Enna was the first to sense it.
Her enhanced awareness had sharpened beyond normal comprehension. Every shift in the air, every ripple in the shadows, every pulse of something unnatural crawling toward them—it echoed in her very bones.
Her sword began to glow—no, pierce the darkness—its sun symbol flaring like a beacon. The light stretched far, illuminating every gnarled tree, every inch of dying fog.
And her face turned pale.
The aura alone made her blood run cold.
"Stay on guard!" she shouted, her voice cutting through the stillness like a blade.
Tristan jolted awake, his heart slamming against his chest. For a moment, he couldn't breathe. His head throbbed violently, his vision doubled. Fear—raw, primal—gripped his chest like a vice. He reached for the two silk bombs he'd enhanced earlier, clutching them tightly as though they were lifelines.
The air twisted unnaturally. The light in the camp, while strong around their swords, began to shrink—the very darkness around them grew heavier, more suffocating. Even the enhanced firelight strained to pierce the encroaching gloom.
From the tree line, it appeared.
Conjured from the dark like a nightmare made flesh. A humanoid figure—if it could even be called that—stood tall, with an inky black body, six long arms like writhing tentacles, and a twisted jaw lined with sharp, jagged teeth.
It had no eyes. No voice. Just a presence that seemed to devour sound itself.
As the creature stepped into the light, both siblings froze.
Emma's sword trembled in her grip. Her instincts screamed at her to run, to fight, to do anything—but her legs refused to move. She'd faced monsters already. But this one This wasn't just stronger.
It was something else entirely.
It radiated the feeling of Death.
Tristan collapsed to one knee, nose bleeding, blood trickling from his eyes. The sheer weight of its presence overwhelmed him. He clenched his teeth, refusing to fall unconscious, forcing himself to stay alert.
The creature's tentacles slid forward, slowly, mockingly, as if savoring their helplessness.
It bent forward.
And though it had no eyes… it stared directly at Tristan. As if peering into his very soul.
Silence.
Total, complete silence.
The creature then turned its attention to Emma. One of its arms reached forward, a tentacle wrapping slowly around her face.
Slimy, cold liquid began to drip down her cheeks. Her body refused to respond. She couldn't even breathe. For over ten minutes, they didn't move—couldn't move.
Then, slowly… almost curiously, the creature turned and began walking out of the camp's light. It didn't run. It didn't strike.
It just left.
But Tristan wasn't done.
Even while on the verge of unconsciousness, his mind worked fast.
He still held the enhanced silk bombs—he had calculated their power, theorized their explosive radius, and studied the terrain. He couldn't see the creature now—but he knew where it had gone.
Clenching his teeth, using the last ounce of his will, he threw all three silk bombs in a spread arc beyond the camp's radius.
A moment later—
BOOM.
A massive explosion tore through the night.
The entire forest lit up as if dawn had arrived. Trees were uprooted, their trunks shattered and flung aside like twigs. Shockwaves rippled through the earth, dust and ash flying into the air.
Emma stared in stunned silence, watching the blast unfold, her heart pounding in her ears.
Then—Tristan collapsed.
His ears bled. His eyes were closed. Blood trickled from the corners of his mouth.
"TRISTAN!"
Emma dove forward and caught him before he hit the ground. Her arms trembled as she held him close, cradling his head against her shoulder.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" she whispered over and over, her voice cracking. "I couldn't protect you… I couldn't…"
Tears welled in her eyes. For the first time since they arrived, she was truly shaken.
She could endure hunger. She could handle pain.
But seeing her brother bleed like this—it shattered her.
Then—
[System Notification]
[Your Subordinate has slain a Tier-6 entity: "Tentacle Shadow."]
[You are the first human to slay a Tier-6 creature.]
[Reward: 500 Points]
[Announcement: Global Notification Initiated.]
[The first Tier-6 entity has been defeated by a human. This message has been sent to all surviving playPoint
All across the Nightmare World, survivors stared in disbelief.
Some had just earned a handful of points and were struggling to kill Tier 1.
"What?! How?!"
"500 POINTS?!" a man screamed, staring at his own paltry 45-point
Those who had boasted of their success now felt it crumble into insignificance.
Meanwhile…
Emma ignored it all.
She didn't care.
She spent 100 of those 500 points instantly.
[Purchased: Basic Healing Potion – 100 Points]
"Please…" she whispered, pressing the potion to Tristan's lips. "Please, drink…"
The vial glowed faintly. The moment it entered his system, his wounds began to close. The blood vanished. The bruises healed. His body twitched as life returned to him.
Time Passed Slowly Every moment was a Pain in Emma heart.
Before she knew it 2 Hours passed The Fog started showing up.
Tristan blinked.
"Wh…what happened?"
Emma gasped, immediately hugging him close, arms wrapping tightly around his shoulders. He felt her body tremble against him.
"I'm sorry… I couldn't protect you…" she whispered, burying her face in his shoulder.
Tristan blinked in surprise, then sighed, a soft smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"I'm fine," he said gently. "You did great."
Emma pulled back, her fingers wiping away the tears that had almost fallen. She gave a faint smile, then handed him some food.
Plenty of it.
They finally ate—together, in peace. Though the nightmare lingered around them, the fire was warm, and for a moment, they felt safe.
Emma, of course, devoured most of the food. Her body had changed—evolved—and it required more sustenance now.
The week's worth of supplies
Gone in one sitting.
"Hmmm~ That was good, wasn't it?" she said, her voice regaining its usual cheer.
Tristan chewed quietly. "It's good… but the meat's cold."
Emma didn't bother to argue. She just chuckled softly.
But then—something gnawed at Tristan.
He stood up, walking toward the direction where the explosion had torn through the forest.
What he found made his eyes widen.
A crater—massive—with scorched ground and shattered trees. In the middle of it lay something.
A black tentacle.
About the size of an arm. Twisted, broken, and twitching slightly.
"Emma!" he called.
She was already behind him, peering over his shoulder. "So this is what was left?"
Before Tristan could grab it, Emma leapt down, light on her feet, and picked it up.
Immediately, a system notification appeared.
[Item Acquired: Shadow Tentacle Imitation (F+)]
Type: Summonable
Description: A fragment left behind by a Tier-6 "Tentacle Shadow" that ruled a portion of the Dark Forest.
Abilities: Can be summoned to fight. Limited strength. Degrades over time.