from the Archmage, a hero of the allied army.
["Barriers are classified according to their purpose."]
Defensive barriers, sealing barriers, blocking barriers, confinement barriers, control barriers. There were others too: curses, rituals, souls, and so on. Infinite Silence, which we'd encountered earlier, could be classified as a blocking barrier.
But here, I could use all my abilities, including Predation[S+]. Kai's aura wasn't restricted either. That meant this wasn't a blocking barrier. Besides...
'The barrier didn't inflict any particular damage when it activated.'
Even now, there had been no particular threats or attacks. Especially considering that Avarus was nowhere to be seen—
'Something meant to seal or confine us, then?'
This barrier seemed to have been designed to isolate or imprison Kai and me.
In that sense, the barrier's name, 'Mu?' s Mi?'—though the text was corrupted—almost seemed to suggest that anything we did in this place would be 'meaningless.'
◆Activating derived skill, Find Weakness[U]!
When I used Find Weakness, something glowing red caught my eye in one corner. Kai must have spotted it at the same time, because he spoke to me.
"There's something here."
Kai pointed his aura-coated sword toward the floor. It revealed a neatly rectangular object of a pale yellowish-brown color. It looked like paper, but seemed to be made of leather. Yet, judging by the tiny veins and traces of pores on its surface—
'Human skin?'
It appeared to be parchment made from human skin, flayed off in one piece and dried for a long time. One of the Dark Merchant Company bastards' grotesque hobbies.
As I picked it up, the first thing that struck me was an indescribably unpleasant smell assaulting my nose. It felt as smooth as silk beneath my fingertips. Yet there were tiny wrinkles in it, making that sensation deeply unpleasant too.
When Kai shone his blue aura over the parchment, the tiny veins tangled through it squirmed like worms. Then words formed on its surface.
[Rulebook]
'Rulebook?'
The instant I wondered that, the parchment writhed again, inscribing new words.
* * *
This [Rulebook] is a guide to help you survive here. If you do not follow the rules, all hope will be lost.
* * *
Then the contents of the parchment smoothly changed once more. Countless blood vessels rose to the surface, tangling together. This time, they formed a fairly lengthy passage.
* * *
1. Before exploring this place, secure a source of light.
: First, you must realize that you are trapped somewhere. This place has neither beginning nor end, and every wall and passage connects to the others, rendering your sense of direction meaningless. Leaving marks may be one approach, but remember: this place can erase or distort your traces.
* * *
"What is this?"
Having read the passage, Kai muttered in bewilderment. I didn't know what it was either. I used Predatory Instincts[S], but the information's text was corrupted and distorted. Still, considering that Find Weakness[U] had identified this [Rulebook] as the barrier's weakness—
"It seems we can get out of the barrier if we follow the rules in the rulebook."
That seemed to be what it meant.
And at that very moment—
GURRRRGLE!
The masses of flesh making up the space suddenly began to heave violently. Kai hurriedly shone his blue aura around us. Faces with eyes and mouths were protruding from the walls, ceiling, and floor, staring at us. Then grotesque legs and tentacles extended from the walls, gradually swallowing up the space. Another new rule appeared on the rulebook.
* * *
2. If the structure of this place begins to change, do not stop under any circumstances.
: At times, the walls and passages will move, attempting to trap you. If you stop at that moment, your time will also stop, and you will no longer be able to move. Whatever route you choose, move quickly. The moment you try to remain in place, this place will swallow you.
* * *
The flesh parted upward, downward, and to either side, opening a new path. It was as though it were telling us to go that way.
"Let's head down there for now."
"I'll take the lead."
Kai strode forward, lighting the way with his blue aura. I followed the path he illuminated, doing my best to ignore the grotesque sound of skin tearing with every step.