The alpha's roar still echoed in Ravi's skull long after the beast had staggered back into the shadows.
The survivors clung to the rope in silence, their chests heaving, eyes wide, knuckles white on their weapons. The cavern stank of blood and ichor. The blue flame of the system torch sputtered, casting sickly light across their faces.
[Time Remaining: 06:42]
Too long. Far too long.
The alpha hadn't fled. Ravi could feel its gaze from the dark, golden eye still gleaming, fixed on them. Waiting. Stalking.
And then the system voice chimed, cold and uncaring:
[Sub-Condition Unlocked.]The Sun Steps Into Shadow.]Objective: Survive until the sun falls.]
The words burned across Ravi's vision before fading into nothingness.
"What the hell does that mean?" someone whispered.
Arjun didn't answer. He stood with bow in hand, body taut, eyes narrowed toward the dark. His silence said enough: the system wasn't finished with them.
Ravi spat blood and tightened his grip on the pipe. "Shadow, sun… doesn't matter. It just means more fun for us."
The growls returned. Louder this time. The smaller beasts were closing in again, emboldened by the alpha's presence. Their eyes glowed like scattered embers in the dark.
Ravi's mind spun. Shadow. Sun. Was it a riddle? A hint? Or just more sadism from the system?
The thought snapped as a monster lunged from the dark. Ravi met it with a brutal swing, the pipe cracking across its skull. It dissolved into smoke, leaving a faint shimmer of Coins.
Another followed. Another.
The survivors fought like cornered animals, their weapons flashing in the blue light. But they were slowing. Exhaustion seeped into every movement. The rope kept them tethered, but it also dragged on them, each tug pulling at raw wounds and battered muscles.
Ravi's breath came ragged. Sweat stung his eyes.
Then he saw it.
A sliver of light faint, golden bleeding in from somewhere deep in the cavern.
"Shadow… sun…" he muttered. His heart hammered. "That's it. That's what it means."
Arjun's gaze snapped to him. "What?"
"The exit," Ravi said, pointing with the pipe. "That light. We get there before the time runs out. That's the sun stepping into shadow."
The survivors followed his gaze. Hope flickered in their exhausted eyes.
But the alpha saw it too.
A roar shook the cavern, and the beast lunged from the dark, tendrils whipping.
"Move!" Ravi shouted. "Stay together don't break the rope!"
They ran.
Boots pounded on stone, breaths ragged, hearts thundering. The golden light beckoned ahead, faint but steady. Behind them, claws tore into stone, roars echoing, beasts snapping at their heels.
The rope jerked as one survivor stumbled. Ravi spun, yanking the man back to his feet just as jaws snapped shut where his leg had been. He shoved him forward, pipe lashing out to crack teeth from a lunging maw.
The light grew brighter.
[Time Remaining: 02:11]
Too close.
The alpha struck again, crashing down from above, its bulk smashing stone into shards. The rope whipped taut as the survivors scattered to avoid its claws.
Ravi roared, dragging the line back together. "Don't break! Don't you dare break!"
Arjun's arrow flew, embedding in the alpha's shoulder. The beast howled, thrashing, tendrils lashing wildly. One caught Ravi across the side, sending fire through his ribs. He gasped, blood filling his mouth, but kept his grip on the rope.
The golden light poured brighter now, illuminating a wide archway at the cavern's end. Beyond it—an opening, faint but real, leading upward.
Freedom.
"Go!" Ravi bellowed.
The survivors surged forward, dragging each other through the arch as the alpha roared behind them. Ravi stumbled last, pipe raised in defiance. The beast lunged—its golden eye blazing, jaws splitting wide.
But as the first rays of sunlight pierced the arch, the alpha froze.
Its roar turned to a shriek, body convulsing as light seared across its flesh. Smoke poured from its hide as it shriveled back into the shadows, too weak to follow.
The survivors collapsed on the stone beyond the archway. Sunlight streamed down through a jagged crack in the earth above, bathing them in warmth they had almost forgotten.
[Scenario Cleared.]Reward: +1,200 Coins.]Bonus Condition Completed: The Sun Steps Into Shadow.]Additional Reward: +500 Coins.]
The system text faded.
Ravi lay on his back, chest heaving, blood seeping through his torn shirt. He stared up at the sunlight, blinking against its brilliance.
For the first time in what felt like forever, he let himself breathe.
But only for a moment.
Because he knew the game wasn't done. The sun had stepped into shadow. And shadow was never far behind.