The Other Side (1)
The Other Side (1)
At first, it was a matter of presence.
Concentrating on spatial detection could yield results along the lines of "does not exist in this vicinity."
After a certain point, I could make out a rough direction.
And while I was fixing the heading and measuring the location, I encountered the lunatic who had pulled a sword from his own body.
For now, I went over and beat him down, then let him escape with a pseudo-tracking tag attached to him — partly to learn his and Hong Yeon-jun's base of operations.
Spada's flight was not a swift one.
— On top of worsening injuries, you've even got recovery suppression too? This insane, broken attribute...
It was because of the injuries. When the recovery potion scattered over his wounds barely showed any effect, Spada's face crumpled.
Observing the scene from a considerable distance, I gave a quiet snort.
These weren't ordinary injuries. I'd laid into him thoroughly with the Blood Cloud, layered thick as could be with debuffs.
Even with a fairly sturdy body, recovery will take time.
Thanks to that, his escape was slowed, but the man still worked his injured leg frantically, apparently in a hurry himself.
Roughly three days had passed since I began the pursuit like that.
'...?'
The man was drawing closer not to his actual base, but to the entrance of the Reverse Side.
'No, are they in different locations?'
At some point, a misgiving that settled in my head made my face — hidden beneath the mask — stiffen on its own.
— Hah, haaah... there shouldn't be any pursuit, right... no, it doesn't matter even if there is now...
When my misgiving became reality, I couldn't laugh.
The place the man had reached was an uneven plain.
The snowstorm had stopped before I realized it. No snow had piled up, but the ground was frozen solid.
A desolate winter landscape where you could scarcely find a single leaf on the spreading branches of the trees.
With a stiff expression, I moved my fingers slightly.
A sense of foreignness that ordinary people — and even superhumans without spatial sensitivity — could never perceive.
I closed Observation and opened Space.
The world's information slipped shut, and across a black background, dizzying jade-green outlines and wavelengths flooded in.
The jade-green outlines crumpled, were compressed, twisted. My head throbbed from the chaotic, fluctuating wavelengths.
Blood trickled from my nose. Without a thought to wipe it, I focused even harder on spatial detection.
A place where jade-green outlines and wavelengths tangled together in complexity, as if drawn by gravity.
Above the broad grassland, there was an enormous "hole."
It was the entrance to the Reverse Side.
[Well, fuck.]
The moment I detected it, the curse left me on reflex.
Around the entrance, cracks were slashing across it in a jumbled mess. The interior was bubbling and boiling, as if the lid might burst open and overflow at any moment.
In other words, it was not far from an outbreak.
'Am I screwed?'
There had been numerous possibilities.
The possibility that I would never locate the Reverse Side's entrance.
The possibility that I would roughly pinpoint only the location.
The possibility that I would find the entrance, but with considerable time still remaining before the outbreak.
The possibility, like now, that I would find the entrance and witness the Reverse Side on the verge of an outbreak.
This was the worst possible scenario.
— Kheuh... quickly...!
No, it was worse than the worst.
Approaching the entrance of the Reverse Side with unsteady steps, Spada muttered something.
A man with no spatial sensitivity whatsoever, who can't so much as feel an entrance, let alone anything else. And yet he was loitering right near the entrance, as if he knew full well what was there.
— Guwooong!
The entrance opened.
It hadn't been pulled open from the outside. Something from within had forced it open.
During that very brief opening, a powerful gravitational pull dragged Spada into the entrance.
There hadn't been even a single spare moment to block or intervene.
— Boom!
The entrance that swallowed Spada shut. Above the lid that had sealed back closed, only the bubbling prelude of an outbreak could be detected.
[...Fuck...]
A situation worse than the worst.
It seems the group that the man Spada belongs to has its base of operations inside the Reverse Side.
Observing how skillfully and familiarly he came and went from the Reverse Side's entrance, there might be some kind of countermeasures in place inside.
That's a problem, but there's an even bigger problem.
'What is there? A monster that can manipulate space?'
Some "something" that can open and close the entrance of the Reverse Side exists within, and in any case is aiding those bastards.
In the original story, there is no cycle in which anyone went inside the Reverse Side.
Attempts were made, but failed for various reasons. Ultimately, in most cycles, the focus was only on suppression after the outbreak.
Because of that, I also lacked information on the Reverse Side's interior.
'Tch...'
The danger level had skyrocketed. It was even more dangerous precisely because of that complete absence of information.
It wasn't for nothing that the Tower Masters had crammed information into me through the original game.
'What do I do?'
Setting foot into the Reverse Side had always been dangerous, but now it had turned even more so.
'But I can't just let that thing burst, either.'
I've tracked it all the way to the entrance — I can't turn back now. On top of that, isn't this the Reverse Side on the very brink of an outbreak?
I must charge in, find the core before the damage escalates, and detonate it from within.
First, I sent out a communication to the Association.
[Contact: Maxwell]
▶ Me: I've located the entrance.
▶ Me: Hurry and erase —
— Woo-woong!
[Call: Maxwell]
[Accept │ Reject]
As soon as I sent the message, the call came in.
The hologram that materialized in the empty air buzzed and flickered with static.
Since I was near the entrance, even the communications seemed to be unstable.
— This is Max—well. We've sa—fely received your loca—tion. From your cur—rent loca—tion, we will mo—ve troops and sup—plies to the nea—rest Gate Terminal—
[Thank you.]
I nodded at the rapid report that followed the moment the call connected, and began moving my body as well.
First, I put distance between myself and the Reverse Side's entrance. Interfering with space in that vicinity, or constructing a spell workshop to seize control of the space, would drain my power.
In a place where space was a bit more intact, I opened my Subspace and drew out Jeong-hwa.
I stroked Jeong-hwa, which was trembling petulantly as if asking why I was only now taking it out, and traced magic formulas across the empty air like brushstrokes.
— Shurrrrk!
I manifested the Authority of Knowledge at the same time. Centered on the entrance of the Reverse Side, I unleashed the spell workshops and formulas I had stored in abundance in my mind.
Kugugung! The surface of the earth surged upward, forming countless barrier walls, and the spell workshops expanded with those walls at the center.
These were the spell workshops that had undergone improvements and refinements since the Tower of Growth. Even if I'm inside the Reverse Side, they will keep functioning from outside.
This was the preparation for suppressing the Reverse Side's outbreak.
'If I succeed in triggering the outbreak artificially, I'll have to block it right here.'
Given a little time, the Association's forces should arrive.
The Association councilors will declare a catastrophe, and will likely muster every possible soldier from the surrounding powers as well.
'The Three Great Families... Of all times, the incidents had to overlap.'
The Three Great Families. Frankly, separately from my personal wish that they wouldn't be swept into danger, they are tremendously powerful forces.
But unfortunately, the Changhae family is in chaos from a dungeon chain rampage. Their priority will be to provide support over there.
[Things are winding down on my end. I'll only lay the foundation and then head in immediately.]
— ...As I thought— would you recon—sider enter—ing? It's far too dan—gerous.
This was Maxwell's concern, upon being told about Spada and his ilk who must have coiled themselves within the Reverse Side, and the existence of whatever might be inside.
[Now that I've detected the entrance, I don't think things are relaxed enough to hesitate. If I drag this out, it'll just get more grueling later on.]
As this was a problem I had just finished deliberating, I shook my head.
Roughly, the installation of the spell workshops and magic was nearing its end.
Pressing firmly at my sore brow, I left a few words of reassurance before going in.
[Recipients: Master (and 5 others)]
▶ Me: (saluting puppy emoticon)
▶ Me: All quiet here! — Send Failure
▶ Me: All quiet here!
▶ Me: Also, I'll be entering the dungeon soon, so communication may cut out!
▶ Me: I'm going to look for something inside and come out, so it might take some time — please don't worry just in case! (04:31 PM)
▶ Master: Dungeon? (04:31 PM)
At Master's immediate reply, my body flinched. After that, messages flew in from the others as well.
Only after I sent back several reassuring texts did the chain of pinging messages finally stop.
[Well then, I'll be off.]
— ...Yes, under—stood. I wish you the for—tune of war—
Click— As I drew closer to the Reverse Side entrance, the communications ultimately cut out completely.
The Reverse Side's entrance... I'd estimate its diameter is maybe five meters?
The moment this thing opens naturally, a catastrophe will break out.
'Let's go in.'
I'd be lying if I said there was no hesitation or fear, but it's something that must be done in the end.
I reached out a hand toward the entrance of the Reverse Side.
My hand simply cleaved through empty air in vain.
'Manifest, Authority of Space.'
Woooooong! I interfered with space. A crushing pain struck my head, and the Reverse Side entrance clunked open.
Within my spatial perception, a hole of total blackness, far more conspicuous than any other backdrop.
I pushed my body inside it.
A dizzying sensation of descent coiled around me.
* * *
Depending on the type, some monsters are edible.
It's a statement that barely feels worth saying. After all, the logic isn't something that only applies to monsters.
Considering humans can get food poisoning just from mishandling raw meat, yet still cook and eat toxic fish or plants.
Even their bizarre nature couldn't suppress human inquiry, and cooking methods for various monsters were steadily uncovered.
Of course, it wasn't simple inquisitiveness — there were practical reasons too.
The majority of superhumans hunt monsters and go in and out of dungeons.
Entering dungeons isolated from the outside world and conquering unknown traps and monsters.
Put bluntly, it's work where you risk your life to make money.
And because of that, getting stranded inside a dungeon happens more often than you'd think.
That is why any stranded person needed the ability to procure their own food within the dungeon.
This was the more concrete reason for researching monster cooking methods.
'Ugh, it's so tough, damn...'
The monster cooking methods she had learned were for practical situations.
Not a meal for taste or satisfaction, but intake for the sake of prolonging life.
A means of obtaining nutrients and calories.
In short, it tasted absolutely disgusting.
— Munch, munch...
She couldn't tell if what she was chewing in her mouth was meat or rubber. On top of that, for a land monster, it was more fishy and rank than actual fish.
Food you couldn't pay her to eat back in society. But for the sake of survival, she forced it down bite by bite.
Her powerful jaw strength chewed and swallowed the pseudo-rubber with ease.
"Urrp..."
...There was a rough moment, but she got it down somehow.
'Guwaaack... it's so fishy... what am I supposed to do if it's like this even after cooking it with fire... would it be less bad if I sprinkled spices on it?'
But there's no way to find any in here.
Honestly, by now, she no longer remembered the taste of spices very precisely.
She twisted her face into a deep scowl and tilted her head back.
A pitch-black sky.
But it was different from a night sky. There wasn't a single measly star, and no moon either. At times, it did stain itself gray as if turning to morning.
The differences didn't end there.
She'd occasionally see laminar flows so viscerally unpleasant they looked like crawling insects, and the sky would sometimes leak a chilling, crunching sound, like something was breaking.
'Just what kind of place is this?'
Narrowing her eyes openly at the sky, she brought to mind the question she repeated every single day.
By her estimation, it had been several years since she was stranded here. She had wandered tirelessly in that time.
'It's... too vast for a dungeon.'
There were many dubious aspects to this being a dungeon.
First of all, it was far too vast. No matter how much she moved, she could never reach a dungeon wall.
She learned that high-grade dungeons, at their largest, could nearly approach the scale of a country, but even taking that into account, this was too vast.
The background itself was strange.
She slowly lowered the gaze that had been directed toward the sky.
High-rises stretching tall. Roads drawn in straight lines, and shops lined up along both sides. Traffic lights, overpasses... all manner of facilities came into view.
'That one blew up again. Crazy monster bastards.'
It wasn't intact. To be precise, you couldn't find a single intact facility.
All of it broken, decrepit, worn away... it was no different from a ruined, abandoned city.
There were also buildings so warped and mutated — twisting, buckling as though their blueprints had been flawed from the start — that they looked spatially distorted.
At the very least, in all the knowledge she had put into her head, there had been no dungeon type like this.
— Hwooong...!
A foul, unpleasant wind blew in. Strands of deep blue hair swirled into her vision, dancing in the breeze. It was getting a little bothersome — perhaps about time to cut it.
For reference, she was currently on an upper floor of a high-rise. It was to survey all directions from as high a vantage point as possible.
Not the rooftop. If she were on the rooftop, she'd become a target for the monsters that fly through the sky.
At her current level, she was confident she could beat back most of them, but if it became a hassle, she was the only one who'd lose out.
Besides, if she ended up encountering a monster too much to handle at her present level, she might genuinely end up dead.
'Fuuuuck. My life is seriously such a mess.'
Why is life so filled with nothing but ordeals? Why do I have to suffer through this kind of thing...
Suddenly overflowing with resentment and pent-up bitterness, she threw her body flat onto the floor.
Thanks to the monster hide she was wearing as a combined set of armor and thermal gear, she felt no cold from the floor.
Pulling the remaining portion of the hide over her thickly like a blanket, she glared up at the sky beyond the gaping hole in the ceiling.
'Aigoo, no matter how many years pass, I just can't get used to it.'
This shitty sky, this shitty food, this mind-bending space, these shitty monsters...
How did a modern person like me, born and raised under a reasonably blue sky, end up living a brutal wildlife survival story in a godforsaken place like this?
Makes you genuinely want to just curl up and die.
— Never ever give up. Effort doesn't always guarantee achievement, but if you give up and throw it away, you'll miss even the hope that might've barely come down to you.
— Nnyeeeeng... oh, right! Master, I'm hungry. Can I have rosé tteokbokki for the first time in ages?
— ...Again? I simply cannot understand just what kind of taste you eat that with...
— Hmph, it's a taste too sophisticated for a fossil of a master who's fallen behind the times... Kyaaaaack! That hurts! M-My head jewel...!
"Heh."
The happy memories that abruptly surfaced were a tremendous help in suppressing such suicidal urges.
'If not for Master's teachings, I'd have died long ago. Probably, before even getting eaten by a monster, I'd have picked up and eaten something weird and croaked right there...'
She forced a chuckle, recalling the past.
Like a person who can't forget the glory days, chasing idle dreams.
She reminisced about past happiness, unable to bring herself to let go of a miserable reality that seemed to hold no hope.
All this time, she hadn't found so much as a speck of an escape route.
Traces of people? She'd seen a few bones, just shy of crumbling to dust.
Rubbing at the corner of her trembling lips, she turned over restlessly.
For some reason, today her empty right arm ached with a sharp, stinging throb.
* * *
[Savior Correction System: Pioneering Progress]
[Entering Quest 「Reverse Side 裏面」]