Chapter 3 - Horror II in Terravell

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Chapter 8 – Crafting in Uncertainty

The Systematic Guide flickered silently above Haruto's vision like a heads-up display, pages scrolling with minimalist icons and vague descriptions:

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> 🔧 Basic Crafting Menu – Geographical Class

[Wood Plate Barrier]

➤ Material: Bark (x3), Binding Sap (x1)

➤ Function: Temporary cover or shield wall. Weak against fire or strong strikes.

[Stone Core Dagger] – Already owned

[Mosswrap Bandage] – Not yet crafted

[Slime Adhesive Net] – Slime cooperation required

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Haruto looked down at the heavy log by his foot. He bent to lift it—grunting.

Too heavy.

Worse, it cracked apart with a sickening squish—ants poured from the inside in waves.

"Gah—!" he dropped it fast, backing off, brushing at his arms and neck.

No stings. Just panic.

Stay calm.

He shifted focus to the nearby tree, rough and silent. With care, he peeled away strips of bark using the sharp edge of his dagger.

The tree rustled, like it felt the wound—but didn't stop him.

Haruto crafted on the spot:

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> ✅ [CRAFT SUCCESSFUL: Wood Plate Barrier x1]

Durability: Low – Concealment Mode: Active

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He stacked the plates together in front of a natural dip in the terrain, forming a crude wall.

Then, quickly, squeezed himself behind it—knees up, hunched low, clutching the dagger.

The bark plates rattled softly as he shifted his weight.

Then… silence.

Except for the wet, sticky sound of slime movement.

Slap. Glurp. Slap.

Haruto froze.

The sound was right behind the plates.

Was it his slime?

Or something else?

His hand tightened around the dagger.

Sweat slid down his temple.

His breathing slowed to barely a whisper.

Then—

The slime nudged the edge of the plate.

Bloop.

It was his. Just checking in.

Haruto let out a shaky breath. "You're going to kill me one day, you know that?"

The slime wobbled innocently.

But Haruto didn't relax. Not yet.

Because behind every plate… behind every tree… in this cursed forest…

Illusions could become real.

And reality could be waiting in the shape of something that just felt wrong.

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Chapter 9 – Illusion Pressure: When the Senses Betray

At first, it was just a sound.

A soft clicking—like wood tapping on stone. Then came the colors. Trees that twisted in on themselves like corkscrews. Moss that bloomed in reverse, unfurling upward into the air. The sky wasn't white anymore—it was breathing, pulsing like lungs, in and out, in and out.

Haruto clutched his barrier and felt the world shift under his hands.

Not tilt.

Not quake.

But change—incomprehensibly. As if someone had spun the rules of gravity and rewrote the physics on the fly.

His ears rang. His eyes stung. Every breath became a question:

Was he breathing in air? Or sound? Or memory?

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His hand shook around the dagger.

He blinked, and the forest glitched—his own face stared back from a nearby tree, carved into its bark.

Then the sound returned.

Voices.

But distorted—like they were underwater or cracked cassette tapes.

> "He shouldn't be here…"

"Pathetic. Earthborns can't handle it."

"Drop the knife…"

What? Who—

Figures emerged—four, maybe five.

Not beasts. Not monsters.

But humanoids—Travelers?

Haruto opened his mouth to speak—only a garbled noise came out.

His arms moved like they belonged to someone else.

And then—

CRACK.

A kick struck his hand—the dagger flew into the moss.

"No—!" he gasped, stumbling backward.

Another hand shoved him down—hard.

He didn't even see it coming.

The world spun like a camera off its gimbal. The trees bent inside-out. The moss beneath him turned to concrete, then flesh, then memory, then nothing.

He reached for something—anything.

The last thing he saw…

Was the silver slime bubbling next to him.

Still there.

Still loyal.

Then—blackout.

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. . .

Somewhere outside the broken lens of perception, in the distant weave of the forest—

A figure stood among silent stone.

Tall, with a black suit that didn't wrinkle. Wavy brown hair, perfectly groomed, brushing his collar.

His sunglasses reflected nothing, but shimmered with the red and blue hue of unseen dimensions.

One hand in a white glove, the other in black.

His mouth mask, half white, half black—drew no breath.

His presence quieted the forest.

He watched.

Unblinking.

Unrushed.

> "Not everyone succeeds on their first trial."

His voice was low. Calm. Nearly gentle.

The trees around him bent slightly—acknowledging him.

> "Illusions are strong."

He glanced at the moss where Haruto had fallen.

> "But some seeds grow best… after they've broken open."

And then, with a soft step, Yarrow vanished into the bark of the trees.

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Chapter 10 – The Door Behind You

Haruto jolted upright—gasping.

His chest was tight. His fingers numb. Sweat soaked through his shirt, despite the cool forest air. Everything around him was quiet—too quiet. Not serene, but uncertain, as if the forest itself was waiting to see what he'd do next.

The Confusion Woods were still around him. Nothing had changed.

And that was what scared him the most.

> "Did it even happen…?"

He looked at his hands—still shaking.

His senses weren't under assault anymore, but the memory of them being taken lingered like a burn beneath his skin.

His eyes darted—looking for the dagger.

There—by the water's edge, lodged beneath a stone. He scrambled forward, slipped slightly in the mud, and yanked it free with a sharp breath. His grip on the hilt was desperate.

Then—a bloop.

He turned.

The silver slime was there. Still following him.

Still watching.

Haruto's breath caught in his throat.

Relief and dread tangled in his chest.

"You stayed…"

The slime blinked slowly, then rolled forward, pressing against Haruto's boot. A message surfaced in the Guide:

> Silver Slime: Suggests Retreat to Nation Hub for Combat Recalibration and Crafting Proficiency.

Haruto stared at it.

The idea made sense. He was in no shape to press forward. He could reset. Regroup. Go back to Terravell and train.

But—

He looked around. The woods hadn't rejected him. They hadn't killed him. The trial, whatever it was, had come and gone. He'd been shattered, yes. But…

Going back now? Wouldn't that mean he lost?

And then.

He felt it.

Cold.

Behind him.

He turned.

There was a door.

A single black-wood, iron-framed door, freestanding among the trees, with no walls attached. As if it had just spawned into existence.

Old.

Tall.

No doorknob—only a latch made of white bone.

The forest grew silent as he stared at it.

No System notification.

No map update.

No enemy warning.

Just one word… whispered through the Vita.

> "Open it."

Haruto hesitated. "What is this…?"

The silver slime slowly backed away.

That scared Haruto more than anything.

He could turn back. Follow the slime. Go to safety.

But the door was here now.

For him.

He reached out—

Fingers trembling—

And opened it.

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[HORROR MAP – UNKNOWN INSTANCE: THE FORGOTTEN CAVERN]

> This instance exists outside the Confusion Woods.

Illusions will behave differently. Reality will not follow your memory.

Survival chances: Low

Escape path: Unclear

Proceed with everything. Leave nothing behind.

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Chapter 11 – Panic Protocol: Laughter in the Void

Haruto gripped the door handle and braced himself.

He expected unease.

He expected pressure.

He didn't expect—the scream.

> SCREEEEEEEEEK-KRRAHHHHHHH

The moment the door cracked open, a blinding flash of red and white burst through—accompanied by the deafening roar of something impossible moving at hypersonic speed.

A clown.

Not a person in makeup—a thing in the shape of a clown, warped and elongated, a screaming blur of painted skin and snapping limbs. Its teeth didn't fit in its mouth. Its laugh wasn't even human—just an error in sound.

Before Haruto could breathe, the thing phased through him, like a ghost—but it felt real, like icy needles shooting through every nerve in his chest.

He flinched hard—stumbled backward—

—fell.

His hands hit the forest floor.

He couldn't breathe.

Heartbeat racing.

Panic grabbed him like a hand around the throat.

His ears rang.

His eyes couldn't focus.

His body trembled like it wanted to fall apart.

> "What the hell was that?!"

His mind tried to rationalize it.

A ghost? An illusion? A jump scare?

No answer.

Just silence now.

The door stood open.

Dark inside.

Waiting.

The silver slime rolled beside him.

It didn't bubble.

It didn't blink.

But its body dimmed, then glowed faintly again—as if acknowledging his fear… and urging him to continue anyway.

Haruto sat there, hand over his chest, feeling every beat like a drum of war.

> "I don't want to go in there."

He said it aloud.

But he stood up anyway.

Because if he turned back now… the forest would own him.

The door would return. Later. Worse.

He took a breath.

Gritted his teeth.

He stepped forward—

One foot past the frame.

The slime followed.

The door didn't close.

But the world behind it vanished.

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[HORROR MAP – ENTERED: THE FORGOTTEN CAVERN]

> Architecture mimics: Unknown. Sound distortion active. Gravity is stable but emotional resonance is affecting oxygen levels.

🎭 Laughter may return.

Stay aware of mirrors, blinking lights, and anything with eyes.

You are not alone.

Guide: Silver Slime (Emotional Calibration: Stable)

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