Meeting

<p>Meanwhile, a certain Ghoul was making his way through the caverns with great difficulty.<br/>During the time when he was suffering the effects of late stage spirit deterioration due to [Equalizer], he had even lost his ability to feel his own body. He had basically been reduced to a spirit without a physical body. <br/>He could not hear, could not feel, could not taste, and could not touch. He didn't need to breath, didn't need to blink, didn't need his heart to beat.<br/>Sometimes, he had wondered if he was even alive.<br/>He was just a pair of eyes and a brain that was used to create and witness what he created. <br/>He smiled. 'Though, at the end, I wasn't really seeing anything either…'<br/>Shuffling forward mechanically while holding the wall in a death grip, he continued to entertain himself with his thoughts.<br/>The last time he walked was when he was 15 and 173 cm tall. On top of actually having a body for the first time in years, he estimated that this body was around 180 cm. He had to get used to using longer limbs as well as limbs in general. <br/>Fortunately, after the unknown amount of time he spent wandering aimlessly, he was gradually getting accustomed to having a body and had already progressed from stumbling every step to being able to run normally.<br/>To his miraculous progress, he could only sigh.<br/>'I would have never thought that, one day, I would thank my spirit rank for being so high.'<br/>During his trek, occasionally, his head would throb and random visions would appear in his mind. Some were relevant, such as when they showed him almost stepping onto a bone sticking hazardously from the ground or when they showed him about to faceplant into a wall.<br/>These types of visions were short and tended to show him approximately 1-5 seconds into the future. The future shown is always to warn him about the immediate dangers around him.<br/>The first time it happened, he was about to step onto a stalagmite. <br/>In the vision, he had stepped onto it and cursed up a storm. After the vision ended, he stopped, knelt, and felt the ground in front of him. It didn't take long for him to confirm that there was a stalagmite there as the vision foretold.<br/>As he was feeling the stalagmite to approximate how large it was, he accidentally applied too much force and completely crushed it like it was made of sand instead of stone.<br/>He was shocked.<br/>'What the hell? What's with this body's strength?' <br/>Briefly, he entertained the idea that the stone here might be especially brittle.<br/>'It's impossible. No matter how weak the stone here is, it shouldn't be possible to crush it like sand.'<br/>Even though he was a Ghoul, no Ghoul would be this powerful after just being born.<br/>'Could it be that this body has some sort of special talent?'<br/>He went through all the possibilities, but there were just too many. Having super strength wasn't unique enough to help him narrow down whatever power it could be.<br/>However, this incident and the subsequent ones helped him solidify the idea that the visions are true.<br/>And because these visions were true, it was the ones that were completely irrelevant to his current situation which interested him the most. <br/>Even though the relevant visions frequently saved him from hurting himself, it does not offer him anything other than immediate safety.<br/>Visions that give him a glimpse of what is outside the caverns can help him get a grasp on the situation of this new world. Additionally, they don't seem to be as restricted as the shorter visions that only show 1-5 seconds of the future. Unfortunately, they were much rarer and he had only experienced one such vision during his exploration of the caverns.<br/>[On a continent where the black ground was dyed with blood and sloped downwards the closer it go to the center of the continent, there was a gapping abyss with four giant jagged cliffs. These cliffs protruded like mountains inward towards the center of the abyss.<br/>Atop these four cliffs were four Gothic metropolises. People from all kinds of dark races and their slaves left the metropolises in large droves to the Northwest.<br/>On the Northwest corner of the continent, a heaven-piercing tower was under construction. Just the base of this tower was more than 100 square kilometers and, from the scaffolding around it, this was just the start. It could be imagined how magnificent the tower's completed form would be as its silhouette could be seen from the other end of the continent even when unfinished.<br/>The people who left the cities would arrive at the Northwest corner of the continent. The dark races worked in administration while their slaves would be sent to construct the tower.<br/>Even though the dark races had special treatment and the slaves were dissatisfied, everyone present worked hard with a determined glint in their eyes. They continued to work hard into the day with sweat dripping into their eyes.<br/>On the highest floor of the administrative building beside the tower, a handsome young man with brown hair and reddish-brown eyes gazed at the tower solemnly. His eyes briefly flashed blood red before addressing someone behind him.<br/>"This is our last hope."]<br/>Because these visions are truthful, no matter relevant or irrelevant, they provided him with a lot of information to think about.<br/>From his first vision about [Summer and Winter Mountain], it was most likely that he had been placed somewhere within the world he created. Nothing from that vision deviated from what he created, and nothing in it indicated that it was not from the world he created.<br/>However, the location of the second vision was clearly the southern continent, the [Dark Abyss], yet he's never created a tower there. He would definitely remember building a structure so memorable. <br/>He hid the sliver of jealously that appeared in his heart. 'Why didn't I think to put a tower in my world? It's obviously a classic type of architecture! From what I could see of the interior, the tower obviously serves some kind of grand purpose… Damn, I really want to see its finished state…'<br/>Quickly ridding himself of useless thoughts, he tried to do something productive.<br/>After a series of experiments, he had finally formulated some sort of rules for his ability to invoke visions.<br/>Purposefully inducing visions outside of his immediate dangers and surroundings is futile. However, outside of that, there were two types of visions that he can induce. <br/>The first is the type which informs him of any immediate dangers in his surroundings. This is the type that automatically activated when he is in danger.<br/>It was like his body was the origin of a 3-D coordinate plane. 10 meters of his surroundings were recreated within this plane and all potential dangers had their coordinates clearly marked within the plane in real time. Well, future real time.<br/>However, the recreated environment within the vision was extremely simple. Almost like a game that was still in its early stages, everything looked grey, untextured, and overly angular. <br/>Activating and keeping this type of vision operating for a long period of time was not too tiring, but it's the opposite with the second type of vision.<br/>Compared to the first type, the second type allowed more details to be seen. It was almost like normal sight… if all shadows were removed and it was limited to only 10 meters.<br/>For this type of vision, he can only activate it for a few seconds before it stops on its own. Additionally, he could only activate it so many times before he starts to develop a severe headache. Even activating it for a short time causes him discomfort.<br/>Finally, for both types of visions, the furthest he could see was 5 seconds into the future and the least was 1 second. Each vision lasts around 1 second or until it automatically ends by itself. While his brain processed the vision, he would have to account for the difference in time between the vision and reality.<br/>He had tried to purposefully induce more visions about things outside of his immediate dangers or surroundings, but it seems that he still could not control this portion of his ability. Perhaps his control over the visions would improve as he got stronger.<br/>Nonetheless, all these things just left him more and more questions.<br/>'What's causing these visions?'<br/>'If I'm not the one controlling some of the visions, then what is?'<br/>However, the most important question was: is this really his world?<br/>'If this is not my world, then who's world is it?'<br/>'How much of this world is the same as the world I created?'<br/>Just when he wanted to contemplate some more, he stopped walking and nervously turned his head to the right.<br/>He could hear the steady sounds of fighting coming closer towards him. <br/>Quickly, he prayed for whatever deity out there to lead the fight away from him. <br/>'As a person who couldn't even walk straight a while ago, it's really too much for me to enter a heated fight in this condition!'<br/>And, most importantly, he really didn't want to fight.<br/>Unfortunately, nothing answered his prayers and the sounds of fighting continued to come closer to his location.<br/>Just as cold sweat started to form on the back of his hand, his head throbbed again.<br/>[In a pitch black cavern, monstrous beasts howled and leapt desperately at someone.<br/>The monsters were strangely unclear. Their form and shape could been seen clearly, however, there were no details. They were like unpainted 3D models from the 21st century.<br/>Their claws clashed against the figure's dagger, briefly lighting up the surroundings with sparks.<br/>From the light made by the sparks, a woman wearing sullied robes could be seen dashing further into the darkness. <br/>Strangely, she occasionally glanced to the side even when there were no monsters there.<br/>However, even when the woman appeared to be distracted, she still calmly and accurately dodged around the monsters' wild attacks.]<br/>The vision ended there and he couldn't help but blink.<br/>The vision had activated to let him know that there was danger in his surroundings. It also unintentionally allowed him to have a peek of the fight. <br/>Knowing that there was a person, he thought for a few moments before deciding to get involved.<br/>It wasn't because he was hypocritical and wanted to save the woman when he couldn't even fight properly. It was because the woman was the first person he had met so far and his only source of reliable information.<br/>He couldn't control what the "irrelevant" visions showed him, and he didn't know anything about his situation or where he was. If he saved this woman, he would at least be able to pry some information out of her. Otherwise, who knew when he would be able to meet someone else in this godforsaken place? After all, she was the first person he found after all this wandering.<br/>Plus, he didn't forget the screams he had first heard back when he had just woken up. There was strength in numbers, and it was best to group up even if just to increase the chances of survival. If worse comes to worst, he could leave her behind as a distraction.<br/>Nevertheless, even though he had resolved to help the woman, he would prioritize his life before hers if the situation got out of hand. After all, he could just phase through the attacks and run away if things got really dangerous. Probably. Maybe.<br/>'Unless that person changed anything, a persons' racial skill should come as instinct…'<br/>Before he could dissuade himself, he hurriedly shook his head and returned to the task at hand.<br/>'Anyways, from the visions, the monsters don't seem too strong. With my current abilities, I'm confident that I'll be able to defeat all of them as long as the woman doesn't interfere.'<br/>Now that he had motivation to join the fight, he directed his ability to see the situation in the fight.<br/>He searched within himself and felt for the place that always ached when he used his ability.<br/>He knew he succeeded when he felt that increasingly familiar throb in his head, his ability directly jumping to five seconds into the future.<br/>[Gradually coming closer towards a turn in the cavern, the woman felt the air behind her being displaced and immediately jumped over a monster's swipe.<br/>However, this turned out to be a bad move as, while she was in the air and unable to move, another monster pounced onto her and slammed her into the wall.<br/>The force with which she was thrown into the wall caused the wall to shatter. The sickening crunch of bones breaking reverberated through the space and the woman vomited out blood.<br/>Before she could react, the monsters all leaped at her. Soon, the echoes of her screams joined and resonated within the caverns, creating a haunting solo.]<br/>Coming back to the present, he was dumbfounded at the sudden turn of events.<br/>'I have to move. Now!'<br/>Quickly directing his foresight ability to see the detailed layout of his surroundings one second in the future, he ignored the brief twinge of pain and rapidly formed a mental map.<br/>He whipped his arm out and used his chains to wrap around a stalactite. Pulling on it to make sure it can hold his weight, he pulled himself up and settled down to wait for his prey.<br/>As the sound of fighting drew closer and closer, his breathing sped up and his hands trembled. Yet, contrary to being afraid, he had a smile on his face.<br/>What was this feeling? Why was he smiling?<br/>A normal person would be scared out of their minds, but he was shaking in excitement.<br/>Was it because he was stuck alone for so long that he went crazy and just didn't realize until now?<br/>Finally, when he heard the sounds of footsteps pass him and the scratching of claws approach him, he used his ability to find the perfect time to descend.<br/>[In the darkness, a woman ducked and weaved between the attacks of various monsters, swiftly dashing through a narrow cavern with long and thick stalactites handing from the ceiling.<br/>The monsters howled and followed the woman, their sharps claws scrapping and scratching against the stone floor. <br/>Silently, above, a man with long, dark hair waited patiently before exploding into action. He let go of the stalactite and directly stepped on the head of a monster, smashing it into pieces.]<br/>He grinned. <br/>Taking advantage of the darkness and element of surprise, he used his momentum to step onto the snout of the first monster. Using it as a landing pad, he crushed its head against the floor and smashed it into pieces. A disgusting mixture of red and grey clung onto the soles of his feet, but he didn't pay attention to it and dashed towards the next monster.<br/>Even though the monsters were momentarily startled, they soon recovered their wits and howled.<br/>Their claws scrabbled against the stone as they charged at him, baring their needle teeth and anticipated the time when they could feast on his flesh.<br/>Suddenly, it was like he lost control of himself.<br/>Activating his first type of foresight and feeling adrenaline course through him at the sight of the beasts' open maws, he slid under the attack of the foremost monster and wound the chains on his arms around its neck as he went. Coming out from under it, he stomped his feet into the ground and buried them deep into the stone.<br/>Before the monster could react, he twisted his body. He used the power of his entire body and pulled with all his might. With its own speed and his immense strength, its head ripped off with a nauseating tear. A fountain of blood poured out from the wound, causing him to immediately be drenched in its putrid blood.<br/>Shocked by this act, the monsters that were used to easy prey stuttered to a halt.<br/>"..."<br/>He saw also shocked, though he didn't let it show.<br/>'What was that?'<br/>After his body perceived that it was entering a combat situation, it was almost like he dissociated.<br/>All he could do was watch as his body went into auto-pilot and savagely teared into the monsters.<br/>'Is it some leftover muscle memory from the original?'<br/>In the middle of his musing, he was interrupted by the last gurgle of the monster he just dealt with. Pursing his lips, he decided to deal with this situation later.<br/>Flicking the blood on his hands away like you would after washing your hands in the sink, he grimaced. <br/>It seemed God really didn't want him to remain clean.<br/>The sound of claws scrapping on the ground brought him out of his lamenting. Yet, instead of attacking him, the monsters were slowly retreating.<br/>Before he could do anything, sounds of objects whistling through the air flew past his ears. Not knowing when it had turned off, he hurriedly activated his first type of foresight to see what was happening.<br/>He discovered that the woman had threw out one dagger for each of the remaining monsters.<br/>The monsters, who were so preoccupied by him that they had completely forgotten about the woman, were taken by surprise. The daggers flew true to their targets and sunk into the heads of two of the monsters. The last one narrowly twisted its body in time and caused the dagger to pierce into its shoulder.<br/>Not letting go of this opportunity, he quickly tore his feet out from the ground and sprinted towards the last monster.<br/>Seeing his charge and knowing that its death was inevitable, the monster let out a final defiant roar.<br/>It refused to die just like this. Its eyes that were clouded over with despair, perpetual hunger, and madness were not reconciled.<br/>Making one last attempt at fighting back, the monster opened its terrifying mouth to give the Ghoul a fatal blow.<br/>Ultimately, everything it did was useless.<br/>They leaped at each other and he dived straight into the waiting jaws of the monster. However, the second the monster's teeth were about to snap shut around his neck, a tingling feeling spread over his body and the monster went right through him.<br/>Having no time to celebrate the success of using his racial skill on purpose for the first time, he landed on the ground and wrapped his chain around the hind leg of the monster. Grabbing the chain with both hands and heaving, his muscles flexed and he swung his arms, twisting his body and slamming the monster into the wall.<br/>"Bang!"<br/>The monster hit the wall with brutal force and a small section of the wall collapsed, revealing a cavern that had been adjacent to theirs.<br/>Stepping closer to the monster to finish the job, he was once again interrupted by the sound of a sharp dagger whistling through the air. The dagger sunk into the neck of the monster with a thump, and the monster gave a last weak gurgle before falling silent.<br/>Everything was quiet.<br/>"…"<br/>Now that the immediate danger was taken care of, it was time to deal with the woman.<br/>Using his second type of foresight, he looked at the woman.<br/>The woman was currently standing atop the corpse of one of the monsters and casually playing with a dagger in her hand. She had vibrant fiery red hair that was caked in filth and sharp silver eyes which were cold and calculating. Her white robes were stained and ripped in many areas, causing much of her pale skin to be exposed.<br/>He turned his ability off and silently decided to not look at her with his second type of foresight before she changed into new clothes.<br/>Neither of them spoke and the air was filled with tension.<br/>Shit, this wasn't what he wanted. Even though he didn't know what type of person the woman was, he would never get any reliable information from her if things go on like this. He needed to somehow gain her trust.<br/>However, just as he was about to open his mouth to break the silence, he was suddenly faced with a dilemma.<br/>As someone who had zero interaction with others for more than half a decade, he would like to ask:<br/>'How do you start a conversation again? Especially one that breaks this tense atmosphere?'<br/>#UrgentlyWaitingOnline<br/>Just as he was internally panicking, the woman took the initiative to speak first. He noted that her voice was very mature and soothing to listen to.<br/>"We should leave now."<br/>Snapping out of his thoughts, he quickly nodded his head to show his agreement. The fight had made quite a commotion and he wouldn't be surprised if many other monsters were currently making their way to their location.<br/>Just before they left, he once again used his second type of foresight to confirm that the monsters were all dead. However, what was shown through his vision startled him, making him feel a twinge of pity and another unknown emotion.<br/>Before, when he was experimenting with his second type of foresight, he had already seen the rough environment he had awoken in.<br/>The caverns were an ominous black. Rusted chains that ended in sinister hooks and heavy shackles were nailed randomly to the ceiling, dangling around his head. On the ground, random pieces of torn fabric, bones, feces, and blackened pieces of flesh could been seen strewn around the place. The flesh looked like it was half rotted and half burnt.<br/>All of this had reminded him of a specific place within the world he created, but he had naively hoped that it wasn't true.<br/>During the fight, he had used the first type of foresight. Even though this allowed him to be able to fight for longer, it also inadvertently caused the monsters' appearances to be unclear. But now that he saw the monsters clearly, he found that he recognized what monster they were at a glance.<br/>The monsters had a body shaped somewhat like hounds, yet something about it looked awkward and horrid. Its skin had an oily and leathery texture, and they were so skinny that their bones could be clearly seen. Its snout was unusually short for something that looked like a canine and its nose was located on the middle of their snout, almost like a flat face that was stretched.<br/>[In the monsters' final moments, the madness that clouded their eyes cleared for an instant and they died full of regrets.<br/>'It hurts.'<br/>'How did I become like this?'<br/>'I regret it so much. At that time, why did I do it?'<br/>'How did I let it get to this point?'<br/>'I really want to live.']<br/>While he followed the woman's lead through the caverns, he ruminated about what he had just learned. After all, as the person who created this type of monster, he could glean a lot of information from this.<br/>He knew where he was now. Honestly, he had known for quite some time, but he didn't want to believe it.<br/>[Black Abyss Prison].</p>