D.E.M.O.N.S: Getting Summoned Weekly isn't so Bad Chapter 2190 A Less Nice Distraction Part 2

Lily ---

With sounds drawing her attention, Lily cautiously advanced deeper into the facility. Though she doubted it was the wisest course of action, the sheer number of bizarre occurrences compelled her forward. Lily desperately needed some clue about what was unfolding here, to prepare herself for... whatever awaited her.

She navigated through more shattered glass and twisted metal frames, past shelves stripped bare, now coated only in dust. Lily eventually discovered something intact: a large tank filled with what appeared to be a blue liquid. It wasn't the precise hue of water, but Lily couldn't identify any other possibility. Curiously, it bubbled inexplicably, with no apparent source within the tank. It simply... did.

Glancing around, Lily swept her lantern's beam across the floor, searching for any signs of recent passage, but found none. Or rather, that wasn't entirely accurate. The floor where she stood was thickly covered in dust. Considering the state of disarray, with glass shards littering the ground everywhere else, she found this exceptional layer of dust rather peculiar upon closer inspection.

This stark contrast made the area stand out. While dust was present elsewhere, here it lay in a thick carpet. Lily's footsteps left distinct paw prints on the floor. There was something undeniably strange about this tank. Lily meticulously moved her light, illuminating the liquid, yet it remained unresponsive. For a fleeting moment, she considered the possibility of it being a slime...

However, it showed no reaction to her light whatsoever. It didn't attempt to ensnare her, and a glance at its surface suggested it wasn't viscous enough to be slime. Lily tapped the container's edge experimentally, sending ripples across its surface, confirming its liquid nature. Lily furrowed her brow. Something was still amiss, yet it behaved just like water. The force was minimal, and the ripples spread naturally, but the vibrant blue hue was... perhaps noteworthy?

Lily glared at her flickering lantern for several moments, lamenting her inability to cast the illumination spell more effectively. It was hardly a spell she’d prioritized for practice, given her existing repertoire of useful incantations. Besides, Kat usually provided light without any trouble. The crucial question remained: was the peculiar coloration significant? And what was the deal with the dust?

Deciding the dust warranted further investigation, Lily circled the dusty patch, moving her lantern to illuminate the area. Annoyingly, it formed a near-perfect circle. While not flawlessly round, with some uneven edges indicating movement past the perimeter, it undeniably resembled a circle.

Examining the area from behind the dusty patch revealed an even stranger phenomenon. The circular pattern didn't continue, but the undisturbed area seemed to shrink as she moved behind the wall. It maintained a somewhat spherical appearance, raising more questions than answers. Was the liquid significant or not? It wasn't a flawless circle surrounding it, but the wall appeared to be the primary cause of the distortion. Its oddly central placement begged the question: was it special? It had to be, right?

Lily returned to the front, fixing her gaze on the liquid, her lantern held high to observe it completely. Still, nothing happened. Concluding that more direct measures were necessary, Lily raised a second shadow hand above the liquid, poised and waiting. She scrutinized it for any sign of flinching, any indication that it might indeed be a slime, but there was nothing.

Lily paused for a few seconds, contemplating whether to attempt a slice or simply dip a single finger in. Her gaze remained fixed on the tank until she made her decision. A light, brief tap from the shadow finger. Lily ensured the contact lasted only a few seconds, but it was a taxing endeavor. The moment the shadow touched the liquid, she felt a drain on her mana reserves. It wasn't substantial, not enough to overwhelm her natural regeneration, but it was noticeable, primarily because the tip of the shadowy finger had effectively dissolved.

Lily channeled additional mana into her shadows and dipped a finger in once more. The drain became more pronounced now that she recognized it, and with the extra mana, the shadow hand managed to hold its form, though it remained a cause for concern. What in the world was this substance? It clearly absorbed mana, so why did whatever force maintained cleanliness stay away? If it was an enchantment, was it sophisticated enough for this? If it wasn't an enchantment, then how did it possess such awareness?

Lily felt no drain whatsoever as her finger withdrew from the peculiar liquid. How was this possible? Could her Rank 3 status have shielded her from this localized version of the drain? And how did it drain her, anyway? Once again, it looked and behaved remarkably like ordinary water. However... it was still bubbling. Lily sniffed the air, hoping for any clue, but detected no additional scents nearby. Tapping the side of the glass yielded no new information.

Lily concluded that leaving the substance undisturbed was the wisest course of action. Whatever it was, it seemed incapable of harming her as long as she avoided direct interaction. Therefore, that would be her strategy: simply leave it be. Lily inhaled deeply and ventured further in... taking only a few steps before halting abruptly.

Her thoughts drifted back, an involuntary journey into the past. The memories still brought pain, and the bile rising in her throat was a clear sign she preferred not to dwell on them. Yet... the agony wasn't so overwhelming that she immediately pushed the memories away. Lily shivered slightly before gently redirecting her focus to the present moment.

Just as Lily was contemplating whether to leave matters as they were or not, a wet, squelching sound echoed from behind her. It was alarmingly close, much too close. Without pausing to ascertain the source or nature of the sound, Lily bolted. She remained uncertain if it posed a genuine threat, or even what it was... but if a sudden, eerie noise, occurring precisely when she considered departing, wasn't a divine sign, Lily couldn't imagine what would be.

The return journey was not overly arduous and significantly quicker. Dodging the numerous pits proved manageable. With her lantern held aloft, illuminating the path, Lily could react to any emergent obstacles with relative ease. She encountered a few more lines of what appeared to be water, which she expertly leaped over. Perhaps they possessed mana-draining properties, perhaps they were merely water, or perhaps they were something else entirely. Lily had ceased her investigations; it was officially no longer her concern.

Eventually, after navigating around enough shelves, the faint, glowing light of the exit became clearly visible. Keeping her lantern held high, Lily sprinted toward the entrance, clearing the last few pits in a single bound and skidding across the tiles as she emerged from the chamber. Lily’s shadows diligently maintained the lantern’s position high above, safeguarding it from harm...

Lily exhaled a long, weary breath as she cast a final glance back at the encroaching darkness before shaking her head. There was no point in dwelling on it further. Perhaps she would explore it later with Kat... or perhaps not. The next significant question occupying her mind was whether to recount her recent adventure to Kat.

Lily looked up at her small lantern. It was still flickering, its light barely discernible now that she was out of the oppressive darkness. It appeared to be on its last legs... much like it had seemed since the journey’s inception. Now that she had completed her task... now that she had the option to dismiss it... Lily found herself hesitant. Admittedly, she no longer required its illumination, and the entire construct was merely a temporary paper creation. All the others had vanished long ago from the hall as their sustaining mana depleted... but Lily knew the method for making paper constructs permanent. It likely wouldn't continue to provide light, however. Hmmm...