The red dot on the mini-map was moving toward me—slowly, but with a steady, relentless pace.
In the darkness, I still couldn't see anything. Just the soft sound of footsteps brushing against stone…This time, it wasn't something crawling. It was walking.
My heart pounded in my chest. I pressed my back against the cavern wall and tried to keep my breathing as quiet as possible.
Then I saw it.
At first, it was just a faint silhouette shifting between the shadows. Then, step by step, it emerged into view.
Long black hair fell over her shoulders, flowing down her back. Even in the dim light, her pale skin seemed to stand out, outlining a slim waist and curves barely hidden beneath a torn, dark dress. The fabric was dusty and worn, but despite that, there was a strange, unmistakable allure to her.
I couldn't quite make out her face, but I could see the slight curve of her lips.
A faint smile.
"Is that… a girl?" I whispered to myself.
At that exact moment, the System panel flickered.
[WARNING]Visual data inconsistency detected.[Suggestion:] Keep your distance.
My eyes and my brain immediately went to war.
In front of me stood a lone girl in the ruins, dirty and a little ragged, but undeniably attractive…And the System was telling me to stay away.
She began walking toward me, slowly. Her steps were incredibly light; her feet barely made a sound. Her cracked lips parted slightly, as if she were about to say something.
The System practically screamed across my vision:
[EMERGENCY WARNING – RED]Illusion detected.Severe discrepancy between actual form and perceived image.Do not make eye contact. Do not approach. Do not touch.
"An illusion?" I muttered, frowning.
But my eyes stubbornly refused to listen. They wanted to believe what they were seeing.
The girl came closer. Now I could see her more clearly. Her posture was relaxed, her smile warm and inviting. She tilted her head slightly, long hair sliding over one shoulder—like she was silently saying, "It's okay. Don't be afraid."
My throat went dry.
Maybe she's the only other human here… Maybe she's lost, like me…
My foot slid forward almost on its own.
The System went into full-on spam mode:
[WARNING] Nearby threat detected.][WARNING] Nearby threat detected.][WARNING] External interference on visual channel.][WARNING] Cognitive distortion symptoms detected in host.][WARNING] Probability of psychological manipulation: HIGH.]
Each line of text briefly distorted my vision. The girl's figure wavered, flickering like a glitching TV screen.
She stopped just a few steps away from me and slowly reached out her hand.
"I…" I whispered. My own hand was lifting toward her, like it was no longer mine.
The System panel suddenly expanded and blocked most of my view.
[FORCED REALITY CORRECTION MODE: ACTIVE][Synchronization usage: +0.5%]Unmasking hidden data…
My vision went dark for a split second.
And when it cleared, my blood ran cold.
The thing standing in front of me was no longer the seductive girl I'd seen a moment ago.
The long black hair was still there—but everything else was a nightmare.
Her entire body was pitch black, like charred flesh. Beneath that blackened skin, swollen violet veins bulged and pulsed faintly, like something sick and alive was crawling underneath. She had two arms, but they were not slender anymore; they were tight with sinewy muscle. From the elbows down, they twisted into elongated hands with crooked fingers, each ending in nails like rusty metal spikes.
Where her eyes should have been, filthy bandages were wrapped tightly around her head.Every now and then, a faint purple glow leaked through the gaps in the cloth… and vanished.
Her mouth was slightly too wide. Instead of lips, there was a torn, ragged line that looked more like a healed wound than a mouth. Inside, her "teeth"… if you could call them that… were thin and crooked like nails, lined up like the jagged edge of a saw, forming a mouth that looked more like a metal trap than anything human.
The "dress" I'd seen before was just torn, filthy strips of black cloth hanging around her body. In some places, the skin beneath was cracked, and through those cracks, a dark, bruised flesh-like texture pulsed with that same sick violet tone.
A rough, ugly sound crawled out of my throat.
"What… the hell…" I whispered.
The creature tilted its head to the side. Even with its eyes bandaged, I could feel its gaze locking directly onto me. Though it had no visible nose, it inhaled as if scenting the air. Then the torn edge of its mouth twitched upward in a grotesque mimicry of a smile.
The System panel flashed in yellow:
[EMERGENCY QUEST CREATED]Quest (Emergency / Yellow): Escape the HuntDescription:A high-threat entity with illusion capabilities has targeted you. With your current stats, direct confrontation is equivalent to suicide.Objective: Exit the creature's line of sight and effective range.Reward:– +2% System Synchronization– Passive Skill: Pain Resistance (Low Grade)Failure:– Host body will be torn apart.– System will search for a new host.
"No temporary power-up!?" I almost shouted.
[Temporary power-up unavailable.]Synchronization rate insufficient.Use the environment to survive.
"Perfect…" I muttered. "So that means: Run."
As if it had been waiting for that moment, the creature suddenly moved.
There was still no sound of footsteps—just the faint whisper of air being cut apart by something fast and heavy. In mere seconds, it closed half the distance between us.
I turned and ran.
The stones beneath my feet shifted and rolled. My lungs burned. Having Endurance: 2 was making itself known in the most painful way possible. My chest felt like it was on fire; my ears rang with every heartbeat.
Behind me, I could hear its pace quicken.It felt like a cold breath was pressing against the back of my neck.
On the mini-map, the white dot—me—shot forward erratically, while the red dot followed without the slightest sign of strain.
"System!" I wheezed. "Should it really be this fast!?"
[Response:]Host is slower than an average adult human.Creature is approximately as fast as an average adult human.The issue is not the creature's speed. It is yours.
"Thanks for the motivational speech…" I hissed.
I dashed through a narrow tunnel, turned right, then left. For a brief moment, I felt like I was gaining ground in the darkness—until the tunnel abruptly ended.
A solid stone wall stood in front of me.
"You've got to be kidding me…" I breathed.
The footsteps behind me slowed. It was as if the creature could sense my hopelessness. Each step was deliberate, measured… enjoying the moment.
I pressed my back against the wall and scanned my surroundings. There was nowhere to run.
At that moment, something cold dripped onto my forehead.
Instinctively, I looked up.
Right above me, slightly ahead of my position, a long, thin stone formation jutted down from the ceiling. Water was slowly dripping from its tip.
It looked like a stone spear. Natural, heavy, and sharp.
My eyes widened.
If it hits hard enough…
The creature appeared at the mouth of the tunnel. Its long hair hung messily over the bandaged face turned toward me. Its arms dangled at its sides, but the nail-like claws at the ends scraped against the stone floor, making a grating, metallic sound.
It took one step. Then another.
I stood there, pressed against the wall, pretending to be frozen in panic. The fear was real—but this time, it was part of the plan.
"Come on…" I whispered to myself.
When it got close enough to attack, the creature suddenly lunged. Its arms spread wide, as if it intended to slam my entire body into the wall and pin me there.
At the last moment, I threw myself to the right.
Its arms slammed into the wall with incredible force. The tunnel shook, dust and small rocks raining down on us. The stone spear above us cracked, but didn't fall.
"Not enough…" I gritted my teeth.
The creature slowly peeled its arms off the wall and turned its head toward me again. A harsh growl vibrated from its throat. Those swollen violet veins seemed to bulge even more.
This time, I could feel it—its next attack would be faster, more violent.
I stepped back under the stone spear again.
I was panting, shaking, and I didn't even need to fake it. But now, the fear worked in my favor—it made me look even more helpless.
Without any hesitation, the creature lunged again. This time, there was nothing cautious about it—just pure, overwhelming force.
At the last possible second, I dove left, almost throwing myself to the ground.
The creature crashed into the wall with its full weight.
The tunnel shook far more violently than before. A sharp cracking sound split the air from above.
The stone spear broke free.
For a heartbeat, time seemed to slow. The spear fell, spinning, gravity pulling it straight down.
It hit the creature squarely in the head.
The sharp tip punched through the bandaged skull.
There was a wet crunch, followed by a horrible, gurgling noise.
The creature's body convulsed. Its violet veins flared with a sudden, eerie glow—like all the corruption inside it was burning at once.
Then, from its blood-choked throat, a single, broken word escaped:
"...Morgael…"
The name echoed faintly off the stone walls… and then faded.
I had no idea what it meant, but it left a heavy, cursed feeling in my chest.
Pinned between the wall and the fallen stone spear, the creature twitched a few more times… then went still.
The System panel flashed yellow:
[Emergency Quest Completed]Quest: Escape the HuntStatus: SuccessRewards:– +2% System Synchronization– Passive Skill: Pain Resistance (Low Grade)Note: Host has demonstrated basic instinct for using the environment.
My knees gave out, and I dropped to the ground. I was gasping for air, my hands trembling uncontrollably. Nausea crawled up my throat.
Just now… I had actually killed… that.
As I sat there shaking, something caught my eye.
The creature's right hand.
Its fingers were still curled tightly around something. A faint metallic glint reflected the dim light. Slowly, carefully, I approached and looked more closely.
It was holding an old pocket watch.
One of those round, metal, chain-attached watches you'd see in old movies.
It looked like it had only just appeared there; I was sure I hadn't seen it earlier. Maybe the illusion had masked it, too.
Its twisted fingers were clenched so tightly around it that I had to pry them open one by one, jaw clenched as I forced them apart. Finally, I freed the watch and took it.
It was cold. Heavy.
The metal surface was worn and faded, decorated with old, eroded patterns. I slowly flipped the lid open.
Inside, a classic clock face stared back at me—thin black hands, faded numbers.
The time was set to 06:07.
There was no ticking sound. The hands didn't move.
I shook it gently a few times. No ticking. No motion. Nothing at all.
The System panel appeared again, this time with a strange kind of vibration:
[Unknown Object Detected]Analysis: FAILED.No matching records found in current System archives.[Suggestion:] Exercise caution. This object may be connected to the "unknown" layer of this area.
"You mean… there are things you don't know?" I asked, still breathing hard.
The reply was immediate:
[Additional Warning:]Current location contains an abnormal amount of unknown data, even for the System.Historical records of this cavern: Corrupted / Incomplete / Redacted.This area is classified as dangerous even from the System's perspective.Primary Suggestion: Leave this place immediately.
A shiver ran down my spine.
"So…" I said quietly, "even you're scared of this place, huh?"
The panel fell silent, but a small warning icon kept blinking quietly in the corner.
[Main Quest Still Active:]Escape the Ruins Alive.
I looked at the pocket watch one more time.
06:07.Frozen in time, as if that moment was stuck forever.
I closed the lid and slipped the watch into my pocket.
My legs were still shaking, but I forced myself to stand.
"Alright…" I muttered, staring into the darkness of the maze-like tunnels ahead. "I'll figure out the story behind this place later. For now… let's focus on getting out of here alive."
The System didn't respond. It didn't need to.
The white dot on the mini-map sat there, waiting to move again.
And with slow, unsteady steps, I started walking deeper into the ruins—away from the corpse of "Morgael," and toward whatever awaited me beyond this cursed cavern.
One thing was certain:
This place had a history.
And someday, I would have to learn it.Just… not today.