The Garden of the Abyss (Part 2)

Even through the dense fog, we could tell it was an immense botanical expanse—strictly speaking, because we were still standing just outside its perimeter. Before us stretched a broad stone path leading into the heart of the garden.

"Doesn't this seem a bit too huge to be called just a garden?" Minjae asked.

"You can say that again," Uncle remarked. "Feels more like one of those massive arboretums you see at a luxury resort."

As Minjae and Uncle pointed out, the scale was extraordinary. What was even more striking was the fog itself: it hung exclusively within the boundary lines of the arboretum, refusing to spill outward.

"Is that fog gathering because of some magical phenomenon, too?" Minjae wondered.

"The way it's pooled together like that?" I asked.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Yes."

"Most likely."

Chunbae didn't possess comprehensive knowledge of this gate either, but he had relayed every scrap of lore he remembered:

—Alchemists do not merely brew concoctions. In their essence, they are closer to mages.

—The alchemist who constructed the Garden of the Abyss was once a dark mage as well.

In short, the Garden of the Abyss had served as both a workshop and a secret hideaway for a dark mage who practiced alchemy. True to Chunbae's warning, grotesque monstrosities and arcane snares were almost certainly lying in wait.

"That must be the alchemist's manor over there."

Through the thick blanket of mist, only the highest spires of a grand manor rose above the fog line. That was our ultimate objective. Whatever rewards this gate had in store, the odds were overwhelming that they would be found in or around that estate.

"With you here to guide us through the fog, Hyung, at least we won't be totally blind," Minjae said, rolling his neck from side to side.

That wasn't a mindset I could let slide without a word. Hmm. Time to give him a reality check.

"I wouldn't relax just yet. Chunbae mentioned that even the plants here have mutated into monsters. If something ambushes us through this soup, things could turn ugly fast."

"Minjae, keep your head on straight," Uncle cut in, backing me up.

To be fair, neither Uncle nor I was prone to overconfidence. Uncle had braved low-level gates without a single combat skill to his name, and I had entered gates back when I was completely unawakened.

"This is a survival gate with a tight time limit," Uncle continued. "Our combat specs might be solid, but let's stay sharp."

Minjae nodded quickly, his casual demeanor instantly firming up into focused resolve. "Sorry about that. I'll stay sharp."

It was a relief that he took correction so readily. Plenty of hunters let their egos get in the way. It wasn't an accident that hunters between Levels 10 and 20 suffered the highest mortality rates—complacency was the fastest road to disaster.

"Uncle's right," I said. "With such a short time limit on a survival gate, we need to stay vigilant."

Survival gates with brief time limits usually fell into one of two categories: either the inhabiting monsters were overwhelmingly lethal, or it was a standard survival zone harboring a lucrative 'hidden piece.' By cutting the available time down, the system made discovering hidden elements drastically harder.

Personally, I hoped for the latter. When it came to searching for things, nobody possessed tools quite like mine.

"Just in case, let's put on gas masks before moving in."

I reached into my subspace to retrieve and distribute the masks, but just as my fingers brushed the equipment, a sudden thought struck me.

"Hold on a second."

"What is it?"

I stared into the mist-shrouded garden. "I'm wondering if I can just burn this fog away with Incineration."

Fwoosh—!

I released a burst of the flame that consumed even mana toward the entrance of the garden.

"Hmm."

"Not bad, but..."

Despite my bold opening move, the result was only a partial success. Incineration could indeed burn the fog itself away, but the garden was simply too vast and the volume of mist too overwhelming. As soon as I torched an opening, fresh fog rolled in to fill the void.

Still, it wasn't useless. Thanks to the staggering mana reserves I had secured from the Trial of Mana gate, pouring out continuous power allowed me to maintain a clear pocket around us. It was enough to secure a decent radius of visibility, though we kept our gas masks strapped on just to be safe.

"Let's push forward like this while keeping our sightlines clear," I suggested.

I needed the practice with Incineration anyway, and navigating an uncharted garden teeming with unknown monsters with zero visibility was asking for trouble.

The sprawling grounds didn't just feature overgrown grass; a well-paved stone path cut through the terrain, flanked on both sides by dense, bizarre botanical specimens.

"Giving off real creepy vibes, isn't it?" Uncle muttered.

Just as he said, an ominous chill hung thick in the air. The plants looked grotesque... possessing faint mixtures of vital essence and mana that suggested they could spring to life at any moment.

"Looks like will-o'-the-wisps floating around, too."

He was right. Through the thinned haze, faint specks of light flickered like fireflies—drifting, disappearing, and reappearing.

I concentrated on my spatial perception and led the way.

"Should I just torch the brush?" Minjae asked. "They're bound to jump us eventually anyway. Wouldn't it be better to strike first rather than get caught flat-footed?"

"Not a bad idea," I replied.

It was quiet for now, but if enemies lurked in the greenery, a clash was inevitable. Taking the initiative made sense, even if it risked kicking a hornets' nest.

"Even if they all swarm at once, we came here ready for a brawl. Go ahead and give it a shot."

I chose to conserve Incineration. If toxic mist suddenly surged at us in a wave, I would need my flames to burn it away instantly. Thanks to spatial perception, I would be fine, but the others wouldn't be so lucky.

"I'll test out the new spell I learned," Minjae said.

"On this side?"

"Yep."

"Uncle, watch our rear."

"Leave it to me."

Minjae raised his staff and muttered an incantation under his breath.

And then...

"O flames! Swirl and roar!"

To our left, a tempest of roaring fire erupted straight out of the garden beds. The sheer magnitude forced an immediate reaction.

"Whoa."

"Oh?"

It was Blast Burn.

A spell that whipped fire into a furious gale of swirling flame, but it had never been meant to manifest on this scale. Typically a modest fire whirlwind, in the hands of an Archmage like Minjae, the spell completely engulfed the entire left flank. The blistering heat and howling gusts washed over us even from where we stood.

Skreeeech!

Kehhk!

Instantaneous, piercing shrieks erupted from the incinerated thicket. Amidst the swirling vortex of fire, jagged dark silhouettes thrashed frantically back and forth.

"Wait, were all those human-sized plants actually monsters?!"

"There are smaller ones mixed in there, too!"

"Were they trying to surround us?"

"Probably. Or they were dormant and we just woke them up."

It didn't matter. They were targets either way. However, those death screams seemed to have agitated the rest of the garden's inhabitants.

Kieeeek!

Kyaaaah!

Shrieks rose not only from the blazing foliage, but from behind us as well.

"Incoming!"

Uncle vaulted onto Yongyong's back and gripped his spear tight.

Monstrous pitcher plants resembling giant Nepenthes alongside writhing tendrils and vines were surging straight toward our position.

"Krrroooar!"

Yongyong unleashed a stream of dragon breath directly into their ranks. The plant monsters in the vanguard were instantly swallowed in fire, yet not all of them crumbled.

"Some of them are fire-resistant!"

Even in the rear where Minjae had blasted with his spell, shapes were still registering on my spatial perception.

"Uncle, take the front! I've got the rear! Minjae, support Uncle!"

With Minjae and Lee Shinhee shielded in the center, Uncle and I split up to hold both ends of the path.

"Watch the ground!"

Far more flora possessed fire resistance than we had anticipated. The garden had clearly been engineered that way—specifically designed to compensate for plant life's inherent vulnerability to flame.

Chief among them were roots and creeping vines. Snaking across the soil at frightening speeds, thick roots and barbed tendrils lashed out at our feet.

I parried them with my blade while channeling Incineration to scorch the roots. Ordinary fire resistance meant nothing before a flame that consumed mana itself.

Splaaat!

Yet the roots and vines weren't limited to blunt physical strikes. The moment they drew near, swollen nodules ruptured, releasing bursts of spores.

Gas masks offered protection, but they were far from infallible. I immediately swept the yellow spore clouds with Incineration, reducing them to cinders before they could settle.

"Surge forth!"

Recognizing their flame resistance, Seo Minjae swapped to the sand magic he had obtained from the desert ruins. In this damp, soil-rich terrain, the earth element proved remarkably effective. Spikes of compressed sand surged upward, skewering the advancing plant monstrosities through their cores.

"Well, we're certainly getting our fill of combat today!"

The problem, however, arose as the battle dragged on.

The stray flames and shockwaves seemed to have roused the entire garden from its slumber. Monsters began pouring in not just from the flanks, but surging from the front and rear simultaneously.

From bipedal walking blossoms to towering treant beasts, the party was completely encircled in seconds, throwing the battlefield into chaos.

I immediately manifested my subspace.

Wuuuung.

I snapped two subspace portals ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠open at right angles, creating an impenetrable barricade to seal off our rear completely.

"In here, quick!"

I ushered Minjae and Lee Shinhee into the protected alcove. That left the forward front entirely to Choi Cheol-gi and me.

"Hye-ya!"

"Go sweep them clean!"

Choi Cheol-gi unleashed Soaring Dragon Slash. Vaulting forward atop Yongyong in a devastating charge, the frontal horde was mown down like wheat.

However, the impact ruptured clusters of fungal pods, instantly veiling the entire line of sight in a thick cloud of yellow powder.

"Uncle!"

I rushed forward, flaring Incineration to burn the toxic haze to ash. Choi Cheol-gi chained a second charge to break back to our perimeter.

"Are you alright?"

"Breathing's fine! But my exposed skin is tingling a bit... feels like mild paralysis."

Lee Shinhee immediately began chanting a purification and healing prayer.

"It's not severe," Uncle grunted. "Though if it stacks up, it could get nasty. How's Yongyong...?"

Uncle checked his mount, but Yongyong seemed entirely unfazed by inhaling the spores, simply snorting plumes of dragonfire into the remaining brush.

"Totally fine. Guess that's dragon physiology for you."

"Let's hold off on charging through them like that," I said.

Right then, a sharp whistling noise sliced through the air. Fwip-fwip-fwip!

My spatial perception detected a volley of needle-thin projectiles hurtling toward us.

I whipped my blade around in a blur. Clang—! A crisp metallic ring sounded as a barrage of hardened thorns deflected off the steel.

Glancing forward, a cluster of knee-high, bipedal flowers was glaring down the path. Shaped like morning glories, they were firing their hardened pistils like poisoned blowdarts.

Slash—!

Before they could loose a second volley, I unleashed the Wind Flow Sword. Crescent blades of compressed gale scythed through the air, shearing the mutant blossoms in two.

"Parry anything closing in and let magic handle the rest! Those spores could get tricky!"

"Ugh, that was brutal."

Before long, the skirmish wound down into a lull.

Uncle and I swung spear and blade against anything that pushed into melee range, while Minjae bombarded the backlines with spells. As the monster numbers steadily thinned, silence settled over the garden once more. It hadn't been a bad trial. With so many targets, it served as excellent combat practice.

"Still, that was some solid combat training, wasn't it?"

"You're not wrong there," Uncle chuckled. "Those trees with legs were absurdly agile. Actually leveled up my spearmanship by one."

"Looks like the new spear technique suits you well?"

"Of course it does. Look who gave it to me."

After congratulating Uncle, I pulled bottled water from my subspace and passed it around to the team.

"I burned ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠off as much as I could, but just to be safe, wash down your skin and clothes first."

Spores had billowed everywhere during the fray. Just as Uncle had noted, they carried a mild paralytic agent. Though Lee Shinhee had administered healing spells, washing away the physical residue was paramount.

"No wonder this place recommends a ten-man strike team," Uncle muttered. "Getting swarmed from all four sides like that..."

"If we'd kept taking hits from those spores, things would've gotten dicey."

If an elite team like ours felt the strain, ordinary hunters would have found this place an absolute death trap. Most parties would have been wiped out in that opening ambush.

"I suppose the textbook strategy would be retreating slowly while kiting them?"

"Probably."

"Let's keep moving for now."

As we resumed our march, I picked up an unsettling tremor through the earth to our left and right. It wasn't an approaching enemy; rather, it felt like something slowly welling up from deep beneath the soil.

"What is it?" Lee Shinhee asked, noticing me stop and inspect our flanks.

I flared Incineration to thin out the surrounding mist before answering. "The plants... they're growing back."

"...That's crazy."

They weren't shooting up in an instant, but their growth rate was far too fast to ignore. At this pace, the cleared flora would fully regenerate in perhaps thirty minutes.

"No wonder the time limit is so short."

"Let's treat this as borrowed time and search quickly. We need to reach that manor anyway."

Combat experience was fine, but the hidden piece was what truly mattered.

"Huh?"

Pushing forward a bit farther through the parting fog, the grand manor and a large fountain standing before its entrance finally came into clear view.

The fountain had a peculiar structure. Beneath the spout where water trickled out sat a stone recess shaped precisely like a key mold.

"A key mold?"

To one side of the fountain stood a mechanical lever, and along its outer rim were six small pedestals angled inward toward the basin. Carved into the face of each pedestal were distinctive botanical sigils.

"Do you sense anything unusual with your spatial perception?" Uncle asked.

"Nothing dangerous. Let me try pulling this."

When I engaged the lever, the tops of the pedestals slid apart, revealing internal crushing mechanisms within.

Lee Shinhee peered closely at the carvings. "These sigils... they look like the plants in the garden."

"The plants?"

"Yes. I saw specimens back there that looked almost identical to these carvings."

"So if we track down all six types, drop them in the pedestals, and pull the lever, the crushed extracts wash down with the water into the mold and solidify into a key...?"

"Water turning into a solid key?" Uncle tilted his head skeptically.

"This is an alchemist's garden, after all."

And inside a Gate, no less. Chemical reactions causing herbal extracts to solidify into a key wouldn't be surprising in the slightest.

I glanced back toward the overgrown garden.

"Either way, that key is clearly meant to unlock the manor doors..."

"Should we memorize the carvings and head back into the garden to forage?" Uncle asked.

I shook my head with a grin.

There was zero need for that.

Hadn't I obtained an S-rank skeleton key from the fourth subspace compartment? We could skip this tedious puzzle entirely and walk straight through the front door.