Homunculus (2)

After running day and night without proper sleep, I finally arrived at the temple.

“……”

The temple was eerily quiet and was no different from when I left. The tents and cooking facilities set up for an extended stay were still untouched.

The only thing missing was the people.

Thump.

What the hell happened here?

There weren’t even any signs of a battle.

In fact, it looked like they had been in the middle of cooking. A pot filled with thick stew was still on the stove.

“…It’s open?”

Only then did I notice that the temple door which had been closed until now, was wide open.

Could that be related to what happened?

As I moved toward the temple, lost in thought—

[Bjorn Jandel…!!]

A familiar voice suddenly called out from behind.

“…Hamsiki?”

The moment I turned my head toward the sound, Hamsiki ran upto me.

[Why did you take so long to get here?! I was scared out of my mind……!]

This was the first time I’d seen him so shaken.

But I didn’t have time to calm him down and get the full story.

“What the hell happened here?”

[I-I don’t know! A light burst out of the temple, and everyone suddenly stood up like they’d gone mad and walked inside!]

“They went in on their own…?”

Could be some sort of charm or mind control. That would explain the lack of battle evidence.

[Yeah! Their eyes looked strange. They were walking all limp, and it was like they couldn’t even see me standing right next to them!]

“Okay, calm down.”

[…]

“So you were the only one unaffected?”

[That’s right.]

“And you didn’t see the expedition members who crossed the river with me?”

[Ah…! If you mean them, they entered the temple a few days ago, carried by a strange flying object……]

A flying object? Like the drone I saw earlier?

“Were they unconscious?”

[No, their eyes were open. But they looked totally out of it, like the others.]

“…Damn, how wide is this thing’s range?”

[…Huh?]

“Nothing. Talking to myself.”

The source of this mind control is clearly the temple.

But to think its effect reaches all the way across the river…

I was protected by the dimensional severance, but why was Hamsiki unaffected?

Could it be because he’s classified as a ‘monster’?

I couldn’t be sure, but for now, I focused on gathering information from Hamsiki.

“You haven’t gone inside the temple, so you don’t know what’s in there?”

[W-Well, I was waiting for you to arrive! Not because I was scared or anything!]

“Sure, sure.”

[…]

Unfortunately, Hamsiki was just a witness. He hadn’t actively investigated anything.

That meant this was all the information I could get from him.

“Guess I’ll have to go in myself to find out.”

Time to get moving.

[The character has entered the 7th Archive]

The interior structure of the temple was extremely simple.

As soon as I entered the open stone gate, I saw a staircase, and as I descended further, a heptagonal hall appeared.

The structure was designed so that, except for the side with the staircase I descended, each of the remaining six sides had a stone door.

“All are closed except one.”

[…This place is giving me the creeps.]

“But what’s that?”

“What’s that over there?”

At the center of the hall was a structure that resembled a desk, or rather, an altar.

It was made of stone-like material, with seven rectangular slots carved into it.

“It’s clearly meant to hold something, but what?”

[Hey, I said it feels creepy!]

“Wait, do I get a reward every time I clear a room?”

[Hello…? Can you… hear me…? Right…?]

I was organizing my thoughts when Hamsiki’s anxious voice reached my ears.

Normally, I would have pretended not to hear him for fun, but with my allies kidnapped, I wasn’t in the mood.

“I hear you.”

[Then why aren’t you answering me?]

“I don’t have anything to say.”

[Huh…?]

“What do you want me to say? That I agree it’s creepy?”

[No, that’s not it…]

“Then we’re done here. Stay quiet for a bit. I need to think.”

Fortunately, Hamsiki seemed to get the message and stopped talking, letting me focus.

‘The size matches perfectly…’

I immediately pulled out the golden book that I had looted from Hamsiki’s house after clearing Library Island, the same book mentioned in the Village Chief’s strange stories.

Swish

I carefully placed the book into one of the grooves, and it fit snugly.

…Could this really be coincidence?

‘No way.’

Then I remembered the note from the village chief’s journal:

[The golden book won’t help you reach your goal.]

I had interpreted that to mean the golden book wasn’t related to “escape.”

After all, that had always been my main objective.

But why would a device like this appear on Rainbow Island, which I thought was the key to escape?

[Nothing’s happening though……?]

“Of course not. It probably only activates when all slots are filled.”

[Ah…….]

“Anyway, be quiet a bit longer. I need to think.”

I got the golden book after clearing the Library Island.

So where can I get the rest?

It might be a bit too straightforward, but perhaps I could collect a book from each island after clearing them…

Library Island, Stone Gate Island, Tree Island, Giant Island, Village Chief Island, Rock Island, and now Rainbow Island. The number of Islands matches the number of groves in the altar.

Of course, this theory isn’t without flaws:

Take Stone Gate Island, for example. I cleared it, but I couldn’t find a reward room or a golden book like the one in Hamsiki’s house.

‘Well, maybe because I didn’t get the true ending…’

But what about Rock Island or Village Chief Island?

Giant Island had the Colossal Giant, but the other two islands didn’t have anything significant to “clear.”

‘The Village Chief is already dead, so he’s irrelevant.’

No matter how much I racked my brain, I couldn’t come up with an answer, which made me more frustrated.

So, I left the question there.

Swish.

I removed the golden book from the altar, stored it in subspace, and checked the closed stone doors.

‘How do I open the rest?’

I had no idea, but there was no need to stress. After all, one door was already open.

If I start there, I would probably find more clues. The method to rescue my allies kidnapped by the temple must be beyond that as well.

“Let’s go, Hamsiki.”

With that in mind, I stopped procrastinating and approached the open stone gate.

Beyond the stone door, something smooth obstructed the view, making it impossible to see through. It felt less like a portal and more like a wall of air.

Slide.

I cautiously pushed my hand through. It felt squishy, like pressing into liquid, but without getting wet.

It was slightly uncomfortable, but with no other options, I stepped through without hesitation.

Thud.

My foot touched solid ground, and an unfamiliar scene unfolded before me.

‘A prison…?’

I’d arrived in what looked like a prison.

But it was nothing like the underground jail below the Explorer’s Guild.

It resembled a modern correctional facility.

Or rather… a futuristic one.

Whirr—

Drones floated through the halls meant for guards, and in the central chamber a massive mechanical wolf was sleeping.

Meanwhile, various monsters with blank expressions on their faces, were being led somewhere by the drones—

“It’s like they can’t see me.”

It felt like I was invisible to them. None of the drones, monsters, or even the mechanical wolf acknowledged me.

[Wh-what is this place…?]

“How would I know?”

I turned to check the wall behind me first.

The smooth, curtain-like barrier was still attached to the wall, and I could pass through it freely.

Swish.

Okay, my hand goes through.

At least I had an exit secured—

[Bjorn Jandel….]

Hamsiki, perched on my shoulder, called out again.

I was about to ignore him, thinking he was overreacting again—

[This place… feels familiar.]

But the tone in his voice made me pause.

[Maybe… I was here before I lost my memory.]

“What…?”

[…Be quiet. I’m thinking.]

So this is payback, huh?

“Alright, fine.”

I kept my mouth shut to avoid disrupting Hamsiki’s focus and continued exploring.

There was no point in rushing, he’d speak up if he remembered something.

Step, step…

As I wandered, I realized something important.

The drones, the mechanical wolf, and the monsters—

I thought I was invisible since they ignored me.

But…

‘So I’m not invisible.’

When I got close, the drones paused and zoomed in on me with their lenses, then ignored me again.

‘Ugh… I’d almost prefer if they just attacked me outright.’

If everything had gone hostile from the start, it’d be simpler.

…But thinking that way feels too barbarian-like.

‘Whatever. Let’s just follow them.’

Still holding Hamsiki, I quietly approached a monster that was trailing behind a drone.

[Hey, go down there.]

Hamsiki suddenly tapped my shoulder.

“Out of nowhere?”

[Just go!]

It felt strange, but I followed his lead and went down the nearby staircase.

After a while—

[Here.]

Hamsiki stopped me near what looked like an emergency exit staircase.

[Look closely at the wall.]

He didn’t sound like he was joking, so I did as he said.

But what was this?

Tap.

As I was feeling the wall, I felt a small hidden groove with my fingertips. I took out a dagger, inserted it into the groove, and pushed, causing the tile to fall off the wall.

And inside…

[It’s really here….]

A mysterious card was hidden in the hollow space.

It wasn’t a plastic card like those used in modern times, but rather a hefty metal card.

“…What is this?”

[I don’t know. I don’t either.]

“You told me to find it, but you don’t know?”

[It’s just… a fragment of memory. I hid that thing here once.]

He said it felt important to him, but he couldn’t recall what it was for.

“…Alright.”

I stored the card in my subspace and put the tile back in place.

“Where to now?”

[Down. There’s something further down. I always kept going further down]

“……”

Hamsiki seemed to know something, so I didn’t press him and continued descending.

And eventually—

“There’s no more stairs. Now what?”

[Then it must be here.]

At the end of the staircase, I reached for a door, and thankfully, it was already unlocked.

And inside…

“……”

It wasn’t like the prison above at all.

The space resembled a dome, like a football stadium.

But the vibe?

It screamed factory.

Whirrr—

A monster stepped onto the conveyor belt, squirmed for a moment, then suddenly froze.

Then—

FLASH—!

A mechanical device above emitted a beam of light, and the monster disappeared without a trace.

In its place, a mana stone was left behind.

Screeeech.

The conveyor belt resumed moving, and the mana stone slid into a box.

And once the box was full—

Rumble.

It was transported away on another conveyor belt.

However, I couldn’t see where it was going.

[Hey! Over there! Look, look!]

At Hamsiki’s shout, I quickly turned my head and froze in place.

Whirr…

On the conveyor belt, I saw a familiar face.

“…Raven?”

Raven was standing blankly on the conveyor belt, slowly being transported forward.

She was headed straight toward the device that turned monsters into mana stones.

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