After the corpse got destroyed and crumbled, Arch walked out from the room. He couldn't help but marvel at the scenery outside of the dim room.
ARCH: "What's with this old-century-like scenery? Broken and dilapidated wooden houses are scattered everywhere... Hm? And why is it so fucking dim? No clouds, no sun, no trees, and no sign of any human.Or is this some underground ancient civilization setting where an unknown phenomenon occurred and destroyed it? I hope I'm wrong."
Arch decided to take a little adventure. The road was made up of moss-covered cobblestones. Destroyed wooden houses were everywhere. Vines grew like snakes, coiling and wrapping everything in the underground space. Finally, after walking for about ten minutes, he saw a pond—or more like a swamp—surrounded by tall, dark green grass and vines falling from the ceiling of the underground..
ARCH:Finally... water. Should I take a bath here? Not gonna lie, my body and clothes feel uncomfortable with this hardened red paint all over my body. It's so fucking sticky and messy..."
After Arch decided to take a little swim in this swamp, he removed his chiton, leaving only his underwear. He walked towards the swamp, laying his chiton on the ground. When he reached the swamp, he looked at the water surface and noticed his own reflection. The water was not clear, but he could see his own reflection: a child-like face covered in blood, and his eyes—his eyes were glowing like rubies.
ARCH: Blood? Did I go crazy and bang my head or something? Tch. Anyways, here I come!
Arch jumped into the swamp, not giving a damn if crocodiles or snakes lived in the water.
After ten minutes of bathing in the swamp, Arch got out. He wiggled his body to remove the water still clinging to him.
ARCH: What a disappointment! I was waiting for some crocodiles or some monstrous creatures to show up... and in the end, nothing! Not even a fucking frog came out. Hmmp."
Arch walked over to his old chiton lying on the ground, picked it up, and still wore the bloodied chiton, like it was the most natural thing to do.
ARCH:What if they're bloodied clothes? The blood was already hardened, and it doesn't fucking smell at all, so who cares?"
After Arch wore his chiton, he looked like a prince with his shoulder-length white hair and his red eyes.
(Image here)
ARCH: I feel more comfortable now. I think I need to pack up my things and search for an exit or something. This place won't offer much for my own survival, and this underground environment is kind of tormenting."
Arch decided to go back into the previous room to retrieve the coffin and the katana he took from Ryuma.
ARCH:Hey. System !.is it possible to restore the coffin and the katana to the system inventory?
*CREAKKKKK
SYSTEM: REQUEST APPROVED
ARCH:.What a lifesaver!
As Arch walked back to his previous location, he heard a hissing noise. He looked around, but he couldn't spot where the sound was coming from.
ARCH:..tch...
Arch didn't hesitate. He used ROOM, and from his left palm, a blue, transparent sphere appeared. The ROOM expanded to ten feet by ten feet. After casting his Devil Fruit ability, he used his senses to detect the source of the hissing noise.
ARCH: now let's see....
Arch concentrated on locating it... hiss... hiss... With his eyes closed, he felt that inside his ROOM, he could sense anything and be aware of what was happening in a more detailed way. Suddenly, he opened his eyes.
ARCH: what do we have here!...
-----------------
[ THE GAP ]
**AUTHOR:** Confirmed... this MC is acting strangely.
**NARRATOR:** Yeah... like, what happened to him?
**DIRECTOR:** (He looks at ROB, who's pretending **asleep**.) Care to explain, Gramps?
**ROB:** Hmmmm... (With his nonchalant expression) Leave it be. Let the readers draw **their** own reasoning.
--------------
Feature,Description,Context / Significance
Hair,"Shoulder-length, White",Contributes to his princely look.
Eyes,Glowing Red (Like Rubies),Observed during his reflection in the swamp water; indicates an unnatural state or power.
Face,"Child-like, Covered in Dried Blood","The 'blood' was already hardened and didn't smell, suggesting the stain is old or perhaps a persistent part of his current condition."
Attire,Bloodied Chiton,"A simple dress-like garment, which he wore despite the hardened blood stains."
Overall Vibe,Looked like a Prince,"Despite the bloodied clothes and strange eyes, he carries a noble, commanding aura."
(Image here)
------ To be continued-------