The light was a red herring. Only more lava existed in the chamber beyond the obsidian corridor. It cascaded down from pores in the walls like tears, plopping into a stream that cascaded around the rims of the cavern.

Hardened obsidian sludge spread itself unevenly. It yielded as the Rock Bugs scuttled onto it, causing lava to seep through its seems like a burst pimple. Hatchling Red rode on Grey’s back, sensing that something was terribly wrong as she scanned her surroundings with the eyes of a keen of a huntress.

We’re rocking as we move. The ground isn’t very stable. I doubt I’ll be able to walk on the obsidian without burning up. Also, it really is obsidian too. Nothing like the Looking Glass.

But more than that, the chamber and its depths further ahead felt artificially created. The holes in the walls pulsated as they sealed themselves like salivary ducts. If she did not know any better, then she would have believed that she had entered the maw of a beast.

And to her surprise the heat had dwindled significantly. The haze from before was nonexistent. She could see clearly far ahead. It was more of a hallway than a cavern, with ridges that ran from the side of the walls to the ceiling like ribcages.

Caves aren’t supposed to be like this, right?

She wondered to herself, wracking her two brain cells together like a monkey slamming its cymbals.

The vastness of the previous caverns did not compare. She imagined that the cave system would only continue to get tighter but no, it instead opened into an entirely different world.

Is this even a cave to begin with?

She asked herself again as the Rock Bugs moved onward on her command.

 

< Unknown >

 

//////// < CAUTION > ////////

 

“What’s up with the message?” She tilted her head, seeing a small glimmer of light ahead as the world quaked to an explosion once again. “Is something ahead?”

They bobbed up and down due to the unevenness of the floor, quickly realizing that in the event of an attack she would be completely vulnerable. She took the message to heart and began assessing her situation.

However, before she could acclimate herself with the odd world – something oozed from the pores of the walls. Wingless entities were born a tragic birth, most falling into the lava whilst others splattered against the obsidian floors.

“Waaaaa! Waaaa!”

“Waaaaa! Waaaa!”

The wails of children immediately filled the air, and to her horror they came from the maggot-like beings. And worst of all –

“What… the hell…? Are those people!?” She could hardly believe her eyes.

 – The heads attached to those worms had the faces of distraught infant humans. They were fetuses. Connected to the walls were the fleshy, burning umbilical cords that ran down to their throats like a leash.

“Waaaaaaa!” They cried in a horrible cacophony as bloodied, hot tears ran down their cheeks. It caused the obsidian to melt, for their tears were lava.

And when their pair of golden, twisted eyes fell onto her, they unleashed a terrible scream.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

 

//////// < CAUTION > ////////

 

< TRICKLE >

< THE ARBITER’S TRUMPET BECKONS >

 

Hatchling Red immediately held out her blade as she readied the pale proboscis-spear in her other hand like a harpoon.

“VOICE!? GOT A MINUTE TO TELL ME WHAT THE HELL THAT MEANS – TCH!?” A maggot threw itself before she could finish her words.

She managed to fling herself onto the back of another Rock Bug as she began smacking their backs, screaming out: “SPLIT UP! I need the damned room to move!”

Hatchling Red danced as the few dozen maggots zipped by her. She jumped from Rock Bug to Rock Bug, following the bloodied trail as she slashed them open in midair. However, their bodies carried no organs save the burning fluids. They were like balloons carrying nothing but lava, and as a result, she was showered by their burning blood.

“AAARGH!”

 

Hatchling Red | HP: 800

 

“And I won’t even be able to eat you worms at all! Show me the status already!”

 

 

< Observation Level 1 >

< The Still Unborn are bloated with a burning liquid. Be warned as slash and piercing injuries will cause this liquid to shower its victims >

 

“That didn’t answer my question, Agate! What is the Trumpet supposed to mean!? AAAAAGH! Take – THIS AND DIE ALREADY!” Her fury took the reins of her body as she fought at an instinctual level, dodging their attacks as she used the edge of the spear as a bat to splatter them away.

 

Arbiter’s Trumpet

< The seven stage warning system of the Blessed used to classify the threat level of all entities, whether Corrupted or otherwise >

 

Trickle

< The lowest threat classification of any entity >

 

“So you’re telling me that these things – ARE THE WEAKEST!?” It hurt her pride knowing that these things were considered weak.

But she wondered why the creatures from before never gave her such a warning despite their levels being significantly higher than these. Was it because these creatures had an Attribute attached to them? Their ‘Origin’ was also bizarre.

“Just what the hell does trauma even mean!?”

Two became five, and five turned to twelve. Their measly HP made it easy for her to clean them up. However, she had taken considerable damage from their blood alone.

 

HP: 450

 

Her skin burned up. Where her blood began and where the dye of her red cloak ended was impossible to tell. Steam violently rose from her wounds as she watched one of them fall dead onto the back of a Rock Bug.

It shriveled up almost instantly, appearing like a dried-up husk before suddenly, it became a tiny purple gemstone. With their numbers down the fight became far easier. The danger of fighting a huntress like Hatchling Red was that the longer the fight went on, the stronger she became.

It was only unfortunate that she was still held back by her mana. On the bright side they were weak enough where only a single swipe was enough to put them out for good. Her legs ached from constantly leaping, but she refused to surrender, finding strength in pure willpower alone.

“KEEP MOVING FORWARD!” She howled like the captain of a scuttle in the middle of a storm. “DON’T STOP UNTIL WE’RE OUT OF HERE IF YOU DON’T WANT ME TO DIE!”

She huffed, supporting herself on the proboscis as she slayed the last Still Unborn, watching it transform into a gemstone on another back of a Rock Bug. Sweat dripped from every pore, her body scarred by the unbearable heat of their blood as she slumped down onto her knees, finally able to catch her breath.

“I… don’t believe… humans are supposed to look like that…” She wheezed, watching as the Rock Bugs clumped up together as if to comfort her. “Ugh… You’re all… not cute. Level 8? And they’re that strong? Is the gimmick supposed to be to just leave them alone?”

 

< Observation Level 2 >

< The Still Unborn cannot inflict damage so long as they are unharmed >

 

Red threw herself on her back, laying there as she banged her head against the back of the Rock Bug.

“Idiot. Stupid Red. Stop seeing red all the time! Of course. It has zero attack, dummy!” She scolded herself before letting loose of a long, exasperated sigh. “Haaaaah. What kind of cave is this? Insects. Wolves. And now…”

She slid a hand over towards the glistening, purple gemstone and held it above her face. It was deeply opaque with hardly any luster.

“[Appraise Object].”

 

< Cannot be Appraised >

 

“No explanation why? Is this supposed to be special?” She wondered, smelling it. It had no rancid scent or notable abnormal properties.

The reason why she checked was because she suspected those things to be Corrupted. If they were then the gemstones they produced were likely Corrupted Items. However, that did not explain the withering of their bodies.

There was not much she knew about the Corrupted to begin with. Only that they were monsters and she used to be one. One thing that she knew well was that on their death they produced objects of unimaginable power named the Corrupted Items. Even the cadavers of Corrupted were repurposed in the facility as armor and weapons.

This on the other hand was unsubstantial.

“… Weird. This entire place is really weird. Haaah. Don’t tell me the world is overrun by them above. I want to see another person. Not a monster with a human’s face.” She sighed repeatedly over and over.

And unsurprisingly, the gemstone slipped between her fingers mid-yawn.

“GHHHHK!? *Cough* Guuuuugh! *Spits*”

She spat out nothing much to her dismay as she shot herself upright, finding nothing in her bleeding palms.

“N-No way… I can’t even eat rocks. There’s no way I’m going to be able to digest a gemstone!”

As if to answer her concerns, her stomach gurgled. She prepared herself to hurl out the gemstone but to her surprise –

 

< Specific Nex Received >

< Do you wish to hear the blurbs of its Origins? >

< Yes | No >

 

– A strange prompt appeared before her. Whether this was a blessing in disguse had yet to be determined and with only knowledge to gain…

“Nex? Origins? Heh… Alright. Show me then!”

… she accepted to hear the small blurb of the Still Unborn.

---