Beyond the Eternity

Chapter 185 How to Survive a Haunting House [3]

[The Hidden Fable has begun its storytelling.]

I stared at the system notification floating in front of my eyes.

There could only be one reason for a Hidden Fable to trigger within the Sixth Fable—somehow, we had fulfilled the conditions to unlock this secret story.

Yet, any sense of accomplishment or excitement was absent. Instead, a heavy sense of foreboding settled in my chest.

Shaking off the unease, I swiftly manipulated the system interface, pulling up the details of the Hidden Fable.

+

[Hidden Story ### — Devil's Roulette]

✧ Type: Special

✧ Difficulty: ???

✧ Story Objective: Collect the missing fragments while surviving the relentless assault of the hunters. During this duration, the 'House' will enter full assault mode and constantly attack the walkers.

✧ Time Limit: 24 hours

✧ Rewards: Missing Fragments

✧ Penalty: ???

+

The description aligned with my expectations.

The entities pulling the strings within the House would now assume the roles of 'hunters,' their sole purpose being to hunt down every participant until either the story's mystery was solved or we were wiped out.

Simply put, It was a demonic game of life and death.

It wasn't hard to see why this Fable was labeled with an S-grade difficulty.

Was this how the previous participating walkers had failed to clear the Fable, and got turned into furniture as a result?

No, I didn't think that was the case. Those people were likely killed by the House, just as Ryu Yeji had been.

Triggering the Hidden Story was no small feat. It didn't add up that someone else had managed to activate it before us. If they had, they wouldn't have ended up as mere furniture.

For some reason, those people had chosen to awaken the Hidden Story. Maybe they saw us as a threat. Maybe it was just a reckless whim.

Either way, I need to brace myself for whatever madness is about to come.

I'm sensing some bullshit along the way. But it's good to be prepared, Yes?

With the Silver Magic Gun, Ivory, in hand, I moved through the house shrouded in gray fog.

†

†

A sharp sound echoed through the air.

The last knight, encased in heavy, battered armor, crumpled to the ground as the magic bullet pierced its defenses, exploding its head like a balloon.

The only noise that followed was the hollow thud of its body hitting the floor, lifeless. Its limbs twitched briefly before falling still.

And just like that, it was over.

My cold, emotionless gaze swept across the space, now littered with the lifeless bodies of the knights that had ambushed me.

There was no guilt. No regret.

Why should I feel guilt for killing enemies that had tried to take my life?

No matter how I tried to rationalize it, I couldn't understand why I should feel bad about it. Besides, even if I wanted to, I couldn't force myself to feel sorry for them.

My eyes narrowed.

Dark, shadowy mist began to seep from the knights' broken bodies. It rose into the air, swiftly carried away by the wind, and disappeared into nothingness.

All that was left were the fragments of their armor.

The soldiers hadn't been alive to begin with.

They were merely Existences (存在) created through Magic.

Hmm. What type of magic was that again?

I closed my eyes, diving into the depths of my memories until I finally reached my answer.

Individual Magic (个人魔法)

A technique that uses a person's own source to transform their imaginery into reality. Unlike spirit magic, It does not require an external source, as long as the caster holds a clear image of the phenomenon they wish to manifest into the World (宇宙).

Essentially, It is a form of power born from one's 'virtual reality' within the «Mind Body», creating phenomena based on principles of quantum theory.

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By observing the world and applying changes on a micro-quantum level, one can create phenomena on a macro level. For example, drawing heat from the environment to create freezing, or imagining burning to manifest a flame.

From what I can tell, these knights were created using Creation (创造) and Destruction (毁灭) as a form of virtualization.

So, those people were capable of something like this too, huh?

"Tch, tch, tch."

I clicked my tongue three times in quick succession.

Everything's been a damn mess since the Hidden Story began its narrative.

Where do I even begin?

To make matters worse, it seemed the traps weren't just ahead of me; they were beneath me as well.

Kakakakkakakakkakakakakaka!

Behind me, something materialized out of nowhere, surging toward me with incredible speed.

A giant skull.

The mechanism beneath my feet had triggered the manifestation of that thing?

I laughed bitterly. "Hah! A giant skull? Since when did they start getting creative with their traps? It's not funny at all."

Were there still people who used such outdated horror traps?

The person behind this seriously needed to take a few online courses on setting up haunted house traps.

The giant skull, however, clearly didn't share my sense of humor. It closed the distance between us, its jaw snapping open and shut like the maw of a ravenous beast.

If I get caught by that thing, I'm certain my death won't be a pleasant one.

Even if I could resurrect, being crushed and devoured alive is definitely not on my to-do list.

I raised [Ivory], charged it with a large amount of magic, and pulled the trigger.

Fmoosh!

The shot transformed into a large beam of light that tore through the giant skull in an instant.

A huge hole formed.

However, it was only a hollow victory.

In the next moment, the giant skull completely reformed and continued its relentless pursuit. There wasn't even a scratch.

"Eh, so this is how it works."

Unlike the physical traps like the silver arrows, the giant skull was most likely created using Magic.

As long as the source existed, attacking it was as pointless as trying to strike the moon reflected on the surface of a river.

It was that kind of phenomenon.

The giant skull laughed at me as if it was mocking my efforts.

"Tch! This is some serious bullshit."

With no other choice, I turned and dashed forward, sprinting down the seemingly endless straight path.

No, that wasn't right.

The path ahead twisted and turned in ways that made it feel like the hallway was stretching on forever, elongating just to torment me.

Thwish!

I barely dodged another projectile, the sudden, sharp whistle of the arrow cutting through the air like a blade.

My brows furrowed.

As if the giant skull wasn't enough, the other traps were all springing into action as well. It was as if they didn't want to miss out on the party known as kissing Kim Jakga's ass.

Click!

Amidst my tremendous sprint, I stepped on something and jumped instinctively. The floor shifted, splitting apart to reveal several steel spears jutting up from below.

For a brief moment, I glimpsed a skeleton beneath the shifting floor. It seemed like someone had fallen victim to that particular trap.

I ignored it and continued running forward like a madman.

BAM!

A heavy footfall, followed by another, echoed through the corridor. A massive shadow loomed behind.

The giant skull was gaining momentum and closing the distance.

Every instinct screamed at me to run faster, but I knew better than to rely solely on my speed. The house was constantly shifting its layout, and if I didn't figure out the pattern soon, I'd be trapped with no way out.

Running down the endless straight path wasn't going to cut it.

I focused my mental energy into the Eagle Eyes.

The skill wasn't just enhancing my vision—it was sharpening my awareness of everything around me. Every subtle shift in the walls, every echo, every creak of the house under pressure.

It was how I'd managed to evade countless projectiles until now.

Now, I needed to use that heightened awareness to find a weak point.

A series of clicks echoed beneath my feet. I quickly sidestepped, narrowly avoiding another series of arrows triggered by the trap.

"Dammit!"

Then, as if time had slowed down once more, I saw it: the faint outline of something ahead.

A door.

It could have been set there deliberately, or perhaps it was a mistake, an error created by the House.

I didn't care about the possibility of either. All I saw was that door. It was my salvation.

Without hesitation, I veered off course, heading for it. I could already hear the skull's shrieking mouth behind me, with its hunger ever growing.

I reached the door, turned the doorknob, and slipped through, shutting it behind me.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

All that followed was the sound of the monster's banging and cries outside.