Unveiling the Enigmatic Portal. (56)

The tailed critter's back seemed impossibly distant as he stood before the platform, tearing flesh from his wrist and placing it ecstatically on the hill.

The skull shriveled to the size of a pea and crumbled into dust.

A devilish fan unfurled before me. Baring my fangs, I braced myself for whatever consequences would follow.

A piece of vibrant purple meat plummeted onto the glowing runes beneath. The floor trembled beneath our feet, and the runes pulsated with increasing intensity, until the first inklings of a spatial rift materialized. The creatures ceased their cries, fixating their gazes upon the now-opened portal, their vertical pupils dilating in awe.

The pause was fleeting.

The tailed figure stepped into the portal first, followed by the others. I watched as their forms disappeared into the dark maw of the abyss. Inhaling the putrid air that surrounded me, my mind raced with various thoughts and ideas.

As the last monster vanished into the portal, the path ahead began to noticeably narrow. A screech of metal reverberated behind them, signaling the approach of the other creatures, drawn by the offering of the tailed one.

[You will succeed. You have repeatedly emerged from seemingly unsolvable scrapes.]

The system reassured me, its words carrying a tinge of pseudo-praise. Grinning at the backhanded compliment, I stepped forward, venturing into the realm of the unknown.

"HASS NAL GROOA..." A distant voice reached my ears, its meaning lost in the distance. Yet, it seemed to draw nearer.

Closing my eyes, I felt a surge of weightlessness envelop me, and with a sudden jolt, I landed on my putrid heels. The rapid movement threatened to induce nausea, and I struggled to catch my breath, wiping the greenish liquid from my trembling lips.

This time, there was no scent of sizzling meat, no sight of a moving conveyor belt. The space before me was nearly half-empty, delineated by an array of hundreds of intricate runes. The chiseled circles overlapped in a simplified font, different from the Lower Arena, where carnivorous plants thrived. On the other half of the space stood a structure reminiscent of a meteorite, its sharp angles supported by eight thick columns.

The monster who had carried the offering knelt upon one knee, bowing reverently toward a particular wall. This wall bore a subtle distinction from the rest, adorned with painted silhouettes of creatures that seemed to animate before my eyes. The figures floated above clouds, devouring corpses and engaging in fierce battles.

My mouth agape, I watched as the barely perceptible movements of the depicted figures grew increasingly rapid. Without taking a breath, I became a spectator to the resurrection of the painting at its apex. The silhouettes melded into one, as if a river of etched lines flowed together into a singular convergence.

Suddenly, claws emerged from the wall, piercing through the rocky facade, and I recoiled in horror. A potent aura emanated from the emerging figure, pressing heavily upon all of my senses. Fingers with grayish skin, sharp elbows, and bare shoulders materialized, gradually revealing a tall and slender silhouette crafted from diverse body parts, making it the most mesmerizing creature I had ever seen.

I watched as dozens of eyes scattered across the creature's torso stared at us with eager anticipation.

It sniffed the air, releasing hot steam from its forked mouth. The room filled with screams of terror and pain, even the monsters who had entered with me knelt before it in unabashed fear.

I was paralyzed, unable to move a single muscle. In those abyssal eyes, I glimpsed something beyond comprehension, a knowledge I would never be able to grasp.

The tail of the leading monster struck the inside of my knees, forcing me to sit on my rear. The bones creaked pitifully as I stared at the imposing creature standing before us, drenched in cold sweat.

What had brought us to this place?

Should I consider using a Sleeping Elixir?

A three-toed paw advanced toward my face, its razor-sharp claws digging into my chin. Its unfathomable eyes peered directly at me, through me, piercing into the depths of my soul.

My breath escaped me, as if I were under the hypnotic spell of a python. I was lifted from the ground like a helpless puppy and forcefully thrown against the nearest wall.

Just as I was about to gather my senses and prepare to confront a potential enemy, I found myself being drawn into a completely different realm.

I landed with a thud, my face meeting the warm floor. Opening my eyes and attempting to rise, I found myself surrounded by a multitude of paws moving about. Some brushed past me with haste, while others skillfully navigated around my prone form.

A blurry figure approached, gradually coming into focus as I blinked several times. It was a creature with the face of a catfish, his hand clutching a blood-stained cleaver while his chef's hat tilted downward. He crouched beside me, his voice guttural as he uttered incomprehensible words:

"Grl, grh nan?"

Confusion washed over me. I couldn't discern the language he spoke. Tilting my head in bewilderment, I was startled when a voice called out from my left:

"Klyam hsss mysh."

The catfish creature seemed to lose interest in me. Nonchalantly brushing off its dirty apron, it turned away and headed towards its counter.

With a mixture of surprise and confusion, I surveyed my surroundings. Dim lighting dangled from the earthen ceiling, while the passers-by wore impassive expressions amidst the somber ambiance. They blended into this gloomy setting far more seamlessly than initially perceived.

Behind me stood a plain wall devoid of any patterns or runes, its surface marked with occasional dirt streaks.

Swallowing hard, I turned my attention to the seemingly endless corridor stretching out on both sides. On the left, "counters" displayed an assortment of raw materials, including elixirs. To the right, creatures hurriedly moved about, nimbly avoiding my motionless presence.

A small town within the Arena?

A white feather materialized in my field of view, gently floating through the air. It delicately brushed against my shoulder before dissipating into the putrid patches of my skin.

An ant-headed creature appeared before me, its mouth opening on both sides as it began to speak:

'Lass mord luk hass? Hur tym...'

[You have received the artifact "Pen of the First Transfiguration." Do you wish to update your parameters?

Yes. No.]

Without hesitation, I pressed the Yes button.

The creature pointed to the left side of the corridor, engaging in a hushed conversation as we walked along. Unfortunately, I couldn't comprehend its words.

[Updating Participant parameters 137:

Race: Lower Loss.

Rank: 0.

Power: 130~ 65.

Dexterity: 14 ~ 7.

Endurance: 200~100.

Magic Resistance: 0.

Luck: 2 ~ 1.

Experience Points: 18.

Mana perception: 6 ~ 3.

Intelligence: 4~2. (You cannot fight two enemies simultaneously)

Mental Strength: 2 ~ 1.

Regeneration: 16~8.

New:

Profession — Porter.

Skills:

Hardy Worker (initial-yellow), Hand-to-Hand Combat (initial-yellow), Sound Attack (initial-red), Witchcraft (data collection is in progress).

Addition*

Your transformations cannot fully harness your true power (Dark Threads, Ignition, Dragon Scales, Melee, Needle-Bones, Shadow Strike), but you can learn their inherent skills and enhance them within your own body, increasing both their quantity and quality.

The update is complete.

You are unable to use the following Transformation for another month.

Participant 137 has acquired their first profession — Porter.

The participant has inherited half of the previous identity owner's attributes.

Your name:

Garr.]

It took more than five minutes for the words of my interlocutor to start making sense.

Wow. I truly have a new identity now. As I examined my clumsy fingers, my stomach let out an audible growl. No matter how I looked at it, I was undeniably weak in this form. I pinched the excess fat on my stomach, letting out a heavy exhale.

"That's precisely why you're here," the ant creature remarked, guiding me toward a less conspicuous section of the corridor.

I nodded in understanding.

I have to pretend that I understand, find a place to rent or a secluded spot, and contemplate everything.

We stood on the edge of a cliff, overlooking the sprawling factory below. The fires burned relentlessly, but I no longer sensed the scent of boiling meat.

Motioning for me to put on the apron, the ant-headed creature pointed with its two fused fingers toward the burning vat.

"Your workplace is there. You have no experience, and if you make too many mistakes, you'll end up as dead flesh."

"G-gah?" * What?"* I stammered, struggling to process the information.

Before I could fully comprehend what was happening, I was pushed from the observation area, hurtling toward the distant floor approximately 70 meters away.

Amidst the gusts of wind, I managed to position myself with my feet facing downward. Activating all the defensive skills my body possessed, I braced myself for a harsh collision with steel.

To my surprise, instead of the expected impact, I found myself caught by glowing runes suspended in mid-air. Hanging there, just 10 centimeters above the hard surface, I cautiously placed my feet onto the solid ground and gazed expectantly at the burning vat.

"New," spoke an unimaginably grotesque figure with a disfigured right side of its face. Its muzzle resembled two cherries that had yet to fully separate during the ripening stage. "Go ahead... By me," it managed to utter slowly, albeit in an incredibly unintelligible manner.

[Mission:

Spend the day at your new workplace without incident.]

A blue window materialized above the figure's head, leaving me with no choice, as was often the case.

[Here goes nothing.] T_T

Everything had transpired so swiftly and unexpectedly that I followed the disfigured figure in a state of limpid confusion.

---

Meanwhile, the Nebula cub stirred from its prolonged cultivation of strength.