A pouch.
A bow.
And a gourd.
These were the three loot Kev had obtained from his most recent kill.
During his brief encounter with Dakun, he had gained a rough understanding of what the three items did, but it wasn't satisfactory, not enough to use them efficiently.
So he used the Secret-Divulging Monocle of the Dark King to understand them better, losing three of his memories in return.
Origin: Item Factory
Type: Storage Item
- A favored tool among Abyss Dwellers for its compact size and massive storage capacity.
- Ownerless
- Ownership can be established using blood.
- Can only be used by its owner.
- Ownership is nullified upon death.
- Items stored inside this pouch can be instantly equipped and vice versa.
- Contains items belonging to its previous owner.
Origin: Item Factory
- Type: Utility Tool
- An elusive artifact capable of cloaking its user in a spell of invisibility for several minutes.
- The invisibility effect is fragile and can be broken through sheer strength.
- Consumes 10 runes per use.
Origin: Treasury of the Red Horned Tribe
Type: Magical Weapon
- A magical bow that manifests sturdy iron arrows when the string is pulled.
- Arrow trajectory is determined by the user's archery skill.
- Arrow power is determined by how far the string is pulled.
- Produces an elemental arrow every 10th shot.
- Remaining uses: 100.
- Recharge cost: 10 units of Life Force.
Item Factory!
Both the Light-Bending Gourd and the Magic Pouch had come from it.
Kev assumed it had to be a massive organization, one that mass-produced items imbued with magical effects and sold them throughout the abyss.
He turned his gaze to the Magic Pouch.
It likely contained the belongings Dakun had gathered over his lifetime.
He could only access them by becoming the pouch's new owner.
"Here we go again."
He injured himself to smear a drop of blood on it, binding it to himself.
A strange sensation stirred within him. A thread of connection formed between him and the pouch.
Through this connection, Kev could sense the contents within it.
Inside the pouch, there were over fifty runes, a handful of nuclei, a few sets of clothes, and other living essentials.
"Not a bad haul," Kev nodded in satisfaction.
Dakun couldn't be said to be particularly rich, but he wasn't poor either.
He had gained a lot from killing him.
"I wonder how big it is."
Kev felt curious about the magic pouch's storage capacity.
So.
He inspected the independent space inside it by relying on the mysterious connection that had formed when he took the necessary steps to become its owner.
As a result, he made a satisfying discovery.
'It's big enough to store a truck.'
The items already inside barely took up any space. There was plenty of room left, meaning he could afford to free himself from all his load and make his movements easier and much more efficient.
He put everything inside the magic pouch. It only required a single thought.
Watching his items vanish from his person and reappear within the space inside the pouch felt nothing short of magical. This feeling was intensified by the knowledge that he could equip himself with the items inside it at a moment's notice. He had no doubt it would be faster than drawing a gun.
"Everything I've experienced after the displacement was out of the ordinary. It makes me wonder what else is possible in the Abyss."
Kev seemed to be talking to himself with a hint of excitement lacing his tone.
"Maybe everything is possible. Perhaps I can bring Selena back to life… and repay her for everything she did for me when she was alive. Perhaps… I can even bring dad back to life."
Kev licked his dry lips and put the pouch in his pocket.
Then, he looked ahead.
He had a feeling it wouldn't be long before he escaped this place.
______
Some time later, Kev reached a point where the tunnel split into two distinct paths.
One veered right, the other left. Both were equally dark. The bright glow from the fungi growing in the tunnel he was in barely illuminated the entrances of the two paths, leaving the rest swallowed in darkness.
It didn't make a difference, as he could see in pitch-black darkness. His gaze pierced. He discovered that although both paths stretched for more than a mile, they ran relatively straight and seemed safe, with not a single revenant in sight.
'Dakun must've come from one of these paths… whichever one it is, that has to be the way out. That's the most logical conclusion,' thought Kev as he lowered his gaze in anticipation.
His anticipation quickly turned into disappointment as he saw no footprints on the dust-laden floor of the tunnel. He found it quite odd but he didn't let his mind wander in that direction, he didn't want to be delayed any more.
"With no signs to indicate which path Dakun had taken to get here, I'll have to explore myself to figure out which one leads to the surface. Which one should I take first?" He tapped his chin, pondering.
Just then, the mouth of the pouch in his pocket opened by itself, and a book shot out. Though there had been no prior mention of it, Kev realized that sentient objects couldn't be stored inside magic pouches against their will.
"Tadaa! I'm back. Did you miss me?"
His guide was back!
"Perhaps I did," Kev replied. Under the glow of the surrounding bioluminescent fungi, his eyes gave away what he truly felt. Flickering with a rare hint of joy.
Seeing it, Natasha knew he was happy to have her back by his side.
"Did you find the answer to my question?" Kev asked, his tone calm but expectant.
"Of course I did. Otherwise, why would I return so soon?" Natasha answered proudly, "The Red Horned Tribe lives in the Strange Forest,"
"Strange Forest? What an odd name," Kev murmured, mostly to himself. Then he asked,
"Any idea what kind of place it is?"
"Dangerous." Natasha replied, "Not somewhere you want to be. Especially at night."
"Why? Does it undergo weird changes after sundown? Is that why it's called the Strange Forest?" Kev said.
"I'll tell you more if it becomes necessary. Hopefully, it won't. For now, just focus on getting out of here," Natasha replied.
"What if the exit leads straight into the Strange Forest?"
Kev's expression stiffened as he thought of the worst possibility.
If that actually happened, it would be like escaping one danger only to end up in the tiger's den.
He would end up trapped in the same place as cannibals and countless other threats!
"You can't be that unlucky," Natasha said, though she didn't sound entirely convinced herself.