Chapter 38: Domain of Fresh A few moments ago, the two Espers had arrived and stopped before the entrance leading to the Second Floor. However, neither showed the slightest intent to step through.
It wasn’t hesitation born of fatigue, but something deeper as though all will to move forward had been drained from them.
Or rather, the sight before the gate had frozen them in place for their own separate reasons.
Beyond the gate lay a grotesque worldscape of meat and flesh reminiscent of a pulsating phenomenon that defied every natural order. The ground was not soil, but layers of raw, quivering tissue, slick with a sheen of viscous fluid that oozed between every crevice. Veins as thick as roots snaked across the surface, glowing with a reddish luminescence, pumping an unseen life force through the terrain.
The air trembled with a low, rhythmic pulse like the heartbeat of some enormous creature sleeping just beneath the soles of their feet. A nauseating stench of iron and rot filled their nostrils, so thick it nearly forced Nightingale to gag.
More than that, there was the sight of uncountable eyes shifting in an eerie, almost synchronized manner. They were embedded in the writhing flesh, some as small as a pinprick, others large enough to make a grown man flinch.
It was certainly disgusting, guesome and unnatural.
Nightingale felt his stomach churn, feeling an overwhelming wave of nausea hit him at once. Fortunately, he hadn’t seen anything since this morning or else he would have emptied his stomach.
He instinctively took a step back, eyes filled with terror and disbelief.
"What... the hell is this?" Lu Song muttered beneath his breath, his own voice trembling and shaking despite his fragile attempt to sound composed.
On the other hand, Flaming Rose remained silent. Though her mask hid most of her expression, the rigid stiffness of her posture betrayed her unease. Finally, she said with her voice barely audible and above that of a whisper:
"This is the Second Floor, the Fresh Domain."
Nightingale’s brows furrowed.
"Fresh... Domain?"
She nodded slowly.
"Everything you see here is alive, all part of a single, breathing organism spanning the entire floor. Or is it more appropriate to say the entire floor is a living creature? The specific wording doesn’t matter. To reach the next pathway which would then lead us to the Third Floor, we would need to cross this terrain."
"So... you’re saying we have to walk through the stomach of some damned creature and reach the other side?"
"Something like that. But it’s not the body you should fear. You should be more concerned about its eyes."
Nightingale blinked, clearly confused, and asked,
"The... eyes?"
She turned her head slightly to look at him.
"Don’t stare too long at anything that looks back at you. Once it notices your gaze, it’s game over."
Anxiously, he pressed further.
"What happens if hypothetically it notices me staring?"
Flaming Rose tilted her head as if he had just asked a foolish question.
"Isn’t that obvious? You simply die."
Just like that, Nightingale’s expression went blank.
Looking at that blank expression which showed that his thoughts had fled from reality, Flaming Rose let out a quiet sigh and continued,
"Let me put it plainly. How exactly you die is unknown, but it is certain that if you meet its eyes, you will die. Some speculate that the entire floor is a Chaos Creature of Titan class or higher, while others claim it’s the living carcass of a fallen god. Of course, all of these are wrong and exist as just speculations. This is simply the mechanism of the floor, made to enforce this effect absolutely. Even Saints could perish here if they are not careful."
She then paused and added in a softer tone. For some reason, it felt as though she was smiling behind that mask.
"But you shouldn’t worry too much. All you have to do is walk forward and keep a straight line. In addition, if you lack the courage to move ahead with your eyes open, you can simply close them and just walk. There’s nothing easier than that, isn’t there?"
’In other words, as long as I avoid making eye contact and keep moving forward straight, I’ll survive. Ah... now I understand why she said even a blind person could pass this floor.’
It really was that simple. Still, he couldn’t stomach the notion of crossing the belly of some hidden beast.
The nauseating pulse of the flesh beneath their feet seemed to throb in tandem with Nightingale’s racing heartbeat. Every instinct screamed at him to turn away, yet his legs remained rooted in place, torn between fear and necessity.
Flaming Rose lingered for a moment before shifting her weight slightly and took the first step forward.
Calm and unwavering, she pressed onward, the crimson of her coat tracing the quivering flesh like molten flame.
Looking at her fleeing back that increasingly became more distant, Nightingale hesitated to follow. The multitude of eyes scattered across the grotesque worldscape seemed to flicker and turn subtly, tracking him without moving. A single glance into one of them would be enough, he could instinctively feel that truth.
Swallowing the bile rising in his throat, he forced himself to mimic her steps. One foot in front of the other, while simultaneously fixing his eyes on the distant exit he could barely make out through the fog of pulsating flesh.
With every step, the ground squelched sickeningly and the wet sound echoed across the enormous chamber. Somehow, by some miracle, nothing lunged at him. Nothing tried to hinder his movements. It was as if the eyes were watching silently and waiting.
’Are you waiting for me to mess up? Sorry to disappoint, but I have no intentions of looking at your ugly face. Well... is there even a face to begin with? It’s only flesh and eyes. Whatever the case, all I have to do is keep moving.’
Of course, that was easier said than done. It was agonizingly difficult to keep his focus on the far end while ignoring the countless stares fixed on him.
And burdened with the knowledge that even a single glance would guarantee his inevitable demise, Nightingale grew increasingly anxious with each passing second.
Truly, at this moment, he secretly wished he were blind.
... Blind?
Couldn’t he just close his eyes and open them when he reached the other side?
That way, he wouldn’t have to see or even think about the disgusting landscape surrounding him. It was, without a doubt, the most logical solution.
’Yeah, that’s right... If I can’t see, then I can’t look into their eyes!’
Hope ignited in his eyes. The thought itself was reassuring, deceptively simple, and almost comforting until another realization crept up on him.
’Wait... but how would I know if I’m still walking in a straight line?’
The terrain beneath him pulsed unevenly as though reacting to his thoughts. The entire ground shifted subtly with every step, and the rhythmic throbbing made it impossible to trust his sense of direction.
One wrong step could turn him around without realizing it. One slight deviation could lead him in circles or worse, straight into the gaze of something lurking within the flesh.
The idea alone made his throat go dry.
’So even closing my eyes might not save me... Damn it, this place really is a nightmare.’
He glanced ahead once more. Flaming Rose had already crossed a significant distance, her figure shrinking into the haze of pulsating red. She moved without hesitation, not once glancing to either side or behind.
The image of her unwavering composure grounded him somehow.
𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦 ’If she can do it, then so can I.’
Taking a deep breath, Nightingale forced his trembling legs to continue their march. Step after step, squelch after squelch, the rhythm of his movements became one with the pulsating world beneath his feet.
Minutes passed or maybe hours. It was impossible to tell. Time itself felt warped here.
And then...
Thump! A heavy, resonant pulse rippled through the floor like an earthquake. The entire domain shuddered and writhed as the myriad of waking eyes began to dilate in unison as they looked at him with great malicious intent and avarice. The air thickened drastically and vibrated with an almost sentient awareness.
"...?"
Inadvertently, Nightingale paused his movement.
’...No way. Did it just... notice me?’
The flesh beneath his boots quivered. Something massive shifted within the depths of the domain, like a slumbering creature stirring awake. The synchronized throbbing quickened, becoming more frantic with each second, as if the entire floor were awakening.
Or perhaps something was awakening from the floor. Either way, the distinction seemed meaningless. What had triggered this reaction? Had he accidentally met the gaze of one of those countless eyes? Or was it simply a stroke of terrible luck?
Nightingale weighed every possibility in silence, paralyzed by the scene before his eyes. He remained frozen in place and rigid like a petrified statue for what felt like an eternity.
In reality, only a few seconds had passed.
Just then, Flaming Rose’s panicked voice echoed with a lace of urgency.
"Don’t stop moving, you idiot!"