Chapter 40: Parallel and Brane Worlds

　　Part 1: The String Rots, Yet the Rear Sight Remains　　Realizing I'd triggered something, my body instinctively lunged forward several meters and hit the deck. Instantly, eight torches around me blazed to life, flooding the area ahead and behind with light.　　The whirringstopped, but no lethal mechanisms activated. So all that fuss was just to light some torches? Puzzled, I raised my head and found myself lying in a corridor of staggering grandeur. Its height and width were easily double that of the secret path's entrance. Aside from the floor tiles and torches, it seemed largely natural, requiring minimal artificial modification.　　Cautious, I stayed low until certain there was no immediate danger, then slowly rose. Incredible. What was such a magnificent structure built for?　　I walked forward slowly. Torches ignited ahead of me and extinguished behind, a silent display of ancient craftsmanship. Further on, the once-empty corridor began to hold scattered bronze weapons—few in number, but exquisitely made. Resting, I found myself beside a bronze hand crossbow. Its components were scattered, the string rotten, yet the rear sight remained intact. Though patinated, the trigger mechanism and nut still fitted together perfectly, waiting for a bolt to be nocked, drawn, and released.　　Taking stock of my supplies: aside from a few pieces of Glowing Jelly Mushroom, I had less than a day's worth of food and water left. I took a careful sip, tightening the bottle cap securely.　　"I wonder how Mr. Egg and the others are doing..." I lay down, body and mind exhausted, but sleep wouldn't come. Suddenly, the torchlight flickered. A palpable sense of slaughter filled the corridor, carried on a wave of decay so pungent it stung my eyes and nose, forcing a sneeze.　　"What is that smell?" I pushed myself up and investigated a few steps further. In the newly lit torchlight, several incomplete human skeletons lay sprawled on the ground, their armor shattered, weapons askew.　　"Oh, come on! Not again!" I hadn't even figured out the dead at the altar, and now another group? Standing alone beside a pile of desiccated bones, my already weak legs nearly gave out. Panicked, I quickly bent down and picked up a bronze longsword. A cas