The first egg shattered.
A sharp crack split the air, and from the splintered shell burst a creature cloaked in darkness. Then the second. Then the third. One after another, the jagged fragments fell away like shards of glass, and from within, the monsters unfurled.
They weren't chicks.
There was nothing small, fragile, or newborn about them.
What emerged were full-sized Shadow Owls, their bodies sleek and massive, feathers glistening with a dark sheen that devoured the dim light around them.
Their wings stretched wide, dragging currents of wind that whipped through the cave. Their talons were sharp, black, and already stained with age-old marks of death.
Their eyes locked instantly on Noah and Elena.
[Tier 1: Shadow Owl — Level 2]
The screech that followed was deafening—raw, primal, vibrating through the cavern like a living blade. A sound born not of warning, but of hunger.
They didn't hesitate.
All three spread their wings and launched forward, talons extended, eyes like pits of endless dark, ready to rip through anything that stood between them and their prey.
Noah stepped in front of Elena.
His flintlocks rose, steady in his grip, each one glowing with charged mana. Robocrab perched on his shoulder let out a sharp whir, its red eye narrowing as targeting systems locked on.
Noah smiled.
"Let's make your first day alive your worst memory."
Noah's flintlocks blazed to life, mana surging down the barrels as he pulled both triggers in rapid succession.
Twin bursts of glowing projectiles shot forward, spiraling through the cave like comets.
At the same time, Robocrab locked on and unleashed a concentrated stream of red-hot laser fire, its tiny limbs clamping down in calculated recoil.
The blasts collided with the charging Shadow Owls mid-flight. The impact sent sparks and shimmers of kinetic energy bursting across their bodies.
The owls screeched—harsh, grating sounds that echoed like metal being torn apart—as they veered off, wings folding briefly to avoid further damage, their shadows scattering like smoke through the cavern air.
Noah didn't stop to celebrate.
His eyes caught something wrong—a ripple in the stone floor just beneath them, a faint distortion where there should've been stillness. A spreading stain of darkness rising like steam from the rock.
A shadow.
Without thinking, he lunged forward.
He wrapped an arm around Elena's waist and pulled her up against his side. She gasped, barely processing what happened as Noah kicked off the ground and darted across the stone, boots skidding from the force of movement.
Just behind them, the floor exploded.
A fourth Shadow Owl burst from beneath the earth, wings outstretched, talons raking through the space they had just stood.
Dust and shattered stone scattered in all directions as the creature shrieked into the cave.
Noah landed hard, shielding Elena as they rolled behind a jagged ridge.
She clung to his side, eyes wide, breathing quick.
Two Shadow Owls dove toward him, wings slicing the air with silent fury, talons extended like scythes aimed straight for the kill. Their screeches tore through the cavern, each echo like a blade drawn against stone.
Noah didn't blink.
His flintlock snapped up and barked a shot, the glowing bullet slamming into one of the incoming beasts.
Robocrab, perched and locked on, fired its concentrated laser, striking the same target with blistering accuracy.
The hit landed.
The first Shadow Owl faltered mid-flight, wings folding instinctively as it veered off course, screeching as it retreated into the high stone shadows above.
But the second didn't slow.
It came harder, faster, slicing through the air like a living weapon.
Noah held Elena tighter, shielding her with his body as he twisted and rolled across the stone floor, the impact sharp beneath his back.
The Shadow Owl's talons slammed into the spot they'd just escaped, tearing a fresh gouge into the stone and sending fragments scattering.
Elena clung to him, her breath sharp in his ear.
"They maybe didn't expect their captive to fire magical bullets."
[And they definitely didn't expect you to move like this… especially in terrain you've never trained for.]
Noah smirked, tightening his grip on the flintlock.
Noah dropped low, sliding beneath a sweeping set of talons that carved through the air just above his head.
The ground scraped against his back, rough and uneven, but he moved with practiced precision—one seamless motion without hesitation.
"I'm so used to getting ganked by four, five, ten enemies back home, this barely registers as abnormal."
He twisted mid-slide, flintlocks raised, fingers already pulling the triggers.
But this wasn't a game.
Not really.
The Shadow Owls were learning.
Every dodge, every angle, every timing—they were adapting. Their movements grew tighter, more coordinated. Each missed strike wasn't wasted effort; it was observation. Testing. Measuring.
And that was the real threat.
Fighting alone meant he had no distractions to offer, no one to draw aggro. It was just him—one target, one rhythm, slowly being decoded.
In the next breath, they made their move.
Six Shadow Owls struck in perfect coordination. One phased through the stone wall behind him.
Another emerged from beneath the floor, silent as breath.
Two more came from the air above, wings folded to dive.
The rest closed in from the flanks, a noose of darkness tightening around him.
Noah gritted his teeth and shifted his weight.
He slid hard, sparks flaring from his boots as he launched across the stone, body angled low.
His flintlocks flared, magic-infused bullets streaking forward toward the nearest owl. Robocrab fired alongside him, rapid bursts of crimson light slicing through the air.
The Shadow Owl directly in his path shrieked and veered aside—but the others didn't stop.
They were testing his limit.
And he was running out of room to maneuver.
Another Shadow Owl rushed in, wings pulled tight, its body like a spear of black wind slicing through the cavern.
Noah raised his flintlock and fired—three quick shots, each one charged with mana and aimed with flawless precision.
But the moment the bullets reached it, the owl's body rippled.
Holes opened mid-air—small, perfect gaps in its form, as if its feathers momentarily parted for the projectiles to pass through untouched.
The bullets zipped clean through, striking the stone far behind.
No damage. No impact. Not even resistance.
Noah's eyes widened.
He had seen that before.
Not here. Not in this place.
But in the very first cursed battle he'd won. The one where everything went wrong.
His mind raced back, unwillingly, to that fight with the Blue Slime. The same frustrating trick. The same impossible mechanic.
Noah exhaled sharply.
"I'm having a very bad flashback. These things… they've got the same cheat mechanic as that damn slime."
From the cold stone beneath him, a dark ripple pulsed outward.
Noah barely had time to react.
A massive obsidian beak burst forth from the ground behind him, driving upward like a spear of midnight.
It struck his back, piercing through cloth and skin, slicing into muscle with ruthless precision.
Pain flooded his nerves.
He didn't scream.
He just groaned—low, tight in his throat—as his grip on Elena tightened. He held her close, shielding her with every inch of his battered body as he rolled them both away from the erupting strike.
But there was no time to breathe.
Another ripple.
Another shadow.
A second beak shot from the floor without warning, aimed to finish what the first had started.
Noah shoved Elena aside with all the strength he had left, the movement fast, instinctive.
The beak caught his shoulder—an explosion of white-hot agony that tore through flesh and dropped him flat against the ground.
He rolled, his vision pulsing with light and blur, his body dragging across the stone.
Behind him, a trail of blood marked his path—thick and dark, spilling from the wounds carved into his back and shoulder.
It soaked into the dust, into the cracks, as if the mountain itself was hungry for it.
Elena stood frozen for a heartbeat, watching the blood spread across the floor like ink from a broken quill.
Then she ran.
Her small hands reached him in a frantic blur, grabbing his coat, shaking him with more desperation than strength.
"Big brother Noah, are you alright? Please… please don't leave me behind."
Her voice cracked on the last word. Tears spilled from her eyes, streaking down her dirt-smudged cheeks.
Her grip on him trembled, her fingers clinging to him like he was the only thing anchoring her in the storm.
Noah's body twitched.
Slowly, painfully, he pushed himself up on one arm. His shoulder throbbed. His back screamed. Blood still poured, trailing down his side in hot streams.
He coughed, wet and sharp, a smear of red spilling across his lips.
But then, he looked at her.
And he smiled.
Soft. Unshaken.
"Don't worry… I'm fine. Took worse damage from my alarm clock back home."
He raised a hand with effort, brushing a tear from her cheek with a knuckle.
"Are you hurt?"
His voice remained calm, steady—like she was the only thing that mattered. Like his wounds were just background noise.
Elena shook her head, tears still clinging to her lashes, but she gave him the smallest of nods to assure him. No wounds. No blood. Just fear—and hope.
Noah let out a breath of relief, shallow and tight in his chest. That alone made the pain worth it.
He pushed himself upright, the ache in his shoulder like a brand being driven deeper, but he forced his body to obey.
He turned his gaze upward—toward the stone ledges that loomed above them like the jaws of a massive, patient predator.
There, all six Shadow Owls stood.
Perched. Silent. Watching.
They no longer rushed in recklessly. They didn't strike out of rage or panic.
They had studied him. Mapped his movement. Calculated every step, every dodge, every pause. In those glassy, midnight eyes, there was no more curiosity—only certainty.
They knew how this would end.
[Noah, this is bad. Their coordination's tightened. They've run the numbers on you—your patterns, your casting speed, even how many shots you've fired. Being alone made it easier. They've analyzed your entire rhythm. With their next strike… they're going for the kill.]
He didn't argue.
His eyes never left the owls as he rose fully to his feet, blood trailing from his back, breath uneven, vision sharp.
"I know… they're done playing around."
[You should use your last Small HP Potion. It's not much, but it might keep you standing just a little longer.]
But Noah didn't move to reach for the potion.
Instead, he smiled.
Because he heard it.
The faintest sound—the soft rustling of loose stones, the grind of boots shifting gravel beneath the shadows behind him.
He didn't look back.
He didn't need to.
"There's no need to."
Beneath him, the ground lit up in soft green. A magic circle bloomed from the stone—faint at first, then glowing brighter.
Gentle warmth flooded into his battered body, seeping into his wounds, stitching muscle and easing pain. His shoulder twitched as the bleeding slowed. His breath grew easier. The strength that had begun to fade stirred again in his limbs.
He tilted his head, gaze resting on the darkness beyond the ledges, where the enemy waited.
And he smiled.
"How did you find me?"
From the shadows, a figure stepped into the light—broad, solid, a sword on his back and a shield at his side.
"You are part of the party, Noah. We could see your location on the map."
Dimitri's voice echoed through the cavern like steady thunder.
"The hard part was finding the right path… the one that got us here before it was too late."
Noah exhaled through a quiet smirk, his chest rising with the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. The knot in his spine unwound just slightly.
"Took you long enough. What, were you all stuck in loading screens?"
A low, rumbling laugh answered him.
"I am glad to see you are fine, my friend."