After three hours, they both headed straight north, following their instincts.Anxiety gripped every step as they delved deeper into the forest...Fog began to cover the ground, obscuring visibility.
...His heart was filled with an unignorable worry. After encountering the Warnak last time, the image of its crimson eyes still haunted him.
Just thinking about it sent a chill down his spine.
A high-pitched bird cry echoed through the branches, like a warning signal in the forest.
Thanwa stopped, his heart pounding so hard he could feel his pulse throbbing in his neck.
Eris blinked a warning yellow light.
{Warning: Unknown life form moving in the fog.}
Thanwa took out the Moon-Fur from the box and tucked it behind his ear like a hunter's charm.
But because its glow might cause danger, he kept it under his cloak instead.
He tried to keep his hands from shaking, his fingertips pale and cold.
He didn't dare name it, as if the fog might hear him and summon it.
Footsteps moved closer...Thanwa stealthily crawled low, hiding behind a bush.
The mist wavered, and a shadow over 2 meters tall slowly appeared within sight.
The edge of the shadow glowed with a faint blue-green light, like bioluminescent ink in the deep sea.
It melted into the surrounding fog, like a flame burning without light and without heat.
Only a mysterious force emanated from that body.
Every movement of it seemed to defy physics. Its shadow moved half a beat slower than its actual body...
As if the body was just a reflection from another dimension.
Thanwa's heart pounded. If it was a monster, he could endure it, but if it was a spirit, he was done.
"Detected a signal pattern similar to the Blackbox, but the variability is too high..."
Eris's voice softened, like a whisper near his temple.
She floated close to his arm like a memory box afraid of being forgotten.
Thanwa gently pushed her back, smiling wryly even though his heart was pounding.
The shadowy figure moved slowly—before evaporating into the fog like mist.
Even though he didn't understand what it was, everything told him it wasn't normal. Thanwa seized the moment and rushed through the curtain of fog.
Cold wind lashed his face as he strode through dry vines, fear and curiosity clashing inside him.
'What exactly was that?'
Every glimpse of the towering shadow bent reality itself. The rules he once relied on cracked like ice beneath his feet.
'I'm scared… but I have to go.'
Thanwa thought to himself, tensing his muscles, preparing his whole body. The heavy footsteps slowly drew closer.
A faint murmur of an incomprehensible phrase, warped and haunting, as if coming through a broken speaker—both distant and unnervingly close, like a lament disguised as a curse.
"Than…wa…" The dry whisper trailed through the mist—not just sound, but something that touched his memory, like a forgotten name said too late.
"What is it…" he whispered. Eris replied softly.
{Detection failed – Target is within range, but cannot be identified. Recommendation: Evade.}
And then it suddenly appeared right in front of him.
"Aaaahhhhh…!!" Both voices screamed in unison. Eris spun around and recoiled.
Every cell in his body told him to flee, but his legs lunged forward before his brain could catch up.
Thanwa tensed his muscles and swung his axe at it. His body plunged into the shadow with full force.
His heart pounded as if it would burst through his chest, before he lost his balance and tumbled face-first to the ground.
The dark shadow stopped… before slowly turning, revealing a 'front' that could not be described in words.
He gasped, his entire nervous system freezing, as if the whole world had stopped just to wait for the shadow to 'turn'.
…It slowly raised its arm, flickering as if it could dissipate at any moment, pointing a finger as if gesturing the way.
Though it looked terrifying… it did not exude any murderous intent like typical living beings.
It was like air—flowing through, untouched.
Even though his hands trembled with fear… he felt a strange familiarity.
Thanwa decided to follow the shadow, with Eris, who was not entirely in agreement, floating leisurely behind him.
The shadow disappeared into a rock crevice ahead, a gap less than a meter wide, which looked like an entrance to an ancient civilization covered in vines.
…Thanwa gently cleared the vines with his axe. The rustling sound echoed in the crevice as if it were responding.
"Eris, I need some light." She floated in. Her faint green light slowly disappeared into the darkness.
The light gradually faded… until it was swallowed by the crevice, too deep to see the bottom.
Thanwa was silent for a moment… his heart beating erratically as his fingertips touched the rough rock edge.
"This… is definitely not normal," he murmured, feeling something in the air, like a mysterious gravitational pull.
…He glanced at Eris, who slowly floated back out, blinking an orange light.
{Due to the black box not being able to be more than 20 meters away from its owner, it is not possible to check below.}
Her voice sounded calm… but seemed to hide concern.
He took a deep breath—before chuckling softly, as if talking to himself.
"There's nowhere an explorer can't reach."
Thanwa scanned the area… until he found sticky vines wrapped around a tall rock. He expertly opened his crafting interface.
[Item Name: Knotted Rope][1]
"This will help us. At least in an emergency, we'll have a way to climb back out."
Thanwa tied one end of the rope to a tree trunk before lowering it down like a climber.
…The cave was filled with scattered crevices—winding and complex.
Cold, damp air enveloped him, almost feeling the tiny ice particles floating in his breath.
Emerald droplets fell, clear and resonant, echoing. Stalactites reflected shimmering light like hidden jewels in a great forest.
Yet, these beauties radiated a hidden feeling.
The shadow appeared leading the way from a distance, disappearing when he approached.
Faint light from Eris shone through the patterns of wall paintings. They looked ancient, like ancient inscriptions.
"It's so beautiful," Thanwa said, touching them. The patterns glowed a bluish-green, extending deep into the darkness.
"Eris, can you record this data in the system?"
{Starting data recording.}
Eris moved around, scanning like a professional photographer intently recording a video.
Thanwa looked at the art, a blend of geometric lines and strange shapes, some still missing.
It seemed like a story or a message from the past, but he couldn't be sure.
He walked, looking at it, the pressure increasing as he went deeper.
The sound of dripping water was slow and rhythmic, mixed with faint, echoing waves, as if the whole world was reflecting in a deep slumber.
Before the path ahead began to widen into a hall,At the center was an ancient carved stone slab. Some of the engraved patterns had been eroded by time.
But traces resembling strange geometric codes remained, which could not be interpreted by basic logic.
Thanwa approached the stone slab, his eyes fixed on the indentation, a perfectly cut geometric shape as if specifically made for that spot.
It was just the right size for one thing—the completely black box he had found earlier from the ruins of an old civilization.
"Is this... a slot for the black box?"
Eris blinked a warning light cautiously.
{Black Box connection hub found. Would you like to connect?}
Thanwa's hand trembled slightly, stopping at the edge of the stone slab. This was no longer exploration—it was confrontation.
'Is this what I've been searching for?
Or is it a mistake that will change everything forever?'
At the same time, an incomprehensible voice echoed in his mind. He looked at Eris with uncertainty.
Eris's green light gently caressed him, like a soft breeze.
Calm, as if she herself knew the importance of this moment.
Thanwa held his breath, whispering to himself.
"No matter the outcome… I must know the truth."
A soft click sounded, connecting to the ancient hub.
The lights throughout the cave suddenly changed tone—from bluish-green to a bright reddish-purple all around, as if a demon was being awakened from hell.
Thanwa felt a power beyond explanation.
[Access Level 1 Granted]
[Identity Confirmed: Successor from Origin Sequence 7]
[Starting Quest: The Unknown Memory]
Eris's voice was stiff and lifeless, as if she were someone else.
The stone floor beneath the slab slowly slid open, sinking into the ground, revealing a dull golden glowing core embedded deep below.
"Eris…!!"
Thanwa shouted at the top of his lungs. His body lunged forward without thinking.
His hand reached out to grab the box he once thought was just a 'system'—but now, it was a 'friend' he didn't want to lose.
...but now, it was a friend—his only link to sanity, to memory—he couldn't let her go.
{Danger, do not approach!} Eris's voice sounded calm… but Thanwa knew—she was scared.
Suddenly, a large, dark green lightning bolt roared and crackled!!
It struck Thanwa's body with full force before his hand could touch her.
"Aargh—!!" He screamed, his voice catching in his throat. His body froze for a moment, then was thrown against the cave wall with a loud crash.
A faint smell of burning lingered from his fingertips. The hand he had extended to Eris trembled. His heart pounded against his chest, almost bursting out.
He tried to push himself up, even though his body was numb and his legs were weak.
The stone wall in front moved, scraping against the floor with a grinding sound. Dim light shone through the gap, revealing the darkness within, as if hiding a mysterious story waiting to be discovered.
The smell of old earth mixed with rust filled the air, so intertwined that it almost made breathing difficult.
An immense pressure surged like a monsoon wave.
It was as if something in there… knew him too well to be a coincidence.
"Welcome back, Master."
A deep, resonant voice echoed out as if through a broken speaker, warped and haunting, like a lament disguised as a curse."It seems it was already waiting for him."
***
[1] [Item Name: Knotted Rope]
Type: Exploration Material / Travel Tool
Ingredients: Sticky Vine × 8 / Natural Fiber Rope × 1
{Crafting successful. Received Knotted Rope × 1}