Chapter 2: Blood on His Hands
Leon didn't move for a long time.
The glowing path pulsed faintly in front of him, like a heartbeat that wasn't his own. The dungeon was quiet — not peaceful, but empty, like the silence after someone screams and no one answers.
He stared at his hands.
They were shaking.
Not violently.
Not enough to drop the pipe.
But enough that he noticed.
Blood stained his knuckles. Not all of it was the Ghoul's. A thin cut along his finger still oozed slowly. The red looked too bright under the cold blue crystal light.
"I really did it…" Leon whispered.
The words felt unreal.
He had seen violence before. In the lower districts, it was everywhere — broken noses, knife wounds, bodies carried away before anyone asked questions.
But this was different.
This wasn't a fight.
This was a kill.
Even if the thing wasn't human.
Even if it tried to kill him first.
The weight of that settled in his chest, heavy and uncomfortable.
For a moment, a memory surfaced.
Not a clear image — just a voice.
His mother's.
Leon, no matter how hard life gets… don't let it turn you into something you hate.
She had died when he was ten.
Factory accident.
Same excuse. Same silence afterward.
Back then, he thought those words were naive.
Now they felt cruel.
Because what if surviving meant becoming something he hated?
The System window floated quietly in his vision.
It didn't care.
It never would.
Leon exhaled slowly and forced his hands to steady.
If I break down, I die.
If I hesitate, I die.
Emotion didn't matter here.
Only movement did.
He tightened his grip on the metal pipe and stepped forward.
The tunnel narrowed.
The glowing path guided him through cracks in the stone, forcing him to squeeze sideways. The walls felt too close. The air felt thick, like it was pressing against his lungs.
Every sound felt loud.
His breathing.
His footsteps.
The faint scrape of metal.
He flinched at shadows.
Every time.
The image of the Ghoul's face wouldn't leave his mind.
The glowing eyes.
The broken jaw.
The wet sound when it died.
Leon clenched his teeth.
Stop.
If you freeze, you die.
If you think too much, you die.
Fear wasn't the enemy.
Indecision was.
Then he heard it.
Crying.
Not a growl.
Not a monster's hiss.
A human sob.
Leon froze.
His heart slammed against his ribs.
"Hello?" he called softly.
The crying stopped.
A weak voice answered.
"H-Help… please…"
A girl's voice.
Young.
Terrified.
Human.
Every instinct screamed danger.
Dungeons didn't give gifts.
But he still moved.
Because no matter how broken things were…
He was still human.
He followed the sound.
The tunnel opened into a small chamber.
A girl sat against the wall.
She looked about his age. Maybe younger.
Her clothes were torn. Dirt streaked her face. Her eyes were red from crying. Her ankle was twisted at a painful angle, swollen and dark.
Blood soaked through her sock.
She looked up at him like he was a miracle.
"You're… you're alive," she whispered.
Leon lowered the pipe slightly.
"Are you hurt?" he asked.
Stupid question.
She nodded, biting her lip.
"I fell… something chased me… I ran… I think it's broken…"
Leon knelt, careful not to get too close.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"Mira."
"Leon."
For a brief second, something normal existed.
Two scared kids.
That almost hurt more than the monsters.
Leon examined her ankle.
Bad.
Really bad.
He wasn't a doctor.
He had no medicine.
The dungeon had no mercy.
If I stay, we both die.
If I help, I might die faster.
If I leave…
She definitely dies.
His chest tightened.
He hated this.
Not the dungeon.
Not the System.
This.
The choice.
Leon slowly reached out.
"I can try to help you walk," he said. "But we have to be quiet."
Mira nodded quickly, tears gathering again.
"Thank you… thank you…"
As he helped her up, a new window appeared.
Dark.
Cold.
[ MORAL EVENT DETECTED ]
CHOICE IN PROGRESS
ASSIST INJURED HOST
→ Increased Death Risk
→ Potential Virtue Gain
ABANDON INJURED HOST
→ Lower Immediate Risk
→ Potential Sin Accumulation
Leon stared at it.
"So you judge this too," he muttered.
The System gave no reply.
Mira leaned on him, shaking.
"I'm sorry… I'm heavy…"
"You're not," Leon said automatically.
They took three steps.
Then—
A wet dragging sound.
Low breathing.
Not one.
Two.
Leon turned.
Two Ghouls stood at the tunnel entrance.
Bigger than the first.
Thicker bodies.
Longer claws.
Their red eyes burned brighter.
Mira whimpered and gripped his arm.
Leon's stomach sank.
This wasn't winnable.
Not clean.
Not safe.
The System updated.
[ MULTIPLE HOSTILE TARGETS DETECTED ]
DEATH PROBABILITY (CURRENT STATE): 96.1%
Leon's mind raced.
He could run.
Drop her.
Maybe survive.
Maybe.
Mira's fingers tightened.
"Please… don't leave me…"
Her grip was weak.
He could break free easily.
His body wanted to.
Survival screamed at him.
His mother's voice echoed.
Don't become something you hate.
Leon's jaw clenched.
"I won't," he said.
He didn't know if he meant he wouldn't leave.
Or he wouldn't survive.
Maybe both.
He moved Mira behind him.
Raised the metal pipe.
His arms felt heavy.
His fear felt heavier.
The Ghouls advanced.
Slow.
Confident.
They knew.
They always knew.
Leon's hands shook again.
Not
from cold.
From choice.
From consequence.
From being human in a place that punished humanity.
The dungeon didn't care.
The System didn't care.
But Leon did.
And that might kill him.