"Holy Fuck!?"
Even Novak couldn't stop himself from swearing at this moment. In an instant, he pushed himself out of the incinerator pipe, his body launching out from the cramped tunnel in one swift movement.
Within moments, he had burst out of the ten-meter-long pipeline.
Flipping mid-air, Novak turned his head to glance back in horror at the dark pipe, which now seemed like a beast's lair.
What was that!?
He was certain of what he saw—it was a human face. And those eyes had been staring directly at him!
Could it be that this dungeon really housed a hidden boss?
But if that were the case, he would have already met the necessary conditions by now. Why hadn't the Cosmic Will issued any warnings?
Lingering unease gripped Novak as he cautiously looked back at the incinerator. In the darkness of that tunnel, deep within, those same terrifying eyes had locked onto him.
The sensation was deeply unsettling, but Novak soon managed to calm himself. His gaze remained sharp, focused. He was prepared to escape or fight at the first sign of danger.
Three minutes passed.
Apart from his own breathing, there wasn't a single sound coming from the incinerator.
"Hmm?"
Novak frowned, slowly putting his guard down.
Had he imagined it?
He shook his head. Impossible. Despite the darkness, Novak was certain of what he had seen—those were definitely a pair of eyes.
But why was there a face in the incinerator? Did it fall in while a body was being cremated? Clearly, that was unlikely.
Most importantly, Novak was certain that the thing in the incinerator had seen him too.
So, what was going on?
He hesitated for a moment, staring at the ominous cremator.
What 'was' that thing? And why did it scare him so much that he bolted without getting a proper look?
Maybe he should crawl back in and investigate further.
But what if it was lying in wait for him, ready to strike the moment he ventured too close? That would be walking straight into its trap!
However, it didn't seem like the creature had any intention of coming out on its own.
Squatting in front of the cremator, Novak opened his mouth and spoke.
"I see you. Come out."
It was the kind of thing you'd say to trick a child, and unsurprisingly, it had no effect on whatever was inside.
Minutes passed, and still, there was no response.
Feeling more confident, Novak's demeanor shifted. Steeling himself, he crawled back into the dark passage.
Black-red tendrils of mycelium emerged from his palms, ready to react if the creature tried anything.
Silence. Everything remained as calm as when he had first entered.
After waiting a while longer with nothing happening, Novak took a deep breath and suddenly poked his head back into the deepest part of the incinerator.
The face was still there.
Its eyes were still fixed on him, just as before.
But the panic that had gripped him earlier was gone. Novak steadied his heartbeat and stared at the face intently.
In the darkness, the face appeared lodged in a groove. It was impossible to tell whether it belonged to a man or a woman. The only thing clear was that its pupils shifted subtly with Novak's movements, following him as if it were alive.
His fear now subsided, Novak's curiosity took over. He examined the face closely.
There was no skull behind it. No body.
It was just a face—like a mask, but more lifelike and thick.
Narrowing his eyes, Novak decided to make a move. Since it wasn't attacking, he wasn't going to hold back.
He reached out, and the black tendrils from his hands slowly curled around the sides of the face.
As he touched it, the face's pupils shifted toward his tendrils, tracking their movements. The sight was eerie, to say the least.
Suddenly, a strange wave pulsed from the face, but before Novak could react, it vanished, as if nothing had happened.
And then, finally, a notification from the Cosmic Will appeared in his mind:
[?? Face]
[The incinerator malfunction is linked to this unknown face, which seems to belong to a certain existence. It may possess miraculous powers and effects.]
Novak's eyes narrowed. He was now completely certain.
This face was the secret hidden within the cold incinerator!
Although its exact nature was unclear, there was no doubt about its significance. The vague description from the Cosmic Will only confirmed its extraordinary nature.
Suddenly, a memory flashed in Novak's mind—his death in his previous life. He had died because he failed to claim an SSS-level item in a dungeon, a failure that had led the Dark Mother Goddess to destroy his soul in a fit of rage.
He hadn't managed to secure the SSS prop, but he had seen it. It had been a piece of umbilical cord, crackling with dark power.
Fragments of high-level items and equipment were never of fixed shapes. They could take any form. Only once they were fully assembled would their true nature be revealed.
The Dark Umbilical Cord was a prime example of this. And now, wasn't this face another fragment just like it?
Novak's thoughts raced as he studied the face in his hands.
If this truly was a fragment of an SSS-level item, the implications were staggering. There was a vast gap between SSS and SS ranks—a gap so immense that it was nearly impossible to quantify.
And if the god of trading had gone to such great lengths, even agreeing to Novak's terms, perhaps 'this' was the item he was after all along!
Novak's breathing quickened. His heart pounded in his chest.
This could very well be a piece of an SSS-level treasure!