The moment Ayan made his decision, the atmosphere across the cliffside shifted completely.
The crimson pathway illuminated brighter beneath his feet, thin red lines spreading across the shattered stone like veins awakening after centuries of dormancy. The corrupted humanoids surrounding the battlefield lowered themselves slightly once more, their layered whispers echoing softly through the night air.
"…Descent…"
"…Recognition…"
"…Convergence…"
Ayan ignored them.
His eyes remained fixed on the underground entrance below the cliffs.
The darkness beneath Sector Seven no longer looked empty now.
It looked waiting.
Aelira stepped beside him silently, her silver hair moving softly in the cold wind while crimson light reflected faintly across her pale skin. Her expression had returned to its usual calmness, but Ayan could still feel the tension beneath it.
She hated this decision.
But she wasn't leaving him alone again.
The crimson-eyed man watched them quietly near the entrance.
"…Interesting."
His gaze shifted briefly toward Aelira.
"…You continue repeating the same mistake."
Aelira's eyes sharpened immediately.
"…And you continue surviving beyond your usefulness."
For the first time in a while, the man's expression darkened faintly.
Ayan noticed immediately.
There was history here far deeper than he fully understood yet.
The spear wielder stepped forward from the exhausted adventurer group.
"…Hold on."
Everyone looked toward him.
The man rested his spear against his shoulder while staring toward the underground entrance uneasily.
"…You're seriously going down there?"
Ayan nodded once.
"…Yeah."
The adventurer let out a long breath.
"…That's insane."
"…Probably."
Ayan answered honestly.
The red-haired archer folded her arms tightly.
"…Then we're leaving."
Simple.
Direct.
Honestly reasonable.
No amount of silver rank experience prepared someone for whatever Sector Seven truly was.
The mage looked visibly conflicted for a moment before nodding quickly.
"…Agreed."
The shield user muttered tiredly nearby.
"…I'd rather fight dragons than whatever this place is."
Ayan almost smiled slightly.
Can't blame them.
The spear wielder looked toward him one final time.
"…Kid."
Ayan raised an eyebrow slightly.
"…If you survive this…"
The man hesitated briefly.
"…Tell the guild none of us were stupid enough to follow you underground."
That actually made Ayan laugh quietly.
Only briefly.
But real.
"…Fair enough."
The adventurers began retreating almost immediately afterward, supporting the injured dual-blade fighter while keeping their eyes cautiously on the corrupted humanoids surrounding the battlefield.
Interestingly—
None of the creatures moved to stop them.
The network didn't care about the adventurers anymore.
Its focus remained entirely on Ayan.
That realization alone was unsettling.
The crimson-eyed man slowly stepped aside from the underground entrance.
"…The pathway is open."
Ayan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…You're just letting us walk in?"
"…Resistance at this stage is inefficient."
The answer irritated him instantly.
Everything about the network sounded like someone explaining mathematical equations instead of talking about living people.
Aelira suddenly spoke quietly beside him.
"…Stay close to me once we descend."
Ayan glanced toward her briefly.
"…You expecting trouble?"
Her crimson eyes remained fixed on the darkness below.
"…Always."
Honestly—
That sounded fair too.
The underground voice echoed upward once more.
"…Descend."
The pathway illuminated brighter again.
Ayan slowly exhaled.
Then finally—
He stepped forward.
The moment his foot touched the crimson pathway directly, the underground structure reacted instantly.
BOOOOOOM.
The entire cliffside trembled violently as ancient mechanisms deep beneath the earth awakened fully. Massive stone rings surrounding the entrance rotated slowly while crimson energy surged through every line carved into the black metallic architecture.
The darkness below pulsed faintly.
Then stairs emerged.
Not stone stairs.
Metallic structures unfolded from beneath the underground walls themselves, forming a descending pathway spiraling deep below the world.
Ayan's chest tightened slightly.
Because nothing about this resembled fantasy anymore.
It looked technological.
Advanced.
The memory fragment pulsed painfully hot against his side again.
Recognition.
The structure itself recognized him.
Aelira immediately moved beside him as they approached the entrance together.
The crimson-eyed man remained standing near the edge of the pathway.
"…The deeper levels remain unstable."
Ayan glanced toward him briefly.
"…You saying that like a warning?"
"…An observation."
Of course it was.
Ayan stepped onto the descending stairs carefully.
Cold air rushed upward from below immediately, carrying with it faint mechanical vibrations and the distant echo of countless whispers layered together far beneath the earth.
The deeper darkness swallowed light strangely.
Almost hungrily.
Aelira descended beside him silently while the crimson pathway illuminated each step ahead automatically.
Behind them—
The corrupted humanoids watched without moving.
Like servants witnessing someone enter a sacred place.
The crimson-eyed man's voice echoed quietly from above one final time.
"…Sector Seven has awaited another anomaly for a very long time."
Ayan didn't answer.
The descent continued.
Step after step.
Deeper beneath the world.
The further they went, the stranger the architecture became.
Massive black walls curved unnaturally around them, covered entirely in glowing crimson lines that pulsed rhythmically like an enormous circulatory system hidden beneath the earth. Metallic structures protruded from the walls at uneven intervals, some broken and sparking faintly while others still hummed with active energy despite their age.
Ayan's thoughts sharpened continuously.
Everything here confirmed the memory fragments.
This place wasn't ancient magic.
It was infrastructure.
Built.
Designed.
And somehow—
Still functioning.
The air grew colder as they descended deeper.
Not natural cold.
Sterile cold.
Like entering an abandoned laboratory buried beneath the world.
Aelira suddenly slowed slightly beside him.
Ayan noticed immediately.
"…What?"
Her gaze shifted toward one of the walls nearby.
"…We're entering the outer research sectors."
Research.
That word alone sent unease through him.
Then—
He saw them.
Behind sections of cracked black glass embedded into the walls.
Shapes.
Human-shaped.
Motionless.
Ayan's footsteps slowed instinctively.
The crimson light illuminated the chambers faintly as they passed.
Inside them—
Bodies floated suspended in dark liquid.
Some fully human.
Others partially transformed.
Crimson lines spread beneath pale skin while metallic structures fused directly into flesh across their arms, necks, and spines.
Ayan's chest tightened immediately.
"…No…"
There were hundreds.
Maybe thousands.
Entire rows extending endlessly through the underground structure.
Failed synchronization subjects.
Experiments.
People.
The layered whispers surrounding the underground halls suddenly became clearer.
Not random sounds.
Voices.
The chambers themselves were whispering.
Aelira's expression darkened beside him.
"…Do not look too long."
Ayan's grip tightened around his sword painfully.
Because some of the floating figures—
Were still moving slightly.
Still alive.