While it's a really crazy assumption he's making here by saying the house in front of him was a proof that civilization once existed in this place, there's no saying that what he said was completely wrong either.

For example, what exactly is the 'purpose' of the tutorial he's taking right now? Back then, the system only told him that this tutorial was some kind of trial given to the human race to improve themselves. The question is, what for? Why did the system or whatever it is gave the human race a chance to 'improve' themselves out of nowhere? It can't be just for the sake of simply getting stronger, there must be a reason behind why the human race needed to improve themselves through this trial called tutorial.

Shaking his head, Sam decided to not think about it for now as he didn't have enough clue or lead to reveal the answer.

"Sigh.. let's just explore this house for now." Sam muttered with a slight frustration.

Opening the large double metal gate itself was not that hard since it's not locked and already slightly open, allowing Sam to passed through it very easily.

As Sam walked towards the porch, he took a look around the lawn. The lawn was filled with overgrown wild grass reaching as tall as his knees, there's also a bunch debris he can't identify were scattered everywhere on the neglected lawn and what seemed like some broken white statues lying on the ground covered by the wild grass.

As he's approaching the front steps, Sam noticed the wooden planks were warped and weathered, creaking ominously with each step.

He also saw that the stained glass window was shattered, remnants of glass pieces scattered on the floor inside. The once-ornate brass doorknob was tarnished and loose, but with a firm twist, it gave way, allowing the door to creak open on rusty hinges.

Inside, the foyer was dim and musty, filled with the scent of decay and dust. The rich tapestry runner that once adorned the floor was now frayed and covered in dirt. Cobwebs hung from the high ceilings and dark wood paneling, adding to the eerie atmosphere.

Sam's footsteps echoed hollowly as he ventured further into the house, the floorboards creaking underfoot. The air was thick with the smell of mildew, and the faint sound of dripping water could be heard somewhere in the distance.

"Hm.. there's no sign of human remains or even any beast coming inside this house, it's very strange." Sam muttered as he continue observing the interior.

He continue to wander around inside the house to look for any visible clue or hidden clue that indicated any human or some kind of intelligent creature inhabited the house he's in. He began his search in the foyer, tapping on the wooden panels for hollow sounds, pushing on walls, and examining the intricate moldings for any signs of a hidden door. The house was eerily silent except for the occasional creak of the floorboards under his feet and the distant dripping of water.

One by one, Sam continue on searching in every room inside the house, just like that the hours passed and unfortunately he found nothing.

Frustration began to creep into him slowly, Sam explored the library, the dining room, and even the abandoned kitchen, all while meticulously searching for any clue. He already checked behind every drapes, moved aside dusty furniture, and even examined the backs of old paintings, but still, there was nothing.

"Fuck! Did I just wasted my time for absolutely fucking nothing?!" Sam grumbled while massaging his forehead.

Tired and disappointed in himself, Sam arrived in the living room. As much as he's mad at himself due to wasting his precious time, he tried to calm his mind and heart. Sam approach a dusty sofa in the corner of the living room, he then began to lie down on it and slowly closed his eyes.

Inhaled..

exhaled..

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

'Sigh, calm down. Don't let yourself get consumed by your emotion, me. it's not the end of the world, just relax.' Sam thought, trying to communicate with himself to calmed his mind and heart by making peace.

As Sam lie down on the sofa still closing his eyes, he gradually calm himself down and began to racked his brain on what he needed to do to find the clue he's searching for. Most people probably would just gave up after finding a whole lot of nothing for hours and simply left the house.

Sam on the other hand, was too stubborn and just refused to give up on his search. Sure, call him crazy or a Madman for searching something he himself didn't even sure existed in the first place, but he knew he's on the right track. Throughout all his life, his gut feeling never mislead or tried to harmed him for even a single time, so while it sounds foolish to just trust his "feeling" he didn't care and will always do it whether it's in the past, present, or future.

'Alright, let's see... I've already explored every room inside this house, so what am I missing?'

Even though he already checked everything meticulously, if he's still he didn't found anything that means there's an error on his part.

Back on Earth there's a similar case like this, it's about why most men can't find something (usually a socks) even though it's in front of them. According to some research he read on the internet for fun, he found out that it's because a difference in focus in male and female.

From what he could remember, men struggle to find things right in front of their eyes because they evolved to be protectors and hunters, so they approach tasks with a single-minded focus. So when man concentrate, they focus activity in one area of the brain, whereas women use their brains more diversely.

Though Sam didn't know whether what he read was true or not, it did gave him a 'spark' in his mind.

"Oh my god, i'm so fucking dumb! There's one room I missed, the library!!" Sam said in disbelief.

A while ago when he began his searching, he explored every nook and cranny of every room except the library. Why? Well, the reason was because the books there mostly had been sticky and their content was also unreadable, so he just simply moved on to other rooms.

He quickly opened his eyes, revealing pair of brown eyes filled with new hope. Getting up from the sofa he immediately rushed toward the library room. He pushed open the wooden door and stepped inside. Dust hung in the air accompanied with the smell of mold.

The library was filled with floor-to-ceiling shelves, each packed with decaying books. Their covers were sticky to the touch, coated in a residue that made them difficult to handle. Sam grimaced as he moved some of the books aside, hoping to find anything that could be useful or maybe even triggered a hidden mechanism. The shelves creaked under the weight of the old tomes, and the floorboards beneath him groaned with his every step.

At one point, he found a certain section in the bookshelves that refused to budge no matter what he tried to do. It seemed like due to the stickiness the books inside the bookshelves, they just got melded together?

But it didn't made any sense since he can pull or push any other books just fine before. Due to the oddity of this particular part, Sam have a sneaking suspicion he's close to whatever it is he's searching for. Not much time passed as he closely check the books and running his finger through them, he finally found something.

Inside the second shelves of the bookshelves, alongside many sticky books there's an imposter among them.

He didn't know what exactly it is other than something resembling a book, but Sam knew it's definitely made out of steel and was covered with rust but surprisingly it didn't crumble at all when Sam tried touching it. He tried to take it out but it just doesn't budge, so he tried to gave it a push in hope something will happen and lo and behold something finally happened.

Suddenly, a mechanical whirring sound filled the room. Sam instinctively jumped back as the bookshelf next to him vibrated slightly, and then Sam could hear the distinct sound of metal against metal, a rhythmic clanking as unseen cogs turned and locked into place.

The noise deepened, becoming a resonant grinding, reminiscent of stone scraping against stone, as some sort of mechanism engaged fully.

With a sudden, sharp hiss, like the release of long-trapped air, a section of the floor nearby began to slide open. The wooden planks shifted with a groaning protest, revealing a hidden staircase leading into the ground.

The mechanical symphony reached a crescendo, a blend of metallic creaks and groans that seemed to echo off the walls. The entire sequence lasted only a few moments, but it felt like an eternity to Sam, each sound marking the revelation of the secret passage.

The final click echoed through the silent house, signaling the completion of the mechanism and the opening of the hidden way below.

Sam seemed to be in a daze as he just stood there in place, momentarily stunned, before a wide grin spread across his face.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! I FINALLY FOUND IT!" Sam exclaimed, his voice echoing through the dusty library.

He stepped closer to the entrance, peering down into the dimly lit corridor beyond the stairs.

"Goddamn this is incredible! I knew there had to be something here, I know i'm not crazy haha! All those hours of searching they finally paid off!" His excitement was palpable.

'Alright man calm down now, as much as you'd like to be excited we can't let our guard down here' he thought.

"Phew.. alright, let's see what secrets you've been hiding down there."