Chapter 99: A Beautifully Sick Mind

Deep in the labyrinthine tunnels of the Breathing Giant's artery was a lonesome figure.

The figure was etched atop a large wooden chest. Their frame donning a black, lustrous armour which had slight scratches on its surface, the shroud of the wear falling down their nape.

The figure's legs were crossed as their eyes skimmed across the pages of a strange book. Next to him was another book, this one much thicker than the other and titled, 'GARDENING BASICS FOR GREENHORNS by Robert D. Weide'.

FWIP.

The figure flipped a page of the strange book and sighed, muttering on their breath,

"God...would it kill that bastard to at least leave a clue on magic...?"

Their voice was hoarse, dripping with barely-concealed annoyance.

The figure flipped a few more pages before stopping at a certain one, they seemed to want to flip over to the next but stopped themselves.

HA...

A small sigh escaped their lips as the book collapsed into a rain of sparks.

HUP.

Hopping off the chest, the figure exhaled slowly, eyes fixated on the dark crimson walls of flesh surrounding them.

The air was thick with the scent of old blood, stale and suffocating. Yet, despite the grotesque environment, the figure let out a small smile, one that seemed born out of an odd sense of tranquility.

A twisted sort of peace.

The figure stretched out their hands and closed their eyes,

"The world outside is simple—full of empty conversations, predictable actions, and naive expectations. Here, though...everything is raw, unfiltered, and devoid of pretense. Its chaos distilled into reality. There's a certain beauty to that."

They stepped towards the walls, and raced a finger along it, feeling the rhythmic pulse beneath their gloves,

"The pulse...is stronger than before..."

The figure frowned before collapsing the secod book and chest into a rain of sparks and turning down the tunnel.

...

With each step, my feet sunk into the fleshy ground of the artery, giving a sinking like feeling.

It made my skin crawl, and my nose wrinkle but I did my best to ignore it.

I had to get out of here, to flee this monster's body and reach the Abyss Below.

Suddenly, a voice whispered into my ears.

'What even is in the Abyss Below?'

"Wha-?!"

I shuddered, immediately snapping my head backwards.

There was no one.

Huh?

'Dude what are you doing? It's me.'

I blinked.

Oh... it's just you...

'Huh? What do you mean it's just me? Who were you expecting? Yo mama?'

Ugh...shut up...

I groaned as I continued to make my way forward.

'Whatever back to my question, what the hell is the Abyss Below?'

It was a good question actually.

To add context to it, the Abyss Below was a revelation I received from Silver Lining. It was meant to be a hole beneath the body of the Breathing Giant, an escape path from that hellish quarry.

Except from the knowledge it being a dark hole, I had no idea what it actually was or where it led to.

Or...what lurked in it.

In fact, how I can to know that it was called the Abyss Below was also a mystery to me as well.

It's probably...from the revelation... probably.

HA...

I exhaled slowly, rolling my shoulders as I adjusted to the slow rhythmic pulsing around me.

The Breathing Giant's insides had a strange way of making one feel both comfort and disgust at the same time.

'You know for someone who calls others predictable, you sure do a lot of wandering into weird places with no plan.'

I ignored the voice. Not because it was wrong, obviously...

But because...for some strange reason, every time it spoke I felt a chilly sensation.

A slight frown was etched on my face.

Hmm... that's weird.

The artery stretched ahead as usual but the darkness that nestled in it was much deeper than normal and its walls throbbed gently, shifting like muscle contracting under a skin too thick to break.

And then, just as I took another step forward, the walls quivered.

A slow, deliberate ripple passed through the artery, like something exhaling.

And then-

Ah shit...here we go again.

DROOMM!!!

The world shook violently, the artery rumbled terribly and the smooth surface of the black puddles shattered.

I dropped to my knees, keeping my hands low to the ground to maintain balance.

DROOMM!!!

The world continued shake before coming to a slow halt, prompting me to rise.

HA...

I let out a sigh before dusting my armour, my face calm as I stared forward.

'God...I really want out of here.'

You're not alone on that.

I smiled faintly before turning forward, my expression turning into one of scrutiny.

There was an odd pulse...

The pulse was different. Before, it had been imperceptibly slow and steady kinda like a stifled heartbeat.

But now?

It felt odd...less like a pulse and more like…

A signal.

'Uhh...dude, that feels kinda creepy.'

My eyes narrowed, trying to pierce through the darkness nesting afront.

I can't use Death Darting Eyes...so should I use Reverb Mapping instead...? No...I'll end up attracting those heads...

I stared at the darkness, trying to make sense of the pulse.

"Hmm..."

I shifted to the wall and pressed my hand against it, feeling the slow, wet shift beneath my black glove. The pulse beneath my fingertips quickened for a second, then slowed again.

It was responding to me.

Hehehe...

My lips slowly twisted into a smile, before I put down my hand.

'Dawg! That's creepy!'

My right hand stretched out.

Open.

Following that, a swirl of white sparks manifested along my palm and from it a foil of silver was born.

[Equipped Item: Silver Lining.]

Feeling it's usual invigorating energy seep into my body, I strode forward.

Stepping into the darkness.

SWOO...

A humid gale caressed my face as I walked through the darkness, a familiar feeling coming to me.

Reminds me of the dark tunnel...except unlike before...

I grinned.

I don't fear the darkness.

'Famous last words.'

Oh shut up.

I turned my head, scanning the darkness, my eyes slowly adjusting to it.

Huh?

For a moment, I saw something but it vanished just as quickly as it came.

My eyes narrowed before I took a step forward, moving in the direction of what I had seen.

'Dude...are you sure it wasn't just a floater?'

No...it seemed too perceptible to just be mere micro bacteria.

I continued to walk, taking measured steps as I transversed the darkness, feeling the odd pulse beneath my feet.

Hmm...hmm...

ARGH!

Suddenly I let out a shriek, dropping Silver Lining and using my hands to shield my eyes.

Fuck!

'Dude chill...it's just light.'

Indeed.

Right before me were several bulbs of flesh, each growing from the walls of the artery and giving out a pale blue glow.

They illuminated the artery tunnel, dying the darkness with in its bioluminescent blue hue.

Oh...right...

I dropped my hands and let out a sigh before picking up Silver Lining and turning to them.

Suddenly a sense of curiosity arose in me, and subconsciously my hand reached for one of them.

Where you the ones who sent that signal?

I thought as my hand grew closer to the bulb before suddenly I stopped.

SHIFF.

Up ahead, the tunnel forked into three separate paths.

Three separate paths.

A branching arteriole...

'Whoa...'

I walked forward, my boots sinking slightly into the slick ground.

As I approached, I realized something.

Each tunnel pulsed differently.

The one on the left had a sluggish, lethargic beat, barely pushing its flow forward. The middle one was erratic—beating in sharp, uneven pulses. And the right…

I hesitated.

The right path wasn't pulsing at all.

It was still.... deathly still.

I clicked my tongue, "That's weird."

'Weird?! Bro, it's fucking sus. Please let's not do that horror movie thing where the idiot picks the obviously cursed path.'

Hehe...then let's do just that.

'WHA-'

I took a step forward.

And without a second thought, I stepped into the right tunnel.

The moment my foot crossed the threshold, something changed and the system spoke.

[Anomaly detected.]