Chapter 39: Abyss

As if sinking into a swamp, my body was gradually sucked into deeper darkness.

So, after being sucked into the deep darkness of the abyss for a while, I finally arrived at an unfamiliar place.

The feeling of two feet touching the floor.

And as soon as the darkness cleared before my eyes, I felt a bright light that blinded me and closed my eyes.

Only after blinking my eyes for a while did I feel my vision return, and then I could see its identity.

…A glowstone?

The identity of what was shining light on my face was a kind of glowstone that is widely used in this world.

A small stone that emits light using the mana spread in the air.

In modern terms, it can be said to be similar to the role of a fluorescent lamp.

A glowstone is a very useful item that can be installed indoors and used semi-permanently without any conditions.

But it is not used well in general facilities because of its high price.

Should I say that the cost-effectiveness is low?

It was an item that I couldn’t see much even in the Vermore Count family.

I rubbed my eyes, which were still blurry because of the intense light, and looked around.

The place where I am currently standing is a very narrow room made of bricks all around.

It was so cramped that I, a full-grown adult, could barely move a few steps.

And a glowstone hung from a string that came down from the ceiling, driving away the surrounding darkness.

“Where on earth is this…?”

No matter how much I looked around, nothing but me existed in this room.

Neither the pure white hand of someone who had pulled me here.

Even in the walls surrounded in all directions, no doors are visible.

Where was I dragged?

And what was that hand?

Feeling the questions that kept pouring into my head, I kept looking around.

There is no exit.

Only in this square room were all sides blocked by bricks.

Besides, the floor is a very hard stone floor.

Just in case, I kept stomping my feet.

But only my feet hurt.

Then all that’s left is….

I looked up at the ceiling where only endless darkness could be seen.

Unlike other places that are tightly closed, the deep darkness where the end cannot be known.

Up there.

That’s all that’s left.

I grabbed the uneven wall and continued to head up.

With a rope tied to a glowstone in my mouth, I climbed the wall without rest, breaking through the darkness.

Only the light of the glowstone was the only light I could rely on.

By the way, what kind of trouble is this?

It’s certain that this place is still a dream.

If it wasn’t a dream, I should have been exhausted and collapsed long ago due to lack of physical strength.

But what I feel now is not physical fatigue, but mental fatigue.

Then this place is someone’s dream….

What kind of dream is this?

As I moved my hands and feet repeatedly and continued to think, at that time.

A very small ray of light began to be seen in my eyes, which had been heading up for a while.

I see the end.

Forcibly overcoming the gradually accumulating fatigue, I was finally able to reach the ceiling.

The ceiling was in the form of a plank made of wood.

And the identity of the light I saw was the light leaking between the gaps.

Click.

When I pushed it up with my hand, the ceiling was lifted more lightly than I thought.

Then, I carefully moved the plank to the side.

Thud.

I heard the sound of the plank falling to the floor.

First, I just stuck my head out and looked around.

Outside the hole I was hanging on, the appearance of another room unfolded.

I barely escaped the hole.

But another room comes out again.

It’s not like a Russian doll where other dolls keep coming in.

I’m starting to get annoyed by the repetitive situation.

What is this?

It’s not like an escape room.

I suppressed my irritation and came out.

For now, there is nothing dangerous in this room.

Besides, there were three doors in this room.

Three doors placed in order.

Other than that, there are no other things worth noting.

Where is the answer?

I hesitated for a moment in front of the door.

‘…I do not know.’

But no matter how much I think about it, I can’t figure out where to go.

I don’t know.

It’s standard to choose number 1 in this case.

I opened the door on the far left and walked into it.

It’s strange no matter how much I think about it.

“What’s the structure?”

Since passing through the first door, I have been walking down a straight corridor.

A corridor that stretches in a straight line without ever turning.

And I couldn’t find anything special in the meantime.

If anything, it’s the suspicious paintings hanging on the wall.

I couldn’t find any way to get into other places, such as doors or holes.

‘Should I go back?’

It smells like a miss.

The first one I chose out of the three doors may not have been the answer.

So, when I was hesitating whether to go back again.

“Wait a minute.”

Something is strange…?

Feeling something strange, I stopped in my tracks.

A large painting hanging on one wall.

The painting had a very familiar appearance.

A man riding a horse and running through the wilderness.

And the intense sun drawn above it.

I felt a familiar feeling that I had seen somewhere, and only then did I look around carefully.

The pattern of the tiles drawn on the wall.

And even the various vases placed on the hallway shelves.

If I’m not mistaken.

Surely here.

“Isn’t this the place I came to earlier?”

It’s clear that I’ve been here before.

I quickly scanned my surroundings at the scenery that was too familiar to my eyes.

Everything is a familiar landscape.

It is certain.

I’m not the first time here.

It is clear that I have returned to a place I have already passed.

Come to think of it, there is another strange point when I think about it now.

‘Can a dream be this detailed?’

No matter how imaginative a person is, there is a limit to dreams.

The first dream I was impressed by the beautiful scenery.

Although I was shocked by the very intense scene later, the dream world was no different from the real thing at first glance.

But the very detailed details were not felt.

For example, despite being in the forest, there are no birds or insects.

Details such as the clouds floating in the sky not moving.

But it’s different here.

The patterns drawn on the walls and floor were very natural, without any breaks.

And all the many paintings hanging on the wall are different from each other.

‘Can you have such a detailed dream?’

I’ve been through 4 dreams so far.

But this place is clearly far beyond the limits of a dream that one person can have.

I was worried whether to go back again when I put my hand on the wall.

Clatter

“Eh?”

The wall, which seemed to be fine, suddenly collapsed as soon as I touched it.

And.

Thud.

The sound of stones being pushed and rubbing was heard, and soon the tightly closed wall began to open.

“…….”

I glared at it with a wary look.

The wall opens with a loud noise.

And soon the sound stopped and the movement stopped completely.

What on earth….

In a sudden situation that I couldn’t understand, I entered with careful steps, wary.

Dark darkness.

But as soon as I stepped inside, the glowstones hanging from the ceiling began to light up.

Thanks to that, I could see the inside in detail.

A landscape that looks like a lab for some kind of experiment.

Unidentified magic circles drawn here and there and piles of paper.

And in the corner at the very end of the room.

There was a cage that seemed to have something trapped.

I went closer and checked what it was.

There’s something inside.

And what was inside was.

A bizarre-looking creature with the head of a snake and a body like a dog.

Seeing that bizarre appearance, I immediately noticed what it was.

A synthetic creature.

A chimera.

A synthesis method that combines several creatures with the power of magic.

And this technology is clearly a forbidden technology a long time ago.

Aside from the dignity of life or religious reasons.

Chimera synthesis is a very dangerous experiment.

Empire. No, furthermore, the technology that will bring about the destruction of this world is chimera synthesis.

I looked down at the chimera for a long time, and then I found a piece of paper with something written on it, and I picked it up.

[Experiment Log]

-Imperial Calendar 508, the first synthesis was successful.

“…508? It’s 623 now.”

Clearly, this year when I entered the Academy was 623 in the Imperial calendar.

In terms of time, it is a document written more than 100 years ago.

But it looked intact, without any signs of wear and tear, as if that time was unimaginable.

It looks like it was written just yesterday.

With questions, I continued to read the log.