Chapter 12. Record of Another World #1
How should I lure the apple?
I was contemplating the method with my hand on my chin when it happened.
[Sssii!]
Suddenly, the Dog Spider sprang forward.
It darted toward the nearest apple tree.
[Pii!]
The Jellyfish followed, flying toward the apple tree after the Dog Spider.
【Pururu】 ─?? Where are you going all of a sudden!
【Mysticism】 ─😮
What’s gotten into them?
I was a bit bewildered but didn’t try to stop them.
After all, they were originally wild monsters.
They wouldn’t recklessly charge at an opponent stronger than themselves.
‘Did they judge that they could win even against this number of opponents?’
I hoped so.
If they were acting foolishly, there was no way we could continue together.
I didn’t need a companion prone to reckless bravado.
‘But it’s strange. The Dog Spider doesn’t have an aggressive personality. It’s not the type to jump into action without orders.’
The Dog Spider and the Jellyfish reached the apple tree.
I didn’t move from my spot.
From a distance, I closely observed their actions.
The Jellyfish used magic to shake the tree.
As a result, the apples hanging from the branches fell and rolled onto the ground.
【Pururu】 ─Huh? The apples are floating in the air!
【Mysticism】 ─😮
The fallen apples began to float, defying gravity.
It didn’t seem to be the Jellyfish’s levitation magic.
It looked like the apples were floating on their own power.
However, their freedom didn’t last long.
[Sss!]
The Dog Spider swiftly wrapped the apples with its silk.
The apples fell back to the ground.
…It seemed our guys had won.
Without even a proper battle.
***
I decided not to say anything like “Don’t act on your own without my orders from now on.”
Even though they followed me, they didn’t exactly obey.
Our relationship was closer to that of friends than that of a master and slave.
In other words, it was a horizontal relationship, not a hierarchical one.
‘Still, I should caution them to be more careful next time. I could be in danger otherwise.’
With that thought in mind, I reached the apple tree.
[Sii!]
[Pii!]
The Jellyfish presented me with an apple it had bound with its silk.
The apple remained intact even when touched by the silk, suggesting that the Dog Spider had lifted its ability restriction on the Jellyfish as well.
I carefully received one of the apples.
【Pururu】 ─Crazy. Why does the apple have eyes and a mouth?
“Because it’s a monster.”
【Pururu】 ─You’re not planning to eat it, are you?
“Am I crazy? Eat something rotten?”
This seemed inedible.
It wasn’t the grotesque appearance that was the issue; the apple was clearly rotten.
It was obvious that the apple contained poison.
【Pururu】 ─But it seems really weak for a monster. How dangerous is it?
“It’s B-grade too.”
【Pururu】 ─??? Wasn’t it just a weakling? What kind of B-grade is that?
“It’s probably a creature that can only unleash its full power under certain conditions.”
【Pururu】 ─Certain conditions?
【Mysticism】 ─🤔
“There are some that only become strong in specific environments or by feeding on their opponent’s fear.”
【Pururu】 ─Then isn’t it technically not B-grade? It’s weak right now.
That wasn’t incorrect.
Right now, it was indeed weak.
If I let my guard down and relaxed, if I emptied my mind and took a casual look, its danger level would be assessed as very low.
But under normal circumstances, my instincts still told me this creature was B-grade.
The reason was obvious.
If the apple’s power had been sealed, I wouldn’t have sensed it as B-grade, but it wasn’t that its power was sealed; it just hadn’t met the conditions to exert its power.
There’s no telling when or how it might meet those conditions and unleash its true strength.
If I got careless, it could be dangerous, so I had to be careful.
【Pururu】 ─AHHHHHHH
【Pururu】 ─Geon! Behind you!!!
【Mysticism】 ─Behind!!!
Suddenly, urgent messages popped up.
Mysticism had even chimed in with a chat for the first time.
What is it? Does that mean the situation is that dire?
I glanced back over my shoulder and spotted an apple that hadn’t been captured by the silk.
It must have been hiding out of sight while the others were subdued.
The apple floated into the air, its eyes gleaming brightly, and it began summoning other apples around it.
Unlike the main body, which was rotting, the summoned apples appeared fresh and vibrant.
[Pii?]
[Sii.]
The Dog Spider and the Jellyfish didn’t even glance at them.
They must instinctively know.
That the level of the summoned apples was extremely low.
“These aren’t even F-grade.”
【Pururu】 ─Not even F-grade? So, they’re weaker than ordinary people?
As I looked indifferently at the apples, they all flew at me at once.
Thud. Thud, thud.
It didn’t even tickle.
The apples that charged at me bounced off my body and rolled to the ground.
【Pururu】 ─What’s this?
【Mysticism】 ─🤔
I picked up one of the summoned apples.
Even up close, it still didn’t seem dangerous at all.
Which meant.
Even if the main apple somehow managed to unleash its full power, the summoned apples wouldn’t grow stronger. Not unless it summoned new ones.
“It seems the quality of the summons is low because the rotten apple is unable to exert any of its power.”
【Pururu】 ─Is that so? I worried for nothing.
【Pururu】 ─What a lame apple. Scaring us for nothing. ㅡㅡ
【Mysticism】 ─🤣
“This one looks edible, though.”
【Mysticism】 ─😶
【Pururu】 ─Why would you eat that…?
“It’s not rotten like the main one.”
【Pururu】 ─But it still doesn’t look right. Are you sure it’s safe to eat?
【Mysticism】 ─🤢
“We’ll find out if we try. First, let’s capture the rotten apple that summoned them─”
As I was saying this, near the apple tree, the space twisted and distorted, then split open to reveal a portal.
【Pururu】 ─?? What’s that? A black hole?
【Mysticism】 ─😱
“…That’s a dark portal. So, this is indeed a labyrinth?”
It wasn’t the first time I’d seen this phenomenon.
Occasionally, dark portals would appear in labyrinths.
Of course, they didn’t appear frequently.
I’d only seen it twice since coming to this world.
【Pururu】 ─What’s a dark portal?
“I’m not sure, but they say it’s a portal that leads to another dimension.”
【Pururu】 ─Huh? Then can’t we use that to escape?
“You could, but the problem is we don’t know where it leads. Once you go through, there’s no coming back, so you have to think carefully.”
【Pururu】 ─Oh. It’s one-way?
“Yeah. No one who’s gone through a dark portal in this world has ever returned.”
People say.
Unlike portals opened with set coordinates, dark portals have no predetermined destination and connect randomly to one of the many worlds across all dimensions.
This isn’t confirmed information, just speculation.
‘No matter where it leads, it might be better than staying in this hellish labyrinth, but…’
Even so, going through there wasn’t a good choice.
The moment I leave this labyrinth, I would likely lose my qualifications as an explorer and my abilities would disappear.
Without the explorer’s abilities, it would be difficult to survive in another world.
Right now, my body was no different from an ordinary person’s.
When I first came to this world, I only survived and grew because I was lucky. I don’t expect such luck to come around again. Betting my life on a second miracle would be insane.
“No matter how I think about it, going through there isn’t the right choice. I don’t want to gamble.”
【Pururu】 ─ㅇㅇ Now that I think about it, you’re right. If you end up somewhere worse than this place, it’ll be a disaster. And there’s no way back.
【Mysticism】 ─🙂
I decided to ignore the dark portal.
It was only a guess that it was a portal, not certain, and even if it was, it might lead to a hellish place where no life could survive.
“Now let’s catch that rotten apple… huh?”
The rotten apple that had summoned the minions was already captured.
The Jellyfish was holding it with its tentacles, shaking it around and playing with it.
“You already caught it. No wonder it stayed still while we were checking out the portal.”
[Pii!]
The apple, which had somehow become a mere toy, screamed.
The Jellyfish, with an innocent smile, shook its tentacles even more vigorously.
Then, it accidentally let go of the apple.
[Pii?!]
The Jellyfish tried to grab it again, but.
“Jellyfish, stop!”
[Pi, Pii?]
I hurriedly stopped it.
The apple’s chosen escape route was the dark portal.
The apple threw itself into the dark portal and disappeared into the other dimension. Having fulfilled its role as a means of dimensional travel, the dark portal evaporated and vanished.
【Pururu】 ─Crazy apple. If you’re going to run, why run there of all places? It’s like jumping off a cliff when there’s nowhere left to go.
【Mysticism】 ─🤭
“······.”
【Pururu】 ─?? Why do you look like that, Geon? You seem really serious.
“······.”
【Pururu】 ─Geon? What’s wrong with you?
“…Nothing.”
It happened again.
The strange phenomenon I felt yesterday, I just felt it again.
When the apple was sucked into the dark portal.
For a moment, I felt its danger level spike dramatically.
From B-grade to S-grade.
‘So it wasn’t my imagination yesterday?’
Even if I tried not to dwell on it, now, I couldn’t ignore it anymore.
This time, I’d clearly witnessed and felt it.
Denying it would just be escaping from reality.
‘I’ll wrap up the morning exploration here, head back to the hideout, and sort out my thoughts.’
I needed to think more deeply about this phenomenon.
『Record of Another World #1』
In a certain dimension, in a certain universe, there existed a planet where humanity was flourishing and advancing in scientific civilization.
The planet’s lands were adorned with skyscrapers illuminated by neon signs and buildings embodying cutting-edge technology.
This planet had enjoyed peaceful days for hundreds of years.
Then one day, the sky split open, and an object swirled down, crashing to the ground.
A powerful impact sent dust swirling everywhere.
As time passed and the dust cleared, a single apple, glowing red, appeared in the center of a massive crater.
People gathered around the spot.
Armed soldiers quickly mobilized.
They looked at the apple with a mixture of curiosity and fear.
Soon, they sensed a sinister aura and began to step back, one by one.
A vast malevolence filled the air.
An overwhelming pressure, as if it would shake the very heavens and earth, weighed heavily on the people.
At that moment, the apple emitted a dark aura and quietly floated into the sky.
From its rotten surface, green toxic gas spewed out.
Its red eyes were filled with murderous intent.
The humans who saw this trembled with fear.
The apple absorbed their fear and gained power, gradually expanding its size.
The larger it grew, the greater the humans’ fear became.
As their fear intensified, the apple’s size grew even more until it filled the sky.
The apple, with a wicked grin, opened its mouth wide.
Then, with a sound like tearing metal, it activated its magic.
[Sūperfluĕ, pōma.]
When the powerful spell was activated, red apples rained down from the sky like meteors.
The apples, crashing into the ground and destroying it, melted everything they touched.
Toxic gas and the aura of death engulfed the world.
The once bustling city turned into ruins.
The civilization that humanity had built over thousands of years, its splendid achievements, began to crumble in an instant due to the invasion of a single apple.
*
One year after the apple’s invasion, humanity, having mobilized its most advanced scientific technology, finally managed to bring down the apple.
In the process, countless lives were lost, and humanity paid an enormous price, with half of its population perishing, but in the end, humans could raise the flag of victory.
On this day, as a new page in history was written, this cataclysmic invader was recorded under the name “The Apple That Brings the End.”
From then on, apples were recognized as ominous and dangerous beings, and humans eradicated all apples from the planet.
『Record of Another World #1』
─The Apple That Brings the End─
The apple that nearly brought an end to a certain planet.
In the Ancient Labyrinth where that apple was born and raised, a man, after capturing the apple’s kin, began sketching in a notebook while casually munching on the summoned apples.
■Poison Apple
─Danger Level: Embarrassingly low to even call it a monster.
─Actual Danger Level: Estimated B-grade.
─Special Situation Danger Level: Estimated S-grade?
─Ability: Apple Summoning.
─Weakness: Seems unable to exert its power unless certain conditions are met.
■Poison Apple’s Summons (Edible)
─Danger Level: When summoned by a weakened Poison Apple, even an ordinary person can defeat it.
─Ability: Unknown.