Ch. 7
When I was very young.
I remember the first time I went down a slide.
The sensation of gliding through the narrow passage, the speed of it, the feeling of falling and gravity all at once. I remember it all.
As I went down the dark passageway, I was able to recall memories from long ago.
Thud.
Of course, there were a few differences.
The final destination of this slide wasn't a soft sand field, but a cold concrete floor.
Even though my body was strengthened by Black Aether, I couldn’t overcome inertia and fell to the floor, hard.
“Ah… damn.”
If it had been my frail body from before awakening, I might’ve already crossed over to the other side.
I slowly raised my throbbing body and checked my surroundings.
A dark, square room without a single light.
On the opposite side of the slide (?) that I had drifted down, there was a large iron door.
If I opened that door, would I be able to go inside?
I walked up to the door and grabbed the round handle that looked like a steering wheel.
Click.
I applied a fair amount of force into it, but it wouldn’t budge.
It seemed like it would be difficult to open unless someone from the other side opened it.
“Hmm……?”
Unlike its smooth appearance, the handle had fine irregularities.
It didn’t seem like it was made that way originally, more like some kind of residue had dried and stuck to the surface?
I soon realized what the residue was.
“Blood……!!”
On the handle of the iron door clung dark red blood, like the wailing of the dead.
I hadn’t expected it to be a welcoming place, but imagining someone turning this handle with blood-soaked hands sent a chill down my spine.
Hey, Kiril.
Why on earth did you send me to a place like this?
Creeeak—
As if answering my question, a faint mechanical whirring sounded above my head.
When I looked up, a small nozzle was aimed right at me.
And soon, black gas gushed out from it.
Chwiiiiiiiiik-
Judging by the color and the smell, it was clearly a toxic gas.
“What the-”
The ground beneath me suddenly gave away.
And now they were releasing poison gas too.
Uninvited guests or not, this kind of welcoming greeting is legendary.
I instinctively raised my sleeve to cover my nose, but quickly realized there was no need.
I was immune to the poison of a poison monster.
If this kind of toxin could harm me, I would’ve died ten times over by now.
“…….”
As expected, there was no unusual reaction in my body.
Far from it, if anything, I felt oddly welcomed.
‘Ha…….’
At first, I wanted to show off how perfectly fine I was, but I soon changed my mind.
“Ugh…...!!”
I clutched my chest and dropped to my knees.
Then, trembling my arms, I buried my face into the ground.
There was no need to fake the expression.
Just recalling the pain I often felt before awakening was enough to contort my face naturally.
After some time passed.
Ssshhh.
The air around me began to clear, and a ‘clank’ sound came from the iron door.
At the same moment, a bright light turned on.
Alright then.
Gotcha.
Creeeaaak—
Squinting, I watched a figure walking toward me.
He was a man with a rather chubby physique.
Perhaps because of the remaining toxins in the room, he was wearing a gas mask.
A worn-out checkered flannel shirt hugged his thick frame, and his curly, unruly hair made him look like a wild beast.
He must be the ‘doctor’ who lived here alone, right?
He truly gave off a different vibe than the typical image of a doctor.
Tap, tap.
He must be a very cautious person.
As if to check if I was really dead, he poked my body with his foot.
“Is he dead?”
Only after a long moment of checking and poking did he remove his gas mask.
A middle-aged face, looking to be in his fifties.
His chubby cheeks closely resembled his stout build.
That man must be Dr. Jin.
He crouched down and examined me from all angles, and I instinctively felt the moment had come.
Even if I was an uninvited guest, releasing such dangerous gas?
Suddenly, I sprang to my feet and roared at the man.
“Roar!!!”
“Eek!!”
Surprise.
Considering I just inhaled poison gas, this reaction was a bit weak, but taking the other guy’s age (?) into account, I decided to keep the prank at this level.
“Ugh….. Ughh!!”
“Uh-oh.”
The problem was that the other party's reaction was even more intense than I had anticipated.
Doctor Jin fell backward, his limbs twisting and struggling on the ground.
His eyes were completely rolled back, showing only the whites, and foam was bubbling at the corners of his mouth.
It was surprising, but I didn’t know it would be such an extreme reaction.
Sensing something was wrong, I approached Dr. Jin in a hurry.
“Mister. It’s a prank. It’s a prank!”
“Aaah!! Help me!! Kiril!! Save me!!”
His eyes, wild with madness, turned toward me, or rather, something behind me.
Only then did I realize that the source of the fear was not me.
What on earth happened between you and Kiril before?
For now, calming him down was the priority.
“Mister! Come to your senses! Kiril told me to come here, so I came here!”
“Eek!! Go away!! Save me!!”
Dr. Jin, caught in a panic, wildly waved both hands.
The hood I was wearing flipped back, even though I didn’t touch it.
“Ah……?!”
Dr. Jin, who had been thrashing his limbs and crying out, suddenly quieted down.
I don’t know what kind of miracle this was all of a sudden, but it was a relief.
If things had gone wrong, one surprise could have ended a person.
If I hadn’t been careful, I could have sent someone to the other side with one surprise.
“Kiril……!! It’s Kiril!!”
Shit.
What the hell is he going on about now?
I was about to ask the man, but Dr. Jin suddenly hugged me tightly and kept crying, so I missed the timing to ask.
"Uheoooong!! I missed you, Kiril!!!"
It didn’t seem to be simply because he was mentally unstable.
Dr. Jin must have seen ‘something’ in my exposed face and concluded that I was Kiril.
Dr. Jin sobbed like a child, regardless of his age.
His shoulders suddenly felt small and fragile.
"……I’m sorry. Mister."
I gently patted Dr. Jin’s shoulder for a long time.