Transcendent Gene
Chapter 233: Trapped [1]

Chapter 233: Trapped [1]

"Haa...haa...haa..."

The only thing Gio could hear was the sound of his own breathing. His eyesight was basically useless. He was seeing thirteen versions of the world that collided with each other and turned it into a blur of colors.

His mind was so overwhelmed by pain that he could barely glimpse the true picture the [Memory Book] tried to show him.

He was on the verge of death.

"Haa...haa...haa..."

With his last bit of power, he willed energy into his Storage Hole and dragged himself through the door.

Clatter!

The sound of tools and trinkets falling to the ground filled his ears, making them ring. His arms went to a small case that fell, covering it in blood as he pried it open to reveal the small metal syringes within.

He only needed one. He remembered picking it up, but his consciousness was almost entirely gone by the time he injected it into his arm.

But the only thing that mattered was the fact that he injected it.

His arm went limp to the side as the fluid drained into his body. A subtle warmth arose from within all the pain, and he passed out. There wasn’t an ounce of life left in him by that point.

It was silent. Perhaps he was lucky to have passed out inside the Storage Hole, as it was guaranteed to be a safe environment.

Leaving a door connected to the unknown was only dangerous if there was someone to open it, after all.

"Hnngh..."

It took several hours for Gio to regain some strength. Almost an entire day passed in the time it took for his eyes to open again.

But they did open.

"Haa..."

He sighed as he noticed where he was and pulled himself up against the wall next to the door.

’If it weren’t for her...’

He would have died. He didn’t have to remember his injuries to confirm it. The puddle of blood on the ground was huge and despite the time that passed, only its edges had dried and crusted.

Gio looked down at his hands and shook his head.

"It’s been a while since I called her. I should say hi sometime soon."

His eyes went to the bloodied case that saved his life.

The Old Lady gave it to him years ago as a measure to save his life in the worst-case scenarios. The need to use its contents never appeared before, but he trusted her word.

If he was on the verge of death, those syringes filled with the condensed essence of her power were his lifesavers.

It took a few minutes to gain the strength to stand up, but he eventually did. He walked over to a mirror he had set up in the corner and observed his body.

"Yeah. That much is expected."

His back was a mess of scars. His chest was a little better, but it was hard to hide the scarring on his arms and legs as well.

"Quick healing means staying alive, but it also means not giving the body the proper time it needs."

Scarring was natural and unavoidable if one chose not to use a Healer, whose power tricked the body into believing the effect was natural.

Even condensed essence like what the Old Lady gave Gio would leave obvious traces of its existence.

Nevertheless, he only shrugged.

’People concern themselves over visible scarring, but it’s bound to happen unless you want to spend more money than its worth on cosmetic procedures.’

The good news was that his energy was flowing properly and his movements didn’t seem inhibited.

’Now...’

His eyes went to the door.

’I guess I have to leave.’

The Storage Hole gave him some safety, but it was nothing more than a cage.

’I have no way to contact the outside world until I get out of this Riftworld. They don’t have any equipment set up inside yet, and a scout party hasn’t been sent. It’s a complete unknown.’

Riftworlds could be forgiving, but they were never accommodating.

’If it’s an Expedition-Type and not an Invasion-Type, the procedure is relatively streamlined.’

The first step was to send a scouting party. Their job was to assess the level of danger inside, document and map the environment, set up the equipment necessary for the realm’s clearing, and dig out any hidden variables they could.

Their role was sometimes more important than even that of the main party, but for them to work properly, their method of escape had to be guaranteed.

’Entering a Riftworld is as easy as walking into the portal. It’s not the same to leave.’

The portal didn’t exist on the inside as seen in the Simulated Riftworld he entered previously. When the clear conditions were met, any foreign entities would be removed by the world itself.

Then, how was one meant to leave without first reaching a stage clear?

’It’s never a simple thing.’

In fact, it was a treacherous journey of its own.

’Every Riftworld has an "alternate escape route." They’re not actually meant to be used that way, but it works.’

These so-called alternate escape routes were, at their core, the mechanism that decided whether a Riftworld was Expedition-Type or Invasion-Type.

’In Riftworlds that end up as expeditions, the mechanism can be used to create an exit portal. It’s temporary and the risk of monsters leaving as well is always there, but normal scouting parties are prepped to deal with those circumstances.’

Gio was not. He wasn’t prepped to deal with anything once he found that mechanism and activated it, but he had some degree of confidence.

’Farrah knows I’m here. She’ll probably send people over as soon as she can, which means backup will either enter to help me or wait for me outside.’

It was with such a mindset that Gio approached the door.

He didn’t stop to consider the fact that seventeen hours had passed already since he first entered the Riftworld.

Help could be waiting outside...but it was not coming to his rescue.

"Huu..."

He took a deep breath and stepped outside. The Storage Hole door disappeared behind him, leaving him alone in a dark cave.

Whoosh!

He let virtual energy loose, creating a ball of light that adapted his eyes to the environment.

’If there was anywhere good to spawn, it was a place like this.’

There was absolutely nothing in his vicinity except damp rock and dripping water coming from the ceiling.

The cave only had one pathway leading out, leaving him with no choice but to walk in that direction.

’I wish Farrah gave me a danger rating or something along those lines. I wouldn’t have heard it at that time, but...’

Well, she didn’t know about the [Memory Book], so he couldn’t expect her to act as if she did.

He followed the path, constantly feeling relieved as he ran into nothing that could be called a living creature. His steps took him to higher elevations and eventually to branching pathways, but he always took the one that led him closer to the surface.

Finally, after thirty minutes or so, he saw the greyish-purple color of the sky and the blanket of rain clouding the atmosphere in the distance.

’Let’s find out, then...’

He rushed towards it and left the subterranean system, finally breaking into the world above.

And it...

’...looks just as hostile as I expected.’

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