The Abyss and the Bedroom

"The abyss? What is the abyss? Nothing will really go wrong, will it?" Ruger thought.

"The abyss, where demons roam—the place without end. But what in this world can truly be endless?" The Half-Man seemed to have seen through his thoughts. "There is no need to worry. This tiny space simply cannot bear a demon's descent. As for using that space as a springboard to reach the underground caverns, that is even more impossible. Do not underestimate this place."

"What... do you need me to do there?"

Ruger had already realized that nothing the Half-Man gave away would leave him with an uneasy conscience. He could use every one of them openly, with his back straight, because the price had already been marked in advance, whether plainly or in secret. He truly had wronged the Half-Man before. This half-headed fellow had not underestimated him, a mere little kobold, in the slightest.

"Sacrifice, summoning a descent, and an abyssal altar," the Half-Man said. "Take half of my face and find a low-level abyssal altar. It does not matter if it is somewhat ruined. Demons are no longer as keen as they once were on stirring up trouble everywhere, so there should be plenty of abandoned abyssal altars. Find one and place half of my face upon it. I will prepare the sacrificial ritual here and use it to summon my face back, bringing it down here. A fragment of a body will not draw the world's loathing and rejection. For the sacrifice, any old boot will do."

"When you see half of the face vanish from the altar, you can return."

"That space serving as a corridor can now barely accommodate living creatures and let them survive within it. You can have some kobold clansmen live there. That will make the space more stable. Once stabilized, the space will continue expanding, though it will no longer undergo changes as rapid and obvious as this time."

The Half-Man spoke slowly, as though praising the gift he had given. Of course, that depended on whether what came next was dangerous. If it was dangerous, then he was merely bragging about the payment for risking one's life that he had offered.

At least, that was how Ruger saw it. But after seeing Baangte and the other wizard apprentices, along with the huge pile of spoils in that burly man's hands, he felt this level of risk was not so hard to accept. He could even count as a fairly decent employer. Naturally, that was on the premise that this fellow handing out benefits currently could not move himself, and Ruger was the only top-tier all-purpose talent capable of running errands for him.

He listened to the Half-Man's words and sensed that space, marveling inwardly without end at how wondrous it was.

The expanded space had become more closely connected to him. It seemed that the secret art mark left behind earlier had perfectly fused with it as the space stretched open.

He felt that, so long as he focused his mind, he could try opening a door—a door large enough for him to walk through.

The first thing that came to mind was that he seemed to have gained an extraordinary life-saving ability.

As for what the Half-Man wanted him to do, after the Half-Man crammed more basic knowledge about other realms, the abyss, and descents into him, Ruger understood it even less. It was as if he were to take that half-face to the abyss for a stroll, turning it into an otherworldly descending object obtained through sacrifice on this side. If that half-face still counted as a living thing, then it would be an invasion. Yet it was also something from this world and would not be rejected. What was all this for? Why put a perfectly good face through such torment?

Ruger did not even dare imagine how much trouble the Half-Man could stir up if he were able to move around freely.

The doubts in his heart remained thoughts alone. Asking fewer reckless questions had always been his principle when dealing with the strong. The appearance of the spatial fragment and strange object raised the Half-Man's standing in his mind to another level.

"You can leave the dice there and ignore it, or take it out. It no longer affects that space."

Though the Half-Man's eyeball did not move, Ruger knew he was watching him.

"You may wait until you become a second-rank wizard apprentice before going there. More spellcasting opportunities will make you safer. Keep half of the face in your space for now. If it says anything to you, there is no need to pay it any mind."

The Half-Man gave his instructions as a faint spell fluctuation reached him.

"It is necessary to master the abyssal language, but remember to avoid dealing with intelligent demons whenever possible. You can disguise yourself as a lowly little demon that only squeaks and chitters. That will spare you much trouble." The Half-Man seemed to have exerted himself rather heavily today; his figure had already begun to turn uncontrollably illusory.

Sensing the spell fluctuation, Ruger tried speaking a few difficult abyssal words, marveling all the while that universal language comprehension truly was a good spell.

The Half-Man's figure gradually faded away.

Ruger looked at the half-face in his hand—or perhaps it should be called a small half of a skull—and for a moment felt an urge to head to the abyss right now and get this thing dealt with.

After thinking it over, he ultimately stored it in his space, then turned and returned to his large bedroom open on three sides.

The corridor space—though it was called a corridor—was indeed very large, and it was still slowly growing larger. It felt a little strange seeing it so bare and empty. In Ruger's view, the name itself revealed the Half-Man's state of mind. In the Half-Man's eyes, it was merely a place to pass through in order to achieve some purpose. But Ruger wanted to build it up, turning it into a secure rear base in this place.

Since that was the case, this space should be called the Abyss Bedroom.

He thought the name was very fitting.

A bedroom bordering the abyss.

Thinking this, he gradually changed his route.

Before long, he arrived at the ravine where he had always caught meat worms.

I wonder if this will work, he thought.

He stamped on the ground beneath his feet. The soil was fairly loose, and he began trying to draw it into the bedroom space. He had not noticed during his earlier small-scale attempts, but moving such large amounts into the space consumed quite a bit of mental power. When nearly half his mental power had been depleted, he stopped to rest and recover before continuing.

Small stones, black soil, rotting stalks of unknown plants, even fat meat worms sleeping in their dreams—all of them were swept inside in one go.

He continued until the hunger in his belly became unbearable, only then suppressing the drive of a child who had just received a new toy.

Fortunately, every bit of effort was worth it. As the soil was stored away, the bedroom space also became more stable. The entire space softened. It was not dazzlingly bright, but it was no longer so dim either. Previously, only that dark-red crack had offered a trace of light. The earth-covered ground also looked more real, rather than as if he were standing inside a giant eggshell that was not quite translucent.

On the way back, he stored several large rocks as well. He could use them to make a bed later.

He planned to wait a few days and observe whether these fat meat worms survived normally before attempting to enter himself.

And now, naturally, he needed to return to his soon-to-be-retired large bedroom open on three sides, fill his stomach, and have a good sleep.

He longed for it, eagerly awaited the day when he could relax and sleep inside the bedroom space.

The wish of a little kobold like him was that simple. Of course, there were still many experiments to conduct in the bedroom space afterward—for example, whether he could meditate normally inside, whether he could cast spells normally, and whether anything would change if he invited Aisijin and the others in.

His stomach growled with hunger. Leaning sideways against the cave wall, he lay in his familiar spot with the last cooked meat worm clamped between his teeth, yet no matter how hard he tried, he could not finish the meal before falling asleep.