[You are finally back to your senses…]

Healing the familiar voice that was calm but had a hint of worry, I wondered if I was hallucinating from the state that both my body and mind were in, but as the blinding effect caused by the light finally receded, I could also see the familiar voice's familiar source.

"What…? How is it that you are suddenly here…?"

Nonetheless, both my mind and vision were still clouded, which once again made me question whether the sometimes annoying Long was actually there.

"Meow~"

Though unsure what was going on exactly, I hurriedly directed my hazy sight towards the face that popped out of the 'living' bag by my side, feeling extremely delighted as I couldn't resist hugging the bag directly.

'This is better!'

To be able to see Light again and hear his voice, even if it was just a hallucination caused by me going crazy, seemed worth going crazy for, at least this way, I wouldn't have to spend the rest of the nine or so years in solitude.

As a loner who spent most of his life in reality alone, I once thought I wouldn't mind being isolated in exchange for silence and peace of mind. However, after meeting Light who I not only naturally felt close to as soon as he was born but also grew closer to him as time went by, I still wished that he would stay with me even in reality...

'I should have achieved the target by now anyway…'

Since my brain was kind enough to produce this specific hallucination for me, then it really didn't matter how long I spent in this pitch-black world, the maximum was less than nine years anyway, and I didn't need to worry about having achieved enough of the 'action' that the company needed…

However… as my mind started to clear up, I felt that the thoughts that just passed by my mind felt like nonsense, it was as if...

[Hah, you were only out for less than a minute, but your mind is already in this 'shape'... As expected, it's quite vicious…]

"Less that one minute…?"

I questioned what I just heard automatically, but as my thoughts grew clearer and clearer and I was able to recall the whole true memory in my brain, by the end, I was able to more or less reach an answer.

[Poor guy. How many days have you spent in that eroding illusion? Nevermind if you don't want to remember anything that went through, perhaps sealing that memory would be for the better…]

"...So that was the case."

The answer wasn't hard to deduce even without Long's hinting words as long as I recalled my experience more than once. In reality, my mental will was quite resolute, and being trapped in some space for just more than a month wouldn't have made me panic that much, it was obvious now that something else other than my thoughts was in play.

Not only were my mind and memory obscured as time went by in the pitch-black space, but extremely pessimistic thoughts were automatically inserted within, making my mental strength only a fragment of what it was, otherwise, not to mention a month even a year wouldn't have made me reach the 'rope's end' this quickly.

"Is it truly only a minute away since I was transported away from the Dragon Clan's Stronghold?"

[Indeed, if you want to be exact, only slightly less than 40 seconds has passed since then. I would recommend checking the system's hour for more accuracy, but the situation is quite special at the moment. You should focus on clearing your mind for the time being…]

Long stared at me with a pitying expression all along. For once, I could tell that he was being completely sincere.

"Hahhhh, I really missed you! I believe the most horrible part about that month was the fact that you weren't there!"

Though I was already more or less back at full mental 'Shape', I didn't deny Long's advice as I held Light out of the bag and hugged him lightly while playing with his fur!

"Meow! Meeoww~"

"Since you are looking at me that way, you seem like you know what I went through. So, do you have an explanation to what this space actually is or why I had to spend every second as a day in 'that' space?"

After snuggling a bit with Light, I already inspected the space around me which maintained the same depressing color yet wasn't as smooth-surfaced as the one I was in, it looked like a natural rocky area that simply had a unique color.

From the looks of it, I was originally collapsed on the ground in the same state I was in before being transported, but for some reason, my consciousness had a journey of its own until now, so I was naturally curious as to what this place really was if not a Corruption Gate since Long seemed to know.

[Alright, I won't beat around the bush since the situation is a bit serious. This space should be what the demons call a 'Corruption Space'. Perhaps you should feel special that something like that was used on you, but you probably don't…]

'...'

Although he said he was going to go straight and topic and seemed completely obedient, it seemed like Long couldn't resist throwing a comment as usual…

"A Corruption Space? This couldn't be possibly an independent space created by whatever that demon used… Right?"

Though I was pretty sure it wouldn't be, I couldn't help but question it considering the nature of the situation. Besides, I was no longer as fragile minded as back then, so even such a possibility wouldn't put me in the same hopeless state as earlier.

{Not really. It's true that it is an independent space, but it isn't one created by something, it's simply one of the fragmented spaces that hover around domains just like the beginner village you were once in. The only difference is that this space has been processed by the demons…}