My eyes couldn't take it anymore. They burned red, bleeding like a river. My nose rained blood, and my brain felt like it was tearing itself apart from the overuse of mana sight. My breathing was ragged, but I still kept moving until I reached the ascension stairs. I collapsed, my body trembling violently, caught in a seizure. It took me around five minutes just to calm myself.
I was mentally caught between my own thoughts.
I didn't fear death—yet I wanted to survive.
I couldn't understand myself, as always.
I stood up to lift Rodeao again, but I noticed his heartbeat slowing down, his mana diminishing. He was in immediate need of medical attention. I had to hurry, or else he wouldn't make it. All my hard work would go in vain.
I climbed to the next floor.
One quick glance with mana sight—nothing unusual. It seemed like a completely empty floor. That should mean a teleportation pod was nearby. Still, to be cautious, I extended my mana sight again.
A hot river of blood flowed across the floor, its mist painting the air in red and white. I stepped into the haze, searching for the pod.
'Whoosh.'
Something rushed past my side.
Instinctively, I drew my sword and slashed through the mist with precision—nothing. My heart was pounding, my chest tightening. I was getting paranoid. Mana sight hadn't detected a thing.
I needed to find that pod—fast.
Then I sensed it.
A strange, heavy presence behind me.
I turned. A huge rat-like monster loomed over me, its yellow, unblinking eyes staring straight into mine. For a moment, the world went silent. I used Leap, teleporting deeper into the mist, trying to hide. My mana sight picked up nothing.
"Was it... a hallucination?" I whispered to myself.
Was my mana sight deceiving me?
I didn't know. The situation was getting worse. I turned off mana sight, relying on my other senses instead. The air was thick and cold, the silence heavy.
Just as I was about to move, pain exploded through my body—my burnt left hand was torn clean off from behind. In that instant, I knew I wasn't hallucinating. He was real.
That grin... his mana reeked of malice.
I was the prey, and he was the predator.
I used Leap again, teleporting far into the mist. My thoughts were clouded—how did he find me? I wrapped my cloak around the wound, trying to stop the bleeding, then unwrapped Rodeao. I had no choice but to use mana sight again.
A blur.
Then, a strike.
The monster attacked again, trying to swallow us whole. I used Leap once more, barely escaping. I took out the fire crystal and burned away the scent of the Rayland Sheep from our bodies. My body trembled, barely able to stand.
With one hand gone, I could either attack—or escape.
My mana sight was breaking down. My brain was screaming, my range shrinking with every second. I used Leap again, throwing Rayland Sheep's fur as a distraction, watching through the haze to see if he would take the bait.
The beast lingered in the mist, stalking us from the shadows. That's when I realized—
it wasn't the scent drawing him to us.
And it wasn't mana either.
He could see through the mist.
Hiding was useless.
I grabbed Rodeao and ran in the opposite direction, using Leap over and over again, crossing what distance I could. The fog thickened, twisting the air around me. My mind was slipping.
Then—I felt it.
The faint pulse of mana from a teleportation pod.
I ran toward it, vision fading, body collapsing under its own weight. My senses were gone, but instinct drove me forward. The mist began to thin, the red hue fading into dim light. Through the clearing, I saw it—a small beacon, flickering weakly atop the pod building.
But he was there.
Standing right in front of it.
Waiting for me.
His playtime was over.
I tried to invoke Leap, but my body wouldn't respond. My mind and mana were done. In a moment, the color drained from my eyes. I fell to the ground, trembling uncontrollably. The battle was over.
The beast watched me seize on the ground, overjoyed at the sight of its prey breaking apart. It took a step closer—ready to end it.
And then—
it was sliced clean in two.
Blood splattered across the floor.
I couldn't move. I couldn't see.
But that voice… I knew it too well.
It hadn't changed.