Training as a Slime (14)

As the light turned back on, Cori could see blood prints all over the walls. Scribbled on the walls were the words, "The experiment failed. We're all trapped here. It is only time till he turned. If anyone sees this please save my daughter, Alice." Cori looked back at the corpse- the dead zombie in white gown. "Could he be the experiment or the doctor?"

Cori explored the basement and found a lift underneath the stairs with its entrance blocked by a metal cupboard. If Cori was not carrying so many things he would have ignored all warning signs and flatten himself to slip through the gaps and get into the elevator.

"Thud... Thud... Thud..." 

Knocking could be heard through the elevator. "Could there be a survivor?" Cori wondered.

"Is anyone there?" Cori asked but all it came out was squeaks.

The knocking stopped, "It's just a mouse..."

System, "Proceed to upper floors to save survivor."

"Who was that?" Cori wondered and used (Observation).

System, "Game room- game paused. Continue?" "Yes." Cori decided. "Could a player get trapped in a game he wondered."

Unable to ignore his curiosity, he used his strength to knock over the cupboard.

System, "Warning! Confirmation needed to release 'Pandora's box' to real world."

Cori stopped in his tracks. "Pandora's box? Whatever is inside is bad news!" Cori frantically pushed the toppling shelf back in place. 

A black claw retracted from the gaps of the elevator door as the bookshelf sealed it back to its rightful place. Unbeknownst to Cori, when the deity was creating the games, he unwittingly created a villain with Artificial Intelligence. Over time, due to its interaction with the deity, it was able to gain wisdom and materialised into the real world causing diseases, war, depression, rage, violence, and unimaginable evil. Hence, the name Pandora's box. What was supposed to be a game character became a real threat.

Cori did not know he came close to a life and death situation, and proceeded up the stairs back into the cloister. He approached the reception and found a master card. System, "Master key card acquired." The air was eerily still.

A small girl with curly blonde hair holding onto a baby doll stood quietly observing Cori. "Is that Alice?" he wondered. The girl ran up the stairs, stopping after a few meters to check if Cori was following her. Cori followed her to an apartment on the 6th level. She put her index fingers to her lips then pointed to the apartment in front of her and mouthed, "Be careful." The girl in white gown vanished into smoke and dissipated. Cori's face turned pale as he realised he saw a ghost. But it was just a game, so he reassured himself the ghost was not real at all.

Using the master card key, he tapped it against the door handle. "Click!" The door unlatched and creaked as Cori pushed it open slightly to check. But the scene was not visible whenever the light flickered and dimmed. A rotting figure was pacing up and down in the room, as if waiting for someone to enter.

A ghostly giggle echoed throughout the floor. The zombie with rotting flesh dashed towards Cori, hand reaching out to grab him. Alas, it slammed the door shut in its attempt to catch him.

System, "Enter room to save survivor 1."