This is the author.
There's a new Backrooms movie coming out? Crazy.
I actually wrote most of these chapters like a year ago, but I just couldn't figure out where to end the second volume, so I didn't post anything.
Same as before = I post until I run out of chapters then I'll go back to hibernation.
*******
(Thomas POV)
I spent the entire night wide awake (since the woman fell asleep and it was dark outside) observing this new area.
The darkness couldn't hinder my sight. A small dose of magic to the eyes allowed me to see as if it was noon. I could've used light magic, but no, too eye-catching.
This place looked like an abandoned parking lot—not like the flat ones on ground level, but like the ones underground or in those parking buildings.
There were ramps for cars, so I'm pretty sure we could go a floor up or down. Switching to my other vision, the ramps seemed to go as high as I could crane my neck or as low as I could look down.
An infinite parking lot this time.
The sound of running water also filled the pipes. When I sliced one open and inspected the liquid that came out, I discovered that it was safe, drinkable water. However, I didn't drink it, not when I could make my own super safe, super drinkable water. I'm still a bit paranoid.
Overall, this area didn't seem so bad. Well, apart from the fact that we found two entities straight away. I'll admit, that was my fault. I intentionally decided to land us there to see them up close. However, the fact that entities were more common in this area was dangerous for normal wanderers.
(Area = Level)
"Oh look, there's one."
I sighted a humanoid entity ascending a nearby ramp, reaching the same floor the woman and I were on. It didn't seem strong, nor did I feel it was dangerous.
One thing stood out: the entity was wearing clothes like a normal person. Without my magically enhanced eyesight, I would've mistaken it for another person.
Let's see how it reacts to people.
I teleported behind the entity using magic. Unlike the previous areas, the space here was pretty orderly. Teleportation and gates can be used again.
"Ehem."
Clearing my throat caught its attention. Slowly, it turned around, revealing its face lacking all facial features. No eyes, no nose, no mouth, no nothing. There was nothing to see.
"Hi."
"..."
A few seconds passed as I waited for the faceless entity to do something. It had ears, and it turned around when I made a noise, so it must have heard me.
Okay? I guess you're friendly?
But then again, it had no eyes. It probably couldn't see me.
"Hello? Mister Faceless? Care for a chat? Actually, you don't even have a mouth."
The entity ignored me completely. What an interesting find.
It seems that not all entities want people dead. The entity didn't have a face, so I couldn't get a good read on what it was feeling but the faceless entity gave the impression that it was disinterested.
I began to follow it silently. Magic rendered me invisible and silenced the noises I made, practically making me undetectable. However, this entity might be using other methods of detecting me, such as heat vision or supernatural power.
I went in front of it and raised my hand. The entity continued walking like normal.
Since the entity didn't react at all when I gave it the finger up front, I concluded that it couldn't see me, not like it had eyes in the first place.
The faceless entity acted like a normal person. Right now, it was simply wandering around the area. The checking of its surroundings for danger, such as peeking past a wall, showed that it wasn't as blind as it looked.
Every time it heard a sound that seemed to come from an entity, like the growling of a dog, it pulled out a knife and backed away from the source.
"Zul Mey Gut!" (Throw Voice)
I tested the entity's reaction many times, making growling noises everywhere with Throw Voice. Perhaps I overdid it because the faceless entity began to run like mad. It probably thought there were a shit ton of dogs surrounding it from multiple directions.
This gave me an idea.
Continuing to make growling noises, I managed to lead the entity back to where the woman and I came face-to-face with the tall, fleshy entity.
The faceless entity turned the corner before freezing in place. A dog-entity was lying on the floor. Immediately, the faceless entity brandished its knife.
(Dog-entity = Hound)
There's no need.
Around the dead dog was a pool of not water but blood. I could recognize the smell from miles away, although it smelled fouler than the ones from wild animals back home.
The faceless realized the fact as well. But as it carefully approached the dog...
The sound of a switch being flicked accompanied the lights turning on. In the brief moment I was blinded by the sudden change in brightness, the corpse of the dog entity had vanished.
In its place, a large crate sat there as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
What.
I couldn't find the corpse no matter where I looked. They were just poof! Gone! and the crate was like poof! Here I am!
I watched the faceless man open the crate. Inside were several items, mostly food and bottled water.
Is this a loot box? Is that it? Dead entity = Loot?
Kinda weird, but I can work with this.
Wasn't she running out of food and water? I still have food from my last world, and I can make my own water, so... This is all for her. I stored the entire crate in my spatial storage, much to the faceless entity's surprise. Before I left, I made sure to leave behind three servings of the sweet jelly food for the faceless in case it wanted it. I'm no selfish boi.
Have I talked about the food in this place? They are magical. Not only do I feel full despite eating only a small piece, but my fatigue also goes away. I've been resting less as a result. In fact, I haven't slept since I came to this world.
Three servings of the jelly should give the faceless time to find more crates. For now, this one was mine.
After observing the faceless entity, I decided to explore the area. I made a rule that I could only explore the same floor level I was already on. It was big enough as it was.
After finding another crate, I stumbled across another entity. It was the same type as the one battling the dog-looking one, but this time, it actually looked like a person.
Without my other vision (I should make a name for it), it would've been difficult to identify even from up close. At most, it would've given me a bad feeling through haki.
This entity wore a layer of skin over its real body, disguising itself as a normal woman.
Rest in peace, poor wanderer.
I coated my hand in haki and swung it like a whip.
Sharp winds sliced through her neck. It drew blood. Or so it seemed.
It was like clear water gushed out of the entity's wound instead of the usual crimson. Did I miss it?
The woman clutched her throat. After gasping for air, she toppled to the floor. So I didn't miss. It must be another case of otherworld entity biology.
The clear water that came from its throat was stickier upon closer inspection, so maybe it really was the entity's blood. I mean, I wouldn't be too surprised if it bled blue instead. New world, new rules.
Upon the entity's death, its disguise unraveled. It looked like the one I had met before, with yellowish skin and sunken white eyes, but this one was skinnier.
I waited for the lights to turn off and then back on. If hunting entities is what it takes to get some stuff out here, then that would be great news.
While waiting, a dog entity was unfortunate enough to try and eat the corpse. I made short work of it. Now, I had two corpses.
I didn't want to ruin the two "test subjects" I had, so I hunted another Hound from someplace else and started butchering it.
15 years of living in a forest. Who knew it would be useful for something like this?
Eating what looked like a hybrid of a dog and a sickly, skinny person was a matter of preference, though, and I definitely didn't want to. I dissected it to learn its anatomy, which indirectly revealed what else it was capable of.
No dick? Interesting. How do they reproduce then?
That was the most interesting piece of information I discovered, apart from the virus in its saliva.
So, I waited for the light to flicker on and off near the corpses.
...
I must have waited for about an hour for the lights to start flickering. Moments later, darkness returned to the area.
The corpses didn't disappear. I thought since a corpse disappeared when the lights turned on, it would be the same when they turned off, but that clearly wasn't the case.
I spent an additional two hours waiting for the lights to turn on. I'm lucky I have night vision or spending that time just seeing nothing would've sucked ass. Other wanderers have it rough.
As soon as the lights turned on, both corpses disappeared, as did the dissected corpse. However, there were no crates. It looks like I was just lucky last time.
With that in mind, I walked back to where my companion was still sleeping. On the way, I found two crates, so that was nice.
I placed them outside to act as a barrier blocking entry into the room and for the woman to find later. The latter part is important.
As far as I know, none of the wanderers, entities, or areas contain magic. Revealing that to anyone would be like showing off that I'm not from around here, which may lead to some problems.
Actually, they might think I'm just another weird entity. Hmm. I'll think about it. It might have some advantages I've yet to think of.
For now, I'll wait for my companion to wake up.
...
...
...
She woke up at some point.
After swatting away her hand more times than I could count, the woman finally gave up. She began rummaging through the crates with stars in her eyes.
If you're that happy, I guess I can bring more next time.
The woman pulled a large backpack from one of the crates. She pushed it to me and made the motions of wearing it.
So I wore it. It's not bad. When she isn't looking, I'll add some enchantments to improve it.
The woman continued pulling more stuff out before handing it to me: casual clothes, school supplies like pens and a stack of notebooks, food, almond water, bits of glowing red rock that felt warm to the touch, etc.
I stuffed them all into my backpack. The woman approved, giving me a thumbs-up. Then, she gestured that I follow her back into the safe room.
Apparently, she wanted to carry the heavy table inside out. When we did, she climbed on top of it and started banging on one of the ceiling pipes with an axe she found in the crates.
Uhh, is that a good idea? What if something hears you? I can deal with it but still...
With one last swing, the pipe broke open and water spilled like a waterfall.
Then she stripped off her dirty clothes—
"Learn some decency!" I immediately looked away.
Okay. I get it. She's showering. Couldn't she have warned me? Do a little charade like always? Tsk, tsk.
Judging by the soap bubbles I could see from the corner of my eye, there must have been shampoo and other hygiene-related amenities in those crates as well. Speaking of showers, I realized that I hadn't showered in a while.
My pajamas have enchantments that keep me clean so it isn't a priority.
Oh, is that why she handed me those clothes? Seeing me in pajamas while she's fully covered from head to toe like a mountaineer must have been strange.
I went back to the safe room and changed clothes there. No, I didn't peek out the windows. I'm no perv.
After I placed my pajamas in my spatial storage, the woman walked in, looking nice and clean in her new survival attire.
I didn't notice since she was absolutely filthy before, but she was very pale. Like, unhealthily so. Probably not because she's unhealthy, more so there's no sun here to tan her.
As for her face? Now that she was clean, I can judge her more accurately.
Hmm...
I look better, rating-wise. There's no competition. My genes beat hers! Good effort on her parents' part though.
We stuffed more loot in our backpacks until they were bursting with shit. In the end, I ended up bringing back too much stuff, so we'll have to leave most of the items behind.
Interestingly, the woman didn't want to leave behind the school supplies, despite them being close to useless in my opinion.
Thus, we resumed our area exploration, but not before tying us together with another shoelace string. She really doesn't want me to get lost. How sensible.
This time, the woman led the way, so I guess I was on "keeping entities away" duty, which was basically flaunting my conqueror's haki. All three types have gotten stronger lately. Meeting that pitch-black entity really upgraded me.
At some point, the woman had started reading her journal while walking, paying less attention to her surroundings. She would've been dead if an entity snuck close. Good thing I was here.
We took a lot of different, almost erratic turns. We, well, she even did four consecutive right turns for some reason??? What was the point of that? We literally looped around to the same spot.
Hmm? What was that? I switched over to my other sight after feeling an odd spatial tingle.
An invisible path was opening up, one that we were progressing through. The weird turns she was making followed that path.
Let her cook. This place is her kitchen.
We turned a few more corners before the woman finally peeled her eyes off her journal and looked straight ahead. An unsuspecting, very normal-looking door was there. But it wasn't attached to a wall.
The door stood in the middle of the parking lot, above a puddle of water.
The woman closed her journal shut and didn't hesitate to reach for the handle. With a twist, she pushed it open, allowing the mellow light from the other side to come through.
This world is truly unusual.
We went right through.
The new area was a tunnel—a highway tunnel, complete with the painted yellow lines on the asphalt floor and mellow orange lights attached to the ceiling.
There were no cars around. The tunnel was empty but didn't seem abandoned. It looked like it had been built not too long ago.
Strangely, there were doors on the sides leading to various areas. It reminded me of the hotel hallway, but on a larger scale.
The tunnel didn't extend one way infinitely either. From what I could see, it was an interconnected system that spread infinitely across all directions. Getting lost was a definite possibility for normal wanderers.
And it had a center. Using my other sight, my eyes pierced through the tunnel walls and locked onto an ancient, imposing tower that loomed over everything in the middle of it all.
"Let's eat!"
"Okay." I peeled my gaze away.
Right, we haven't had our daily jelly yet. We sat down on the side. I gave her one of my jellies and ate in silence.
As always, the taste of honey and blueberries danced around my tongue. I couldn't help but glance at my companion who seemed completely at ease. You'd think she would be more careful ever since I saved her from the dogs and got jump-scared by the skin-walker entity.
Maybe, just like the level with yellow wallpaper, there were no hostile entities here. I confirmed it for myself with haki. No dogs or skin-walkers around anywhere. I stopped flaunting my conqueror's haki.
On the tunnel walls, someone drew arrow markings with some writing at the bottom. Other wanderers probably did that. The arrows seemed to be leading towards the ancient tower or somewhere around that area.
When I pointed at it, the woman smiled. She tried to pat my head again. Haha, no.
Unable to pat my head, she grumbled for a bit before finally heading in the direction the arrow was pointing. I followed her as usual, scanning the doors for the variety of Levels that they led to.
The doors in this area varied greatly. They could be wooden, twisted, with jail bars, luxurious, futuristic, withered, upside down, and so on, unlike the doors in the hotel hallway, which all looked the same. I also saw a unique runic symbol above each door. Too bad I can't read them.
I tried opening one. The door didn't budge. Judging by the visible keyholes, a key was needed.
Each lock was also unique. That meant a lot of keys had to exist somewhere since there were at least thousands of different doors. A master key is also plausible. I can probably bust them open if I really want to, though...
I restrained myself. I'm already learning a lot by sticking with this kind woman.
Hours of zigzagging through the tunnels later, I had a hunch as to where the woman was going, or at least, where the arrows we were following were leading us to.
At some point, I detected multiple wanderers in one area. As time passed, we got closer to them.
The time to meet other people has come. I hope they're nice.
******
If there was one complaint I have, it's the fact that gibberish was all Lucky said this entire time and nothing else.
Who is Lucky? I hear someone ask.
It's not that hard to guess who. Who could it be? Who else could it possibly be? There's only two of us wandering around.
Anyway, back to the important things. As nice as it was to hear Lucky's attempts at communication, I wasn't Einstein who could just understand gibberish. I'm no Isaac Newton in teaching either. I can only teach simple words and none of that grammatical stuff teachers exist for.
You know how sign language is an actual language? Well, I made a shoddy version of that and it takes an average of five minutes to get my intention across. And that's only if it was simple enough to understand in the first place.
Which is why we're here in the Hub. Interconnected highway tunnel, doors with weird designs on the side: The Hub, ladies and gentlemen.
Even without the kid/Lucky, I had my own reasons for entering the Hub, so it's good that I can add another reason.
The Hub, just like Level -1 (grayscale hotel hallway), gives a wanderer access to all the levels of the Backrooms—or so the rumors say. However, unlike Level -1, you need an item called a Level Key to open a door. Not just any Level Key, but the right type to boot. Unfortunately, they're super hard to get.
It was a stretch to say that the Hub gives access to all Levels since no one knows how many Levels there really are, but it connects to almost everything humanity is aware of.
There are even rumors that the Exit is behind one of these doors.
Like many others, I want to escape. I've had my fair share of shit to deal with since no-clipping here.
The Backrooms is not a place that I'd wish my greatest enemy to stumble into. Being stuck in the Negative Levels for a few years only reinforced that idea.
So, escape. How? I don't know. No one knows. If someone manages to escape the Backrooms, they definitely won't be coming back to spread the news. I hope to figure it out eventually.
But first, I gotta get Lucky some lessons. I don't know when I started feeling responsible for him, but he's like a little brother to me. Imagine if I could take him out to the real world with me... nah, that's a bit absurd.
"'U.B.S.S. This Way. 25km.'" I read the small phrase below the arrow Lucky found. "I thought we'd have to explore for a bit before stumbling on one of these... as expected of my lucky charm, you really make things easier for me!"
UBSS, also known as the "United Backrooms School System," is a school for newbie wanderers who are lucky enough to survive long enough to reach this Level. I was one of them, and I learned most of what is written in my book for wandering dummies from them.
They teach newbies what to expect on different Levels, including how safe they are, entity count and characteristics, other factions, cool fun facts, where to find rations, etc.
I hope they teach language lessons as well. Oh, and that they teach Facelings.
Sure, most Facelings are verbally impaired, but I managed to teach Lucky how to say food and water and yes and no and rest and wait and look. Lucky is mentally built differently compared to his brethren, and more importantly, he's cute. They ought to make an exception.
We took short rests along the way. The arrow markings were nice enough to indicate the approximate distance to our destination.
During one of our rest stops, I tried to draw the Skin-Stealer that charged us, but it ended up looking goofy instead of spooky. Lucky drew a demonic-looking bear. That was cool... and concerning. It better not actually exist in some random Level out there. Still, I made a mental note to ask him to give me art lessons when he can speak fluently. I know it might take a while, but I'm willing to wait.
Approximately three kilometers away from our destination, the echoes of voices and footsteps reached our ears. We increased our pace.
It wasn't the UBSS Base but a small group of wanderers. There were six of them. From what I could make out from the echoes, the wanderer in the lead was teaching the ones trailing behind him.
The arrows didn't lie. The UBSS camp was near.
"Heeeey!" I called out, waving my hand. The group noticed us and started waving back.
"Oh, hello there fellas—HANNAH?!" The person leading the group exclaimed. Damn, am I famous? How does that guy know me?
When I got closer, I realized who it was.
"Mikey!"
"I told you not to call me by that nickname. My name is Michael... oh my god, it really is you!"
"Good to see you too, buddy!"
Mikey—Ehem, Michael was a fellow student of the UBSS. We were in the same batch of newbie wanderers. We're basically classmates.
He's a normal-looking man with short brown hair and gold-rimmed glasses. Although he's gotten fatter since then, he looks the same overall.
Mikey spoke. "It's been 5 years since you left... wait, YOU survived 5 years out there?! I can't believe you're alive!"
I narrowed my eyes. "Whaddya mean by that?"
Mikey shrank back, retreating behind his students. "No offense, but you're borderline Forrest Gump."
"Now, I think that's a compliment! Besides, I'm not that dumb. Why do you think I made you write this book for me?" I flaunted the one and only Backrooms Survival For Dummies. A small little Mikey on the bottom right revealed the author's nam. "At least I can read! Anyway, I didn't think you'd stick around and become a teacher."
"Being a teacher is literally my goal... why do you think I kept tutoring you? You were the perfect practice dummy. Literally."
"...Ohhh. So that's what it was! I thought you were just nice."
"I made it very clear back then." Mikey shook his head. "Just how the hell did you stay alive... well, it's probably all thanks to my book."
The student has become the master. Honestly, I shouldn't be surprised. Mikey was really good at teaching me topics I didn't understand in the past. I'd be dead if it weren't for him.
Mikey cleared his throat. "Ehem. While it's very surprising to see you, I'll have to continue with my lesson. I'll catch up with you later."
Right, he was a teacher now.
"Alright. We can chat when you're done. Is Mister Rupert still teaching?"
"Nope. He's the principal now."
"Seriously? Honestly, I shouldn't be surprised. Well, see ya later." It wouldn't be good to take up too much of his and his students' time.
"Wait." Mikey extended his hand.
What's this?
I checked out the medallion he gave me. It looked old and worn out but polished at the same time.
He said, "Show that to someone from camp and they'll let you in."
"Thanks."
We passed each other as we went our opposite ways. Lucky looked back at the group, clearly intrigued.
"That'll be you dude. That'll be your life for a month or a year or however long it takes you to learn the local language."
"Paag rovaniik... vir ferviit."
(Author: THEY GOT RID OF THE DOVAHZUL TRANSLATOR I USED AND NOW A YEAR LATER I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT I WROTE—wait, there's a dictionary.
Apparently it's Fat wanderer... how curious.)
"Excited? I wouldn't be if I were you, but that's just me. School is boring~"
30 minutes later, I could see the base in all its glory.
The tunnel before us was crowded with dozens, maybe a hundred, of wanderers, making it look like a street festival. Empty crates and large military tents were used to section off different areas instead of walls.
The ones with full crates were definitely for storage, while those with chairs and tables were for teaching newbies or for eating. Sleeping quarters were usually inside tents since they helped with blocking the eternal orange light of the tunnel, but they could also be for administrative UBSS business. An armory was also present with all kinds of melee weapons. It even had guns! Only a bunch though.
Wanderers began noticing our approach. It was clear that they saw Lucky and me as strangers. I didn't see it the same way.
Home sweet home.
It wasn't quite the same as 5 years ago. It looked more organized and with far more people. The UBSS has grown.
"Hold on, who are you supposed to be?" One of the wanderers called out to us. I didn't recognize him. "Never seen you around here, lassie."
"I'm Hannah. This little guy here is Lucky. I'm looking for Mister Rupert."
I flashed Michael's medallion to the man.
"Michael, huh?" He visibly relaxed once he saw it. "Principal Rupert is inside there." The wanderer pointed at one of the military tents.
Still living in the same tent as before. I guess some things don't change.
While dragging a curious Lucky along, we reached Mister Rupert's tent. A small bell hung just beside the entrance. I shook it a little.
*Ding* *Ding* *Ding*
An aged voice came from inside.
"Come in."
"Let's go, Lucky."
I pushed the tent flaps out of the way. Inside the tent, paperwork filled the space, were organized into shelves, or stacked on top of one another. Multiple keys with runic symbols hung from a wall. Attached to each key was a piece of paper with a number or name on it.
There are more Level Keys than before. He's even got duplicates! Damn, that's impressive, Mister Rupert!
At the end of the tent, an elderly man sat on a desk, writing in a notebook. By his side, an opened almond water container, and above him, a bright lantern illuminated the whole tent.
"Mister Rupert? It's me, Hannah."
"Hannah?" his hand stopped moving. Mister Rupert looked up to study my face. "My god, you're alive?"
"Why the hell does everyone think I'm dead? I'm not gonna die that easily."
"Clearly. Although, I wouldn't have thought so in the past. You weren't attentive during class after all."
"School's a joke."
"Maybe so. Still, it's good to see a student of mine return from the grave."
"I didn't die, damn it!"
I restrained myself from shouting too loud. Old man Rupert's eardrums could rupture if I'm not careful. Still, it was annoying that no one had any confidence in my skills as a wanderer.
I pushed Lucky to the limelight. It seemed like the best move to quickly change the subject.
"And who's this?" Mister Rupert circled around the desk.
"His name is Lucky. I was hoping I could enroll him."
Lucky waved hello. I didn't teach him that. Or did I? I must have.
"His name is 'Lucky,' you say? How ironic. Fate has been harsh on the young lad by bringing him here. There is nothing lucky about this place." Mister Rupert scratched his chin. "New students are always welcome, especially one as young as him. But, for a price."
"Yep, I remember."
I went behind Lucky and took out all the school supplies in his backpack: Scissors, pens, paper, pencils, erasers, rulers, and notebooks. I also had some in my backpack.
Mister Rupert smiled. "This is enough for five people to enroll. How about you retake your lessons, Hannah? They clearly did you some good."
"Hell no."
"I was joking. You wouldn't listen anyway." He set the school supplies aside, careful not to damage them. "Now that you've paid, let's get down to business. Follow me, Lucky. I'll introduce you to everyone."
"Actually..." I stopped Mister Rupert from getting ahead of himself.
"Hmm?"
"...Lucky isn't human."
His eyes narrowed. The curves on Mister Rupert's forehead deepened as he looked at me and Lucky in confusion. "I beg your pardon?"
"I know it's hard to believe, but he isn't human."
Mister Rupert studied Lucky up and down. "Are you sure?" He didn't believe me.
"I think he's a False Faceling."
"'I think?' So you're not sure."
"Uhh... well..." I couldn't find an answer to that.
Now I'm starting to doubt myself. Wait, no, I do have a bunch of reasons why I think he's a Faceling. But I'm saying "I think" again, so I'm not sure.
"Don't fret. I'll give you time. Ponder on it then explain to me," said Mister Rupert.
After collecting my thoughts, I said, "I met Lucky in Level -1. My Backrooms survival book made it clear that it isn't possible to meet other people in that Level, but entities are the exception, which is why he has to be a Faceling. Lucky speaks gibberish, too, like a Faceling. I've never seen him sleep, either. Also, I think he might have night vision."
"..."
Mister Rupert stared at me weirdly. Like he was looking at a crazy person. I fell into deep thought.
No, what I said makes sense... but It is true I've never seen Lucky without a face...
I stared at Lucky. I tried to poke his face, but he swatted my finger away. "Let me check if it's real. Stop resisting!" Poke. Swat. Poke. Swat.
I kept trying to poke him because I needed an answer. I'm not even sure if poking his face would reveal anything, but I just had to make sure it wasn't an illusion.
It was then.
"!"
After swatting my hand away, Lucky suddenly turned around. His hand moved so fast that it became a blur.
He swatted someone else's hand away, not mine, with a crisp slap.
A pair of scissors had appeared in Lucky's free hand before I knew it. He thrusted it forward with no hesitation.
The scissors sliced through the air.
And it stopped an inch away from stabbing Mister Rupert's throat.