Chapter 11
Chapter 11 - Realm of Infinite Hell (無間地獄) (1)
Although I was engulfed in terror and chaos, this time I escaped much faster than before.
It seems that the shock is becoming familiar. Realizing that I had died here multiple times was much more bearable than when I first realized I had died once.
'First, I'll focus on skills that gain the God of Death favor...'
At this point, I've entered an emergency mode. Originally, I would have planned to learn the newly acquired Backstab skill. However, thinking about my fragile life where I could die at any moment, I desperately wanted to leave something behind for my next life.
Perhaps my past life or my life before that also raised that skill intensively, I guess. Since it's me, that level of thinking would be similar.
"Ugh... Damn it. I'm going to die from the pain."
I had also raised my stats. While rummaging through the numerous rat corpses and moving forward, I had to keep furrowing my brows. Suddenly, the wounds from being bitten by the rats had swollen and turned bright red.
The filthy, contaminated wounds were throbbing continuously.
I focused my gaze on the wounds.
[Body Information]
[Abnormal Status: Infection - Health continuously decreases. Without disinfection and treatment, it will gradually worsen and ultimately lead to death.]
[Remaining Health: 48/165]
Indeed. My health stats had decreased compared to when I raised my abilities earlier. The rate of decline seemed to be accelerating. Whether it was my imagination or not, my head was starting to feel dizzy.
'Am I... going to die like this?'
Damn it. I haven't even absorbed the memories of my previous life yet. Did my previous life absorb the memories of my life before that? Would that mean the memories of my previous life would come to me?
With my body in pain, hot-headed thoughts began to flow. I dragged my increasingly deteriorating body and followed the lantern's light, moving forward.
"...Huh?"
While walking with my consciousness half-gone, suddenly a clear sound went "Paaang" and a blue light flowed out of my body. At first, I thought it might be a hallucination, but as the light became clearer, I realized it wasn't.
Startled by the sudden situation, I quickly drew my sword.
"Oh my God!"
But soon, my heart, which was trembling with tension, calmed down. The light emanating from my body wasn't hostile; instead, it provided a cozy feeling.
A cool and refreshing sensation enveloped me.
'What is this feeling....'
As I was savoring that cool touch, the light began to converge into one spot. The round light was smoothly sucked into my backpack.
I hurriedly opened my backpack and rummaged through the items. Then I pulled out a brightly glowing bottle.
"This is...."
It was an Ether Condensation Bottle.
As if to resolve my questions, a familiar sound accompanied the appearance of a panel.
[Skill Success - Ether Collection (Passive)]
[Having fulfilled a specific time requirement, water ether has been collected in the Ether Condensation Bottle.]
[Time remaining until next ether generation - 3 hours]
'Water ether?'
As I gently shook the condensation bottle and muttered, another panel conveniently appeared to resolve my questions.
[Item Information]
[Name: Ether Condensation Bottle]
[Correction: Stores ether generated by the unique skill 'Ether Collection'. Current level storage capacity: 10]
[Details: A contract item of the God of Death Thananix. A special bottle for storing ether. When used, place the bottle to your mouth and absorb the ether. This item cannot be destroyed.]
[Possible enhancement times: 0]
[Currently stored ether]
[Water Ether (1): Condensed essence of the Water God Ekrash. Recovers wounds and health.]
'Oh, good. It's a recovery item!'
After reading to the end, I cheered.
How fortunately timed that a recovery item had dropped into my hands! It was truly a moment where only divine intervention could be credited.
"Ugh... Place the bottle to my mouth and absorb?"
I decided to use it immediately.
My head was so dizzy that I couldn't take another step. Following the panel's explanation, I brought my mouth to the bottle's opening.
Even before I could suck, as if reading my intention, the ether was drawn in by itself.
Instantly, a refreshing sensation like my chest was opening up enveloped my entire body. My body, glowing softly in blue, brightly illuminated the damp sewer.
Immediately after, I widened my eyes witnessing the phenomenon happening to my body.
"...I'm recovering."
The wounds, which were almost black from being terribly red, began to sprout new flesh and heal. The swelling disappeared in an instant, and a vitality I'd never felt before filled my body.
The condensation bottle returned to its original rough form after use. I put it back in my backpack and moved my body.
It felt comfortable. Perhaps because of the recent pain, it felt even more comfortable than when I first opened my eyes.
'If there's water ether... are there other types of ether?'
I thought about this, and the system caught my question as if it were a ghost.
Five different panels appeared before me. Thanks to that, I also felt five times more fatigued.
[Detailed Information ― Ether]
[Concentrated essence of the natural gods governing the Gailand dimension. Depending on each god's characteristics, it bestows different effects on creatures.]
[Fire Ether: Condensed essence of the Fire God Ragnarok. Temporarily increases attack power explosively.]
[Water Ether: Condensed essence of the Water God Ekrash. Recovers wounds and health.]
[Earth Ether: Condensed essence of Torkaltei, the god of earth. Temporarily increases defense dramatically.]
[Wind Ether: Condensed essence of Skyth, the god of wind. Temporarily increases agility dramatically.]
'There seem to be four types.'
Which means... if another ether besides the water ether has appeared, I would have definitely crossed the River Styx.
'Gives me chills.'
I closed the panel and shuddered once. Was this damn Toto's luck now gaining momentum?
I let out a hollow laugh and pushed away the stray thoughts. Then, with a lighter body, I began to stride forward again.
"Are the thoughts getting closer?"
At some point during my endless exploration of the sewers. I looked at the lantern and realized something.
From some point, a subtle vibration was felt at the end of the lantern. The light being emitted had also become much stronger than before.
"...... Found it."
My steps stopped. I stared intently at a point on the floor.
There was a magic circle emitting an ominous and gloomy light. It was a dirty, dark brownish-black color, as if drawn with blood.
A sound like someone whispering continued to ring out, and above it, an unidentifiable steam-like substance continued to be emitted. The rippling steam looked just like a screaming face.
'It looks incredibly creepy.'
I quietly stared at the gloomy and dark light.
It's as if the light is whispering to me. Come here. Quickly bring your thoughts.
Such an intense and sticky will was felt. A creepy sensation as if it was licking the spinal cord with a tongue...
"Ugh."
I let out a groan and quickly shook off the thoughts.
Because it didn't seem good for mental health to look for too long. Curiosity kills people.
I stopped fiddling around and immediately gripped the lantern tightly with both hands. And slowly brought it close to the magic circle.
The magic circle flashes with a gloomy light. I raised my gaze forward while shuddering.
And then I witnessed it.
"...... What?"
My forearm was flying in the sky.
I'll say it again because even I can't believe it.
My severed left arm was spinning in mid-air. I stared blankly at it with wide-open eyes.
Plop. Blood pours from my shoulder blades onto my limp fallen arm. Only then did the intense pain arrive.
An unimaginably terrible pain.
"Kkaaa, Aaaagh!"
I rolled around madly on the dirty floor, forgetting everything else. I grabbed my shoulder. Burning hot like fire, the touched hand was painfully cursed!
My shoulder, from which my arm was sharply cut off from the root, felt unreal even when looking directly at it. Seeing the blood flowing made me feel nothing but nauseous.
"Guph! Uweaak!"
I eventually vomited right there. My head felt like it was melting. It hurts. It's painful. I can't breathe.
Amidst all this, ding, ding, ding. The panel and an unreal sound continued to disturb my senses.
Just before collapsing. Izanami's heart, which I had placed against the thoughts, began to function normally.
[Item Activation - Izanami's Heart]
[Acquired the residual sentiment of a previous life.]
[Recovered 3 points of Strength, 6 points of Agility, 0 points of Intelligence.]
[Acquired Lost Skill - Back Stab (Active) LV.2]
[Acquired Lost Skill - Flash Step (Active) LV.3]
[Acquired Lost Skill - Ether Collection (Passive) LV.2]
[Recovered all memories of a previous life.]
"Kkaaaaagh!!"
Immediately after, I grabbed my head and collapsed face-first.
A completely different kind of pain rushed over me like a tidal wave. The shoulder pain even disappeared. My head felt like it was about to burst.
―Hello. Are you a hero?
―It's all because of you guys. I won't let that person suffer anymore.
―Just die quietly. There's nothing to tell you.
A flood of information and memories. Someone's words. Thoughts. Situations. Forgotten pains and emotions.
And death. Numerous deaths.
The deaths I had forgotten were suddenly sucked into my head.
It happened in an instant. But for me, it felt like an eternity.
"Hak... Hak... Hak...."
My memories returned. I now knew how I died in my previous life.
And I clearly knew how many times I had enjoyed death in this sewer alone.
'... 1, 17 times. Just counting the memories, I died 17 times.'
It seemed that the 'me' from previous lives, regardless of how they died, always completed collecting thoughts before dying.
Of course, there might be more before the 17th. Anyway, the point where the overlapping memories end is the 17th. It means at least up to the 17th previous life, memories were inherited after completing thought collection.
Among those, about 3 times I died miserably, like being infected by rats. But the cause of death for the remaining 14 times was consistently the same.
The one who just cut off my left arm, hiding in the darkness of the sewer.
It was all that bastard's doing.
'I am... about to be killed!'
So I now clearly understood what was happening. I know.
It's too late. I've already been marked as prey by that bastard. I will definitely die.
The only action I should take right now is one.
"Damn it!!"
I immediately got up and started running away.
I retraced the exact path I had come from. The darkness was already thick, and perhaps due to my lack of blood, the path was barely discernible. However, I desperately began to feel my way back.
"Escape... I must escape!"
I know. In my current pathetic state, I cannot escape from that bastard. But still, I ran. At least this was not a meaningless struggle.
My previous lives who died prove this.
'When I come back to life... Let my consciousness remain as close as possible!!'
So I was retracing the exact path I had come from.
To the place where I first opened my eyes. To the intersection near the mountain of corpses and the sewer.
I was progressing.
From around my 11th death, as soon as I gained consciousness, I would understand the situation and always retrace my path. Of course, I was killed before reaching the starting point every time.
They... No. I was not doing something futile.
The more I died, the closer my point of death became to the starting point.
It was the same this time as well.
'Just a little more...!'
I turned around the corner that bent at a right angle. It's right in front of me now. I see hope.
Just as I was about to put strength in my legs again.
"... About to slip away?"
A grotesquely distorted voice came from behind. It was a death sentence. My vision went dizzy.
Peok! A dull, heavy sound rang out. It was a sound coming from my own body. Something heavy had struck me from behind.
"Keuak!"
My body flew into the sky and was directly embedded into the ground.
Udeuk, padeuk. While rolling mercilessly on the ground, such sounds emerged from within my body. I instinctively knew these were the sounds of my entire body breaking into small pieces.
"Kahak... Haak... Kiek...!"
Now, even human-like sounds were no longer coming from my mouth. A metal scraping sound leaked out with each breath. It was the sound of my life draining away.
Because of the blood flowing from my head, my vision was entirely red. Beyond the blood-stained sewer view, someone's silhouette was squirming. It was gradually approaching me. Horror overwhelms me.
Kagagak. Kagagagak.
I hear the sound of a small body dragging a sword. I desperately raised my eyes to glare at it.
My vision is blurry. I cannot see its face.
"This... bastard...!"
My memory returned, but I still don't know. Who exactly is this person?
Why? Why is this bastard trying to kill me?
Countless questions poured out, but I did not ask. Because I had already asked these questions around my 6th previous life.
―Just die quietly. There's nothing I'll tell you.
This bastard provides no answer.
So instead, I gave a sly laugh filled with malice.
"Just wait... In the next life, I'll be more... develope–"
I'll find out your identity. And kill you.
My words could not reach their end.
The last thing I saw was the cyan blade falling towards my neck like a guillotine.