Volume 1 Chapter 59: Entering The Weird Opening

Volume 1 Chapter 59: Entering The Weird Opening

Eve: "Master, I didn't hear you say the word 'sacrifice' completely earlier, but I did hear that you almost said it, and then you stopped yourself."

Carmilla: "Alright, enough, Eve! You're not being very helpful right now."

Pepper: "See, Master, even Eve agrees with me. You did say something that sounded like 'sacrifice' earlier, just rephrased differently. It still felt like the word 'sacrifice' to me, especially since I still need to explore the unknown opening first."

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Carmilla said, "Fine, you win, but you still need to enter the opening first since you lost the game."

Hearing Carmilla admit that she almost said the word 'sacrifice,' Pepper was happy since she had made Carmilla admit defeat. However, her happiness waned upon hearing Carmilla say that she had lost and still needed to explore the opening.

Pepper asked, her voice filled with agony.

Pepper: "What if I die, huh?"

Carmilla reassured.

Carmilla: "No worries, you will be revived here after an hour pass, in a tip-top shape, as if you didn't even die. We will know if there's something dangerous in the opening that can kill us, but if that happens, Eve and I will wait until you're revived to find out what lies beyond the opening and how you died. However, remember that this is only a possibility if something happens to you after you enter the opening."

If Pepper were to die after entering the opening, Carmilla began to contemplate the potential consequences and uncertainties that would arise.

Pepper expressed.

Pepper: "There's still a chance for me to die."

Carmilla replied.

Carmilla: "A 50-50 percent chance for you to survive and to die? Those percentages sound acceptable to me."

Pepper responded, "Those percentages sound promising, but I'm still aware that there's a chance for me to die."

Carmilla remarked.

Carmilla: "Pepper, you're just delaying the inevitable, you know."

Pepper still wanted to talk more, but upon hearing what Carmilla said, she sighed in resignation.

Pepper replied.

Pepper: "You're right, Master. I'm just delaying the inevitable. I'll go inside the opening right now."

After saying that, Pepper proceeded to walk towards the opening.

Seeing that Pepper was determined to enter the opening, Carmilla and Eve stepped forward to encourage her with a few words of support and motivation.

Carmilla cheekily remarked.

Carmilla: "Good luck not to die, you'll need it,"Taking note of Pepper's unlucky streak since the beginning.

Upon hearing Carmilla's comment, Pepper was tempted to retort, but when she turned around and saw the serious expression on Carmilla's face, she resisted the urge and simply nodded in response.

Pepper then heard Eve's monotone voice and saw the serious look on her face as she replied.

Eve: "You can do it."

Despite Eve's usual quiet demeanor, her words carried a sense of confidence and support.

Feeling encouraged, Pepper approached the opening with a determined mindset.

Pepper replied confidently.

Pepper: "Of course I can do it, Eve. Who do you think I am? Just wait for me to come back."

Hearing Pepper speak with such determination and assurance, Eve was taken aback as this was the first time she had heard Pepper talk that way.

Carmilla was initially about to reprimand Pepper for her arrogant tone, but before she could say anything, Pepper had already entered the opening. Left with no choice, Carmilla kept her thoughts to herself.

Frustrated and with no outlet for her anger since Pepper had already escaped, Carmilla began stomping around in irritation.

As Carmilla continued to stomp her feet, creating dust clouds around, Eve observed the situation with confusion, unsure of the reason behind her master's intense anger. To avoid getting caught in the dust clouds and give Carmilla some space, Eve decided to step back a few meters away from her.

With a composed expression, Eve glanced at Pepper, who had already entered the opening, and then back at Carmilla, hoping to find a way to diffuse the tension and understand the root of Carmilla's frustration.

[Pepper's PoV]

After I entered the weird opening, I haven't seen anything other than darkness. As time passed, the darkness persisted, leaving me with nothing but my thoughts and the sound of my own footsteps echoing in the void. Doubt began to creep into my mind, wondering if I had made the right decision to venture into this unknown place.

Yet, the memory of Carmilla's words and Eve's reassurance echoed in my thoughts, reminding me of their unwavering belief in me. I clung to that encouragement, drawing strength from their support, determined not to falter.

Looking up—darkness. Looking down—darkness. Looking at the front—darkness. Looking at the back where I came from—darkness. Looking at the left—darkness. Looking at the right—still darkness. Everywhere I look, I only see darkness surrounding me.

After walking for 20 seconds straight, I started to believe that there was nothing here but darkness, and I felt trapped with nowhere to go. Even when I looked back to where I came from, I couldn't see the entrance I had used to enter this mysterious place.

I can't help but think that ending my life might be the only option left for me to go back, I contemplated, enveloped in feelings of desperation and hopelessness.

In Pepper's absence of mind, a fleeting thought about the concept of falling entered her thoughts, leading her to imagine stepping into thin air. Suddenly, a sense of weightlessness enveloped her, and she felt as though she was descending, as if gravity itself had abandoned her.

As the darkness began to disperse, I was met with a chilling sight—a densely packed stone spiked floor lying directly beneath me, and I was rapidly descending towards it.

Pepper: "Waaahhh!"

In a state of panic, I began flailing both my arms and legs while screaming uncontrollably.

In a desperate rush, I hastily activated the [Bat Transformation Lv: 3] skill since it was the only ability that came to mind, capable of potentially saving me. Unlike the other skills I have, this one would activate instantly without any delay, and I was hopeful it could rescue me from this perilous situation.

As I transformed into a bat, my arms metamorphosed into wings, and I instinctively began to flap them with all my might. The new-found wings allowed me to navigate the air, and I felt a sense of relief knowing that I had found a way to escape the impending danger below.

After flapping my wings for a few seconds, I managed to stabilize myself in the air. As I looked down, a chilling sight greeted me—there were a bunch of skeletons impaled on the sharp spikes below. The room seemed vast, so massive that when I started falling, I hadn't even noticed the stone spikes on the ground.

Pepper sighed in relief.

Pepper: 'Phew, I almost got poked by a bunch of stone spikes.'

As Pepper collected her thoughts, she couldn't help but calculate how close she had been to falling onto the dense stone spikes and potentially meeting a painful demise. The notion of her head and heart being impaled simultaneously was particularly worrisome, considering her vampiric nature as a clone of Carmilla.

Unless both her heart and head were destroyed simultaneously, Pepper wouldn't be killed instantly due to her vampiric nature. However, the destruction of either of these vital organs would pose significant challenges for her. If her heart was damaged, she'd be unable to engage in any strenuous activities until it fully healed. Similarly, if her head suffered harm, she would be like a blind and deaf entity, unable to navigate properly without sight and hearing. It could lead to confusion, making her movements erratic, possibly even walking in circles while thinking she's heading straight.

Losing the entire head would be catastrophic for Pepper as a vampire compared to having a missing heart. While the loss of her heart might render her weak for a period of time until it heals, she would eventually recover. However, if her head is completely gone, it would have far more severe consequences since she would lose her ability to see, hear, and process information. The lack of sensory perception would greatly hinder her mobility and decision-making, making her vulnerable and reliant on others for survival.

But for a normal human, even a slight damage to both the heart and head can be life-threatening. Surviving such injuries would be a stroke of luck, but the road to recovery would be immensely challenging. The combination of injuries to vital organs like the heart and brain would severely impact their overall health and functionality, making day-to-day life incredibly difficult.