Versatile: Alternate World

Just like in the past timeline, the same secret area, it didn't change and still the same one. I am thankful that the secrets I knew in the past timeline still holds quite a lot even though many things have changed already. If not for this, I would be not bothering to even try out all of the stuff I knew and exploit it for my advantage.

The secret area is easy to find but because it was located at the very edge of the Luminous Continent and because it was easily bypassed most of the time and many players are focused on finding how to enter the Dark Sea instead, they didn't realize that that the entrance of the Dark Sea was actually in the Luminous Continent.

As for the one who discovered and uncovered it to the public, well, it was none other than Sigma. Being a player who looks all over the Alternate World to look for teammates to fight together, it was just something that anyone would already expect from her so when she revealed the location, many thanked her and the Boss Rush mode has finally revealed.

One big rock sits at the very edge of the clouds. It was sticking out like a sore thumb out of all the rocks in the area but because it wasn't that different from other rocks either, it was easily hidden to the point that if Sigma didn't reveal the place in the forums, then the place would forever be a mystery unless someone else discovers it as players are not just limited to those who did the biggest involvements.

On that big rock, hides the entrance of the small cave that is situated underneath it. It was already overgrown with grass and the place is already hard to notice. But that was an easy clear by blasting it with a bit of flames, burning all the weeds from it.  Removing the weeds, I smack the entrance cover a few more times before I opened it up. That way, I can remove the dust that built up on the gap of the cover and the entrance, allowing me to open it up easier and with less force.

CLANK!

I didn't realize that the cover is made of metal to be honest. In the past timeline, the cover is already gone and since it was a popular place for players to go to, it was left open for the remainder of the days even until the very last day of my life in the past timeline.

With the cover gone, the entrance revealed a dark staircase leading down to a cave. It smells like the entrance of most ruins but with the lack of damp smell as there are no water coming in, it feels like you are entering an ancient tomb.

I pulled out the Versatile Weapon and lit it up with [Flaming Sword], lighting up the surroundings like I am using a torch. So this must be how it looks like before it was discovered. To think the place was looking like a tomb of a monster or something similar just made me realize that this is a bit different than I thought it would be at first.

There are some light sources but since they are not torches as they are light bulbs. To activate it, I think the switch to turn that on is on the main room as that is the only place where the machine switches are located.

I looked around for a while if there are anything that I have missed out. This is the problem of being the first one to discover the place. You become the pioneer of it, you will be the one who will figure it out. For someone who have reached this place a year after it was discovered, some of the features here that was already present in the past timeline is missing at the moment so my guess is that things are gradually added the moment it was powered up. Seeing this, I think it is indeed time to find the main power source.

My arrival to the main room where it was supposed to be where the players stay for a few moment before the descent to the Dark Sea is so different that I have no recollection of some of the things that are in here since they were not present in the past timeline. Either they disappeared over time or these are some of those changes that I just didn't notice at all.

Because the darkness is here is so bad that the light of the flames in my Versatile Weapon is no longer enough, I snap my fingers and a ball of light appeared in front of me like a lamp floating right beside me, allowing me to have better vision of the surroundings.

As I was exploring before, I looked around the place and bump into something that was placed on the counter. I didn't realize it as I was looking elsewhere. Because it was hard, I turned to the place where I bump something and soon realized that I bumped into the ruined automaton that is situated there.

Because out of all the functions of this place that are powered by electricity turned on, when this golem did not function when all of the other functions available in the main room go back to life, it was deduced that this was just a decoration. I find that a bit suspicious though as the golem has the same gap on its heart area that should have been placed here. If the core is destroyed, then it should have been in the remains of this thing but because it wasn't either, there are two possibilities of what happened to it in the past timeline.

First, the core was not there to begin with and that is the main reason that it never functioned but there is the doubt I had and that is the second reason. The core was there but because it was just lying there like a treasure, it was taken and sold outside to the city or town or whichever merchant it was. With Automaton Cores being very expensive when sold, I don't think it was not an unlikely scenario.

But because this is the new timeline and I am the pioneer of this place, how about I take my time and search this place up? Perhaps something that has been taken is here.

...

...

...

5 Minutes later...

CLANK CLANK CLANK

There are lots of tools here and there. Lots of them in fact. It was like an engineer or a mechanic is living here until then but since there are no signs of recent activities here of someone, I don't think that whoever stays here in the past is no longer staying here. And whatever circumstances made them do so? I have no idea.

But my search was not in vain and in fact, I am surprised by it. Not only I found the cores but there are tools, spare parts and blueprints too. If this was not present in the past timeline, someone took it, sold it or just used it for whatever reason.

I kept the blueprints myself but the spare parts, I decided to put it back to where it was from and hid it. The most important thing though, is the core. Since it was present here, someone sold or used the core for other purposes so seeing the core in my hands made me realize all players are born treasure hunters. No matter if the treasure is needed for something, as long as it is valuable, it will be sold no matter what.

Taking the core to the automaton sitting there, I read the blueprint on how to install it. There are some complicated words here and there, some weird words that I just encountered and some confusing words that doesn't make sense. It took me a few minutes until I slowly get the gist of it.

Basically, I put the core into the automaton and power up the whole facility to charge up the automaton's energy bar, letting it move. First, I ensured that the Automaton doesn't have any weapons. It would be really bad if this guy suddenly attacks at me while powering everything up.

Thankfully, there are none and so I installed the core.  It was easy so it didn't take me time to do so. I just needed to put a bolt on it here and there and the core is intact. Next up, is powering the whole facility. Once that is powered, the automaton charges itself plus, the basic functions that will allow me to descend to the Dark Sea will also be accessible to me now.

The power switch is already in the main room and the only thing left for it is to crank it.

CLANK!

The lever is pulled down and the lights started to light up. Not only that but the sound of gears started to ring around the suroundings.

CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG!

Then, the Automaton's eyes list up. The automaton is now charging power.