Nexus Awakened (An Isekai LitRPG Gender Bender Story)

935. Site G-Y0 – The Ghost Site

Hidden within the recesses of the clinic, past reflective marble halls and several sets of locked stairs was a chamber of stone. Unlike the marble above, its walls and floors were made from old, crumbling rock.

Colorful bands ran along the sedimentary rock, silently expressing the age of this place like the wrinkles of the elderly.

They were more than two hundred meters below the ground. If it weren’t for the [Flare] – a light spell – then they would have been plunged into complete darkness.

A steel hatch resided in the center of the room. It was weathered beyond belief, and the rust fused it with the sides of the opening, making it nearly impossible to pry without breaking it apart.

It had been installed over three hundred years ago during a time of strife, where water was a precious resource before the advent of water-manifesting mages. The small cracks along the walls revealed multiple rooms. Their voices echoed further than what the walls implied.

This was because Emershine was built atop the ruins of an ancient civilization. Though this didn’t come to a surprise to Frost. Earth was much the same. Modern civilizations were built atop the ruins of the old. There was even a city built atop a catacomb if she remembered correctly.

But it was strange to think about. While the ruins here were of an older civilization, much deeper one would find ruins of structures closer to that of a modern civilization. There were but stray thoughts as she silently watched the Repenters drill a hole into the hatch.

Once it was shattered to bits, a Harrower took a look inside and whistled:

“An elevator hatch. Definitely ImpulseWork’s design. We’re in the right place. Gotta wonder what the chances are for it to appear right here. It feels a bit too convenient to be a coincidence.”

This was the consensus.

They all felt that something was awry. Even Frost couldn’t help but wonder why it found itself here of all places. Everything had a meaning. Namesakes were not immune to this due to the nature of the Rivers and their tales.

And I happened to stumble upon it too. Like a puzzle falling into place. The Director knew I’d be coming here. Moreover, there is a Main Sequence Corrupted being kept in there.

Icara quickly dotted something down on her notepad and handed it to Hayte, who then recited:

“It would appear that the connection between the Ghost Sites only forms at the lowest possible point of access in the Epiderma Layer. Given how deep this well is, the explanation should be satisfactory. Ghost Sites do not overlap with existing structures.”

“For a Ghost Site, it oddly plays by the rules of the world. Why wouldn’t it just prop out like a Dungeon and overtake the town?” A Repenter asked.

A Harrower then responded with:

“We are not in the position to be asking such questions. Those are a luxury. Often an answer to phenomena will discourage their slaves from doing their dirty work. Sorry, I meant Repenters. Get in. The lot of you. By the way, what’s the point of us being here with we have two Colors and a Radiant Ranked Adventurer”

The Radiant Ranked Adventurer they referred to was Jury.

“We have our own mission too, sweetheart. We won’t get in your way if that’s what you’re worried about. If you’d like, why not stick by me. I can keep you safe in exchange for your time.”

Horus winked at the woman, causing her face to morph with disgust.

She continued.

“A little Corrupted might find you worth keeping in its pen. Fuse you with the walls. Spread your nervous system thin, use you blood vessels as a ball of yarn to accompany its contrived existence.”

“Keh. Stay away from us. We’ll take care of the Germinated Seed. Well, of course they’d need a Color for those weaklings. My Wrath Division will lead the charge. I suppose the Colors can watch us from the far back.”

“Usari wants to take off her head.”

“Calm yourself. We haven’t even begun and we’re already at each other’s throats.” Hayte muttered vacantly. “The elevator is large enough to fit us all. A bit larger than usual as well, but that’s normal.”

The group dropped into the hatch one by one. Even with more than sixty people crammed into the elevator, they had not even filled a quarter of it.

A giant level with various notches and labels sat where buttons should be. A Harrower held onto the handle and cranked it downwards. They struggled, and not even using their entire weight could move it.

Various hands came to help, but still, it would not budge.

“Stand aside. Don’t get hit.” Jury called out, her tail swooping in from above.

With a gentle tap, a series of mechanical gears locked into place from somewhere deep behind the walls of the elevator. A look of surprise came on their face, but that was quickly replaced with a numbing calmness.

Strong people like Jury, let alone the Colors, were a rarity. Colors, Moons, Stars, Beholders – even the leaders of Associations held mythical status because of both their strength and their rarity.

“Feels a bit odd pairing up with a no-named Radiant Ranked Adventurer. Got a name, gal?”

Jury gave Frost a glance. After a moment of mentally giving her the green light, she replied with a bright smile.

“They call me Jury.”

The smile, which had always managed to cut down the darkness in Frost’s life, was barely a glimmer of light in the eyes of these Repenters. They saw it as hostility rather than a genuine attempt to greet them.

A poison that had led to their deaths at one point.

From the looks of their faces, Frost could read what they were suppressing at all costs.

They hate her name. How come?

“Jury, while it is her name, would be a pseudonym to them. An Adventurer alias or name for example. Such names generally give the impression of who an Adventurer is or what they encompass, be it through actions, speech, motivation or aspiration. Jury would be a name of utter hubris in their eyes.”

Hearing that caused Frost to glare at them, causing a sudden wave of terror to chain them in place. She kept them like this for the entire duration of the elevator ride.

“Elevator size. Perfect fit for a Killzone Site. Dangerous Corrupted. Experimental Corrupted.” Usari muttered.

“The useless kind, you mean.” Horus yawned. “Any strays, pests that can’t scrounge up any useful material, or Corrupted that don’t fit any of ImpulseWork’s criteria or worthy enough to incite a Raid are sent here to face the wall, breathe one last breath, and shower in a hail of bullets.”

After thirty minutes elapsed, the near free-falling elevator came to a gradual stop.

< Entering Site G-Y7 for the First Time >

< Welcome to Site G-Y7 >

< Administrative Layer >

At least it felt this way to Frost.

To the Repenters, the drop caused multiple legs to snap, requiring Morgause to regrettably heal them.

But she did not heal them immediately.

Instead, she grabbed the tip of Usari’s weapon and brought it until it touched one of the Repenter’s chests.

“Shoot.”

“Usari agrees~!”

“Eh…? Wait – Why –!?

Usari didn’t wait and took the shot.

Despite their levels being 30 apart, Usari’s weapon was far more powerful than any of their handheld tools. It pierced through Quality VI Cloth with ease, and a smoking hole was left in the target’s chest.

“This one. This. You. And one more.” Morgause tapped on the heads of various crippled Repenters, and Usari served as her executioner.

Unlike the Mana Repeaters of Scarlet Logic, hers fired on a much shorter delay. The charge up was instantaneous, and it functioned on a hair trigger. Furthermore, the moment she pulled the buttstock against her shoulder, a magical reticle hovered inches from her right eye and at the tip of her barrel.

Once they were all dead, and as soon as the elevator doors began to open, Morgause elaborated on her actions.

“While it’s easier for you nurse them back to full health, Black Dove, we should not be relying on you, the Radiant Adventurer, nor the Acedia Special Division’s Harrower for assistance. Healing them with my magic would work fine, but I would rather not have to use my blood and deal with the hunger. Thus, it is easier to rely on Reconstituting Fluids.”

Though the blood of the Reconstituting Fluids came from the body of the Blood Angel, it did not invoke her hunger. Not only that, but Frost had to wonder just how her diluted blood was created by Morgause.

She tapped on the dead bodies. Blood returned to them as though time was being reversed. After the bloody vortex ended, and when the other Repenters moved out of the elevator shaft, the cavities of the dead Repenters stitched itself together.

Life returned to them, as did their apparel.

“Arise and leave. Good work bunny. Your kin are always a treat to work with. My extended thanks to Rosenrot.”

“Usari always tries… Who is that?”

“It’s of concern if the name does not strike you as familiar.”

The Blood Angel walked beside Frost and Jury. The others, including Horus, pushed onwards into the reception. A decrepit, abandoned hall greeted them. Torn furniture and a shattered front desk were all that remained.

Lining the walls were countless scratches and words written hastily in blood. Frost turned back to the elevator doors as they closed. Though they were 5 meters of reinforced steel, scratch marks as deep as centimeters riddled it, painting a horrific tale of desperation.

“We have approximately twenty-four hours before the Site undergoes a Zeroed Horizon.” A far more disciplined Harrower spoke up. They came from the Lust Division. “Each floor with have exactly four wings in each cardinal direction. We will split up and search every floor while rotating a team to assist with holding the central elevator.”

“A decent plan. I shall remain here. All revived Repenters will appear here. Do not forget your paths.” The Blood Angel nodded. “The Colors and the Adventurer will defend me and fulfil their obligations.”

The Acedia Special Division were to remain here as well due to their lackluster strength, much to the annoyance of the other Repenters.

“One thing.” Frost called out before the groups could split up. “If you notice a Corrupted out of your league, relay it to us immediately. You’re tasked with eliminating a Germinated Seed with ties to White Midnight. I’m here for a single Corrupted.”

“Be our guest. We’d rather take on White Midnight – if they’re even here – than Corrupted.”

“No you idiot. The Black Dove isn’t responsible for fighting Corrupted on our behalf. We still have to fight them on our own.”

“We’ll just be slowed down if we work like this. But it’s only the Administrative Floor. We’ll start seeing much more difficult Corrupted past the third layer.”

The first two groups disappeared through one of the metal doors. They left without another word. Then, the next two tried to leave at another.

But the moment the doors began to lift with a heavy, mechanical grunt–

“Ghk…!?”

–Sketching, and a pained, muffled grunt. A rod thicker than an arm slid from under the gap, and it rose vertically to impale a Repenter from the bottom to out of their mouth.

“Corrupted! Already!?”

“On the fucking Administrative Floor? How much did they screw up trying to keep this Site in check!?”

Six died in the blink of an eye, their corpses hung in the air like a bundle of skewered meat. A flame was suddenly lit beneath them, cooking them whilst they squirmed.

Even though they were Repenters – people who have committed unforgivable sins –

“Aaaaagh…”

“Burn… Bunny… Shoot me…”

“Gagh… Make it stop…”

–She could not help but feel pity watching them die so cruelly in the hands of a Corrupted.