Level 990

SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY:

Class Variable

Mysterious Properties
Scarce Information
Gradual Changes in Environment

Description

Photograph of the vegetation growing on structures within Level 990.

Level 990 consists of a massive city which shows a significant degree of overgrowth on buildings and other concrete structures, allowing the level to later earn the moniker of the "Overgrown City" by explorers. It also consists of a labyrinthine sewer network that underlies the city.

A mist circulates throughout the surface of the level on soft winds, providing a constant state of humidity. Above this mist lies a light blue sky which darkens to a purplish-black by night, thus confirming the presence of a time cycle within Level 990. The level has been denoted by researchers to exhibit non-Euclidean geometry in alleyways or sewers. Through some unknown variable, the level also disallows travelers to meet each other; this is hypothesized to be a result of an isolation effect akin to what is present on Level 0.

The buildings in the surface city bear similarities to those from reality, but with certain changes. These alterations may include signs written in unknown languages or aberrant architectural elements. Another known environmental anomaly is the erratic transition between two weather states: calm skies or torrential rain.

Objects appear randomly in the level, manifesting within vending machines or trash receptacles and almost always being of worthless value. However, useful items such as water bottles and bags of food can appear at random as well, allowing Level 990 to be survivable.

The level is split into two main sections: the surface and the sewers. It is important to note that the sewers possess a higher degree of danger; such risk is because of a lack of natural light sources, the presence of sewer leeches, and the threat of flooding during a storm event.

Surface Section

The surface of Level 990 is the most accessible portion of the level, as it is where the majority of all entry and exit points are located—as such, its various buildings serve as the natural location for many travelers' camps. Characterized by the overgrown urban sprawl that dominates the horizon, the surface is also where the weather effects of the level materialize.

The buildings within Level 990 also display interior overgrowth. Plant roots, stems, and branches can be seen congregating near windows and glass doors, whereas the deeper portions of buildings harbor growths of mold and mildew. It is not advised for travelers to make any sort of long-term rest deep within these structures, as the presence of microbial growth can pose significant respiratory risks.

A skyscraper portion of Level 990 prior to a torrential rain event.

Unlike the sewers, the surface is subject to a lesser degree of flooding during periods of torrential rain. Even so, particularly long-lasting storms¹ can result in the flooding of the streets outside and ground floors of buildings, with water staying at such a height for up to a week before draining by unknown means. This may leave vegetation laying all throughout roads and streets, adding to the arduousness of navigation.

Entities are overall rare on the surface section of Level 990, but two main types of entities have been documented: distant shadowy figures in addition to what only can be described as "flood masses" that appear during flooding events.

Non-Euclidean geometry was reported to exist in the surface within alleyways and stairways in Level 990, leading to exits that open up in areas several kilometers away in any direction.

Sewer Section

Picture taken of an open, flooded entrance to the sewers after a torrential rain event.

The sewers are the highly hazardous portion of the level as a result of no natural light; this danger increases during torrential rain via sudden surges of floodwater. Such dangers are further compounded in risk by how non-Euclidean geometry exists all throughout the network.

Vegetation and overgrowth exists in the sewers because of the invasion of plant roots and vines from surface level sewer grates. Massive growths of bacteria and fungi are also present, posing significant health risks.

During periods of calm weather, the sewers are traversable; its heightened factor of non-Euclidean effects can allow an explorer experienced with the system to travel a significant distance in a short amount of time.

Entities

Two visually confirmed entities and one unconfirmed entity reside in Level 990; all are considered to be unique to the level. Entities that are commonly seen throughout the Backrooms, such as Smilers, have never been reported.

"Figures in the Distance"

The "figures in the distance" are described as all-black, amorphous figures who appear only in the surface portion of the level. They are undetectable by travelers unless within a nearby building as a result of the level's mist. Nonetheless, explorers who were equipped with binoculars have noted the presence of these figures standing in windows and on the patios of distant high-rise buildings.

Consciously noticing these entities can result in the manifestation of negative psychological symptoms; no physical effects have been reported.

It has also been documented that these figures will appear closer to travelers during storm events. The reasons for this phenomenon is unknown, but the psychological symptoms they exhibit are somehow exacerbated by the storm.

"Flood Masses"

The "flood masses" are an unconfirmed entity that presumably reside somewhere within Level 990; their true appearance has no current description. These entities are only spotted during violent storm events that submerge ground level floors, and require a flashlight to be seen due to the intense rain and darkness.

The sizes of these masses are estimated to be somewhere between two to three meters long, and about a meter wide at their middle.

No attempts have been made to further understand these entities; the risk for doing so is due to the environment that they manifest within.

"Sewer Leeches"

"Sewer leeches" are the second confirmed entity to reside solely within Level 990. They are described as serpentine and aquatic, primarily living in the sewer section of the level.

A specimen of sewer leech found on the surface section of Level 990.

These entities are known for their (often erratic) attaching motions to anything within the sewers, with a specific behavior of attaching to fungal or bacterial colonies as a possible source of nutrition. They are recorded growing up to seven inches in length.

Sewer leeches are also known to attach to clothing, items, and human flesh, with the latter resulting in injury from lacerations caused by their teeth. Severe infections may arise from sewer leech bites due to the unsanitary environment and the leeches' previous attachments to microbial colonies. For these reasons, it is strongly advised to wear full-body thick clothing while traversing the sewers.

On certain occasions after a storm event, sewer leeches can be seen dead or dying on the streets of Level 990.

A hypothesis by the M.E.G. was proposed about their nature, detailing that these leeches may possess a connection to the dark masses seen underwater during flood events (a result of sharing aquatic properties). This hypothesis remains untested.

Discovery

Level 990 was discovered on 3/15/2022 through an anonymous bulletin² left in The Hub detailing the founding of a "silent paradise" by the way of navigating deep into overgrown buildings in Level 11. Upon the bulletin's discovery by the M.E.G., initial research teams were dispatched; upon discovery, they immediately detailed the anomalous properties of Level 990 (particularly its isolation phenomenon and non-Euclidean phenomena).

Discovery Reports

[3/20/2022] Report 990-0: Initial preparation and discovery

Close Report

Report 990-0: Initial preparation and discovery. Filed 3/20/2022.

Picture taken of Level 990 skyline after M.E.G. personnel arrived to verify its properties, c. 4/1/2022.

After the subject message pertinent to the new level was found in the Hub on the 3rd of March, 2022, the Major Explorer Group proceeded to post a bulletin to its internal membership as to the unknown validity of the message's contents. Deliberation within the high ranks of the M.E.G. persisted for hours thereafter, until it was decided that resources were better spent on more concrete and less "delirious" information about other levels.

Nevertheless, a commission was posted within the Hub on the 16th in regards to volunteer exploration. Two individual volunteers accepted the exploration commission under request of anonymity, and ventured to Level 11 through the Hub's respective unlocked door in the same day. A timeframe of three days was established for the exploration mission due to the supposed short journey to such an unknown level.

Early on the 20th, the M.E.G. representative in charge of the exploration issued a suspension of the mission due to the deadline being crossed, implying an accident or fatality befalling the volunteer crew. However, approximately seven hours after the deadline had passed, the two explorers successfully returned to Outpost Doorstep Carpet in a state of clear excitement. The commission was honored, and after receiving promised survival supplies, the two began their documentation of the level—now christened Level 990.

Their initial findings and descriptions of the level have been enclosed within this report.

Entry into the new level was pursued by following the directions given in the anonymous letter. Following transition into Level 11 from the Hub, it had taken approximately six hours to find a building within the level that displayed enough overgrowth to match what the original letter recommended.

Efforts to enter this building were successful. The interior of the structure was noted to be much more humid than the outside atmosphere of Level 11. After transiting deeper into the building, the explorers reported the onset of uneasiness and general malaise. They attest that this was when attempts were made to head back to Level 11, as they believed that some sort of existential danger was imminent.

The explorers noted feelings of panic as bids to leave the structure proved impossible due to the onset of non-Euclidean geometries. This persisted for several minutes, until they had lost sight of one another. Frantic navigation through the building had opened to an empty, overgrown atrium that did not indicate any further presence of still being within Level 11.

It is important to note that, from this point forward, the following documentation is a compilation of experiences from both individual explorers, as they had been subsequently isolated from one another despite starting in the same area in the new level.

Attempts were made to find each other, to no avail. Both then went to observe the locale prior to heading "outside". A mist had settled beyond the windows, obfuscating any chance to gaze further into the new area. Several vines were also spread across the atrium windows, further diminishing visibility of the outside. They both endeavored to leave by the way of a revolving door; it is documented that tools were needed to dislodge intertwined vines and other plant matter that had kept the door "shut".

Once the explorers had reached what could be considered the "outside", mixed feelings of awe and apprehension emerged as a result of what they had now seen. According to their separate testimonies, they saw a nigh-endless number of distant skyscrapers emerging through the fog, all covered with similar webs of greenery and jutting into a cloudless blue sky. This mist, although limiting overall visibility, was not of significant height nor significant coverage. It had thus allowed sight of both tall structures in the distance and anything that laid several feet in front of an individual.

Following this sight, the two separately began a slow but gradual exploration through this new space, as no prior information for risks such as environmental hazards or entities existed. Mutual reports confirm seeing things such as overturned and rusted vehicles, which were covered with vines and hosting growths of small shrubbery. They also noted that windows in almost all of the buildings present were either shattered, cracked, or stained by grime.

They had estimated around a few hours of further exploration, stating that the atmosphere of the level was consistently humid, and yet normal in temperature. No entities were spotted at all during this time, and the onset of a night cycle had urged both to set up their own camps in the level. This was highlighted as particularly important, as the occurrence of a time shift in both instances strongly implicated that events in this level affected all individuals equally, even if they existed in separate instances of the level.

After waking, both explorers reported that a massive storm event had begun on the level. One of the explorers who slept on the second floor of a high-rise building recorded that much of their belongings had become sodden as a result of floodwater beginning to seep upward. The other had said that their awakening was due to significant bouts of thunder, which rattled throughout the entire structure that they slept within.

The first explorer had also documented the sight of small forms swimming in the water on the second floor. However, due to the overall darkness and the weakness of their flashlight, they were unable to exactly deduce what these small forms were. Both had now been in the new space for over twenty-four hours, and spent further hours weathering the storm. During this time, they had consumed much of their initial water and food supplies, and began to scavenge their buildings. This worked for both explorers, who looted nondescript vending machines for various food and drink items.

One of the explorers noted a sudden and intense onset of dread, forcing them to leave their scavenging area and return to their base camp. They attest to having seen a humanoid figure in the hall near to them, and as a result, this explorer fortified their position and did not leave their camp for several more hours. The other explorer did not document seeing or feeling any abnormality during their period of scavenging.

A portion of Level 990 soon after a torrential rain event, captured by "Explorer A".

Several more hours persisted until both explorers re-emerged to the outside, noting that the storm event had ended and that a return of daytime had occurred. Both confirmed that the streets were not only laden with uprooted plant matter, but also small black serpentine forms in various stages of death and decay.

Due to the trauma incurred by one of the explorers prior, they began an excursion to leave the level. Efforts to find the original building that they had emerged from was to no avail—this was most likely non-Euclidean geometries at play, as they noted running through alleyways had shifted them thousands of meters in several different directions respective to consistent landmarks on the horizon.

This explorer also noted more dark, humanoid figures emerging from the porches of distant abandoned apartment complexes; at first, such figures were not noticed as a result of the circulation of the mist throughout the level. However, brief abatements of this mist had not only led to the sight of these figures, but also a significant decrease in local humidity. Further abatements of this mist had led the individual to a scarcely overgrown and abnormally clean structure; entering it out of a "hunch", according to the explorer, led them into another non-Euclidean space that briefly trapped them within.

A key finding is that this "clean" building within the level had acted as an exit back to Level 11, implying a connection between the amount of vegetation on buildings in both Level 11 and this new level.

After coming back into Level 11, the first explorer to return used landmarks to venture to the M.E.G. Base Beta and awaited the return of their partner. This occurred two days later, as the latter explorer had stayed within the new level in order to accurately determine the function of the day-night cycle and the occurrence rate of storms. They left Level 11 by heading into buildings that teleported them to Level 1; thereafter, they entered the Hub and reported to Outpost Doorstep Carpet their findings, as detailed in this report.

Report end.

Bases, Outposts, and Communities

Due to the innate isolation factor of Level 990, any permanent settlement consisting of more than one person is considered to be physically impossible. Even so, it is rumored that a large amount of travelers have made the level their home; this is most likely due to its interconnectivity with other levels, relative safety, abundance of pure water from rain or mist condensation, and availability of food from scavenging.

Entrances And Exits

Entrances

The most frequently used entrance for the level is through exploring deep into rare overgrown buildings in Level 11.
Entering a rare door in Level 21 labeled "43" will lead to a random overgrown apartment room in Level 990.

Exits

Much similar to entering, Level 990 can be exited by exploring rare buildings that seem untouched by major overgrowth, leading to Level 11.
Staying in the sewer for an extended amount of time has the chance to teleport one to Level 34.
Being in the sewer during a flood event has the chance for one to be teleported to Level 76 before drowning.

The Backrooms

You've been here before.