NOVPUBDaniel gazed at the towering wall before him, his brows slightly furrowed.
At the center of this immense barrier stood a closed, silvery door emitting an unsettling aura. Without a doubt, something astonishing lay beyond.
Scrambling to his feet, Mike began to approach the door, mumbling under his breath, "This must be the exit. Let’s hurry, I can’t stand this place any longer."
As he neared, hand outstretched to grasp the handle, Alex intercepted him.
"Hold on," he cautioned, "Who knows what monsters could lurk behind it."
Alex pressed his ear against the door, straining to catch any sounds from within.
The group fell silent, the weight of anticipation palpable.
Moments later, Alex’s brow creased in concern.
Mike, growing restless, queried, "Did you hear anything?"
"It sounds like a howling wind, as if a tempest rages behind it."
"So, it is the way out," Mike concluded impatiently. "What are we waiting for? Let’s go!"
Alex was wary, fearing recklessness.
However, Brooks could wait no longer, gently but firmly pulling Alex aside.
"Enough," he intoned. "Whatever lies beyond, we’ll only know once we face it."
Under his breath, he whispered a fervent prayer, "Almighty Lord, protect us. Let this door lead to sanctuary."
Hoping that his Oracle power might ensure their safety beyond the door.
Thereafter, with a slow creak, the door edged open ever so slightly, revealing an abyss as dark as the early shades of nightfall.
The light from their side was swallowed whole, unable to pierce through the enveloping darkness.
As everyone’s curiosity piqued, suddenly, a gust sounded—
Whoooosh!
"That’s the wind I mentioned. Do you hear it now?"
"Yes, and it sounds fierce."
"Does anyone else feel something’s off?"
Whoooosh! The wind grew louder, closer, its velocity startling.
Not just off, but alarmingly perilous!
Daniel’s face darkened instantly. "Shut the door, now!" he ordered.
Although unsure of what Daniel had discerned, everyone had come to trust his judgment implicitly.
Alex was the first to snap to action, reaching out to push the door closed.
But it was too late.
The howling intensified, coming on like a plague of locusts.
Boom!
A force, tremendous and unyielding, collided with the half-closed door.
Alex was hurled backward, the impact sending him flying.
The group tried to help close the door, but danger was already at their doorstep. 𝑛𝘰𝘷𝑝𝘶𝑏.𝑐𝘰𝘮
Their seasoned investigator instincts had them step back in unison, swiftly creating distance.
The door was blown wide open.
Only then did they truly see the monstrosity that lay beyond it.
Slender, wriggling maggots swarmed crazily towards them.
Their appearance was enough to make one’s skin crawl, each maggot measuring a few feet long and as thick as a fist.
Their slimy bodies were covered with mouthparts, so densely packed it made one’s vision blur at the mere sight of them.
Although wingless, these creatures defied gravity, squirming in the air with alarming speed.
Like predators that had sighted long-lost prey, they rushed through the door, threatening to engulf Daniel and his party.
Yet, Daniel coolly disregarded these maggot monsters, his eyes fixed intently on the dark void beyond the teeming gap.
There seemed to be no distinction between sky and earth there.
All was enshrouded in an inky blackness, the air thick and foul, as if laden with toxic fumes. Merely gazing upon it induced a sense of suffocation.
The vista beyond was nothing like any earthly landscape.
Which raised the question: if not Earth, where could this possibly be?
Watching the endless tide of writhing creatures, an answer suddenly dawned on him: the Abyssal Realm!
Pierce, whom he’d dealt with earlier, had mentioned that monsters originated from the Abyssal Realm.
Lost in thought, the maggot monsters had already swarmed over them, a tidal wave of wriggling vermin threatening to engulf the entire group.
Panic painted everyone’s faces.
Instinctively, they prepared to retaliate.
Golden weapons shimmered and danced, their sharp blades slicing through countless maggot bodies in a flash.
Brooks’ method of attack was particularly unique.
All he shouted was, "Burst! Burst! Burst!"
In an instant, the maggots’ skin began to rupture, their thick, jam-like blood splattering everywhere.
Any maggot that was injured plummeted to the ground, turning into a pool of blood.
This indicated that their offensive was indeed effective.
However, against the tide-like swarm of maggots, the death rate seemed negligible.
After battling fervently, there was no discernible decrease in the onslaught of incoming vermin.
While wielding his golden dagger, Alex yelled, "Move! There are too many of these damned creatures. If we keep this up, we’ll deplete our Spiritual Power and face certain death through resonance."
The group began to retreat while fending off the monsters.
"Where’s Daniel?!"
Suddenly, Julia cried out.
The others also realized something was amiss: Daniel was gone.
The sheer number of maggot monsters had forced them back into a corridor, the space ahead now entirely overrun.
The group could only peer through the gaps, searching desperately for any sign of Daniel.
Daniel’s gaze was riveted to the door at the base of the towering wall, as the maggot monsters continued their relentless influx.
No place on Earth could possibly harbor such a multitude of creatures.
This, he surmised, must surely be a gateway to the Abyssal Realm!
At that moment, Daniel’s voice resonated, "Don’t worry, I’m here."
Only then did everyone notice, far ahead near the silver doorway, Daniel moved as if there were no monsters in his path, proceeding unhindered.
Under the crimson gaze of the Enchanted Eye in his palm, the creatures astonishingly dissolved in an instant.
His efficiency in slaughter was even greater than the rest of the group combined.
To onlookers, Daniel seemed a god of death, navigating the tide of monsters, wiping out hundreds, if not thousands, of maggot monsters with mere gestures.
For a moment, the group was so entranced by the sight that they didn’t even realize the maggot monsters were already climbing onto them.
Fortunately, Mike, with swift reflexes, maximized his healing ability, urgently shouting, "Stop gawking and retreat!"
The group then scrambled into action.
Julia, seeing Daniel heading straight for the door, cried out in panic, "Daniel, what are you doing?! Come back!"
Without turning, Daniel called back, "Find a safe spot and wait for me. I’ll be right back after taking a look."
The group paused, sensing a tinge of madness in Daniel’s actions.
Merely considering the number of maggot monsters pouring through the door was overwhelming.
Could anything beyond it even be remotely hospitable?
Yet, Daniel pressed on fearlessly, stepping forward with unwavering determination.
Whether or not it was the Abyssal Realm beyond that door, he had to see it for himself.
If it came to it, he’d simply start over.
With the group watching in awe, Daniel faced the onslaught of the maggot monsters head-on, marching toward the door.
His right hand held out, and wherever the fiery crimson gaze landed, destruction followed.
Fighting off the creatures, Brooks couldn’t help but admire, "This guy, even though he’s a lower level than us, is so damn cool. I wish I could be as suave as him."
Alex replied, "...Who the hell wouldn’t?"
...
Daniel quickly approached the doorway.
The endless stream of maggot monsters poured forth from outside, but the luminance of the Enchanted Eye was sufficient to envelop the entire door, momentarily halting the advancing tide of creatures.
However, once he stepped outside, the monsters circled around him, regrouping behind his back, and once more began their relentless onslaught into the chamber.
"Is this... the Abyssal Realm?"
Gazing upon the scene before him, a shudder passed through Daniel’s eyes.
Stepping past the threshold of the door behind him, it felt as if he’d entered another realm entirely.
Everywhere he looked was cloaked in darkness, not due to an absence of light, but because that was its true hue.
The sky, the ground, the flora, and the trees—all were draped in black.
Even the stars above radiated a deep, eerie glow. This world seemed to recognize but one color.
A realm swallowed by shadows, everywhere resonated a somber and lifeless tune.
The air was thick with a grey haze, reminiscent of the dense fog he had encountered in Isaac Town, carrying with it a pungent odor of decay.
An unending sea of maggot monsters floated amidst it; if the creatures within the door surged like a tidal wave, then those before him now were an immense ocean, boundless and overwhelming.
Even Daniel felt a chilling sensation creep across his scalp.
"Cough, cough!"
Suddenly, a sharp sting pricked Daniel’s throat, prompting a fit of coughing.
Immediately after, a warm sensation welled up in his nostrils.
Catching it with his hand, he found it to be blood - a dark, inky black blood.
And it wasn’t just his nose; black blood began to seep from his eyes, ears, and even dripped from his mouth.
"What’s happening... Have I fallen ill?"
"That can’t be."
Armed with the power of the Healing Crystal, any ailment afflicting his body would be instantly cured.
"Could this mist be poisonous?"
Furrowing his brows and feeling an increasing weakness enveloping him, he felt certain of his deduction.
This place most likely was the Abyssal Realm, and it was evidently not hospitable for human survival.
In the next moment, his body began its self-repair, swiftly returning to its pristine state.
Determined, he took a step forward, driven to unravel the true nature of this Abyssal Realm!
Not too far away stood a colossal mountain.
He had never seen a peak so towering, seemingly piercing the heavens and perhaps even stretching beyond the cosmos.
It appeared as though this entire world consisted of these maggot monsters and that singular mountain.
