.
.
.
.
.
"Haha! Beat that! I caught three Morning Crows!"
"Only three? Come on, that's barely anything! Take a look at this!"
I pulled everything out of my spatial storage. Shin's victorious smile stiffened after seeing the small hill of tasty chickens.
"How many did you hunt?!"
"I stopped counting after 30."
"They don't just grow on trees, you know? How did you even find them!?"
"That's a trade secret, loser. Ahahahha!"
Shin tackled me to the ground, and we had a small brawl that soon incorporated magical attacks.
The noise attracted a certain old lady.
"You little brats! What did I say about ruining my front yard!?"
Granny Melinda somehow grabbed us both by the ears with her witch-like fingers.
""He started it!""
We shouted simultaneously, charging another magic attack.
"Did I ask!?"
*BONK!*
A magic powered fist was truly something. Youch.
"Clean up your mess or I'll grab my enchanted belt!"
Shin and I immediately calmed down. I handled the damage on the property while Shin smoothened out the land.
"Clean the inside of my house too."
"But—I mean, yes ma'am!"
My words got caught in my throat when she flexed her fingers.
"And cook me a nice meal. And give me a shoulder massage as I sip on a fragrant cup of coffee. That means make me coffee. And do my laundry."
Shs worked us until we were exhausted that day. Needless to say, we had forgotten what how it lead to that point in the first place.
"What do we do with all these Morning Crows?"
"Let's keep them on my spatial storage. I have more space than you."
"True."
"Then grandpa can cook two for dinner later."
"Oh, it's going to be awesome..."
With the setting sun behind us, Shin and I walked side-by-side to the place we called home.
-----------------
Before I knew it, my eyes were already open, staring at a twilight sky.
Although faint, twinkling stars greeted me. With more focus, I saw them clearly, forming new constellations. They were arranged differently compared to my previous home worlds, further driving the point that I was in another world.
We didn't have a Big Dipper or a Great Bear here. The stars up there... I can give them any name I want.
I sat up. I dreamed of a similar sight. Yes, I was dreaming a normal dream, not a nightmare—the first real dream in a while.
I had a dream about this Level. I was sitting in the middle of this foreign forest, completely at ease. I followed the dirt path to have a relaxing walk.
During my stroll, I came across a cabin inside the forest. It reminded me of Grandpa's cabin.
That must have been the trigger.
Fond memories of the past resurfaced with seemingly no end. I had no control over what my dreams would be, and this one sucked me right down memory lane.
What a wonderful dream it was, and what a wonderful sleep it gave me.
I didn't wake up with cold sweat running down my back or anything. It was a very happy dream.
Wow, I feel...
When I stood up, I stretched my upper body, cracking whatever body part I could crack. My body has never felt so light.
...fucking terrible.
I punched the tree I was leaning on.
A terrible ache stabbed into my chest. A nostalgic dream like that struck me right in the heart, and it hurt differently than what I was used to.
I was caught completely off guard.
Remembering the past reignited a longing I wanted to forget. To see Shin, Grandma, Grandpa, our uncles and...
I doused myself in cold water to sober up, rubbing my eyes awake.
I don't deserve to come home.
"...?"
As I evaporated the water dripping from my face, I noticed a hole where I punched the tree.
Am I still half-asleep?
I blinked, yet the gaping hole remained. Unless I was incredibly inattentive, there was definitely no hole there when I fell asleep. Now that I'm looking at it, the tree is pretty messed up already.
Out of curiosity, I stood in front of another tree and took on a fighting stance. I'll punch it properly this time.
I braced my hand for a world of hurt.
"Hup—!"
My hand moved quicker than I expected. For a moment, the air acted like an invisible barrier, one that I easily broke through.
Upon contact, the tree shattered like glass, sending wooden splinters everywhere. The difficulty—or at least, lack of it—stunned me.
No way.
I analyzed the tree and my body for any abnormalities I overlooked. Maybe, the tree's durable quality changed in my sleep.
The ruined tree remained unchanged. It hadn't grown weaker. As for myself...
A hollow laugh escaped my lips.
I just keep changing.
Mana flowed freely throughout my muscles, bones, and organs, nourishing and supporting them. Mana became a part of me before I knew it instead of remaining a tool I was proficient in. My capacity has drastically increased to a whole new level as well.
I became like the creatures I was butchering.
I felt incredibly powerful, even more so than before.
And I didn't just feel it. I could see it. I could see mana in its most natural state, which should be invisible to the naked eye.
Like suddenly seeing air. And that air was obedient to my whims.
My body wasn't the only thing affected. My haki also improved. The stronger my body became, the more haki I could use. The stronger my body, the heavier the weight of my will.
This synergy... calling it 'satisfying' wouldn't cut it.
Was it while I was sleeping? Or maybe while I was too busy dismantling the magical entities...
Whatever it is that caused this change to occur within me... I didn't know the answer to that. I've stopped trying to figure it out years ago.
All I know is I have gotten stronger again.
But I don't feel happy. Surprised, yes, but happy? Delighted? Thrilled? I guess I used to feel that way.
I just keep receiving. Ever since I met Ddovaah, I've been given so much more than I bargained for. It's almost laughable how much my current situation contrasted with that of the normal, past me.
I answered tens of thousands of surveys, but I don't remember why I did them anymore. Too much time and too many events have passed for me to remember why I did them in the first place.
Well, there is one thing.
Only one word remained in my memories of that time. Escape.
From someone, somewhere, something, somehow... I wanted to escape.
And I did escape. I was given everything. My daily survey-answering spree attracted a certain magnanimous dragon. Then, well, I got reincarnated, but it was just another blessing as far as I'm concerned.
I can't deny that I was incredibly happy.
What am I escaping from now?
Preoccupied with my thoughts, I failed to notice my missing companion much earlier. It took me a good minute to realize that Michael was gone.
"Where has he gone off to?"
I pushed my ruminations to the back of my mind and used observation haki to feel Michael's aura. As my body changed, so did the range and potency of my haki. The forest was massive, but I could cover a sizeable chunk.
(AN: Wanna know what else is massive?)
However, I couldn't detect him. The old-fashioned way it is.
Frowning, I crouched and searched the camp for tracks. The forest floor was uneven and littered with leaves, but my trained eyes caught the slight indentations in the soil.
It seems he went to follow the dirt path. I stored all our items in my spatial storage before moving to follow his tracks.
The dirt path twisted through the oak trees in weird, inefficient ways. I cut some corners wherever I could.
The walk was oddly relaxing. My steps unconsciously slowed down to take more of the scenery in. It reminded me of whenever I went hunting with Shin, doing all this.
I even found myself whistling before I knew it. My steps were light as I skipped down the path.
Skipping?
I slapped myself. "What the fuck? I'm skipping?"
There is either something wrong with me or with this place.
I slapped myself again, drowning out the rustling of trees for a split second.
Since when did I start skipping like Little Red Riding Hood from Shrek 2? I'm too old for that.
I equipped a layer of distortions as a test. The growing feeling of relaxation went away.
As always, nothing about anywhere is normal.
A Level that forcefully makes you relax. That doesn't sound so bad.
Wait... this was the reason why I had that nice dream. This damn Level... made me remember.
Irritated, I switched to my other sight.
The forest facade faded from view, and I became aware of the Level's inner workings. I searched for the source of the mental compulsion.
My eyes fell in a certain direction.
It was in the center of the Level. A tree that didn't quite fit stood there. It was oak like all the others, but bigger and visibly more grayscale.
I teleported directly in front of it.
You will be...
Then, I engulfed it in my distortions.
Within seconds, the silhouette of the tree shrank to one-thousandth of its original size. A noise resembling the sound of crunching wood followed.
The distortions soon dispersed, revealing...
*Quack*
A black duck with an orange beak quacked at me. Yes, I turned a tree into a fucking duck. I don't call this ability Hax for no reason.
Almost immediately, the sky began to shift, and the constant twilight period moved forward. Night fell, then dawn broke, until the sun stopped directly overhead.
The trees also transformed. Their green leaves turned to shades of red and yellow, like the change of autumn. Some drifted gently from the branches, landing softly on the forest floor.
*Quack* *Quack*
The duck looked at me with interest. Its black yet glossy feathers reflected the sunlight rather harshly.
With tiny little steps, the duck came to me and rubbed its head against my leg.
I squinted as I felt a terrifying wave of relaxation shoot up my body.
My mana pushed the duck away.
"Don't bother me, alright? Or I'll eat you."
*Quack?!* *Quack!*
After bobbing its head, the duck hid in a pile of fallen autumn leaves. I saw its cautious gaze towards me from the little gaps between the leaves.
"...cute. Don't do that. I hate you."
I slapped myself for the third time. I should have turned it into a frog. It's too cute to completely ignore.
I didn't delay any further. I teleported back to my previous position, no longer feeling the forced relaxation.
Michael didn't travel that far. Eventually, he left the dirt trail to go deep into the forest. It didn't take long to understand why.
His tracks end here.
Just like in my dream, a cabin was hidden in the trees. Evidence suggests that Michael entered it.
The cabin has a weathered wooden exterior with sturdy log walls and a sloping roof. A stone chimney stands on one side, and the front porch has vintage lanterns hanging by the front door. Homely was a good word to describe it.
I walked up the wooden steps and stopped before the door.
*Knock* *Knock*
I couldn't sense anyone's presence inside through haki. Not because the cabin was empty, but because beyond this door was another space entirely.
I attempted to turn the handle, but it was locked. Only those inside can open it, making it nearly impregnable for normal people.
It was a sticky note. I mean, a Sub-Level.
The handle twitched; the sound of someone fiddling with the lock followed before the door opened inwards slightly.
Someone peeked through the small gap.
"Who...?"
It wasn't Michael, but a young woman, younger than I was before I got trucked.
I recognized her, though I didn't know her name. All I know is that the young woman was a student like me.
One of Michael's five students.
Compared to the previous times I saw her learning from Michael back in camp, she looked skinnier and in terrible shape.
I didn't expect to see her here.
"Is that you, Thomas? Oh my ###, it's really Thomas!" After recognizing my face, she pulled me into the cabin. The door automatically closed behind us.
Once I entered the cabin, I immediately detected the presence of three other people further in. One was Michael, and the other two were students of the UBSS.
That clears up some questions of mine.
In the next moment, I frowned. The auras of the students were way too faint. I rushed through the cabin's well-decorated interior.
The living room was a mess. Michael was crouched, dripping almond water into the mouth of an unconscious student on the floor. The other was gasping for breath on the couch with a pale complexion.
"Shit, shit, shit...! Thomas! Do #### something!"
Damn, what the hell is this?
The situation didn't look good.
I pressed my hand on their stomachs, allowing my mana to analyze their bodies. The results were concerning, to say the least.
Symptoms of dehydration and starvation. Their bodies are severely weakened and on the verge of collapsing. They need something more than healing.
After pinpointing the issues, I quickly weaved my mana to form symbols in the air.
"Laas. Mulaag. Haas." (Life. Strength. Health.)
The words of power melted into the almond water on our persons. A subtle glow covered the containers before dying out.
"Woah..."
While watching from the side, the young woman and Michael gasped in amazement.
I spoke. "Drink."
Michael looked at me understandingly as we fed the students the enchanted water. I circulated my mana in their bodies to check for abnormalities.
Just a few drops brought back color to their pale faces. Their vacant eyes regained a hint of consciousness. The magic, well, worked its magic.
Their conditions improved with every passing moment.
Very soon, they were on their feet, checking their bodies in disbelief.
"I #### alive! My legs, my arms!!!"
"Really, really thought I was ##### die! Whoooooo!"
Celebrations were already underway.
"Phew." No one's dying on my watch.
Anyway, did I just invent healing potions by combining enchantment and healing magic? Well, not exactly healing potions and more like moth jelly on crack, but still! I'm a fucking pioneer! The first in history!
Then, I felt a tap on my shoulder. When I turned around, the young woman's eager but fatigued face greeted me.
Oh, right. You look like you need some magic water too.
I gave the young woman a bottle of enchanted almond water. She chugged that thing like her life depended on it. By the third gulp, her unhealthy complexion had been replaced by rosy skin.
Someone's eager. Uhh, you don't have to drink all of it.
The young woman kept chugging regardless of my attempts to take the bottle back.
Well, whatever. I can make more.
From the side, Michael came up to me while smiling broadly. "You can do that? Awesome, Thomas kiddo! Good ####### work!!!"
I waved my hand dismissively, trying to play it cool.
It wasn't anything special. Besides, I was just showing off my magic. Don't worry about it.
Michael's smile lingered, clearly relieved that they had recovered. The tension that had gripped the cabin was beginning to lift.
Perhaps to catch up, Michael decided to chat with them. I took the opportunity to examine the inside of the cabin.
Empty food and water containers littered the floor. Large furniture was moved to make room for the trio's makeshift camp.
It doesn't seem like they left this place during their stay here, which was lucky for them. They could've gotten caught up in the slaughter in the forest. Although, they weren't doing so well either. Silver linings, I suppose.
"Hey!!!"
The students approached me with tearful faces. What's wrong? I did a quick scan of their bodies. They were healthy, so why—
""Thank you!!!"" they said in unison.
Huh?
Before I knew it, the female student had trapped my hand within hers, gripping tightly. "You saved my friends and I, thank you so much!"
"..."
She was crying, and so were the two beside her.
I felt their emotions. They were overwhelmingly relieved. The fear of death wasn't forgotten, which made her all the more grateful.
After a lengthy pause, I spoke.
"You. Are. Welcome."
They continued to cry happy tears for a while.
*****
The introductions started.
"M-my name is Anika," The young woman meekly introduced herself, "and ####### names are Andrew and Alexander."
"Hey there!"
"Yo. You can #### me Alex!"
Anika. Alexander. Andrew. Triple AAA. What a weird coincidence. Apart from that, they were younger than Michael.
Anika and I were about the same height. Her messy, dark hair mostly covered her face.
Andrew had short hair and similar features, except he was taller than me.
Alexander had blonde hair and blue eyes and was similarly as tall.
I'm the oldest in the group, but I'm the shortest one. Sigh...
No rush, I'm still growing.
It's pretty clear by now that Michael and I went on this little excursion to meet up with these guys and bring them back to camp.
After surprising everyone by taking supplies from my spatial storage, Michael divided them amogus. Running out of food was the least of my worries. After all, my spatial storage was full of butchered magical meat and spices from another world.
"Who. Is. Hungry?" I pulled out a Morning Crow.
""Me!""
As they sorted themselves out, I was in charge of barbecuing meat. There wasn't much to do, so I decided to write down my thoughts in my notebook. It was a practice encouraged by Michael to improve my grammar and sentence structure.
Let's see...
I wrote about everything that happened since we arrived in Level 38. The structures, the landscape, the rules that I bent, the existence of magic and monsters... it's been a lot. The only way to truly experience the Backrooms is to be out here, not to learn about it in class. Nothing was ever as it seemed.
The perfect distraction, my reason for making that portal to another world... I had found it.
And yet.
I want to go back.
I don't know when, but my hand moved independently, writing those words down. I stared at my handwriting for a good minute, my mind churning.
I̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶g̶o̶ ̶b̶a̶c̶k̶.̶
Scratching my head, I tossed the notebook into my spatial storage.
Then, I looked for Michael.
"I. Need. Some. Air."
"Okay. Be careful. Stay in Level 39."
"Here. Food."
I handed him a plate full of meat cooked to perfection and left the cabin, bringing me back to the forest.
A wave of my hand chopped a nearby tree near its base. As it fell, I summoned sharp winds that stripped it into a log suitable for sitting.
And that's what I did. I sat on the log, got comfortable, and built a gate to the center of the forest.
Through the gate, I spoke to a random pile of leaves on the floor. "You. Come here."
The leaves shook a little but did nothing else.
"I won't eat you, so you can come out."
Finally, a tiny head popped out.
"Yes, I won't eat you."
An adorable little duck slowly waddled out of its hiding spot, crunching the leaves beneath its feet.
"Hmm... you probably taste good though."
My years of experience as a hunter told me that the creature before me was a prime specimen.
*Quack!* *Quack!*
The duck hurriedly buried itself under the leaves once more.
"I'm joking." I wasn't.
I sent a gust of wind to blow the leaves away. With a pulling motion, my mana pulled the black duck towards me like an invisible hand.
*Quack!!!*
I dropped the panicking duck on my lap and used Conqueror's haki.
The duck immediately became docile.
Slowly, I began to pat it. Its feathers were soft to the touch, almost addictively so.
The duck quacked in confusion.
"I meant it when I said I won't eat you," I clarified. My hands followed a soothing rhythm. The duck didn't take long to relax under my touch.
The same can be said for me. The duck still retained its calming qualities. As a matter of fact, it was even more concentrated since it wasn't indiscriminately affecting the entire Level like before.
"Keep me occupied for a bit." Carefully, my fingers played with the duck's little feet.
*Quack!* *Quack!*
I spent some time just patting the duck. My emotions were in disarray.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Unlike before when Level 39 was in an eternal state of late dusk, time marched forward because of my tampering. The sun above my head shifted slightly to the side.
The cabin door opened. Michael and the students came out with confused and squinted eyes.
I stood up and made my way towards them.
"...what."
They gawked at the black thing sitting on my head.
"This. Is. Daffy."
I introduced my new friend to the group.
*Quack!*
Daffy flapped his wings and attempted to fly to them. I easily pulled him back with a slight, magical tug.
"Wait, is that a du##?"
"##c# in the Backrooms?"
"It's a real ###k..."
The group conversed amongst themselves. Their interest in Daffy spiked to unprecedented levels.
Have they never seen a duck before? I haven't seen a duck in this world either.
I pat Daffy to show them that he's harmless. "Daffy. Not. Bad. Entity."
"Du##." Michael said a foreign word while pointing at Daffy. "##ck." He said it again.
"...duck?" I repeated the word.
"Yes! Duck!"
"Duck?"
"Uh-huh. Daffy is a duck."
"Duck."
""Duck.""
Nevermind. They do know what a duck is. They probably exist in some other Level I haven't visited yet.
Not like I care about that too much. Since they went out of the cabin, they must be ready to move. I felt like a security guard protecting a bunch of little, curious kids on a school trip, and now was the time to go home.
I silently manipulated the paths between Levels once again. "Go. To. Camp?"
"Yeah." Michael nodded before pulling out a key. I recognized it as one of the keys used to open a locked door in the tunnels where the camp was.
Oh, I see.
I stopped my actions. My interference for the way back is unnecessary.
However.
"Michael, I don't want to leave. ###### Amelia ##### danger..."
Alexander grabbed Michael with shaky hands. Unknown words flowed out of his mouth, but I recognized from his tone that he was pleading.
Then, the other students joined in. The same emotions emanated from them: fear and reluctance.
Michael tried to reassure them, but it was no use. They weren't calming down.
Do I need to do something?
*Quack*
Just as I planned to use magic to cheer them up, Daffy hopped off my head.
His tail waddled as he walked to the students.
"...Duck? What do you want?" Andrew was closest to him.
Daffy rubbed his head against Andrew's leg.
Obviously, all the attention went to the needy little thing. Daffy ran circles around Andrew's legs before doing the same to Anika and Alexander.
"""...Cute."""
The three students spoke simultaneously.
While hesitant at first, Andrew eventually got on his knees and patted Daffy. His actions urged the others to do the same.
One by one, they petted Daffy, passing him around with fawning faces.
I underestimated Daffy's effectiveness.
Their reluctance remained, however, but at least they didn't seem so high-strung with Daffy's help.
I guess it's my turn.
"Ehem." I cleared my throat, grabbing their attention. It took me a few seconds to recall the correct words I wanted to say.
"I. Will. Protect. You."
I spoke as sincerely as I could. These people needed peace of mind, and if I could give it, I would.
I cupped my hands into a ball, and the power of imagination took shape within. A mellow glow escaped through the cracks, and when I opened my hands, blue butterflies fluttered about like weightless petals in the wind.
"Woah..." There was wonder in their voices, entranced by the trails of light each butterfly left behind.
One of them landed on Daffy's feathery back. The duck blinked its beady eyes.
*Quack!*
With surprising agility, Daffy twisted his head and caught the butterfly within his beak. He wagged his tail victoriously.
Mischievous duck, they're not for you.
I created more mana butterflies, and Daffy began to chase them.
"I will protect you," I said with more confidence. "I will protect everyone."
I hoped that my words had an effect. I can never truly understand what it's like to be a wanderer. I was a normal person once but not in this kind of environment.
Food, water, shelter, protection. I can make them with a thought, not them.
But I can give them that for a little while.
When Michael inserted the key into the lock, no one tried to stop him.
The path between Levels formed before us. I went through it first.
"Safe," I said behind me.
It was their turn to enter. Michael surveyed the tunnel corners. Seeing nothing, he signaled to the others and fully emerged.
The rest followed with wary gazes.
*Quack!*
That included Daffy, who was now sitting comfortably on Andrew's head.
""Shhh!""
The students simultaneously shushed the duck while scanning their surroundings. They left no part of the tunnel unchecked.
Double-check. Triple-check. It seemed almost funny, but they were right to be wary.
There were people hiding just out of sight. Complete strangers. Their aura gave them away. Otherwise, I wouldn't have seen them lurking either.
They were waiting for us. That's why they're here.
I sent a wave of conqueror's haki towards them. In the next second, they fell to the ground unconscious.
Dull echoes reverberated from all directions.
"Did you hear that?" Michael adjusted his glasses as he pointed his gun into the distance. It's okay now. I dealt with them.
"Let's. Go."
I didn't plan on helping the group once we've reached the tunnels, but somehow, we seem to have attracted unwanted attention. With a snap of my finger, I created a gate directly to camp.
"Camp." I pointed at the gate. "Camp. Inside. Go." I added.
"Wow."
"What is this?"
Tentatively, Michael poked a finger through the gate. Andrew and Alexander did the same, while Anika observed from a safe distance.
*Quack?*
Daffy poked it with his beak to no effect. I'll give them a nudge.
"Fus." (Unrelenting Force)
They stumbled right in. I strolled in after them.
"Thomas..."
Glares were directed my way while they scratched their bums as they got up. I won't acknowledge that.
Besides, they shouldn't be complaining. The gate was connected to the heart of the camp—right in front of the Rupert's tent.
In the blink of an eye, we had returned.
"Wow, we're already here!"
"It's almost funny how easy it was to return."
"...But where is everyone?"
Despite reaching the heart of the camp, no one was around.
Old man Rupert isn't in his tent. There should have been someone guarding the tent too, and a group of people just hanging around the area.
That was how it usually is. Suspicious...
Andrew spoke from the side, getting Daffy settled back atop his head. "Look over there. That's never happened before."
I followed his gaze, my head tilting upwards.
A quick flash of darkness in regular intervals. The buzz of electricity, and sparks that shined for the faintest of moments.
The yellow light near the entrance of the camp was flickering. It had been damaged it seems like.
The auras of multiple people could be felt in that direction, the minority of which were from strangers.
I could feel the hostility prickle my skin. It wasn't even directed towards me. My senses have gotten sharper...
Signalling to the group, we approached the entrance. We neared the blockades now encompassing the camp. There was a narrow opening that led outside.
After we squeezed through it, we were met with a group of wanderers.
"!"
They were our camp members, fully on guard. Once one took notice of our presence, we were swarmed from all sides.
Their voices overlapped in a frantic mess of questions.
"Y'all are back! Since when?! That's incredible!"
"Are you hurt? Any injuries?"
"How did you get past them?"
While my head was hurting from trying to understand all their inquiries, somebody raised their hand.
"Calm yourselves, everyone." Rupert spoke with a rare smile. "I'm glad to see that everybody managed to return ######. How ##### fortunate."
For some reason, I don't think he was including me.
Michael stepped forward. "What is the situation, Principal Rupert? Why is everyone..." His voice trailed off.
As I mentioned before, there were a lot of unfamiliar people around, people not from the camp. Where were they, you might ask?
I locked eyes with more than a dozen heavily armed men, standing under the flickering light of the tunnel. Their weapons—automatic firearms—were pointed at us.
And then, without warning, they opened fire.