He didn't know what made Hedwig act this way, so he let her sulk at the sculpture. The door behind him was swallowed by the floor, making it three doors left. Harry paid no mind to it and walked away. The exhausted teen lay down on his back beside the sculpture and waited for the system. It didn't take long before he heard the ping sound that signified its appearance.
[Congratulations on experiencing the Door of Nature! ٩(^ᗜ^ )و ´-]
"System, tell me about the door and the skills I've obtained from the deal before I pass out. "
[The Door of Nature is usually circled around the cycle of life and mother nature, as the name suggests. The usual targets of this door are elemental beings or monsters found in harsh environments. Most players of this door become masters of one or more elements and often have the most exposure to organic matters of different dimensions.]
"I see. I have a guess on what's behind the other doors based on their colors."
[The system cannot spoil any further ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ]
Harry sighed, already used to the system's weirdness. "Alright, show me the skills." He sat up and pushed aside the gas mask to read the thread of screens that popped up before him.
[World Serpent Summon:
A large portal will open, allowing the world serpent to roam the world for 10 minutes.
CD: 3 month
Poisonous Rain:
The world serpent's poison will rain from the skies at a 100-meter diameter around the player. This can last for 30 seconds to 1 hour. Poison effects: Corrosive, toxic fumes, highly acidic.
CD: 24 hours
Poisonous Miasma:
Toxic miasma will come out of the player for 30 seconds and disperse after 30 minutes. The miasma can be controlled at will. Poison effects: Corrosive, toxic fumes, highly acidic.
CD: 5 hours
Serpent's Bite:
Conjures an imitation of the world serpent's head and bites on the player's chosen target.
CD 45 minutes
Crystal Barrier:
Absorbs any forms of attacks for 5 minutes.
Can only be used once a day.
Poison Resistance
Resist any forms of poison
Passive skill
Requirement for activation: Offer an ample amount of blood to the serpent and say, "Benevolent world serpent, Jörmungandr, I ask thee your strength" in parseltongue.]
Harry's eyes glowed in delight as he read through the skills he acquired. "These are actually cool… I've been meaning to ask, what's up with all these long cooldowns and weird activation methods?"
[This is to retain the balance of power. An eye for an eye, in exchange for acquiring so much power, there will be an equivalent exchange. Think of it as a payment for using those powers.]
[Compared to the amount some players pay to use a powerful skill, these are very mild. You are extremely lucky.]
"Lucky my arse, if I were, then I wouldn't be sucked into this mess. But sure, I'll take it anyway." Harry waved his hands and tried to recall everything he had gone through. The previous dimension was a nice distraction from all the deaths he had witnessed during the end. He even acquired a weird companionship with the battle-maniac serpent, even though it only wanted to cause some mischief and revenge. He also got the support of another god and learned a lot. Perhaps lady luck pitied him enough, which is why he had been lucky with his encounters so far.
[For doing so well in the last dimension, you get 8 hours of rest!]
Now that adrenaline was gone from his system, Harry could feel the overwhelming exhaustion crash into him like a truck. Were it not for magic, Harry would have collapsed in the middle of the ocean from the lack of sleep. Now that he thinks about it, he took out his dagger and stared at his reflection. It came as no surprise that he supported deep eye bags.
Harry sighed at his sorry state and munched on some beef jerky. He had already missed the food in Hogwarts and the chocolates he ate before entering the door. It felt like an eternity since he last saw his friends and home. Harry leaned on the sculpture's pedestal and asked something that's been bothering him.
"Hey, is it possible that I only get a glimpse of the rest of the doors? I'm only doing this to experience and know it."
It's unfair if he clears extra doors beyond the twelve that's been given to him. Don't get him wrong, he was extremely grateful for all the power he got from the green door, but it's too much for him. He swears, any more, and he'd actually lose his mind from fatigue and stress. If not that, then probably collapse in the middle of a fight.
[The system will tell the sponsor, wait patiently for the reply.]
He nodded at the system and gazed at the high ceiling. He removed his glasses, placing them aside to avoid further damaging them. Cracks had started to form on its lens—it was surprising how far it survived after all that. It wouldn't hurt to sleep for a bit while waiting. Harry's vision blurred as he dozed off. Before the last of his consciousness slipped from his grasp, he felt something soft snuggle up to his arms. He embraced the fluffy owl to his chest and slept comfortably.
—
Ping!
Harry heard the system and arose from his sleep. He rubbed his tired eyes and then placed on his glasses to read the message. He noticed Hedwig snoozing beside him, which made him smile softly.
[Thank the almighty system!]
Harry blinked repeatedly and squinted his eyes at the system. "What did you do?"
[The system has convinced the sponsor to allow you to watch past recordings ( • ̀ω•́ )✧]
"Uhmm…gonna elaborate any further?" He said groggily, still sleepy.
[You can view the doors cleared by past players and explore freely for a day. The system has an archive of everything inside the door of trials.]
"oh…OH! That's amazing! Good job, system!" Now that got him woken up. That saved him from so much trouble and extended his already shortening lifespan.
[ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ = ᕕ( ᐕ )ᕗ]
Awoken by all the commotion, Hedwig flew to the sculpture's head and continued recording everything she saw. Harry got up and stretched his aching muscles and bones. He cast a spell to clean himself up and finished a can of soup he had cooked prior to the door. There were still 15 minutes left, so Harry retold everything that happened to Hedwig, who recorded everything he said. The white owl patiently listened to Harry's ramblings until the very end.
"I'd kill for some coffee right now and maybe some form of distraction."
"Hoot."
"Did you eat your fill while waiting for me, Hedwig?"
"Hoot."
"Of course you would, what am I talking about."
[The system didn't know you're adept at speaking to birds as well.]
Harry stuck his tongue out at the system's mocking tone. They all knew Harry could not speak to birds as he could to snakes. Still, this did not stop the system from teasing Harry the whole time he was chatting with Hedwig. Harry could sense the difference between the first time he and the system interacted and their current interaction—it was a pleasant development he welcomed. However, he wouldn't admit it in front of the system.
[Times up! Please enter the next door you wish to experience next!]
After some contemplation, Harry picked the yellow door and did not hesitate to enter. Hedwig had entered with him since there were no objectives to clear. They only needed to observe and take note of anything that may answer his questions. Harry opened his eyes and found himself in a futuristic underground city.
The buildings were all white—the shortest building was about 20 floors tall, and the tallest could reach a hundred. The white buildings had no windows, and they were all plain. Due to the plain designs, the whole city looked like it was only composed of white shapes that were supposed to mimic human architecture. He took note of the streets that were scarce of life, barely any sound present other than the soft gears and pings he was hearing. Harry observed the numerous cameras and high-technology equipment that littered the area. Holograms and weird flying drones were everywhere, even in the air, despite nothing supporting or projecting it.
Instead of humans roaming the streets, moving metal dolls replaced every living being. Everything is just advanced machinations. He may be just experiencing a recording, but he could feel the unsettling atmosphere that covered the city. There was a prickling sensation down his spine, as if something was watching his every movement. That should be impossible since he's only watching a recording.
[The system will explain things as you explore to clear out your confusion.]
Harry nearly flinched at the sound since the area was eerily quiet despite being a city. He awkwardly coughed to hide his fumble and thanked the system. He tasked Hedwig to roam around the area and report to him if she found anything unusual. She flew off into the distance, leaving Harry on his own.
"Didn't you say that other players are clearing this trial? Where are they at?"
[They just entered the dimension, turn around.]
"Eh—? ACK!" Harry wasn't able to suppress jumping this time. There were around twelve players, but all their distinctive features and faces were censored. He tried to identify them but gave up a minute later once no progress was made.
[Pftt ( ≖‿ ≖ )] Harry's eyes showed a murderous glint when he turned to the system. [ Players who cleared this stage will be censored to protect their privacy.]
"Loads of bull. Show their objectives panel."
[
-Door of Trials-
Objective/s:
Stop the creation of the 'all seeing eye'
Destroy the data and blueprints stored in the city
Deactivate the entire city forever
Conditions:
Accomplish the entire set of objectives within the given amount of time
Do not let the dimension store data of the player's universe
Do not let the 'all seeing eye' absorb you
Time limit: 335:59:10
]
Harry digested all the words presented on the black screen. Their mission seemed rather strict with the set of conditions and time-consuming. In the background, Harry could hear the players talking to their peers. While their voices were crystal clear, they got muffled at the mention of their names. Harry rubbed his temples at the irritating sounds produced by the censored words. They seemed to be familiar with each other and had specific task distribution among them.
[The system advises you to explore without the players. They will continue to scout the area and gather clues for the whole day. You only have limited time compared to them.]
"Wait, I want to know their team formation and strategies. They can't see or hear me, right?"
[Yep, everything you do won't have an effect on the recording.]
Harry swiped the system away to listen in to the other's chatters. The group was on high alert while an old man gave out his orders. He could assume that the old man with the deep baritone voice was their leader. That power leaking from his built body is no joke, Harry wants to meet him in the real world. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be easy to recognize the old man once he returns.
Old man: "Tch, what a demanding system. Form triads and scout the area—be sure to stick together at all times this place might seem peaceful at the moment, but this is still a ninth door. Meet here after fifteen minutes and report all findings.
"Yes, Commander *Beep*!" Without needing any more words, the team split into four and headed in opposite directions. In the blink of an eye, they were nowhere in sight, as if they had vanished with the wind. Harry tried to use his senses to detect them but couldn't get a glimpse of their presence.
"So this is how veterans work… System, can you send me to the old man's location?"
[Will do!]
Harry vanished from his spot and appeared beside the group of players. His eyes roamed their surroundings, and found it unnerving that the scenery didn't seem to change no matter how far the group traveled. Then again, the whole city is composed of repeated structures as if they were copy-pasted until the whole area is filled with white buildings.
"What's that guy doing?" Harry pointed at a player who was simply lying down on his stomach. The old man and the other player simply stood on guard, not at all worried about the weird act.
[That player is analyzing the gears hidden underground through their vibrations.]
"So that's the reason for the noises. It's faint, but with this radio-silent city, it's easy to detect."
The player stood up from the ground, seemingly panicked, and beckoned the two. The triad went underneath a square structure with haste and used a skill to hide their presence. 'Huh? What's happening now?'
Harry heard some movement from the gears and metal plates, which usually covered the buildings. Multiple cameras and cannons coming from the white buildings revealed themselves, pointing toward the player's last location.
"What the—was it watching them the whole time? Fuck, that was scary."
[It already detected the land's trespassers.]
"I guess that's one way to call us players, huh? Trespassers from another world."
A/N: Sorry for taking too long to update, I'll make it up to you guys in time, but this is all I can give at the moment. I might take another 2 week break or so because of school and personal matters, so please be patient for the next chapter. Also, I won't be updating on anymore since the emoticons I'm using aren't really working, which kinda affects the system's personality;;
I'm still updating in AO3 so if ever you guys want to continue reading you can search for its name there (Pen name: Yumekui-sensei)