Falling Further

Neto didn't have the strength to scream.

He lay on the bare stone, moaning in pain. There wasn't even grass to give him a nice bed to lie on. That bishop destroyed everything, including the exit portal.

{He didn't destroy the portal, he just removed the mana from it. [Grand Void] will take at least a week to regenerate it.}

[Unidentified Undead]-[Lv. 23(+2)]--{Slain}

[EXP]: {+346}-{Split between: (2)}

[Neto]-{has gained (173) XP!}

[Summon {1}]: [Rakshasa (Lv. 7)]-{has gained (173) XP!}

[Neto]-[LV. 1]: {50/50}-->[LV. 2]: {100/100}-->[LV. 3]:{23/150}

[Stamina Potion]-{58 min}-{42 sec}

'Oh, fuck! Just let it be over already!!!' Neto cursed.

He wanted to pass out more than anything in the world. If someone ever interrogated Neto in this world, he'd definitely spill the beans during stamina pot torture...

{Focus on breathing. I'll see what I can do with your new cultivation level.}

Raskhasa was still sharing her body with Neto. He knew the demon could stop assimilation, but she was bearing the pain with him in order to minimize the burden on his weaker body.

[{Unrefined} Unbound Body (Passive)]-[Lv. 1]-{Unlocked!}

[Skill Combination]-[Unbound Soul]+[Unbound Body]-->[Unbound Entity]

[Unbound Entity (Passive/Active]-{Fusion Upgrade!}

{That should do the trick. Use the incantation for its active: 'Unbound']

"Unbound!" Neto cried.

Immediately, a rumbling sounded in the earth below. Rocks and dirt shook, rolling over him like so many bugs. It was as if his surroundings were brought to life! Neto squirmed as they shifted, forcing his limbs into place.

"AAAAHHHH!!!" he screamed.

CRACK! POP! SNAP!

This was far worse than anything Neto could have imagined. It was as if his blood became hornet venom, and his bones became serrated dirks, shearing through muscle and flesh. His vision flickered in and out, but from what he could feel, a mask of dust had covered his face.

"WHAT THE FUCK RAKSHASA!"

{Technically, the grand void is part of a larger area called {Unbound Space}, which is a kind of living geology...}

"I DONT CARE, MAKE IT STOP!!"

CRACK! POP! SNAP!

{ like all organisms, the unbound has an immune system and natural regeneration. Fusing [Unbound soul] and [Unbound Entity] creates an active, which temporarily makes unbound space treat you as a [Priority] part of itself, and can help you in a medley of ways. It really is a jack-of-all-trades kind of skill.}

Neto's throat was officially out of commission. Dirt from the unbound filled his body, flowed through his blood, and muddled his thoughts. He felt a strange sensation, like roots growing out of his chest, and clouds of pollen settling on his orifices.

[Stamina Potion Effect]-{Force End}

When the doctors in his old world operated on him, he woke up from anesthesia a few times. Despite the horror, the pain-relief of morphine was so strong, Neto fell back asleep before he could even scream.

This experience reminded him of those terrible days.

Before Neto knew it, a bed of grass had grown underneath him. Tiny flowers sprouted from all over his body, releasing intoxicating pollen in clouds overhead. This was a special inebriation, the kind that detaches one's mind from their body.

He could no longer feel anything, but his mind became crystal clear. Even if Neto was dying, anything was better than remaining inside of that torturous body... Sweet relief.

[Unbound Entity (Active)]-{0 seconds remaining}

{You shouldn't start moving just yet.}

Pins and needles poked out of Neto's skin.

He gasped as an unmistakable ache grounded him back in his body. This was nothing compared to the pain earlier, so Neto could bear it.

"I-its over..." He mumbled, still in a trance.

{The hard part is, yes.. but the entire process will take a while. My body will heal you as long as it can, but you won't be able to move until nightfall. Unbound Entities passive requires more time than its active.}

Neto wouldn't be able to sleep, but he focused on the soft grass and the flow of his blood as demonic nutrients spread throughout his body. The glow from the stalactites was an aesthetic sight, not as pretty as Nornenheim's stars, but close.

'Are there no monsters here?'

{Most of the monsters have vacated this area of the unbound. After that undead closed the portal, there will be an extreme weather event to regenerate the mana in the area. We need to leave as well, when you can safely move.}

The flowers which'd grown from Neto wilted and died, the dirt which'd filled his body no longer seemed to be inside of him. He wondered where it'd all gone.

{Even an organism as strange as [Unbound Space] has something similar to STEM cells.}

'How do you know about stem cells? Does this world carry such knowledge?'

{... I-I learned from your memories.}

Neto blushed.

What exactly had Rakshasa seen from his past? He didn't want to ask. There were too many embarrassing recollections.

In silence, Neto relaxed his muscles, letting his mind vegitate.

|Assimilation|-{0 seconds remaining}

After two hours of cold-blood, the returning warmth of homeostasis pleasantly surprised Neto.

{Ahem...}

''Yeah, yeah, thanks I guess. That was goddamn painful.'

Sitting up, Neto examined the surrounding area. His body felt light, healthy, and held only subtle soreness.

Though there were still no trees in his vicinity, smaller bits of foliage reclaimed the barren stone in streaks, forming meadow roads.

From the bishop's corps, a medley of odd-looking flowers with exotic color variations were blooming. Either the man had no loot, or it'd been destroyed in the blast.

"Is this [Unbound Entity]'s Power?"

The pattern of spontaneous sprouts enthralled Neto.

{Unbound Entity is strong, but you can't use it too often with how weak your body is, unless you're borrowing my mine. I won't be able to create my physical body for three months, however.}

"I see."

Unbound Entity was a marvelous skill, Neto was lucky to have Rakshasa as his unique spirit. Still, without |Assimilation|, Neto would be considerably weaker in future delves. He definitely wouldn't be coming to this large dungeon any time soon.

{Don't worry, most of [Grand Void]'s dungeons aren't this large. So long as you're patient, I can direct you to dungeons suited for your level.}

"Ill try not to bait Toru again. Though I doubt he'll ever delve with me after this nightmare."

Neto couldn't afford to wait three months for Rakshasa; his savings would run dry before then. He would have to become stronger without the help of that demon.

"Shit. How much do two daggers cost in this world?"

{Right, you need a new weapon... I might know someone who can help. Though, if we leave from here, it'll take a few weeks to reach the way out of [Grand Void], the [Underbelly].}

Settling back into the grass, Neto released a cloud in his lungs. The intoxication of Unbounds pollen saturated his head with a thick buzz.

"So, we'll be in the void a while longer.... I guess without that portal we're trapped."

{Trapped, but not lost. There's no better unique spirit for surviving or navigating [Grand Void], rest assured, and the place where I'll take you, the underbelly, can access almost any part of the human word.}

'Yeah, yeah, I get it. Youre super awesome. Just get me there in one piece and I'll love you forever.'

{L-love... Idiot!! I'll pluck that sarcasm out of your throat.}

For some strange reason, Neto was excited. He would stay here and become strong, or he could see his family in the afterlife. Either way, he was no longer a prisoner in his own body. Freedom felt amazing.

The allure of strength melted Neto's last strands of rational thought.

In the center of his chest, where His stubborn heart used to beat, a cold void drained at his energy. He could feel it growing, even as he opposed a fate that wanted to destroy everything around him. Neto knew there was only one way to break that void.

"I'll make that bastard buy me a drink when I return."