People were pushing and shoving in madness—most of them women and their children—and the screaming blended with the wailing until hearing itself grew heavy under the weight of the noise. Some fell to the ground, trampled by others desperate to flee in the opposite direction from where the hunters were coming.
Elena was still trying to make sense of what was happening when several women crashed into her, dragging her along with the human tide.
"Meryl!" she cried with a clenched heart, her eyes fixed on Meryl, now distant, struggling to save a child with an amputated arm amid the chaos.
"Meryl!!" she called again, over and over, but her voice dissolved like a snowflake thrown into a storm. It never reached, never echoed, simply vanished in the stormy air before touching the ground.
When she realized it was useless, that reaching her had become impossible, she forced herself to run like the others—to survive…
Yet, despite the running, despite the crowded paths ahead, she couldn't push Meryl from her mind. Had it not been for Meryl's bravery, she would now be a lifeless body abandoned in the open.
"I owe you my life!"—she had once said it, and meant it with all her heart…
And now, as she fled, a silent question echoed inside her:
Is this how debts are repaid?
Is this how Meryl's kindness is honored? By running? Escaping?
By surviving alone?
She said it to herself in silence, repeating it in her mind over and over as if punishing herself. Every whisper inside her head reminded her of her ingratitude, her betrayal, her treachery.
Meryl had saved her. Had given her a chance at life…
And how did she repay her? By running? By fleeing?
Her inner curses did not relent, not even as her legs stopped running—against her will—while the chaos of the crowd flowed around her in an unforgiving current.
She had only two choices: either keep running… or go back.
She struggled to catch her breath, her body trembling from the constant collisions. Then, she placed a hand over her heart and tapped it three times gently, as if whispering to it, Be still…
Then she turned—and went back.
Going back felt like walking against a raging current—no, worse. Every step felt torn from her body, and every person that crashed into her shoved her further from her goal.
But something inside her… was stronger than every push.
And after what felt like an endless struggle… she saw it.
A creature floating in midair, its skin a reddish brown, its head oval-shaped with blurred features, as if cloaked in a dense fog.
There was nothing clearly defined—
Except for its hollow, black eyes, glowing with a faint purple light.
At the top center of its head was a toothless mouth, surrounded by four large tendrils that twisted and swayed slowly in the air—like octopus arms, sensing the presence of those around it...
Two thin arms stretched outward, morphing into slender appendages that writhed like small serpents, searching for prey to coil around.
And the lower half of the creature's body—what Elena caught a terrifying glimpse of as she stood frozen—resembled the head: a wide mouth at its center, encircled by a massive number of long tendrils that shifted in hue from burning orange to deep, murky yellow.
They were attempting to consume the head of a dead man, whose body hung limply below like a torn puppet.
Elena wished she could cry. Scream. Let out a single sound—call for help.
But she couldn't.
The sight was too much for her.
An introverted girl who hated death—hated seeing it hiding in the eyes of others, staining their features, dimming their light.
This was beyond what her heart could bear.
And yet, she forced herself to stay composed.
There was no time to cry.
She had come back for Meryl, and she wouldn't let anything—not even death itself—stand in her way.
With anxious eyes, she searched through the chaos—through the swarm of fighters clashing with those grotesque beasts—
Searching for a slender, youthful figure, with wavy brown hair...
Until she saw her!
Meryl was standing near the tracks, but another creature had already wrapped one of its tendrils around her arm, trying to drag her upward—toward a dark fate, to have her head consumed like the others…
Elena hastily picked up a piece of iron from the dirty ground, then ran as fast as she could towards the frail Meryl, who was so visibly exhausted that she could no longer pull her hand out of the long tentacle wrapped around her.
She raised the weapon high, and with all her might, she brought it down on the monster's head!
The monster fell to the ground, and a viscous purple liquid exploded from beneath it. Elena felt the ground groan under the blisters, which began to swell like poisonous bubbles, which soon burst, spreading a stench in the air, similar to the rotting of corpses that had been left for days in the sun.
She tightened her grip on the weapon, and when she saw the monster trying to get up, she hit its head repeatedly and mercilessly, in the midst of her attack, she forgot for a moment that Meryl was lying on the ground, with half-closed eyes and pale lips that did not move from fatigue... as the deadly liquid slowly crept towards her, until it touched her shoulder.
With terrifying calm, the liquid continued along her arm, acidic and slowly dissolving the flesh until it reached the bone and began to gnaw away at it.
Meryl, with the arm that had just been in the monster's grasp, felt every cell in her body being torn apart, burning from within, but her tired body was still, unable to scream... unable to survive...
All Meryl could move were her irises, which she aimed with difficulty at Elena... trapped by a growing number of monsters.
Every time she hit one, another came out from behind her... left and right, as if she was surrounded by a never-ending nightmare.
Meryl's eyelids relaxed against her will, and before consciousness could fully close, she saw two monsters grabbing Elena's arms with their tentacles, the third rising into the air, its lower mouth widening like a dark abyss ready to swallow her head, purple acid dripping from its tentacles onto her arms.
And then... darkness.
Elena was desperately trying to pull her arms out of the tentacles, panic seeping into her mind as fear filled her heart.
She had come to save Meryl... But now she was another prey, struggling to survive with her in the same swamp of death.
Violet acid dripped down from above her, from the tips of the tentacles wrapped around her arms, slowly burning her skin... igniting the pain in her body as well as the terror in her chest.
Cries of despair and pain escaped her trembling lips, and with each passing hunter, she screamed: "Help us! Please!"
But they were too engrossed in their fight, or simply... ignored her.
"Shit!" she screamed at one of the creatures, tears of fury welling in her eyes… The feeling of despair had begun to gnaw at her soul…
She had gone out to find food, and now… she had become food herself. Food for repulsive monsters, whose mouths were where their reproductive organs should have been.
Suddenly, she felt the grip of the tentacles loosen around her hands, just as the creatures around her began to emit sharp, fragmented shrieks—sounds like long nails scraping against rough glass—tearing through the silence like a blade ripping a delicate curtain.
Elena clutched her ears in a desperate attempt to block out the sound, but… it was no use. The screams pierced the wall she tried to build, and in an instant, she felt as if her eardrum had burst.
With great effort, she lifted her head, catching sight of one of the creatures beside her… and just a few steps away stood someone. A mysterious figure, his features unclear, holding a sword—or perhaps a piece of iron? She couldn't tell. The pain was too much for her to focus.
And just as Meryl had fallen before her, Elena too couldn't bear the sound, and collapsed unconscious.
The stranger stood in solemn silence, staring at the torn creature at his feet, his sword—its black blade glowing with a violet hue—coated in sticky acid.
He wore a long black cloak with wide sleeves that concealed his body, and a hood that covered his dark hair. As for his face… a white mask hid it completely, marked by a single black gash that ran from the upper left of his forehead to the lower right of his jaw, held together by a fine thread, as though it were stitching the wound itself shut.
He shifted his gaze between Elena and Meryl for a few moments through the narrow slit in his mask, quickly assessing their conditions, his hand still gripping the hilt of his sword, which was adorned with tiny pearl-like beads embedded in its dark steel.
Around them, the other hunters were holding their own against the monsters reasonably well, though it was clear they had yet to discover the creatures' true weakness.
He raised his hand to the side panel of his system, navigating swiftly through the options until he reached the "Store," and from there, the "Elixirs" section.
Multiple tabs appeared before him: "Strength," "Speed," "Intelligence"… until he reached "Healing," which he opened without hesitation.
He selected several colored vials and knelt beside the two girls. He poured part of the contents onto their wounds, while trying to empty the rest into their mouths.
Though some of it spilled due to their unconsciousness, the amount they managed to swallow was enough.
He tossed the bottles aside, then hoisted Elena onto his shoulder, her upper body hanging limply behind him, while his other arm wrapped around Meryl's waist, lifting her beside him like a doll drained of all energy.
He moved swiftly toward the staircase leading outside, without sparing a single glance at the chaos unfolding all around him.
He didn't stop, not even when a hunter collapsed right in front of him—prey to a vile creature wrapping its tentacles tightly around the man's body. The monster slowly lifted its victim's head, revealing its gaping lower mouth, primed to devour the head and extract the mind, just as it had done with others, leaving behind hollow skulls.
On the transparent digital screen hovering before his eyes, general information about the creature flickered into view:
{ Enemy Data:
Name: Ozu'mith
Classification: Interdimensional Entity
Threat Level: E
Strengths: Corrosive Acid
Weaknesses: Undisclosed }
To obtain a full analysis of this enemy (including possible weaknesses), you may purchase the 'Ozu'mith Complete File' for 40 credits.
[◄ Purchase Now]
With both hands occupied carrying the two girls, he chose instead to focus on the ascending staircase ahead, ignoring the meager data flashing before him.
It was obvious—just like in the past few days—that this system deliberately provided vague information about enemies, pushing hunters to purchase full reports.
But he wasn't one of those fools. He had a talkative planet that told him everything he needed to know, and saw no point in wasting his credits on details he could obtain for free.
On the surface, the atmosphere was far calmer compared to the hellish tunnels below—though not entirely free from the distant noise of the streets.
He passed by crumbling shops, some with broken doors, others that had vomited out their contents, now lying hollow like abandoned shells.
His eyes scanned for a safe spot, until he found a lone shop tucked into a corner, its door still intact despite the surrounding chaos.
He stepped inside with steady strides, closing the door behind him with his foot.
Dresses lay scattered across the floor like a puzzle that had lost half its pieces. The cashier's desk was coated in a thick layer of dust, and papers were strewn across it—some stained brown by long-spilled coffee from an overturned mug.
He pushed aside a pile of clothes with his foot until they gathered into a makeshift cushion, then gently laid the two girls atop it. Sitting beside Elena, he softly ran his fingers along her cheek, brushing away some of her tangled hair.
He studied her bloodstained features and torn clothes… It seemed the recent events had taken more of a toll on her than he had expected.
Her condition was stable now. So was the other girl's. Both of them had sunk into a deep sleep.
The young man leaned back against the nearest wall, letting himself relax, eyes closing slowly—his hand still gripping the sword, now resting quietly in his lap.
His mind began to rapidly review the events, from the moment the meteors fell in Serenthia, to his arrival at the train tunnels in Noxara.
"Teng," a voice came from the blue screen, and he slowly opened his eyes, moving lazily as he read the message from his master:
[Are you still asleep? Open your eyes and talk to me!]
He sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose and said boredly: "And you, don't you get tired of talking?"
- [Is this your way of talking to your master, impudent one? Looks like I'll stop sending you coins until you behave!]
Even though it was just a message, he felt the coldness of it as if it was being said in a real voice.
Cutting off the coins? That's a real threat, without them he can't do anything!
He said quickly, trying to lighten the mood: "What I mean is... "Instead of talking, why don't you show me some of your greatness? I'm sure you're a super planet!"
He was trying so hard to please the planet, everything but the coins!
- [You're right, I am great... not only with my abilities, but even with the number of coins I have.]
This time, the planet's tone was sarcastic. Looks like donations are going to turn into a means of humiliation!
- [By the way, which one did you hurt my head for?]
- "The one with the black hair." He said it briefly, then leaned back against the wall. The topic had changed, and that meant the coins were still safe.
- [The second girl is prettier, I'll take her for myself.]
- "She won't approve of you; you talk too much, and women don't like that."
Suddenly, the planet stopped sending messages. The young man opened his eyes in surprise, looking at the name of the conversation at the top: "Cherry Pie".
Why is he silent? This is strange for him. Did he hurt him with his words?
While he was thinking, a new message arrived: [I may be a big talker, but at least I'm not as broke as you, Mr. Alvin!]
It hit him where it hurts.
Alvin is already broke, and if it weren't for the support of Planet Cherry Pie, he would have been dead in the water from the start.
"Point in your favor, Mr. Cherry Pie." He said quietly, and a sarcastic expression appeared in the conversation: A raised eyebrow, with a message: [smart kid.]
"You seem to be in a good mood today! On this happy occasion... Why don't you donate some coins to me?" Alvin said with a slight smile, but Cherry Pie saw it as greedy for too.
- [Don't you get tired of spending my poor coins? I paid thousands of coins for you in just a few days. If I keep this up, I'll end up penniless and sitting next to you!]
- "Don't be stingy, pretty pie!" Alvin said, trying to win him over with compliments. "I saw something I liked in the black market section... I want to buy it!"
– [It was a cursed day when I decided to open this section in your shop!]
– [If I could go back in time, I would've never opened the black market with you!]
– [No, if I could go back in time, I wouldn't have chosen you to be my embodiment!]
– [My life is a blank page, unstained… except for a black dot in the corner—and that dot is you!]
– [What is it that you liked in that wretched market? I'll buy it for you with my miserable money!]
– "It's something that will a
maze you," Alvin said, ignoring the planet's frustration over how much he was spending. What he saw in the black market was truly astonishing—and he simply couldn't leave it there for another hunter to snatch!