Chapter 100: Forgotten Records
Kai did not breathe.
The yellow creature continued sliding through the corridor.
Squelch.
Squelch.
Squelch.
Its body rippled with every movement, absorbing small pebbles and scraps of rusted metal as if they were nothing more than leaves drifting along a river.
"...Please keep going..."
Kai whispered.
The slime stopped.
His heartbeat nearly escaped his chest.
Then—
It continued past the intersection.
Squelch...
Squelch...
Squelch...
Only after the sound became distant did Kai finally exhale.
"...That was close."
He leaned against the wall.
"I don't know what that thing is..."
"...and I'd like to keep it that way."
Rather than chasing answers, Kai chose the opposite direction.
Every step was careful.
Unlike the upper floors, the lower level looked far more intact.
The walls still emitted their faint glow.
Small crystal lamps embedded within the ceiling flickered weakly.
Most had long since died.
A few still glowed.
Not brightly.
Just enough to reveal outlines.
The floor beneath him wasn't covered in dirt.
Instead—
It was covered in paper.
Thousands of sheets.
Some scattered.
Some stacked.
Most reduced to brittle fragments.
Kai crouched.
He picked one up.
The instant he unfolded it—
Part of the paper crumbled into dust.
"...Sorry..."
He carefully adjusted his grip.
Rows of symbols filled the page.
Curved.
Sharp.
Completely unfamiliar.
"...Figures."
He stared for several seconds.
Nothing.
Then—
His head pulsed.
"...Ah..."
The familiar pain returned.
Not enough to make him scream.
Just enough to make him grab his forehead.
"...Not again..."
The symbols blurred.
Shifted.
Almost...
Moved.
Kai blinked repeatedly.
"...What..."
The strange letters slowly became recognizable.
Not because they changed—
Because somehow...
He understood them.
"...I can..."
"...read this?"
He frowned.
"I've never seen this language before."
He looked around.
"...Right?"
No answer came.
Only silence.
Kai lowered his eyes back to the paper.
Experiment Log
Subject No. 86
Status:
Failed.
Cause of Death:
Magic overload resulting in complete organ failure.
Recommendation:
Reduce concentration during future injections.
Kai quietly placed the paper down.
"...Injections?"
He reached for another.
Subject No. 31
Status:
Failed.
Cause of Death:
Massive internal bleeding.
Blood expelled through eyes, ears, nose, mouth.
Recommendation:
Terminate current mixture formula.
Kai grimaced.
"...What kind of place is this?"
Another page.
Another report.
Another failure.
Subject 54.
Failed.
Subject 72.
Failed.
Subject 11.
Failed.
Every page ended the same.
Death.
Failure.
Another experiment.
Another body.
The deeper Kai searched...
The worse the records became.
He no longer felt like he was reading documents.
He felt like he was reading graves.
"...How many people died here..."
His voice barely escaped.
Then—
One folder caught his attention.
Unlike the scattered papers...
This one remained sealed.
Almost untouched.
Kai brushed away years of dust.
The number written across the cover read:
Subject 69.
"...That's..."
"...an unfortunate number."
Even in another world...
Some instincts never disappeared.
Kai opened the file.
Subject No. 69
Location:
Forest of Hailing.
Blood Composition:
Half Drifter.
Half Native.
Initial Procedure:
Monster Core liquefaction injection.
Status:
Successful.
Proceed to Stage Two.
Kai blinked.
"...Half drifter?"
He remembered something.
Tchoco.
During their first meeting.
He had mentioned that although most drifters appeared within the Forest of Summoning...
There were rare reports of drifters appearing elsewhere.
One of those places...
Was the Forest of Hailing.
Kai frowned.
"...So this subject came from there..."
He turned the page.
Nothing.
Only performance evaluations.
Strength.
Stamina.
Mana tolerance.
Reaction speed.
Everything listed as...
Above expectations.
Kai grabbed another folder nearby.
Subject 79.
Successful.
Another.
Subject 46.
Successful.
"...Three?"
Unlike every previous report...
These three had survived.
Kai quickly skimmed through the pages.
Training.
Observation.
Physical examinations.
Endurance.
Mana compatibility.
Combat testing.
No names.
Only numbers.
Then—
One page caught his eye.
The final report.
Subject 69.
Status...
Kai stopped.
The bottom half had been torn away.
"...Seriously?"
He searched nearby.
Nothing.
Only missing pages.
The same thing happened with Subject 79.
Torn.
Removed.
Gone.
Then he reached Subject 46.
The first page remained.
The second.
The third.
Then—
Missing.
Someone hadn't simply abandoned these records.
Someone had deliberately removed parts of them.
Kai slowly looked around the room.
"...Who..."
"...would come all the way back here?"
Silence answered.
Then—
Squelch.
Kai froze.
Not again.
The sound was closer this time.
Much closer.
Squelch.
Squelch.
Squelch.
Something large slid against the wall outside the room.
A shadow slowly stretched beneath the doorway.
The slime had found him.
Kai quietly closed the folder.
His eyes darted around the office.
One entrance.
No windows.
The hallway already occupied.
"..."
"...Well."
He forced a nervous smile.
"This..."
"...might be a problem."
The shadow beneath the doorway slowly expanded.
Then stopped.
As though the creature knew...
Someone was inside.
...
...
...
Author's Note
100 chapters.
It honestly doesn't feel real writing that number.
Whether you've been reading since Chapter 1 or only recently found the story, thank you for giving this world, these characters, and this journey a chance.
We've gone from Kai waking up in an unfamiliar world, to the fall of Asphyxia's manufacturing district, the truth behind Oheyo, and now into a Laboratory located in the forest where even bigger mysteries await.
There's still a long road ahead, and I hope you'll continue walking it with Kai and everyone else.
Thank you for reading.
See you in Chapter 101.