Kazuki pushed through tangling vines and towering roots, carrying the unconscious elf in his arms. Every step sent a harsh throb through his injured muscles, torn from battle. The scent of blood from both himself and Lyria clung heavily to the air, attracting scavengers he could hear lurking beyond the trees.
He had to find shelter. Now.
The sky had shifted from dawn's crimson to a dark, storm-shrouded gray. Thunder rumbled in the distance as if the heavens were warning him. Kazuki tightened his grip around Lyria, cradling her closer as he scanned the forest.
After what felt like hours, he spotted something through the fog — ancient stone pillars jutting from the earth like broken teeth. Vines choked their surface, and remnants of collapsed walls circled a clearing. Moss-covered carvings of runes spiraled along cracked arches.
Ruins.
A refuge, or a tomb. Either way, better than staying exposed.
Kazuki entered cautiously, stepping over chunks of rubble and shattered pottery. The place seemed abandoned, but it felt… powerful. Like it held echoes of magic long forgotten.
He laid Lyria gently against a flat stone altar that had been cracked in half. Her hair spilled across the surface like silver water. Kazuki brushed it aside, revealing her face, pale and weakened. She looked even smaller up close, yet somehow dignified — a warrior forced to rest.
"Hang on… please," Kazuki murmured as he inspected her thigh wound again.
The bleeding had slowed from his bandages, but it wasn't enough. Without proper treatment, she would get infected or worse. The system offered no healing abilities yet.
He wiped the sweat and grime from her forehead with trembling hands. A faint, warm pulse of wind swept across the ruins, stirring her hair. For a moment, it almost looked as if the ruins responded to her presence.
"Are these… elf ruins?" he whispered to himself.
He stood to explore, but before he could take more than two steps—
Ssssshhhhk.
A chilling sound cut through the air. Like something sliding over stone. Kazuki froze, eyes darting across the ruin's shadows.
Then he saw it.
A giant centipede-like creature crawled from behind a collapsed pillar, its body armored with obsidian plates. Dozens of glowing purple eyes stared at him with ravenous intent. Two serrated mandibles clicked hungrily, dripping venom onto the dirt — where grass instantly withered.
[VENOM SERPENTOID — Level 12]
Kazuki's heart plummeted.
Level twelve…?He was level nine.
He backed toward Lyria instinctively, gripping his makeshift fang-blade. The creature's countless legs clicked as it slithered closer, sensing weakness and blood.
Kazuki whispered through clenched teeth, "I can't run… not with her. I have to fight."
The beast launched itself at him with a screech.
Kazuki rolled, narrowly avoiding mandibles that shattered the stone where he had stood. He slashed at its side — the blade scraped harmlessly off thick armor. The creature whirled, attempting to bite into his leg. Kazuki just barely twisted away.
His breath shortened. Every dodge strained his wounded muscles.
He had no armor. No proper weapon. No skills.
But he had one advantage: speed.
He needed to exploit it.
Kazuki dropped to the ground and slid beneath the monster's swiping jaws. He stabbed repeatedly at the joints between its plated segments — softer, fleshier. The blade dug in on the fourth strike, slicing gooey green blood that splattered across his arms.
The monster shrieked, twisting violently. Kazuki was thrown into a pillar, pain exploding across his back.
"GAAH!"
The centipede lunged again, faster now, enraged. Kazuki scrambled behind a slab of stone just as mandibles snapped inches from his face.
Think, Kazuki! You won't win hacking blindly. You need a weak point—
Another system prompt flashed:
[HINT: Venom sac located beneath the head armor][Breaking it will paralyze target]
Kazuki's eyes snapped to the creature's throat — faintly bulging beneath the plates.
"That's it…"
The monster charged, tearing through stone and debris. Kazuki leaped onto a shattered column, then vaulted off, using momentum to thrust downward. He aimed for the soft gap below its jaws—
"DIE!"
The fang-blade stabbed deep into the sac.
Green venom exploded outward like acid rain. Kazuki jumped back, barely avoiding the splash as the centipede convulsed violently. Its legs spasmed, body thrashing uncontrollably as paralysis set in.
Kazuki seized the moment, grabbed a fallen chunk of rubble, and smashed the creature's head repeatedly. He didn't stop — not until its glow faded and its mandibles went still.
◆ YOU HAVE KILLED VENOM SERPENTOID ◆[EXP GAINED][LEVEL UP!]
Kazuki collapsed to his knees again, gasping, sweat mixing with grime and venom splatter. His vision pulsed from the rush of battle and pain.
◈ STATUS ◈
Level: 10
HP: 210/210
Strength: 25
Agility: 30
Endurance: 22
He spit onto the ground, panting.
"Still… not enough. I have to get so much stronger."
Kazuki stood shakily and turned to Lyria — and froze.
A gentle glow enveloped her, white and soothing. The runes etched across the altar she lay on shimmered faintly, responding to the light. Her wound had stopped bleeding entirely. The ruin itself was healing her.
Kazuki approached slowly, eyes wide.
The ruins… are reacting to her?
Lyria's expression eased into peaceful sleep, but she didn't awaken. The magic only sustained her — not enough to fully heal her, not yet.
Kazuki placed a hand near her hair, whispering softly:
"You're safe. I'll protect you until you wake up."
Outside the ruins, thunder cracked like roaring beasts. Dark clouds swirled above, and howls echoed in distant trees.
Something in the forest had been drawn by the fight. Kazuki stared into the stormy sky.
Tomorrow would be worse.
But he wasn't alone anymore.
Not truly.
End of Chapter 4