Chapter 11 : Opening the First Chamber (1)

"Stay close to me."

Lloyd firmly held Blackie's leash with both hands, before engulfing himself in the darkness waiting for him behind the door.

"Woof!"

Even though he already passed through this mist before, he felt just as uneasy as the first time. It was hard to get used to the odd atmosphere filling the entire place.

"It's the same as yesterday, it's so dark that I can't even see my own feet," Lloyd sighed.

Since Celestine wasn't here to guide him this time, he had to progress at a slower pace. He didn't know how big was this place or if he could get lost, so it was better to be careful.

"This sure is a strange room..."

From the moment Lloyd stepped inside the Backroom, he not only lost the use of his sight due to the thick mist, but all his other senses also went numb.

The only things he could feel were the metallic leash in his hands and the sounds of Blackie trotting just behind him.

It was as if he had plunged into a pool of pure darkness.

"Let's hope we won't get lost..."

"Woof..."

As he traveled in silence in complete darkness, Lloyd pondered what was the role of this place. After thinking about it for a while, he concluded that this strange room filled with mist that he had to walk through to reach the Black Monolith was probably a type of anti-chamber.

He wasn't so far from the truth.

The Dark Chamber was the first security mechanism that Igor created to prevent intruders from reaching the core of the Backroom. It was a separate space that linked the pet store with the Backroom that was in the Void dimension.

What Lloyd failed to realize, however, was that he wasn't alone in this space ; a plethora of creatures roamed free within the darkness.

"Grrr..."

Blackie could feel these unknown presence moving around.

His two heads growled lowly in frustration. Despite his good instinct and enhanced senses, even he couldn't pinpoint the location of those mysterious entities hidden in the darkness.

He could only sense their malicious intent scanning him and his master once in a while before quickly vanishing, as if to confirm their identity.

Blackie didn't dare to imagine what would happen if someone other than his master decided to traverse the mist.

"It's alright, we're almost there."

Lloyd stopped for a moment to pat Blackie's nervous heads and comfort him when he heard him growl nervously.

'I've never seen him so agitated...'

Lloyd could tell Blackie was afraid just by caressing him. His tail was hung down and his two heads were frantically looking around, as if he was looking for something hidden in the mist.

After walking for a few more minutes, the mist slowly dispersed and Lloyd could finally see the tall edifice in front of which he had lost consciousness when he was with Celestine.

Lloyd decided to spend some time exploring the whole area that wasn't covered by the mist to see if he missed something the first time he came here.

As expected, he didn't find anything else besides the monolith and the stone tablet floating right next to it.

Just as he approached the structure in the center and was about to examine the tablet, the black monolith emitted a faint light and a mechanical voice echoed in his mind.

[Scan in progress...]

[Potential assessment...]

[Acquisition of biological data...]

[Genome analysis...]

"Huh ?!"

Lloyd flinched at the sudden sound. It was a strange sensation, as if a robot was talking inside his head.

He didn't know what exactly happened, but it appeared that his presence had awakened something within the monolith.

After a few seconds of silence, the mechanical voice talked again, but this time, it resonated in the entire place.

"Species: Homo sapiens-sapiens

Race: Secundum Genus Humanum

Subject: B021-84

Sensory capacity: low.

Cognitive capacity: low.

Intellectual capacity: medium.

Stamina: low.

Physical resistance: extremely low.

Psychic resistance: extremely low.

Muscle density: low.

Submission: null.

Notable abilities:

High adaptability.

Highly versatile genome.

Final assessment : Low Lethality Vector.

...

WARNING

Biological anomaly detected.

Consideration of new parameters...

New analysis in progress..."

The monolith shined with a bright purple aura.

"What the fuck is happening...?"

"Woof ?"

Blackie was as startled as Lloyd. Both of them had no idea what was this voice. It seemed to come from the monolith, but strangely, they could hear it from all directions.

After another short pause, the mechanical voice sounded again.

"New factors assessed.

Synergy link with Obscura Materia : unknown.

Synergy link with Nihil Conscientia : unknown.

Notable abilities addition:

Fusion with Obscura Materia incomplete.

Fusion with Nihil Conscientia incomplete.

Residual particles of Void Energy found in the subject's genome.

Manipulation of Void Energy possible in special area B4CKR00M.

New assessment: Unknown Lethality Vector."

Just as the voice finished its report, Lloyd furrowed his brows and his face stiffened.

"What the-"

Before he could say anything, an intense pressure weighed down on his mind.

"Argh!..."

He dropped down to his knee, holding his head in pain.

"Woof ??"

Blackie was taken aback when he saw his master collapse. He rubbed his two heads on Lloyd's legs, seemingly worried about him.

Lloyd tried raising his body, but every single part of his body ached. From his toes to the top of his head, a shooting pain could be felt throughout his entire body.

After contorting his body on the ground for a minute, the sharp pain subsided and a female voice echoed in his mind, this time sounding more human than the previous voice he heard.

[Welcome, B021-84.]

Lloyd took a deep breath to regain his composure, before asking.

"Who... are you ?"

[My name is Selita. I am the Nihil Conscientia administrating this place.]

Although Selita's voice was harmonious and sounded less mechanical than the monolith, it still felt like the voice of an artificial being to Lloyd's ears.

Both Celestine and the monolith mentioned this 'Nihil Conscientia', but Lloyd had no idea what it was exactly.

Since the sharp pain in his body mysteriously disappeared as quickly as it appeared and Lloyd didn't feel threatened anymore, he decided to ask the question that occupied his mind to the voice in his head.

"...What the hell is a Nihil Conscientia ?"

[We are ethereal entities who inhabit the Void dimension. A century ago, I was saved by the ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ you might know as Igor. Since then, I've been running this place for him to pay off my debt.]

Lloyd's thinking blurred for a split second before she mentioned Igor, but he didn't dwell on it. He just assumed that it was the after-effect of the monolith pressure that weighed down on him earlier.

"I see... What is this place, by the way ? I've been told that the Backroom would help me, but so far the only thing I've got is a headache and more questions than before."

[The unique area you refer to as the Backroom is a pocket realm extracted from the Void dimension by Sir Igor. It is linked to your store via the Dark Chamber you passed through to get here.]

"Yes, but I knew that already... Let me rephrase my question : what is the purpose of such a place ?"

[By gathering certain resources and completing quests given by the system that Sir Igor designed, you can get access to the 'chambers' created by the former owners, or even create your own 'chambers' depending on your needs.]

Lloyd sighed at the voice's response. He felt like the more he asked, the less he understood.

"Can you explain to me what are those chambers exactly ?"

[Chambers are facilities that can assist you in growing your business. Some are already accessible from the start, while others must be unlocked or built from scratch by the current owner. My duty as an administrator is to connect the Backroom's system to its rightful owner, which is now you.]

"Hm, I see... Even though it still feels unreal to me, I suppose it somehow makes sense for something Igor invented."

Lloyd quickly accepted Selita's explanations since he knew how peculiar was his new boss.

After having spent a whole year in this world of magic, Lloyd's tolerance for unusual things and weird phenomenon increased significantly.

From the moment he learned that the Backroom has been created by Igor, who was capable of traveling freely between universes and dimensions, Lloyd wasn't too surprised about the current situation.

What bothered him, however, was the reason behind all this.

Why did Igor bother building the shop and creating such a complex system within it ?

How did he meet with grandpa Cheon ?

What was his true motive ?

And most importantly...

Why did Igor offer him this job ?

The first time Igor called on the communication device, Lloyd asked him 'What do you expect of me?', to which Igor casually answered 'Nothing much, don't worry'.

...And this was what worried Lloyd the most.

Igor clarified that Lloyd was free to do anything he wanted in this new world as long as he kept ownership of the shop and continued his work as a store owner, but it still wasn't enough to clear Lloyd's mind of any suspicion concerning his new boss.

This exchange also led to another question : why was it so important for Igor to have someone manage this strange shop ?

Maybe Lloyd was being paranoid and Igor just offered him this opportunity out of sympathy for grandpa Cheon...

Yet for some reason, even though Igor had always been kind and friendly, Lloyd had the impression that he was hiding something important from him.

The paper he signed before being transported to Lunaris came to Lloyd's mind, but he couldn't remember anything out of the ordinary except for the fact that it was surprisingly short for a work contract.

If anything, it was far more favorable to him than to Igor.

As Lloyd was racking his brain to figure out the true meaning behind Igor's actions, Selita's voice interrupted him.

[Since you've finally been registered as the rightful owner of the Backroom, you can now use the Backroom's features to your heart's content. The first chamber can be opened for free, but after that, you'll need to complete quests and gather resources every time you want to unlock or create a new chamber.]

"How does it work exactly ?"

[You can either do it manually and access the Backroom interface by interacting with the tablet in front of you, or you can give me your instructions and I'll take care of everything for you.]

"Hmm, I'd rather leave it to you for the time being. The last time I touched this tablet, I woke up in my bed with a severe headache. I refuse to touch this thing again until I've carefully examined it."

[As you wish. Since you have just been registered and this will be your first chamber, you only have access to the most basic ones.]

Selita displayed a screen in front of Lloyd.

"Huh...? Is this magic ?"

[Negative. Only you can see this panel, as I've projected it right into your retina.]

"I-I see..." Lloyd turned a deaf ear to Selita's scary answer.

He feared that asking her how she projected something directly inside his eyes would just raise more questions.

[Each chamber has a rank and a level. The ranking goes from F- to SSS+, with F- being the lowest and SSS+ the highest. The better the rank of a chamber, the more difficult and expensive it is to unlock. However, although they require a bigger investment at the beginning, chambers of higher rank are also more cost-efficient and they provide much better advantages to the owner. To unlock chambers of higher ranks, you'll have to complete the tasks given by the system-]

"Wait, wait, why does it sound so much like a video game ?" Lloyd cut off Selita and asked.

[What is a video game ?]

"...Nothing, forget it. Please continue."

For a brief moment, the image of Igor playing video games traversed Lloyd's mind.

'At least, compared to all the strange things I've seen so far, he made it so I can understand this system quite easily. I shouldn't complain too much...,' he thought.

Thinking about what Selita just explained, Lloyd asked.

"I understand the logic behind the ranks, but what about those levels you mentionned ?"

[You can upgrade a chamber's level whenever you want, as long as you have sufficient resources. You can get the required materials through the system rewards, production chambers, exploration chambers, or by simply buying or gathering them. Upgrading a chamber's level will unlock additional features, improve its efficiency, and it may also increase its rank after you pass a certain cap.]

This system was just like the games Lloyd used to play when he was younger. He assumed Igor has designed the Backroom system in this way to make it more intuitive, especially if he recruited the store owners from Earth.

Having a grasp of how the system worked, Lloyd asked Selita.

"Can you list the available chambers that are the most interesting for a pet store ?"

[Sure.]

Selita answered, and four new windows appeared in front of him.

[Chamber of Nurturing (Beastmancy Chamber, Rank F) :

Create a space made specially to nurture tamed beasts and accelerate their growth. Starts with only two slots, but upgrading the chamber grants more slots. Rank increase gives access to a wider range of environments.]

[Chamber of Breeding (Beastmancy Chamber, Rank F+) :

This chamber specializes in reproduction, whether it's by naturally mating two beasts of the opposite sex, or by gene manipulation. Upgrading it will increase the size of the gene bank and grant you access to a different variety of genomes. Rank increase will allow you to create chimeras by crossing different species.]

[Chamber of Mining (Production Chamber, Rank F-) :

Allow you to excavate brute ores from a different realm. Starts with granite and iron. Each additional upgrade increases your carrying capacity and gives you access to new raw materials. Rank increase unlocks rarer materials.]

[Chamber of Gathering (Exploration Chamber, Rank F) :

Open up a two-way portal to a random location that can be harvested or explored. Upgrades increase the portal duration and the number of places you can visit. Rank increase opens up portals to places with materials of better quality, with a small chance of finding artifacts.]

"Mhm..."

Lloyd touched his chin as he read the descriptions of those four chambers.

"It's way more interesting than I thought."

He'd be lying if he said otherwise.

Even though Lloyd rarely left his shop and didn't know much about how magic worked on Lunaris, he wasn't stupid. He knew that a system that could raise a beast on its own or open up a portal to the other end of the continent would be highly valued.

"Which one would you recommend me to start with ?"

All four of the chambers looked to be extremely useful, so he decided to ask for Selita's opinion.

[Since the current owner is managing a pet store, choosing one of the two Beastmancy chambers would be more beneficial to develop your shop and increase your income.]

"That's what I thought as well, but... I don't have any animals to sell yet. One of my customers promised to bring me the birds he will capture, but I'm not sure how long it will take him before his next visit."

Lloyd thought about the Viscount and smiled.

'I hope he found a solution to his estate's wild bird issue. He seemed quite angry when he learned that the culprit behind his snake's death was a bird of prey.'

While Lloyd lent a tranquilizer rifle to the Viscount in the hope of getting some of the captured birds, he didn't expect to receive anything in return anytime soon.

The only reason why Lloyd hesitated about which chamber to open up first was that, except for Blackie, he didn't have any beast to nurture or breed yet.

He could use the system to grow Blackie for now, but Lloyd's end goal was to raise and sell beasts.

As if Selita was reading his mind, she gave him a piece of advice.

[Do not worry too much about your first choice, owner. Keep in mind that you'll also need to build Production and Exploration Chambers later on anyway. Unless you are in desperate need of money right now, you can forget about the Production and Exploration chambers for the time being. Starting with a Beastmancy Chamber may be a better option.]

"Yeah, I guess you're right... What I need the most right now isn't ores."

Lloyd thought for a while, before making up his mind.

"Alright, let's go with the Chamber of Nurturing first then."

[Understood.]

Just as Selita confirmed Lloyd's choice, the screens displayed in front of him vanished and a strange sound could be heard from the monolith.

It sounded like wailing.

The monolith, which was still glowing with a purple aura, began to resonate on its own for a few seconds, before erupting in a deafening boom.

*BANG!*

A powerful shockwave passed through Lloyd and Blackie.

Lloyd was taken aback by what he saw as he opened his eyes. The black monolith had returned to its original appearance, but a floating portal engulfed in dense purple smoke had appeared just next to it.

[Chamber of Nurturing, Rank F, Level 01, has been successfully created. Congratulation on opening your first chamber, owner.]