I’m Stuck on a Remote Island With the Male Leads - Chapter 268

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Part 2
(Side Story)
Episode 26
Bats, probably. Something like that.
But what did it mean that the Signal was being lost? The phrasing felt deeply eerie.
When I lowered my gaze, I noticed water flowing gently across the Cave Floor. It was Underground Water.
The problem was that the Underground Water was vibrating faintly.
“Is this an aftershock from an earthquake?”
As I voiced my question, Enoch Aster Klaus Langrid shook his head coldly.
“There is a deeper Subterranean Lake ahead of us.”
When Enoch Aster Klaus Langrid illuminated the path with his Lantern, I could indeed see an enormous pool of water right before us.
“Something is moving beneath the surface.”
“Could you please refrain from making such eerie statements? Are you certain about this?”
“Look carefully. A moment ago, a dark Shadow passed beneath the surface and then vanished.”
Enoch Aster Klaus Langrid spoke while illuminating the still Subterranean Lake with his Lantern’s light.
The Alea South Island I had experienced contained nothing like this.
Then, as if issuing a warning, the hologram flashed red and appeared rapidly in succession.
[This region is estimated to be a former ‘Experiment Zone’.]
[Traces of organic matter are detected on portions of the Cave walls.]
[Parts of the structure are responding as if they were living organisms.]
A chill ran down my spine.
So was whatever lay beneath that surface an experimental subject? Something that had failed in an Experiment?
The System’s statement that parts of the structure were responding like living organisms was equally eerie.
Parallel Dimension 1 had set interpersonal relationships at high difficulty, and Jenas’s Experiments were equally Hardcore.
Only then did the Cave walls feel less like simple Stone and more like a living organism pulsing faintly.
‘This doesn’t seem to be just an ordinary Cave.’
Someone had artificially created this space. That someone would be Jenas.
And it seemed the Cave was formed not from Stone, but from something living.
Damn it, Jenas. What the hell.
Gripped by sudden fear, I opened my Communication Data.
I thought I might feel less frightened if I could at least check messages from my allies.
But then,
[Communication Protocol Check in Progress…]
[No Response]
[Communication with the Original Dimension is impossible from the current location]
[The Communication Module has been completely blocked.]
[⚠ System Warning]
[This region is a ‘Dead Zone’ where Dimensional Communication cannot reach. Connection with the outside is impossible.]
Communication remained impossible.
I had hoped reading messages from my allies might ease my fear. But even that was denied to me…!
And what exactly is a Shadow Zone? It’s probably just how they describe it because it’s a Cave, right?
While I stared at the System window with a serious expression, Enoch Aster Klaus Langrid gently pulled at my shoulder.
“Ma’am, I think it would be best if we moved in this direction.”
Enoch Aster Klaus Langrid pulled me away from the Underground Water. Based on the massive lake-like Underground Water, there appeared to be numerous paths throughout the Cave.
We stood before an Entrance leading to a different path than the one we came from, and once again surveyed the Underground Water.
“Why? What’s wrong?”
I asked Enoch Aster Klaus Langrid seriously, who had brought me to this place. Then he opened his mouth.
“The movement beneath the surface is… unusual.”
Splash—!
Before Enoch Aster Klaus Langrid could finish speaking, something burst forth from beneath the surface of the Underground Water.
Splat—splat—
The problem was the Mucus that erupted along with the water droplets.
Something unidentifiable shot upward, and the Mucus that appeared to come from it splattered everywhere.
“What on earth is that…?”
When I shone the Lantern’s light on it, I realized it was flesh.
Then something that had burst from the Water collapsed onto the Cave Floor with a wet thud.
[⚠ System Warning]
[Abnormal Biological Response Detected]
[Cellular Activity: Unstable / Self-Regeneration Repeating]
Self-Regeneration repeating?
Behind that eerie phrase, the mass of flesh clumped on the Floor began to move.
At first it writhed, then it began clumping together in various ways, gradually forming a shape.
Something resembling an arm jutted out, and then a Body took form. And on the Body, a face curled inward became visible.
The face certainly displayed a contour that appeared human.
The problem was that the face had no eyes.
The eyes showed through from beneath the skin.
The skin was so thin that the blinking of eyelids was visible through the outer skin.
‘Ugh.’
The Strange Life Form lifted its head. It was a Strange Life Form that had attempted to mimic human form but had stopped its Evolution in a grotesque state.
I made direct eye contact with it.
Without stimulating it as much as possible, I whispered softly toward the System.
“System. If that organism attacks, is there a way to respond?”
Enoch Aster Klaus Langrid sighed upon seeing me whisper to empty air even in this situation, but that wasn’t what mattered right now.
[Analyzing Request…]
[Analysis Complete]
[Target: Unable to Identify. Mutant Organism]
[Weaknesses: Extreme High Temperature, High-Frequency Vibration]
[Normal attacks will not be effective against the target. For other recommended responses, please check the manual.]
I immediately checked the recommended response manual.
[Recommended Response
1. Immediately raise your Body Temperature. The target organism recognizes ‘Hypothermia Signals’ as food—human organisms. If the temperature exceeds a certain threshold, you will be excluded from its detection range.
2. Avoid direct confrontation at all costs.
3. The creature is weak to high temperatures. Should unavoidable combat occur, immediately find a way to attack by raising the temperature.]
The fact that they recommend avoiding direct confrontation despite having countermeasures speaks volumes about how dangerous this thing truly is.
I was also startled by the revelation that it recognizes Hypothermia Signals as food.
Ordinary Predators typically sense heat and pursue warm targets, don’t they?
But this Strange Life Form, being what it is, operates on a mechanism entirely opposite to conventional Hunting patterns.
That’s why I stopped Enoch Aster Klaus Langrid, who was about to draw his Sword (one he’d farmed from the Cabin).
“Wait. I think it’s best we move carefully. And it seems that creature recognizes cold-blooded organisms as food. Would you hold my hand?”
Even if I told him what I saw in the System window, he wouldn’t easily believe it, so I had to persuade him with plausible reasoning.
“That’s exactly where we were standing just moments ago. But look—it’s moving as if there were Poison there. It’s only stepping into places with cold puddles of Water.”
“Ah. It can’t move without Water?”
“No. I think it’s because of the Temperature. It seems extremely sensitive to Temperature. The Warmth from where we were standing must still be lingering there.”
“We only stood there for a brief moment. Detecting Body Temperature from such a short time seems like an excessive assumption.”
“That’s how sensitive it is to Temperature. See how its skin is partially frozen? There’s a high possibility its skin and body tissues are composed of cold matter. Since I’m still trying to figure out what it is, let’s not provoke it recklessly and just observe. It seems to be observing us as well.”
Enoch Aster Klaus Langrid didn’t appear entirely convinced by my words. But at least he seemed to agree there was no particular reason to attack it first.
We stopped whispering and watched the creature from a distance.
I quietly took Enoch’s hand. He glanced at me briefly, but surprisingly, he didn’t resist the gesture.
“Let’s slowly back away.”
Enoch nods at my words.
We quietly formulated a Plan to distance ourselves from the creature.
That’s when we took a step backward.
The creature, which had been watching me intently, takes a step backward as well—mirroring my movement exactly.
Stop.
Stop.
Even my startled pause, the creature mimics.
What is this?
When I tilt my head in confusion, it tilts its head too.
At that moment, the creature’s face, which had been curled inward, emerges.
Its facial features were smudged, but eyes, nose, and mouth were beginning to take shape. The eyes were still beneath the skin. Its grotesquely stretched limbs were also gradually forming structure.
When I take another step back, the creature follows with another step backward.
“It would be wise to continue backing away. We’re moving toward the opposite direction.”
Instead of answering Enoch, I simply nod.
Right. Behind me lay a passage leading to another Cave. We were naturally distancing ourselves from the creature this way.
But the more I looked at it, the more my skin crawled. Even holding Enoch’s hand, I felt my Body Temperature dropping.
It was probably because fear was consuming me.
That’s when I took another step backward.
Suddenly, the creature stops moving and stares at me intently.
What is this? Why did it suddenly stop mimicking?
The moment doubt seized me,
Thud
Thud
Thud
Thud
Thud
The creature began moving forward rapidly instead of backward—directly toward where Enoch Aster Klaus Langrid and I stood.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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