There were no words that I could use to describe my current situation.
"..."
Staring at the compass in my hand as it spun wildly in all directions, I closed my eyes and put it away.
’I should’ve seen this coming. This is hell after all.’
Even now, I was struggling to come to terms with my current situation.
This place was different. Not just the air, but the very atmosphere of this place felt different. I could feel a sense of rejection coming from my surroundings as the long and skinny branches of the trees pierced through the thick fog.
"This makes things difficult."
With the compass not working, I didn’t know how to proceed.
’If it’s like the Conductor suggested and the people from the teams have all fallen into the first layer of Hell as I have, then my goal should be to look for them. Granted, they are still alive...’
This place...
I could tell that it wasn’t one that just anyone could survive in.
’Fuck.’
I glared at the Conductor once more.
The more I thought about my situation, the more I felt like cursing at it.
"Don’t be so angry. This is a good opportunity for you."
The Conductor chuckled.
"In this place, nobody is going to watch you. Nobody will be able to see your abilities. You can go all out without any issues. Isn’t it about time that you start learning how to manage your skills properly?"
"What?"
Moving forward, the Conductor pressed its long finger against my chest.
"Didn’t we say this before? You can’t rely too much on the knife. Although the power you’ll gain will be immense, the mental toll on your mind will be great. You also can’t rely on breaking your node again since there’s no chance you’ll ever make it out alive sane like you did in the past. Isn’t it about time you focus on what you already have?"
The Conductor moved its finger away from my chest, interlocking its hands behind its back as it leaned forward and whispered next to my ear.
"...Of course, if you don’t like that, then you can just focus on your abilities with the piano and form a band with me. With everyone else we can—"
"Alright, I think I’ve heard enough."
I cut the Conductor off before it could spiral again into its usual nonsense about starting a band. I’d heard it far too many times by now.
"A pity."
’But the Conductor isn’t quite wrong about what it said. While I shouldn’t give up on the knife, I shouldn’t be overly reliant on it. I also can’t replicate what I did back in Malovia. I... guess I should start focusing on developing the skills that I already have. But which one should I develop? Which...!’
Swoooosh!
My thoughts were shattered by a sudden gust of cold wind as it brushed past my body, sending chills running down my entire back.
Even the Conductor’s face changed subtly as it looked around.
But...
’I can’t see or detect anything.’
By now, it was clear to me that the knife wasn’t omnipotent. It couldn’t detect everything like I had expected it to. However, despite knowing this, I still touched it.
And it was in that very moment that I saw it.
The numerous red dots that circled me from every direction. No, more than that... The more I looked around, the more red dots appeared in my vision. So many that I instantly gave up any idea of using my newest node.
My heart sank whilst the Conductor burst out laughing.
"What a fantastic greeting, don’t you think?"
I couldn’t even bother responding to the Conductor as I felt something invisible grasp me from the back, pulling me deeper into the mist. Without second thought, I activated [Trait Transfer] and coated my entire body in darkness.
Or at least, I tried.
"Hm—!?"
The moment the darkness began to coat my body, I lost my balance as something grasped me from beneath, clawing at my ankle as it tried to pull me down.
"Not fast enough."
The Conductor’s words echoed from the distance as it stared at me without doing a single thing.
But that wasn’t all.
Sitting on top of one of the branches, Mirelle looked down at me while chewing on some gum.
She also looked to be enjoying my current predicament.
"——!"
Ah, this...
I suddenly started regretting making them my anomalies.
"Kh—!"
Unfortunately, there was no time to think about this as even more hands emerged from beneath me, clawing at my ankles and pulling me down. The fog around me thickened as I started to struggle to breathe.
At the same time, my heart sped up as dread began to crawl up my body.
’No, I can’t get dragged down. Remain calm. I must remain calm.’
I had a vague idea of what was going to happen if I were to be dragged down, and as such, became even more frantic.
Struggling with all my might, I had no choice but to use the knife as I cut down at the hands that were clawing at me.
Swooosh!
That seemed to do the trick, and I managed to free myself from whatever was dragging me down. But it wasn’t over; my legs were still nearly knee-deep in the ground. To make matters worse, I could feel the number of entities around me beginning to increase.
’Shit! Shit! Shit—!’
The situation was turning worse and worse for me.
Looking around, I frantically searched for a solution, my knife slicing through whatever tried to cling to me. My power grew with each cut, but so did the pressure in my mind, as faint whispers began to slip inside.
More.
Deeper.
Stay.
"That’s it—!"
I tore myself free from several of the invisible hands and heaved upward. For a brief second, I broke their hold—
—but it wasn’t over.
My legs were still in the ground.
Worse still, I could feel it.
The number of people around me was growing.
The most infuriating part was that even now, I still couldn’t tell what I was dealing with. I could feel the hands, yet I couldn’t truly see them.
Even with the knife clenched in my hand, I could barely tell where the attacks were coming from. They struck from every direction at once, as if the fog itself had grown hands and decided to close in on me.
Wait...!
’The fog!’
It finally hit me as I glanced at my right shoulder, where something tugged insistently, trying to drag me down. Another grip tightened around my waist, adding to the strain on my body, but this time, I didn’t resist.
’If I’m not dealing with multiple entities, but just one, then...’
I let whatever was trying to pull me down do its thing.
The ground beneath me split apart as my body sank further and further, the pressure in my chest increasing.
This continued until half of my body was submerged in the soil.
That was also the moment I did it.
I activated my Fourth Node.
[Herding]
"Stop."
In an instant, a terrifying pain tore through my mind, so sharp it stole the air from my lungs. I winced, almost collapsing back as I just barely kept myself from falling back while holding onto the ground beneath me.
But—
Everything seemed to freeze at once.
For a brief moment, everything turned silent. So silent it felt unsettling.
But soon, I broke the very same silence.
"Haa... It’s... haa... gone."
I could feel it. The hands, or whatever those invisible things were that had been trying to drag me back, had stopped.
I waited for the next several seconds, waiting for the pain inside of my mind to calm as I held my hand forward and mumbled, "Come."
Swooosh!
The fog around me trembled.
But not for long, as it soon began to follow my order, and the surroundings started to clear up.
In the distance, I could feel the Conductor’s lips pull into a smile.
"Not bad."
It clapped, looking satisfied.
"...But this is just the start. Things will get quite a bit more interesting. I can’t wait."