Chapter 1355: Chapter 1355

After dispatching all the guards in the sealed pipeline, Jenkins emerged from the water. He used a flicker of flame to steam his clothes dry while scanning his surroundings, quickly spotting the owner of the blood trail that had guided him here.

The creature was another of the exotic bone-eaters, one Jenkins had killed only minutes before. Its chest was grievously wounded, blood still weeping from beneath its bone-like armor. The reason it had fled to this location was a mystery, but Jenkins guessed it had been wounded by the Church and was desperately seeking aid for what was clearly a fatal injury.

It hadn't anticipated that such a careless retreat would lead Jenkins right to this hideout. Whether that was a stroke of terrible luck for the creature or incredible luck for Jenkins was anyone's guess.

A quick search of the short pipeline revealed that it had been completely converted into a kind of warehouse for a Mysterious Realm entrance. Every inch of the curving walls was covered in complex, interlocking rituals. They were derived from the monsters' knowledge, and while Jenkins couldn't decipher the specifics, as a level-five Enchanter, he could grasp their fundamental purpose: to connect, guide, seal, and protect.

"They were prepared for this," Jenkins mused. "They knew the entrance would destabilize from improper use, so they laid these rituals in advance to guide its reformation after it collapsed. The knowledge these creatures possess is truly formidable."

He squeezed the ship ticket in his pocket, his resolve hardening, and stepped firmly through the shimmering gate of light.

The familiar vertigo washed over him. Even with his eyes squeezed shut, he couldn't banish the kaleidoscopic phantoms. When his feet finally found solid ground, Jenkins had to brace himself against the floor, dry heaving for a long moment. Only then did he realize he was surrounded by a darkness as complete as midnight, broken only by an ominous, deep-red glow in the far distance.

Four other people stood nearby, none of whom showed any of the discomfort he felt upon entering a Mysterious Realm. That was unnatural. Even if they had all entered from Nolan at different times, the realm’s unified timeline should have synchronized them, dropping Jenkins into the exact moment of their collective arrival.

"Oh, Mr. White Cat! You're really here!"

Jenkins spotted Mr. White Cat immediately. He was leaning against one of the statues, eyeing Jenkins with suspicion.

Seeing his wariness, Jenkins quickly explained,

"It's me," he said, "Mr. Candle—the one without the cat. I ran into Mr. Hood by chance. He sent me to rescue you. What in the world is going on here?"

His identity confirmed, Mr. White Cat immediately began to explain the situation. With others present, he skipped over the events that led him here and focused on the Mysterious Realm itself, which he stressed was an extremely grave matter.

"This Mysterious Realm has already looped three times," he began. "The first time, it was just me and that woman over there. We failed, but instead of dying, everything just reset. On the second loop, this Nightwatchman from the Church showed up, and he brought us up to speed on the situation in Nolan. The third time, this Gravekeeper arrived. You, Mr. Candle, are part of the fourth loop.

"To be specific, the rules here have been twisted. The good news is that we won't die if we fail to find the exit—we just start over. The bad news is that with every failure, every time this realm resets, it allows more of those monsters from outside our world to use the gate and cross over."

"So what are the rules? What exactly do we have to do?"

Jenkins asked, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings. The dark sky and the inexplicable, deep-red glow in the distance brought to mind descriptions of hell.

"In a moment, a... 'person' will appear and tell us the rules," Mr. White Cat said. "I've heard them three times already, but maybe a fourth will help me figure out where we went wrong before. Remember this, Mr. Candle: the moment they give the signal to start, don't think about anything else. Just run forward. Don't waste a single second. And one more thing—how is Nolan? What have been the consequences of our three failures?"

That last question wasn't just for Mr. White Cat; the others were clearly just as anxious to know. Two of the four were Enchanters from the Orthodox Churches, but they'd had the misfortune of entering the realm long before Jenkins had reported its existence.

They had stumbled upon the monster-guarded entrance by accident. After a brief, desperate fight, they realized they were outmatched and facing certain death, forcing them to retreat into the realm as their only means of escape.

"It's ten past two in the morning," Jenkins reported. "The entire city is still on lockdown. There haven't been any major disturbances yet, but each new wave of monsters has been larger and stronger than the last. If we can't put a stop to this before dawn, Nolan is going to be in serious trouble."

As they spoke, Jenkins suddenly heard a cough behind him. He spun around to see a woman holding an hourglass, who had appeared without a sound. She looked mostly human, but both of her feet were cloven hooves, and a thick stench of sulfur began to fill the air around her. She was undoubtedly a demon, or something very much like one. For origınal chapters go to ⓝovelFire.net

"I didn't expect another newcomer," the woman remarked. "Just as well. Perhaps this time you'll actually find your way out."

The woman spoke in a shrill voice, each word echoing unnaturally in the oppressive atmosphere. Combined with the hellish surroundings, it was enough to make one's skin crawl.

"Do you see that red glow on the horizon?" she asked. "Find its source. The door is there. You have ten minutes, starting the moment I flip this hourglass. Now, any questions?"

She directed the question to the group.

The others were already poised to run, but Jenkins kept his eyes on the ground and asked loudly,

"What's your connection to the monsters who are misusing this realm?"

"None whatsoever," she purred. "They simply happened upon this place and are making use of it."

"So you have a grudge against them too, then?" Jenkins pressed. "If it weren't for them, you would have 'won' after the first loop, wouldn't you? You would have earned your passage to the material world. Why don't we cooperate? Give us a few hints, and when we get back, we'll make sure the ones responsible for this mess are punished."

"But if I give you hints, I lose either way," she sneered. "Don't play your clever little games with a demon, human. Your ten minutes start now. I look forward to seeing you all again at the start of the fifth loop."