“Wh.en w.ill tes.t ha..ppen?”

“Your soon-to-be boss is currently busy with an experiment. I asked the guide and he says they have no idea when they will pause the experiment.

From the slightest twitches that were easy to ignore, she could tell he was annoyed. She needed to distract him somehow lest he did something stupid.

“You done with the revision?”

“Al.read.y did.”

“Really? How about another quiz, I hope you will not disappoint me again.”

He wanted to refuse but in the end, nodded. He had nothing better to do other than meditate in his dark room. Outside he would love to do that but inside it was dangerous. His thoughts always slipped into the darker recesses of his mind.

“Good, good. I will up the difficult again so I hope you prepared enough.”

How long had it been since he had spoken in such length? His throat felt raw from speaking so much.

***

Ba!~dump!

Ba!~dump!

Ba!~dump!

Pain. It felt like his head was going to explode. The blood rushing through the vines in his head sounded unnaturally crisp to his ears. His eyes hidden under perpetually closed eyelids were red and burning with heat.

The sleepless nights had started taking their toll. The whispers accompanied him at every moment, their maddening murmurs sneaking into his head trying to destabilize his mentality. Mumbles, seemingly innocent but constantly encouraging him to just commit suicide.

Maybe they were just manifestations of his desire.

***

“Argggg…”

Thud

Crack~

In the shape of a spider web, cracks spread out on the wall, the data stone embedded in the center. It did not fall down. The power behind his throw had stuck it into the wall.

He could no longer endure this.

‘Something…. Anything…’

It mattered not what it was, as long as he could get rid of these noises. Even if it was just a temporary distraction. Even a moment was enough. A moment of quiet. Peace. A moment of rest.

It was impossible inside here.

In his birth settlement, he could visit his graves whenever it started getting bad, there he could get a sense of peace but they were so far away now, out of his reach.

Run

Run

Run

He did not know where he was or where he wanted to go but by the time he came back to his senses, he was in front of a new building. He had never seen it before but for some reason, it exuded a sense of familiarity.

‘Harvester?’

‘Harvesters!’

He turned his attention away from the massive structure to the exit gate. It was massive, multiple times greater than the one he had seen back in the settlement.

‘Please…’

‘Yes!’

His hands trembled with excitement.

***

Rozcast, 3rd Underground Layer: the Industrial Layer.

“Master! Look~ it’s that lady!”

“Let’s go, we can ask her everything.”

“Be respectful!”

Fria-al turned around, a smile blossoming on her face looking at the kids. They were small but still gave their all to study and did not shy away from quenching their curiosities.

‘If only that brat could also show this much liveliness…’

“Hello, young lady. Please forgive me for these disrespectful children.”

“Oh no no, it is the opposite in fact. I also feel fulfilled after seeing these energetic sparks of life. Anyway, what are you in here?”

“This is the first time we visited this place and it has simulated their curiosity. They rush everywhere to see things and learn about them.”

Fria-al looked around. The space was filled with massive pipes bringing in heat while others sucked out that heat. It was loud, filled with various noises as the metals were melted and processed to produce pure metals and their alloys. It was a place not many wanted to visit, especially not the children like them.

Even she did not like coming here other than when it was important. This time she needed to check if she could get her hand on something new, something that would improve the capabilities of the armor. This was the only thing she could do to make sure that reckless kid did not die.

Their bodies almost vibrated, their heads moving about. Their fingers pointed at one thing after another as they talked in a language she did not know. They were absorbed.

“Why did you bring them here?”

“What can I do, young lady? If I don’t move they will run off on their own and that will be even more headache-inducing.”

“Then why not visit the parks that are dotting the 1st layer of the capital.”

“One of them will enjoy but these two will not, but this place is filled with all kinds of things that can capture their interest simultaneously. Thank you for worrying about them."

“No problem.”

“Thank you again, young lady.”

***

“Don’t you have anything better?”

“No.”

“You haven’t been able to get something new? How many cycles has it been since I last came here? What are you even doing?”

“Hey, I have many new alloys but nothing that would interest you, though… there are two new alloys but they are under testing. I don’t think you will use them for creating armor.”

“Results?”

“One is being focused towards extreme defense other towards spacial isolation. The problem is they have only been tested in the Core Barrier. The results were very good, even the stuff that you are buying can’t compare to it. They both withstood the cold and displayed results that are off the chart.”

“The catch?”

“The results are irregular in the Mid Barrier. Either they perform just as well or they are complete junk.”

“Interesting… Can you get some samples for me?”

“I will try but it will be difficult. Mus-Draik’s are the ones developing it.”

“Thanks and keep that alloy on hand, I need to create a new armor.”

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Really! Hey please make me a suit too. I will pay as much as you want.”

“Hahahaha, no. This one is not for sale, if you want to buy anything, you can go contact my father.”

“Hey…”

***

The noise disappeared as soon as she stepped out of the humongous rectangle. It was always irritating visiting the forging sub-sections. Noise, people, smell, and many other things that she did not like were gathered in one place, thankfully most of the other places she had to visit were not like this.

Now that she was out, it was quiet again. It was good that the sub-sections were self-contained spaces that were isolated from the outside. This made it possible for this peaceful and calm to exist.

Fril-al melded into the stream of people. She could feel the trains passing under her feet and far above her head. The sound of the steps, the vibrations below her feet, the tearing of wind as the trains moved far above, the flying aerial transports even higher up, they all added their unique melody to this silence, not disturbing it, but rather enhancing it.

The paths were lit with dim lights. She flowed along, immersed in her thoughts and ideas and before she even felt the passage of time, she was standing in front of another sub-section.

It was still the same inside. Everywhere she looked, she found something related to armor suits, from the smallest spare parts to complete armor suits ready to use.

As she wandered about she heard before she saw those children. Somehow she could discern their voices even in the constant chatter than was ever present in this place. Maybe it was because of the joy and curiosity that dripped through their words.

With a slight smile on her face, she headed towards the places she needed to go, checking the things that she would need before she started the actual production. They were all the things that were not worth the effort to personally forge.

‘That brat, making me work this hard. This time I will have to secure another promise from him.’

***

“Master! It's that lady again!”

She put down the catalog that she was going through as the group of master and children moved towards her or rather the children ran towards her dragging their master along with them.

“Lady, can you tell me why…”

“No! Lady why is this armor so…”

“You are not going to ask?”

She looked at the last one that kept quiet and stayed behind the other two.

“I will ask in the end.”

***

“Now now, let the lady rest.”

Even though he was proud of raising such a talented bunch, it also caused him quite a lot of headaches.

“Thank you, young lady. If you need help with anything please ask, I am very thankful that you indulge these children and give them your time.”

“Really? Then what did you mean last time? You asked whether Inero-ie was okay.”

“That young man beside you?”

“Yes.”

“It was because of his Qi and vital Qi. His Qi was chaotic while the vital Qi was lifeless. To be honest, even though I have traveled far and wide, I have not come across many cases with such bad conditions. If possible, please get him to undergo shedding as quickly as possible, his chances of survival will decrease otherwise.”

‘But he still has not gained insight into any law… or has he?’

“He lost most of his body during an expedition and only recovered nearly a month ago. Did it happen because of that?”

“I don’t how he was treated so it may have caused his Qi to become chaotic but the vital Qi is different. There is a greater possibility that he has used a technique that sucked his vital Qi”

“What should we do?”

Her voice was filled with panic.

“If he successfully performs the shedding he will have a full recovery but the way he is now, I don’t know about his chances of surviving the Cleansing tribulation.”

“Is there no other way?”

“I don’t know about this world. If it was a normal world, then it would have natural treasures that would solve the problem but this world is too cold for anything like that.”

“Can you please help? I will repay in any way I can.”

“Unfortunately, the only thing I can do is fight. I apologize.”

“No, no… thank you. I need to go.”

“Ample rest will help and then I recommend undergoing the tribulation as soon as possible.”

“Master you have to help her.”

“How will I help her? I am not a doctor.”

“You can ask the tower master right? He is your friend.”

“Difficult, he cannot leave the tower…”

***

It felt like it would explode.

“Aggg…”

He left everything and sat down. Meditating.

It had been some time since he had been sitting inside, one day passed after another with no end to this waiting. How many times had he taken mock tests? Now it was seared into his memory and his mind automatically wandered into the dark recesses of his mind whenever he started revision.

‘I have to get out..’

Run.

He rushed into the storage, donning the armor suit, and picking up a spear. Thankfully the supplies in the suit were more than enough for a few months of the journey.

His speed, fast. His steps, soundless.

It was only now that he felt the enormity of this place. Even though their mansion was located on the outskirts, it took him quite a while to get to the exit gate.

‘How big is it?”

That tower that pierced the sky looked as big as a mountain from this far away but it was actually quite far away. Far enough that even if he overloaded this suit, it would still take a few hours to get anywhere near it.

Idle thoughts.

A few steps and he would be free again. He would have peace after such a long time.

Suddenly the whispers quietened with each step he went deeper into the exit tunnel until they disappeared and with them, a pressure on his head was lifted.

‘Sleep…’

Scanner working at maximum, he looked for monsters. There were none, and neither should there be, how they can exist right at the gate of the capital?

***

‘How long has it been?’

He could not remember the last time he had such a good sleep, such a peaceful sleep, such a quiet sleep.

Everything had been going downhill. He survived when he should finally have died. He had been stuck inside the hospital for a few months, and then he could not leave the settlement. He would usually not stay any longer than a week in the settlement but this time he had to spend a large amount of time stuck inside.

His desire was to die. He wanted it to be quick, and simple. He did not want to feel anything.

Staying inside made him afraid. He was afraid he would lose his sanity one day. That these damned voices would whisk him away and all that would be left would be a living shell.

Living.

Shudder.

Dead but alive. Alive but dead.

‘No… so be it. It will be the last time, if they are still not going to take the test, I will just set on the final expedition.’

***

A massive dome. It was different from what he was used to seeing. That towering city was no longer in front of his eyes. What he saw was a dome. A dome that was so big that his previous towering settlement looked like a toy in front of it.

How could they leave so much space, he could not understand. Mansions that dotted the top layer did not have many stories instead, they were sprawled across large surfaces.

‘...nor is there any need to understand…’

The dome was massive, so massive that he could not find words to describe it. Even the highest mountains in his memory could not compare.

He did not stray far away from the wall of the dome.

He moved slowly, circling around the habitable zone that contained the dome. It was quiet and peaceful.

He felt light, weightless.

There was nothing except ice. He kept going. A day passed, then another, then another.

Howls.

Sound of fighting.

The wind carried them all to him, his scanners picked up the distorted voices that came to him, riding upon the howling winds.

The dome was shining, lights shining from its surface that illuminated the Core Barrier. Light and dark. Brightness and shadows. It was a good place to train new recruits.

***

Stab. Crumble~ Thud

One monster fell but more followed behind.

Jump. Stab.

Kick on the hilt.

Another kick. The armor weighed hundreds of kgs, all that weight resulted in a devastating power that cracked the armor on the monster.

Stab through the core.

He quickly retracted the blade.

Days had passed and he had not even noticed, comfortable now that he had returned to his previous routine.

It had been many days but he still had not seen the end of this dome. It was truly gigantic, most likely sprawled over hundreds of kilometers of surface.

That would make sense. With the number of breaks he was taking, it made sense that he had still not completed a circle around the dome.

***

It had been a week but he still had not completed the circle.

***

It was dark down there, even the light was unable to reach the bottom. He stood on the edge, furious winds blowing towards a vast expanse in front, covered in dark. He could only see what was near him.

Excitement.

Frozen Sea. He was standing on the edge. The armored hand moved forward and a barrier shimmered, blocking him from going any further.

Alas. He could have jumped down otherwise and rushed towards the frozen sea. Or maybe not, going there in this state would be suicide, that would be against the promise.

[Core Qi: 50%]

‘Hum… somewhat inefficient but this is a prototype so maybe she did not finetune it completely..’

[Inero-ie, come back. The test will be conducted in a few days.]

[Ok]

He quickened his pace and started reducing the time he spent just gazing at the landscape.