…Is this correct?
However, there was no other option.
It made more sense to investigate where the sudden change occurred rather than continue descending the endless staircase indefinitely.
But…
…was the staircase supposed to keep going down? Was the landing where I entered indeed the final level?
Even though the thought crossed my mind that perhaps the staircase extended further somehow, it didn’t ring true when I tried to recall.
The reason I had sunk into idle melancholy was that, after seeing the green-lit door glinting beneath me, I was too preoccupied with it and failed to properly observe my surroundings.
Even with an enhanced field of vision, it’s inevitable to focus on what catches your eye.
It’s like saying that even if you had eyes on the back of your head, they’d be useless if your eyeballs were flipped backward.
…And the reason for my unease must be because of the dark tunnels, the endless staircase, and… Jelly having frozen to death.
I kept telling myself it didn’t matter, but it left an unsettling feeling.
Is this excuse too obvious?
Ah, never mind, it’s entirely his fault.
With that, another glint of green light appeared in my line of sight. I couldn’t estimate how far I’d traveled, but given the time it took to descend the staircase, I’d covered much less distance here. Feeling satisfied, I quickened my pace.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Accompanied by the familiar sound, I found myself illuminated by green light, standing before another door. It closely resembled the one I had entered through earlier.
It felt as though they were part of a set, but logically speaking, unless there’s a special reason, doors inside buildings tend to look identical, right?
Unless it’s a manager’s room or something extraordinary, there’s no particular reason for variation.
Though in a laboratory, that might be a different story.
What set this door apart, despite its resemblance, was subtle.
The green-flashing indicators were consistent—rectangular with rounded edges.
The external indicator previously featured a pictogram of a person running, but now, above my head, it simply read [EXIT].
Although the running figure might’ve been there to make “EXIT” more comprehensible, it wasn’t exactly a change.
But why would it change at all?
This subtle change kept bothering me. While I could’ve opened the door without much thought, a vague sense of unease lingered, like having a fish bone stuck in my throat.
While it’s not a sensation I experience much anymore—it’s somewhat faded—but there’s definitely an unpleasant feeling.
The loss of the sensation associated with swallowing is peculiar, though it’s not particularly troublesome.
Not life-threatening like a real fish bone, but…
…well, unless you’re talking about an improbable freak accident akin to winning the worst kind of lottery.
Anyway.
Since I felt I’d only need to turn back and descend again, I decided to enter the door.
If it weren’t allowed, my necklace would’ve reacted, right?
Thinking that, I tapped my necklace with a jelly-like finger.
Then,
Snap!
As if accusing me, my necklace screamed, cracked with a sticky sound, and crumbled to the floor like the shattered Jelly outside.
I blankly stared at the remnants, idly glanced around me, and scratched my head.
Hey… couldn’t you have made this a bit sturdier?
Anyway, it’s not my fault, is it? It’s just weak!
Surely they aren’t asking me to chew it out? I didn’t break it intentionally!
By the way, how many of these can I afford?
I don’t have any money.
But I’m sure Hwang Bo-yul and Han Seori will take care of it, right?
I just need to do my job properly, don’t I?
Before opening the door, I checked my knowledge satchel one last time. It swayed and pointed precisely through the door.
That means there’s something on the other side.
…This thing is starting to feel inconvenient.
At first, I thought this was pretty neat—”It points to the Singularity, wow, how convenient!”—but as I used it more, I’ve begun to feel it’s somewhat lacking.
Detecting the location is great, but only providing a direction feels insufficient. At least a hint of what it is would be nice…
A question popped into my mind.
How exactly does the knowledge satchel detect Singularities?
I’ve always been a little curious about this. The ability to detect something implies a mechanism to identify it.
There should be some kind of common feature among detected objects…
Is there?
After all, “Singularity” is just a code name people came up with.
So how does this satchel detect things labeled as Singularities?
…I don’t know.
As I momentarily pondered this, I shook my head, feeling my jelly brim with agitation.
If I knew this, wouldn’t I be sitting next to Han Seori with glasses on, having intellectual conversations instead of doing all this physical labor?
Since I’m not that intellectual, there’s no helping it but to hustle.
…Wouldn’t it be interesting if this thing told me now?
As I indulged in that silly thought, I tweaked the knowledge satchel. It twitched under my control, then promptly returned to pointing at the door.
It’s definitely part of me, so it’s unlikely to start talking to me.
If it did, it’d probably mean I’ve split into several personalities, which doesn’t sound good.
That’s a bit terrifying.
So, I don’t think I’ll hope for that. Just… stay quiet, satchel, okay?
After tidying my thoughts, I gripped the doorknob.
The knob felt inexplicably cool and unusually cold to the touch. Strangely, it wasn’t physical coldness but a more abstract kind of chill.
Some sensation I couldn’t articulate in words.
While it felt cold, it wasn’t necessarily chilly, but there was something making me feel that coolness.
…Sigh, when have I ever understood everything? Most things just get resolved through brute physical effort anyway.
Click.
I opened the door upon hearing the sound.
A cold breeze blew through the opened door. This was actual cold air, not the strange sensation I felt from the doorknob.
As the cold breeze subsided, a peculiar scene unfolded.
My initial impression was… Blue. Everything was blue.
It wasn’t frozen, but it looked as if the world had been lightly painted with pale blue paint.
And the familiar sight that met my eyes were the forests of concrete I’d seen and longed for on my journey here. Now, they loomed under a blue hue.
I initially thought that I might have stepped outside, but after retreating into the doorframe, no sign of people emerged over a long wait.
Only after confirming that no one was around did I carefully inspect the concrete forest.
Looking closer, it made sense that no one appeared.
The buildings—those concrete towers—were surrounded by something that resembled tree trunks rising from the ground.
It looked as if the buildings were strangled by those trunks, turning blue as if they were suffocating.
…Even though buildings don’t have necks to strangle, that’s what came to mind.
It was a truly bizarre sight.
It felt like something out of an apocalyptic movie.
If the world were ever to end, wouldn’t it be in a similar way?
This thought led me to ponder—what could turn the world this shade of blue and destroy it?
There were few candidates that came to mind, considering my limited imagination of world-ending scenarios.
Perhaps a nuclear war? Or an ice age caused by global warming?
Ah.
Could an ice age have arrived? Is this even Earth?
I had unconsciously assumed it was Earth because familiar architecture caught my eye, but maybe it isn’t.
Intriguing.
After stepping through the door, I stayed near it, observing the surroundings.
The reason I stayed near the door…
…was just because it felt right.
There was an indescribable sense of unease.
Despite my heart’s desire to explore the ruins, my Jelly whispered otherwise.
This must be what they call a “gut feeling.”
Back when I was human, it was just meaningless goosebumps, but since becoming Jelly, it’s become quite sharp.
Contrary to my soft form, at least.
So, as I scanned the area, I expelled some Jelly from my body.
Regrettably, some pieces were broken, but I still had a good supply left.
Soon, the Jelly squirmed out of my body.
…Expelling such a small amount feels strangely awkward.
Nevertheless,
Once the Jellies emerged, I assigned them the task of exploring the apocalyptic ruins to bring back anything that seemed significant.
Now,
Let’s see what these guys bring back.
By the way,
Why has the screaming from beyond the door ceased?
There were too many mysteries to unravel.
