Chapter 615

Episode 615: Homunculus (2)

After running and running for several days and nights without sleeping properly, I finally reached the temple.

“….”

The ominously quiet temple hadn’t changed much since the time I left.

The barracks and cooking facilities that had been installed in anticipation of a long stay were still in place.

There were just no people.

Excited –

what on earth happened here?

I can’t see any signs of battle or anything.

Even though they were cooking, the pot was filled with thick stew.

‘…open?’

It was only then that I confirmed that the temple door, which was supposed to be closed, was wide open.

Could it be that this incident has something to do with it?

With that in mind, I carefully walked towards the direction of the temple.

[Bjorn Yandel…!!]

Suddenly, a familiar voice was heard from behind.

“…Ham style?”

As soon as I turned my head in the direction I heard the sound, Hamsik flew at me.

[Why are you here now? I thought I was scared to death…!]

It was my first time seeing him this surprised.

However, I did not have time to calm down and listen to the story calmly.

“What on earth happened here?”

[I don’t know either! Suddenly, light seemed to burst out from the temple, and everyone stood up as if they had lost their minds and entered that temple!]

“You went in with your own feet…?”

Have you been affected by something along the lines of charm or mind control? In that case, it is quite understandable that there were no traces of battle…

[Yes! Again, everyone had strange looks in their eyes. He walks languidly, as if he can’t even see me even though I’m next to him!]

“I understand, so calm down.”

[….]

“Anyway, you were fine in that situation?”

[That’s right.]

“Did you see the expedition members who went across the river with me?”

When I asked in a calm tone, Hamsik also answered in a slightly more genuine voice.

[ah…! They entered the temple a few days ago. Being carried on a strange flying object…]

If it’s a flying object, is it like the drone we saw before?

“So they were unconscious?”

[No, my eyes were open. Although I was completely lost like the other guys.]

“…What kind of crazy range is this?”

[…Huh?]

“Oh, I’m just talking to myself.”

Just looking at it, the source of mental control is that temple.

But I never thought the effect would apply far beyond the river.

But even if I was fine because I was in a bunker with a dimensional disconnect, why was Hamsik still fine?

Is it because the entity was determined to be a ‘monster’?

I don’t know, but for now, I focused on receiving information from Hamsik.

“You’ve never been inside the temple, so you don’t know what’s inside?”

[Well… I was just waiting because I thought you would come! It’s not that I’m scared at all!]

“Yeah, I guess so.”

[….]

Unfortunately, Hamsik was only a witness and did not actively investigate the incident.

Therefore, this is the end of the information that can be obtained from Hamsik.

“I guess I’ll have to go in and find out the rest.”

From now on, I have no choice but to run with my feet.

***

「The character has entered the 7th archive.」

***

The internal structure of the temple was very simple.

As soon as I entered the open stone gate, a staircase appeared, and as I went down a little further, a hall with a heptagonal structure appeared.

And on each side, excluding the stairs I came down from, there were a total of six stone gates…

“All of them are closed except for one.”

[…It feels more eerie than that.]

“But what is that?”

There was a desk-shaped structure in the center of the hall.

Or should I call it an altar?

The material had a similar appearance and feel to stone, and had a total of seven rectangular grooves.

“I know I’m supposed to post something, but I don’t know what it is yet.”

[No, it gives me an eerie feeling?]

“Ah, is this something where you can get a reward if you break one by one?”

[Hey… could it be… that you… can’t hear me…? Isn’t it…?]

As I was organizing my thoughts alone, Hamsik’s anxious voice caught my ear.

Normally, this would have been a joke, pretending not to hear, but since it was a serious situation where my colleagues had been kidnapped, there was no time for that.

“I can hear it.”

[…But why don’t you keep answering?]

“I need to say something.”

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“What was it that was creepy in the first place? Are you asking me to at least sympathize with you?”

[No, it’s not like that…]

“Then that’s it. Try to be quiet for a while. “I need to think about it.”

Fortunately, Hamsik seemed to understand what I was saying and stopped spouting unnecessary words, and thanks to that, I was able to focus on organizing my thoughts quietly.

‘Just looking at the cancer, it’s exactly the size…’

I immediately took out the golden book.

It is a book that was looted in Hamsik House, which can be accessed by clearing Library Island, and it is also a book that is written in a line in the village chief’s ghost story notebook.

Sigh.

When I carefully placed the golden book on the groove, it fit perfectly without any space.

…Is this really a coincidence?

‘No way.’

Soon I remembered the phrase written in the village chief’s notebook.

[The Golden Book will not help you with your goals.]

I interpreted that advice as saying that the Golden Book had nothing to do with ‘escape’.

That’s because my goal has always been escape.

But why did such a device come out during the attack on Rainbow Island, which was considered the key to escape?

[Nothing is happening…?]

“Of course, nothing is happening now. Just looking at it, it seems like something will happen only if all the remaining seats are filled.”

[Ah…]

“Anyway, please be quiet for a moment. “I have more to think about.”

This golden book could be obtained when clearing Library Island.

So where can I get the rest?

‘It’s simple, but the most plausible thing is that you can get one book each time you clear each island…’

Library Island, Seokmun Island, Tree Island, Giant Island, Chief Island, Rock Island, and now Rainbow Island, where I am…

Even in this layer. The number of islands that exist is exactly seven.

Of course, this hypothesis is not without contradictions.

Seokmun Island.

The island was full of guardian statues and had a crack opening at the end.

Although I cleared the island, I couldn’t find the golden book in the reward room, which was reminiscent of Hamsik’s house.

‘Well, I haven’t seen the true ending, but there are reasons to think so…’

So what is Rock Island or Chief Island?

There are super giant giants on Giant Island, but there wasn’t anything worth attacking on the rocky island or village chief’s island that were the starting points.

‘The village chief has already been defeated, so it probably has nothing to do with the strategy.’

No matter how many times you rack your brain, you cannot come up with a clear answer, and the more you try, the more anxious you become, and the vicious cycle repeats.

Therefore, this worry ends here.

Sigh.

After putting the golden book that had been inserted into the groove back into the subspace, I approached the tightly closed stone doors and took a quick look.

‘How can I open the remaining stone gates?’

I haven’t figured it out yet, but I think it’s too early to worry about this issue.

First of all, isn’t there one thing that’s open?

If you proceed from here, you will find some clues.

There must be a way out there to save my colleagues who were kidnapped to the temple.

“Let’s go, Hamsik.”

In that sense, without wasting any more time, I approached the open stone gate.

There was something shiny blocking the stone door, making it impossible to see inside. It was definitely not a portal, but felt more like an air curtain.

Sigh.

When I carefully push it inside, the hand slides in with a soft feel.

It was similar to the sensation of dipping your hand in liquid, but it didn’t feel particularly wet.

It was a little uncomfortable, but I didn’t hesitate and went in because I had no other choice but to go inside.

Tuk.

First, your outstretched toes touch the ground and an unfamiliar scenery unfolds before your eyes.

‘prison…?’

The place I arrived at was prison.

However, it does not feel similar to the dungeon beneath the Explorers’ Guild, but rather resembles a modern prison structure.

Or, more accurately, should we call it the prison of the future?

Slowly!

Drones fly in the hallways where prison guards pass through, and in the middle of the hall, a large wolf made of mechanical parts sleeps.

Also, various monsters were being led somewhere along the drone with hazy eyes…

“…Can’t you see me?”

As if I were an invisible person, whether it was a drone, a monster, or that mechanical wolf, they were ignoring me and just doing their own thing.

[What is it here…?]

“How can you know it’s me?”

First, I turned around and checked the wall.

There was a shiny curtain attached to the wall that I passed, probably to indicate that I was free to come and go.

Sigh.

Okay, my hands fit well.

First of all, an escape route has been secured in case of an emergency.

[Bjorn Yandel….]

At that time, Hamsik, who was sitting on my shoulder, called me.

This time, I thought they were making a fuss and thought about ignoring it, but…

[Here… it feels somehow familiar.]

I hear words that I can’t just hear.

[Maybe… it might be a place I visited once before I lost my memory.]

“What…?”

[…Be quite. Because I’m thinking about it.]

Does this mean you get back what you gave?

“Oh, I understand.”

I kept my mouth shut so as not to disturb Hamsik’s concentration, but for now I continued to explore the surroundings.

Nothing will change if you rush it.

If something comes to mind while you’re doing something, I’ll tell you. As I was

trudging

around and looking around, I realized that I had misunderstood one thing.

Whether it’s a drone, a mechanical wolf, or a monster with loose eyes.

I thought he was an invisible barbarian because he didn’t even look at me or care about me.

‘I guess I can’t see it at all.’

When I got close, the flying drone stopped for a moment and zoomed in on me with the part of the lens that acts as an eye, but soon it stopped paying attention and started doing its own thing.

‘Ha… I feel more comfortable just fighting.’

If everyone had turned against me as soon as I started and rushed at me, there would have been no reason to worry about such complicated things.

If you think about it, have you become too barbarian-like?

‘Okay, let’s just follow along.’

He was carrying Hamsik, who was lost in thought, on his back, and was moving along the monsters that were moving in line under the control of a drone.

[Go down there.]

Hamsik suddenly tapped my shoulder and said.

“suddenly?”

[Hurry!]

It was an unexpected suggestion, but following Hamsik’s words, I broke away from the group and went down the stairs next to me.

And how long has it been?

[Here.]

I was walking down a staircase similar to an emergency exit when Hamsik stopped me.

[Look closely at the wall over there.]

It didn’t sound like he was joking, so I did as I was told rather than asking why.

But what is this again?

Tuk.

While I was touching the wall, I felt a hidden small groove with my fingertips. When I took out a dagger, inserted it into the groove, and applied force, the tile on the wall fell off.

And…

[I can’t believe it really exists…]

There is an unidentifiable card in the empty space hidden by the tile.

It is not a plastic card that is often used in modern times, but a metal card that feels moderately heavy.

“…What is this?”

[…I don’t know either.]

“You told me and you don’t know?”

[All I can think of are fragments of memory. One day… I hid that item here.]

Hamsik couldn’t even remember the purpose of this card, only saying that it seemed to be a very important item to him.

“…I’ll understand first.”

Therefore, after putting the cards in the subspace, I closed the tile and left.

“Where should I go now?”

[Further down… If you go further down, there will be something. Because I was always going down here.]

“….”

It seemed like Hamsik really knew something, so I went down the stairs without asking any deeper.

And how long has it been?

“There is no way down any further.”

[Then it must be here.]

When I finally reached the end of the stairs, I carefully opened the door and went inside.

Fortunately, the door was not locked…

“….”

Beyond the door, there was a completely different atmosphere from the prison on earth.

A dome-shaped space reminiscent of a soccer field.

However, when I looked at this open space, the first thing that came to mind was a factory.

JI profit.

A monster moves on the rail and then stops.

And….

flash!

The mechanical device above his head emitted light, and the monster’s appearance disappeared everywhere.

For some reason, there was a lump of magic stone lying there…

Jeeeeee.

The stopped rail moves again and the created magic stone goes into the box at the end of the rail.

Also as soon as the box is full.

Drurr.

The box is placed on another rail and moved somewhere.

However, it was not possible to confirm where the box was moving.

[hey! [Over there! Over there!]

I quickly turned my head to check on Hamsik’s shout, and immediately I was dazed.

Jiiiing.

A familiar face appeared on the moving rail.

“…Raven?”

Raven was moving, standing blankly on the rail.

Flash-!

To the place where the device that converts monsters into magic stones is located.