I need to get used to fighting using the 3D map, but if I just want to raise the skill, the town is still the best.
So, in order to raise «Spatial Awareness Ability Expansion», I head to the Starting Town, where there are many people.
Iâll pose in front of the statue of Stellura-sama, as if praying, and work to improve the skill.
I donât plan to spend the whole Sunday doing this, so Iâll have to think about what to do. I think I can reach the minimum level I wanted sooner than I expected, so I should spend my time on «Ancient Divine Linguistics» âŠ.Language is likely to be the one that will only be ready right before the event.
I think I should spend the first half of the morning on «Spatial Awareness Ability Expansion», and the second half on «Ancient Divine Linguistics». Then in the afternoon I can do something elseâŠ
Okay, letâs do that.
In the afternoon, I log back in.
I leave the palace and head north, up the hill. Yes, I was wondering if I could proceed with the event yet.
I came to the first gate again.
The voice that sounds like a man and a woman speaking at the same time echoes directly in my head.
ăYou came. Beyond is the abyss. A place where the common sense of the outside world does not exist. Will you still go?ă
âYes.â
ăEven if it means ceasing to be a living creature, or losing your place in the world?ă
âEven if so, that is not everything.â
ăGood. You may go. Let the Silver Key lead you to the Ultimate Gate.ă
The ancient one points to the huge gate opposite the one I entered through.
It seems that I have fulfilled the requirements, so I avoid the hexagonal pedestal in the centre as instructed and head for the gate.
As I approach the gate, it gravely opens by itself, butâŠ.I donât see anything ahead?
I donât know if I should say heâŠ.but the ancient one has fallen asleep again on the pedestal.
âŠ.Letâs go then.
From here onwardâŠ..The game has taken controlâŠ..
Oh, I am falling. From the first step, there is no floor and I am falling. Both the 3D map and my eyes seem to be useless. Control of my body is not being returned, so it is clearly an event. I simply fall. This is likely to become a trauma for people who hate bungee, right?
I donât know how long it is, but it feels like I have been falling for a very long timeâŠ.Before dropping into water.
Apparently I can float with this weightâŠ. But itâs a wonderful sea, anyway, with a scent of roses. Yes, the sea smells like roses.
Control of my body was returned to me once I began to float.
Yeah, itâs just the ocean. Not just with the 3D map, but even in range of sight for my eyes.
The Silver Key hanging on my waist shines faintly, the light pointing in a certain direction. I was told to let the Silver Key guide me, so I should follow it.
I might consider learning a swimming skill, but immortals donât need to breathe, so the benefits arenât worth mentioning. It seems that there is no underwater combat, so I can skip it. If there are underwater dungeons, I may change my mind.
Oh, wait. Can I call #1 ⊠As a wyvern âŠ. I see.
Fine. I will swim.
Oh, «Spatial Awareness Ability Expansion» finally reached 30, and now I can see colour and quality on my 3D map. I donât need to use my eyes so much.
It seems that battles and towns are much more efficient than the palace. The only thing left to do is to increase the skill level and extend my range, but I wonder if it will increase any further. Maybe getting to this point, where you can see colourâŠ.is like a tutorial.
Itâs been a while since I started swimming, following the Silver KeyâŠ.Or rather, it has been almost an hour instead of a few minutes. Itâs too big. Itâs definitely an event map, so you wonât come back once youâve been hereâŠ..
Finally, I found land, and can see a huge stone arch, similar to Stonehenge. At last, the Ultimate Gate.
I head for land and go towards the centre of the arch.
I think there was a spell in the original lore, but I havenât heard of it hereâŠ. Is it not necessary in this game?
When I reach the arch the Silver Key floats up to the centre. The Silver Key has started to rotate, while shining, and some of the surrounding stonework also begins to shine. There, the ancient divine language appears in great detail.
The light grows stronger as the key and arch resonateâŠ..and, Iâve moved, havenât I? The scenery on the 3D map has changed in an instant. The Silver Key isâŠreturning to my belt.
Hey, Iâm surrounded by Hounds of Tindalos. Am I being enthusiastically welcomed? Their tailsâŠ.probably, are wagging. I say probably because theyâre not dogs in the first place.
âYouâre hereâŠ.. You guys, we have things to do first. Later.â
Oh, itâs King Woofwoof. Thanks for the help, but does that mean Iâll be surrounded again later?
âFollow me, qualified one.â
Well, youâre different from usual. Letâs follow quietly for now.
The 3D map only shows a field of flowers. Iâll use my eyes. The flowers seem to be a new material, but I will take a look at them properly later.
âŠ..âA place where the common sense of the outside world does not existâ, I see. Itâs certainly outrageous. It may be in the same place, but not in the same place.
There is a very spiky place so far in the distance I can barely see the silhouette. Maybe that is Tindalos.
And there is a huge ship floating in a certain direction. I think itâs a Moon-Beast galley.
There are also buildingsâŠ. that look more developed than real ones. What race do they belong to? Iâm curious.
In other words, the Abyss is a place where many different races live.
Oh, thereâs an oceanâŠ.? Some do come to mind, butâŠ.. I think itâs Cthulhu. Isnât that building Râlyeh?
âDonât trust your eyes here. The distance is not accurate.â
Is it possible that space and dimension have been tampered with for each race? I can see it, but itâs not there, and even if I canât see it, it might be thereâŠ.. Itâs good because itâs interesting.
I follow the King of Tindalos along a single path in the field of flowers. The destination is probablyâŠ.that huge, old castle.
Oh, thereâs a Moon-Beast. Hm? That oneâŠ.looks likeâŠ.
âAre they Mi-go and Yith, by any chance?â
âYes, they are. Perverted engineers. Basically, youâre allowed to go to other racesâ lands, but you shouldnât go to theirs. You never know what you might find.â
The King of Tindalos indicated a building that had been developed to the level of science fiction. So it is their work.
Theyâre talking happily, so I guess theyâre on friendly terms with each other.
âIncidentally, theyâre the ones who created the people called Machinery on the surface.â
ââŠ..What? Youâve just said something outrageous.â
âNo, perhaps not the Machinery, exactly, but the original Armoured they are descended from. A civilization from long ago, from their time.â
So the great races of Mi-Go and Yith created the Armoured race? Well, maybe they were meant to be for factories and assistants. They were like cleaning robots in real life. But now they have minds and became Machinery?
Maybe the part used in Sophie-sanâs broom too. The core thing? But dungeons are naturally occurring, arenât theyâŠ. HmmmâŠ..?
Well, it doesnât matter. Itâs not like thereâs anything special about itâŠ..
Before I noticed there is a big, old castle in front of me. I donât think I walked that far, though.
It is an old castle with gothic architecture in black, white and gray. It has a really nice atmosphere! I canât help taking pictures. I like it very much. Itâs much bigger than Evernight Castle, and gives off an impression of age.
Oops, I have to follow you.
The inside also matches its appearance.
Itâs much bigger than the Evernight Castle, but the number of people is much smaller, so itâs a bit lonely.
The Nether is a royal capital, isnât it. A castle and a castle town.
The Abyss is a castle and a flower garden. Since the land is surrounded by different tribes, is the castle itself of little use?
Hmm, an old woman, a woman and a girl.
âHm, Mhâithrha. Thatâs the girl?â
âYes. She could be one of us.â
âI am Tenebrarum. And Suspiriorum and Lachrymarum.â
âŠ..Our Ladies of Sorrow.
The beautiful girl with black hair and gold eyes who spoke to me is Tenebrarum. The adult woman with grey hair and gold eyes is Suspiriorum. And the wrinkled, white-haired, gold-eyed old woman is Lachrymarum.
âI am Anastasia Atropos Nemeseia.â
âYou did well to come. Nemeseia. Do you have the same eyes as me?â
Mater Tenebrarum was blind. Mater Lachrymarum was deaf and Mater Suspiriorum was mute.
âNo, Iâm still in training. I can see.â
âYes. If youâre going to give, itâs better to give your eyes. Unless, of course, you have a replacement like us.â
With that said, Our Ladies of Sorrow begin to walk away.
âIs itâŠ.that I have to sacrifice my eyes?â
âItâs a kind of training. Well, only if you have eyes.â
Well, I suppose so. There are many races without eyes.
It has been a while since we started walking again, but weâve come farther and farther down.
âI didnât think the Outsiders would actually come.â
Suddenly, a person appeared beside meâŠ.Someone with inhuman beauty, with a neutral face, that could be either male or female, maybe in the late 20s, wearing something like a priests robe.
No, itâs definitely not a human, so itâs natural to look inhuman.
âTake care of this one.â
âVery well.â
âDonât play too much, Nyarlathotep.â
âItâs been a long time since weâve had a regular visitor. I know.â
âIf we let her go, even youâll have trouble finding someone else.â
The Crawling Chaos has comeâŠâŠ
The King of Tindalos has left me behind. Iâm alone with the Crawling Chaos. Oh, scary scary.
Well, I guess in this game I donât need to be too wary.
âNyarlathotep. Iâm the keeper of this castle. I am also the mediator of the gods.â
âAnastasia Atropos Nemeseia.â
âGood. Then follow me.â
Thereâs nothing much going on, until we arrive in front of a large door.
âOh, my God (Ahe dea). Moa pia she les. Goddess Stellura (Ia Ia Stellura).â
Is Nyarlathotep praying towards the door? Or should I say itâs a callâŠ.
Anyway, itâs in the ancient divine language. Unfortunately, I still donât understand the meaning of the middle part.
After finishing, the door ponderously swings open.
âIâm sure youâll be fine here, but please donât be rude.â
Continuing on is a little unsettling, but it is also true that I have no choice but to go.
As I pass through the big door, I lose control of my body again, and an event occurs.
The feeling of the ground under my feet has changed from hard to soft. I proceed a little further, but nothing appears on the 3D map.
After a few more steps, the map suddenly changes. I think Iâve been transferred butâŠ.uhâŠ.Whatâs this?
Rather than being attached to the wallâŠ.The walls themselves are iridescent spheres. They completely surround me, and continue to separate from and attach to each other, while expanding and shrinking.
Exactly like the Cthulhu mythos describes. An indescribable, intangible creature.
The space in front of me blurred, and an iridescent sphere appeared in the air, emitting an intense light. This sphere is changing shape more rapidly than the others in the surroundings.
The sphere stops its erratic movement and begins to form a meaningful shape.
The form is a woman looking about 18 years old, with grey hair and iridescent eyes. Her features are exactly as described in the book.
Oh, Iâve regained control of my body.
âWelcome. Qualified Outsider.â
âIt is an honour to meet you. Stellura-sama.â
When I raised my head after my greeting I found a table and chairs had been prepared. The ones here are making full use of transferralâŠ.best get used to it.
I follow Stellura-samaâs instructions and sit down quietly.
âNow that you are here, are you ready?â
âYes, I am. Iâm just worried about the NetherâŠ.â
âHmmâŠ..I donât want to leave it alone either, but it will depend on your evolution.â
When Stellura-sama lightly waves her hand my UI appears.
âChoose as you wish. It will affect how you evolve. Decide before the time comes.â
WhatâŠ
<In who do you believe>
The three pillars are displayed. Creall-sama is missing.
HmmâŠ. Thatâs a difficult one. Letâs think about it for a moment. âBefore the time comesâ should mean before the level 40 evolution. Maybe.
Even if you were to choose someone other than Stellura-sama, you would still have to choose from one of the âfacesâ. Back to Stellura-samaâŠ.This is on hold.
âThey may not look like it, but theyâre good kids. If youâre going to be one of them, make sure you get along. Youâll be friends with them for a long time.â
âYou get used to their appearance. I think it will be okay.â
Rather, I find it quite exciting. Itâs a three-dimensional mythical creature. Regardless of the setting, the appearance is mostly based on the original work.
âBut that equipment is not enough to come here. Sit down so that you donât touch the floor.â
I donât know why, but Iâll do as instructed.
As soon as Stellura-sama turns her hand towards me, all the rarity Go equipment is removed, becoming a ball of light gathered in Stellura-samaâs palm.
âDonât put your feet on my true body. Your cells will die.â
âOh, yes.â
So thatâs it? Speaking of which, corrosion, atrophy, swelling, exposed bones and the like would be caused just by touching it. I could walk normally because of the protection of my equipment.
Itâs a game of death, and you have to escape without dying. Iâd say donât get involved in the first place, but if you donât then the game wonât start
After a little while the ball of light returns to me and my equipment is restored to its original state.
âThatâs fine. Iâm counting on you.â
With that said Stellura-sama stood up, so I stood too, and bowed to her.
And then I was outside the gate.
<âTitle: Stelluraâs Blessingâ has been enhanced.>
<You have fulfilled specific requirements and acquire âTitle: Encounter with the Goddessâ.>
<The restriction on transferring to the Abyss with the Silver Key has been lifted.>
Nyar-samaâs not here. Oh, theyâre transferring.
âHuh? It seems she likes you. But youâre still an outsider. Youâre welcome to join us. Become strong.â
After saying so they just started walking, so I will follow. If I get left behind, Iâll be lost. Unfortunately, Nyarlathotep is the type who will leave you behind if you donât follow. In the source lore, they are the type of being who would rather drive people crazy and mock them than kill them.
âAt the very least, you should be strong enough to defend yourself. Not outside, of course, but in here.â
And then, Nyar-sama kicked something that had just moved beside me.
The aftermath of the kick nearly killed me. Donât die, donât die. Hang in there, auto-heal.
âItâs all well and good to be curious, but donât be in such a hurry.â
Thinking about it, Nyar-sama was also a guardian of DreamlandâŠ..If I ever come here, Iâll call King Woofwoof right away.
Itâs not a life-threatening thing, but Iâm probably going to be surrounded by the other dogs. Iâd rather die than get involved in a fight.
The thing that was kicked away was left alone, and we proceeded on for a while longer. King Woofwoof was waiting.
âYouâre back. Looks like you made it through safely.â
âThen, King of Tindalos, Iâll leave the rest to you.â
âGot it.â
Just like when I arrived, I will follow the King of Tindalos again. Farewell, Nyar-sama.
It has occurred to me that, basically, people here donât âwalkâ âŠOr maybe not people as suchâŠ..but still, I donât see them doing so.
I see people standing around talking, but I donât see them moving around busily. They transfer aroundâŠor fly.
But Stellura-samaâs question is bugging me.
Thereâs more than one good choice. Should I arrange them by what seems strongest? But that feels like a trap to meâŠ. It would be better to have a reason to choose one. You can never know what the management here will do.
âWhat are you worried about?â
âI was askedâŠâWho do you believe in and what do you value?â â
âI see. But itâs Stellura-sama, isnât it?â
âYes, it is. That part is fine, butâŠ.â
âOh, the âfaceâ you believe in? Youâll have to decide that for yourself. Otherwise itâs meaningless. Choose what you think is really important.â
HmmmâŠ..I think itâs all important to be honestâŠ.. Life, Death, Space-Time, Fate, Contract, Condemnation.
In fact, itâs like a Japanese question. Can you write a sentence using the above wordsâŠ.?
While I am walking and thinking, we have exited the old castle. And now I am surrounded by dogs. What happened to the dignity of a hound? At the moment theyâre just acting like ugly looking dogs.
All right, all right. Mmm, that feels strange to touchâŠ. Why are you guys lining up?
The one I was petting smoothly moved away, and the next one in line smoothly moved forward. âŠTheyâre waiting to be petted?
âGood griefâŠ.Weâre not even compatriots yet.â
The king is a grandfather figureâŠ.
Well, there arenât many of them, so itâs okayâŠâŠ
I pet each one of them moderately. It was a strange feeling, like slime. They broke up as if they were satisfied.
Oh, hereâs one coming from behindâŠ..
âTekeli li. Li liâŠ.â
A slightly different iridescence from Stellura-samaâs. A much darker iridescent sphere. Itâs a bit like slime, but itâs definitely different from the image that comes to mind. The surface is bubbling, closing and opening as if countless eyes were blinking. Itâs quite a gross slime.
Stellura-sama is a collection of innumerable spheres, with a beautiful iridescent colour. This slime is a blackish iridescent sphere.
One of its tentacles extends and stops in front of me. Specifically, it is at waist height.
When I grasp it, it shakes my hand lightly, and the tentacle retracts. Well, itâs a handshake.
âTekeli-li~â
It seems to be in such a good mood that there is almost a musical note to it. Itâs gone now, though.
ââŠ.Shoggoth?â
âThatâs right. Donât worry too much about it.â
Aside from itâs outside appearance, it seems pretty cute. Aside from the appearance. By the way, itâs about five meters in size, so itâs pretty big.
Well, itâs not something you would want to see on the surface. It would make children cry.
âThen King, Iâll leave for now. Please teach me more of the ancient language later.â
âYes. Donât forget weâre looking forward to it.â
âIâll try to meet your expectations as soon as possible.â
âWeâll see you soon, qualified one.â
Using the Silver Key I fly back to the central square of the Starting Town.
I have come to the statue in the central squareâŠ.. Yes, there are people walking around!
Now, letâs check some things.
First of all, my equipment isâŠ..unchanged. The Abyss has been added as a destination for the Silver Key. The blessing is still a blessing, but improved. If I want to strengthen it further, I might have to evolve.
And the rest would be the titles.
Encounter with the Goddess.
A commemorative title given to those who meet the Goddess.
While a commemorative title, there are hidden effects, so be careful.
Stelluraâs Blessing
Increases resistance to light and dark magic. Reduces the cost of light and dark magic.
Enhances spatial magic. Provides a bonus to spatial magic experience. Reduces cost of spatial magic.
Increases healing effect. Increases resistance to instant death.
The blessing has been strengthened considerably, from just cost reduction. I donât know the value, but it seems to be an enhancement of the ability corresponding to each face. From top to bottom, I think they are light and dark, space-time and fate, life and death. Contracts and condemnations are probably not possible in terms of statusâŠ..
Now, it seems that I can evolve by raising my base level by 4 more, butâŠ.for some reason, I think it will be after the official event after all.
âOh! Thereâs a really cute girl!â
âSeriously, we should invite her!â
Thatâs right, now that Iâm in the Starting Town, shall I ask Ertz-san to process the magic iron?
âHmm. Miss, would you like to play with us?â
I can sell the lytium, which is apparently light iron, that came from the dungeon. Iâm sure Ske-san and Alf-san brought it in yesterday.
I can make attribute metal during the magic iron processing and sell it when I come to receive the iron.
The number of summons for the official event is limited to one, but itâs not enough when considering wyverns and lizardines. Even if you send them out, theyâll be a target due to their size.
As a result, the wolf is better. Then the capacity is enough.
âYouâre being ignored.â
âThatâs not true, senorita!â
In the end Iâll just have to strengthen myself.
«Spatial Awareness Ability Expansion», which is definitely needed in my daily activities and free-for-all. And there is the «Ancient Divine Linguistics», which will have some effect for the Book of Eibon. The latter should be maxed out before the event. The former I want to get as high as I can before the event.
âWait, youâre being too persistent!â
Iâll sell attribute metal and hunt once I receive the magic iron. On weekdays, it is going to take time to raise «Ancient Divine Linguistics», so itâs best to hunt on weekends.
If thatâs the case, Iâll go to sell it immediately.
âOh, Princess is being picked up, degozaru!â
âGood day, Musasabi-san. You were doing pickup?â
ââŠ.Huh?â
Musasabi-san is looking at a man who is squirming about with pity, what happened?
âOh, by the way, congratulations on getting south. How was it?â
âHmmâŠ..we havenât left the port town yet, degozaruna.â
âOh, you havenât explored yet?â
âThe town itself didnât look much different, degozaruna. You were in a dungeon, werenât you? Was it fun, degozaru?â
âYes, it was quite hard.â
âMuu. Iâm torn between the south and the dungeon, degozaruka.â
âIâve already got a pretty good idea of what Iâm going to do until the official eventâŠ.â
âWell planned, degozaruna. Then Iâll stop disturbing you, degozaru.â
I part with Musasabi-san, sell lytium for 500 per unit at Ertz-sanâs shop, leave the magic iron with him and then fly back to the palace.
I make 11 pieces of metal of all attributes, and go to Ertz-sanâs shop again. He buys them at the usual price, and then it is off to replenish magic stones at the Merchant Union.
My savings have increased to 9 million. Thatâs good.
Now, time for some hunting and then have dinner. After that, I will craft until bed.
Iâll have to think about Stellura-samaâs question, but Iâll be realistic about that. I wish I could use all of them in one sentence.
Well, Iâve done what I had to do, so off to go level up.