10 Astringent Taste

Fifth Floor!

Calvin shot up like a rocket, as soon as he stepped onto the fifth floor. A menacing aura swept aimed for his neck. He quickly buckled his knees to dodge the incoming attack and after evading. He used the latent force of his bent knees to propel himself forward for the next landing.

Sixth Floor!

"You shall not pass!"

"Who are you? Are you a resident here?"

"Show me your keycard!"

Several haunting voices that seemed to border between being female and male rang beside Calvin's ears as soon as his foot landed on the sixth floor. The coldness thickened, as well as his courage. An arm held him in place, but his hand moved and landed a slap on the manifested arm of the demon.

A smack rang out and the demon flew backward. It became intangible again like a wisp. But before it could even approach Calvin, it suddenly came to a halt. It realized that Calvin was now standing in the staircase leading to the Seventh Floor. The demon hesitated, and in the end, it didn't follow Calvin.

It was as if it was afraid of something on the tenth floor.

Seventh Floor!

"Hey, young man..."

"Would you like to have some fun with sis, here?"

A coquettish voice pierced through Calvin's heart.

But Calvin was no soy boy. Back then, he had a phase of debauchery and he played a lot with girls. These coquettish voices had no effect in his heart as he ran like a madman through the corridor while narrowly avoiding the attacks of the angry succubus demon that he ignored.

He was squeezing out every ounce of potential that he had at this moment.

His speed greatly increased, and before he knew it. He finally stepped into the tenth floor.

Tenth Floor!

When Calvin placed his foot on the landing of the Tenth Floor, he felt something under his feet.

It was wet.

But the slick sound coming from it didn't make it seem as if it came from water.

'Why is there water here? A broken pipe? Wait, why did everything suddenly go silent?'

Calvin furrowed his eyebrows.

He remained standing in the landing between the ninth floor and the tenth floor. He didn't dare to go to the corridor yet, because as far as he could remember...

The tenth floor was where he pissed and shat himself back then.

As for the reason why, he had such a violent reaction...

For some reason, Calvin couldn't remember.

'It should be Fivecent's counter-measure against information leaks in the possibility that the contracted was able to pass this test of courage, yet fail at the final phase.' Calvin inwardly nodded. He had no idea what would happen to the people that failed the test.

All he knew was that he never saw them once more.

'I can't fail here... I managed to return to the past and finally have the chance to turn everything into my favor before the invasion of those bastards. How can I fail at the first step?' Calvin gnashed his teeth.

He kneeled and touched the puddle with his finger.

He placed that finger near his nose, yet he couldn't smell anything.

Frowning, he opened his mouth and licked his finger.

'Yeah, it's water... But what is this strange astringent taste? I don't think this flavor comes from rust...'

When that thought crossed his mind, he felt a water droplet landing on his cheek.

Right as he reached out to touch whatever it was that landed on his cheek.

He froze, for he felt a shiver down his spine. The chill that caused the shiver ran through his entire body up until his ankles. He felt as if a snake had slithered its way inside his clothes.

'What the fuck?!'

Calvin inwardly cursed.

The air turned damp, and the moisture it brought, stuck to his skin bringing with it an astringent aroma that assaulted his nose. When Calvin started pondering about these changes, a woman's voice suddenly floated over to him from above.

"I'm drowning..." The voice was clear, yet filled with fear.

It didn't seem to come from someone who was currently drowning.

'Sautee my scallops, is this the reason why I shat and pissed myself back then?'

Calvin immediately froze, but his mind madly spun.

The air around him was filled with water vapors, yet each and every vapor seemed to have a strange astringent smell on them. 'She said that she's drowning...' 'Could it be that he died from drowning?' 'Or was she killed beforehand and placed into a body of water?' 'But a body of water in Rhea Apartments that could drown a person...'

'A bathtub?'

'Did she drown in her bathtub?'

'No, that's unlikely...'

'How could someone possibly drown in their own bathtub?'

"I'm drowning... I'm drowning..."

The voice disappeared from above and it now echoed behind Calvin.

Calvin gulped a mouthful of saliva.

He could feel someone standing behind him.

He took a step forward and the person behind him also took a step forward.

The cold breeze that seemed to be rotating in the corridor didn't dissipate.

Instead, with every step that Calvin took through the corridor.

The coldness seemed to grow colder and colder.

Calvin didn't do anything.

He had no idea what kind of a demon was following behind him for he couldn't see the demon. All he knew was this demon caused him to shit and piss his pants back then.

In other words, this demon must be traumatizingly powerful.

Calvin continued on walking, but when he was about to place his foot on the stairwell leading to the Eleventh Floor.

His movements came to a sudden halt.

He felt an immense sense of danger from behind him and he was sure that as soon as he took that step.

His head would roll from his shoulders.

But Calvin didn't panic.

As soon as he realized that there was no way for him to scale the next floors without dealing against this monster.

He gave a deep sigh and leaned on the walls beside the stairwell.

"Miss, you must be in pain..."

"I know the feeling of drowning. Back then, when I was still a child. I was an adventurous and rebellious one. Whenever we went to the beach I wouldn't stay with my peers near the shallow waters. Instead, I would bravely go deeper. Of course, with the supervision of adults, I wouldn't be in danger and I grew even bolder..."

"However, when that fateful day came. I realized that I really was powerless against the power of nature." Calvin heaved another sigh and squatted down. Since he was blindfolded, he couldn't see anything so he used his hands to feel the cold steps leading to the eleventh floor.

Then, instead of taking a step forward.

He sat on the steps and asked, "Can you sit beside me for a chat?"

"You must be quite lonely seeing that this place is so deserted. You must be in pain, since until now."

"You are still drowning..."

"If you don't mind, I will listen to your troubles and I am also willing to help you as much as I can..."

After a few seconds, Calvin could feel that something sat beside him.

His arm brushed against something lukewarm.

The drowning woman who was following him sat down next to him on the step.

"Thank you for staying with me. I'm not really quite good at socializing with others, but if you mind..."

"Can you tell me your story?"

Calvin's tone was completely sincere that it could bring battle-hardened men into tears.

"I'm floating... I raise my head but I find no surface. I turn around but I find no land. I'm drowning..."

"Where are you? Where can I find you?" Calvin quickly struck while the iron was hot.

"I'm at the Top Floor's water tank... My arms and legs are folded together, wrapped around a rope that keeps me from moving around. I can't go to the surface for there is no surface. I can't swim back to land, for there is no land. I'm stuck, I'm cold, and I'm drowning..."

Calvin's pupils constricted.

'The water tank?!'

'Then, that astringent taste earlier was...?'

Calvin had the urge to puke right there and now.