Chapter 440 [440] Serena's Incident.
[You have been transported into the next floor.]
"Ugh..."
I felt a hard impact hit my head, I looked up and found myself in...sewers? Ugh...
The smell definitely confirms it.
'I'm still in Elijah's body...'
I thought, it seems that this hasn't ended yet. What floor am I on? What do I have to experience now?
Naturally, those questions littered my mind. The last floor was really impactful.
Elijah stood up, and stepped out of the dirty waters.
"What is he even doing here anyways?"
I asked myself, confused.
"Almost there..."
Said Elijah, almost as if in response to my question. He walked through the pile of shit and other things, The sewers carried a musty, disgusting smell.
It was utterly repulsive...and somehow Elijah was still cruising along as normal.
"Fucking hell..."
I said, My nose is far more sensitive than a humans...Even if Elijah is a human right now...I am not.
The disgusting smell is enough to make my skin shiver.
'...Get out of this place quickly.'
I could only pray he got out of this god forsaken place as quickly as he could, I'm confused as to why he is here anyways. Is it a quest from the system? Quite possibly so...I don't know any other reason he might be here.
"Disgusting..."
Elijah said, covering his nose as he walked through the dark passageways, going further and encountering a network of passageways.
'Then get out of here please...'
I thought, trying my best to hold my breath. I can experience everything Elijah does...but worse apparently.
Fuck you tower.
Even though Elijah was in a network of sewers, he...somehow knew where to go?
"This way..."
He said, following a determined path.
'Definitely a quest.'
My suspicions were correct, he is definitely here because of a quest...otherwise he probably wouldn't know the direct path.
The system is showing him the path he needs to go.
'Hmmm...'
If he's in a sewer, is his quest dealing with a monster that's roaming the place? A giant rat? Or a thing that eats human shit?
Or is it something else? The system should mostly give him quests for monster subjugations right now.
...
...
...
I hope he doesn't get covered in shit or some other disgusting thing...I don't think if I can survive then, the smell would kill me.
Well, I guess it's better than the last floor...where the gaze felt like it would rip me to shreds.
'Did the Abyss take control then? Or was that just the beginning?'
Even though it was Aranus, he was still a kid then...maybe he was just that powerful or it was the abyss.
Who knows, All I know is I'm glad it ended...The fear I felt there was akin to me having died.
I literally thought my heart had stopped. The sheer killing intent in Aranus' gaze...was incredible.
I pray for the dude that incurred it.
As I was thinking about the previous floor...Elijah had reached an area where there was a ladder, leading up.
'Finally...freedom from this atrocious smell.'
I was glad...but then I noticed.
The rumbling and noises had stopped. Previously when we were travelling, the sewers were vibrating and a slight noise was coming from above, likely that of traffic...
But what now? It was complete silence. Isn't he supposed to be fighting a monster? Why is he going up?
My thoughts were interrupted by Elijah beginning to climb.
"The warehouse should be here..."
Hmm? Warehouse? Is the monster taking refuge in an abandoned warehouse? Strange, why travel through the sewers then?
I was really confused as to what Elijah was up to.
Before opening the hatch above him, he used a skill.
[Skill: Detection has been activated.]
After confirming no one was there, Elijah opened the hatch and stepped outside.
The moment he did, before noticing any of the surroundings...the only thing I noticed was the subtle hint of demonic energy. It was incredibly subtle, almost non existent even...if not for my enhanced senses granted to me by my dragon blood...I would not have noticed it.
'So the quest is to eliminate some demons hiding that warehouse huh?'
Elijah looked at the abandoned warehouse in front of him, a short metal fence the only thing obstructing him from getting there.
The warehouse had a few parts of it's roof caved in, and there was absolutely nothing in the surroundings.
I couldn't even see the city...we are quiet far from it. It's certainly an unusual place for a warehouse to be...and the perfect place for demons to hide.
Elijah opened his inventory to take out a potion, after drinking it, he jumped over the fence and stealthily entered the warehouse through a broken section of the walls.
[Potion of Invisibility(10 Minutes) has been drunk.]
'...'
The system truly is broken.
The scent of demonic energy became thicker and thicker as Elijah walked inside the Warehouse, going closer to the centre...it could be seen in the air.
Purple wisps of energy corrupting the air around them, making it suitable for demons.
Elijah cruised through the area, but to me, this place seems familiar.
It's as if I have seen this place before but I don't know how?
It seems familiar for some reason...
"Right...here."
Elijah opened a door and entered inside, the thick smell of blood permeated the atmosphere and I why this place felt familiar.
A girl, probably at the age of 12 or 11, lay in the corner, her hands and feet bound and a dirty cloth stuffed in her mouth.
The girl possessed pink hair, scarlet eyes...which also seemed devoid of life.
'...Serena...'
I knew who she was, and I finally remembered where I had seen this place. The scenes James had shown me to torture my mind...I was in the warehouse where Serena and her mother was held captive.
Speaking of her mother...
Elijah turned his head, in the direction where her mother was....
Well, at least what remained of her that is.
***********
[Tower of trials, Elijah Ardor POV]
"Where am I?"
I asked myself, when I had been transported into the next floor...all that was before me was an eternal darkness, Pitch black darkness where I could not even see my own hands and feet.
[You have been transported to the next floor.]
The notification of the tower rang out, I looked around me but alas, still only darkness.
'What's the purpose of this floor here...?'
I asked myself, curious.
'Forget that...What the hell happened in the previous floor?'
The intense killing intent...the malicious gaze and the terrified expression of both me and the man were vivid in my mind.
I was absolutely scared shitless, the amount of malice and fear I had felt was truly terrifying. Alan had exuded a killing intent so great...that I was wondering what kind of life he lived before that day. I understand that the incident before may have been traumatic, but even then, a child should not be able to do that.
I saw myself there as well...absolutely terrified as well. Strangely enough, I don't recall an event like that ever happening. I had never experienced it...but somehow I was there.
It was definitely strange.
'Those tru-'
All of a sudden, I felt a gaze which interrupted my thoughts. The gaze made me feel like my entre body was bare, and everything about me was revealed like an open book.
'Where?!'
I questioned, trying to find the direction from where it was coming from but the darkness around me stumped my efforts.
[Such a great specimen...]
I heard a voice which sent chills down my spine, my entire body got goosebumps and I was sweating.
Even though I couldn't percieve anything here...something was here, close to me.
Silently watching me, it was so close...that maybe it and I were face to face.
Where it could see me and I could not.
Whatever it was...it was disturbing.
[The power to wield chaos...even greater than me, and a magnificent physical potential as well.]
What is it talking about? The voice was malicious, cold and rough.
Yet it contained hints of excitement.
[Such a potential...rotting away in an unknown planet of an unknown galaxy...Amazing.]
"What...Who are you?"
I heard Alan's voice this time, right after the malicious voice.
[The one you called with your hatred...your killing intent.]
A pair of red eyes materialized in front of me.
And the moment I gazed upon them...I felt as if I was being driven insane.
[How amazing...you are not being driven insane when you laid eyes on me.]
"Who...are you?"
I struggled to pay attention to their words...and could only clutch me head. It was as if it was splitting apart.
The pain was immense, the moment I had gazed at those abyssal eyes I felt as if my mind was being torn apart, my head and body reducing to shreds, unable to withstand seeing it.
'Make it stop!'
As I was wailing around in pain, barely able to do anything, the conversation between Alan and the voice continued. Alan, somehow was unaffected by the abyssal stare.
"Who are you?!"
He asked again, and it answered.
[I am...]
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