When he emerged from the narrow tunnel, he found himself standing at the highest point of a vast, well-lit cavern, the size of a basketball court. He held his breath as he took in the view before him—a multitude of prisons carved into the cave walls and stretching the length of the hall, each containing groups of humans and beasts alike, all captured and imprisoned within.
Some of the prisoners were torn apart, their bodies mutilated and broken, their bones and internal organs protruding from their bodies onto the cold prison floor. Others huddled together in silent despair, their sunken gazes revealing the shattered spirits of their reality. Seeing this, he felt a flicker of fear, but he didn't dwell on it. He felt only a fleeting moment of sympathy as his gaze swept across the hall, taking in the prisoners, whose faces were etched with fear and despair.
"I don't think I can help them." A cold, grim look crossed his face. At first, when he saw them, he wanted to help them. Perhaps they could help him understand his current predicament, or maybe one of them would even know where the Egg of Chaos was. But after assessing the situation, he realized that whoever had captured them must be incredibly powerful to imprison so many humans and monsters. And if they captured him, wouldn't he be in the same situation...?
"I don't even know them," he told himself, deciding to turn around and escape. He didn't even want to look at the hall or explore it. Who knew, one of the prisoners might shout at him to free them, and that might attract the attention of whoever was holding them captive. But before he could move, he heard a creaking sound coming from the far end of the hall, followed by terrifying laughter. So he stopped and hid behind a small rock. He didn't want to reveal his position and began watching the new arrivals.
...
As he sat in the darkness, watching, his heart pounded with anxiety at the thought of being discovered. So he concealed himself well. Then he saw a group of monstrous creatures coming from a large entrance, dragging a group of prisoners toward the center of the hall. These creatures resembled humans, but their skin was black with white tattoos covering their entire bodies, and a single horn protruded from their foreheads.
The bound and helpless prisoners were forced to sit on a platform slightly raised off the ground, resembling an altar, adorned with strange inscriptions. Raven watched everything with complete composure, unmoved by the events unfolding before him. The creatures' movements were swift, methodical, and flawless.
After the humans were strapped to the platform, the creatures retreated to the bottom, and then everyone knelt without exception. A profound stillness descended, their eerie silence filling the hall like a deathly shroud. Raven could feel the weight of their anticipation, their eyes fixed on another medium-sized tunnel ahead, as if they were awaiting something.
Seeing them so submissive, Raven sensed he was witnessing something far more sinister than anything he had seen before. Whatever dark ritual was about to take place, he didn't believe this was all.
After a while, he heard a loud laugh followed by a cry and a growl coming from the medium-sized cavern located behind the platform where the prisoners sat. Upon hearing it, Raven's body froze with fear. Every muscle in his body tensed, and he began to tremble involuntarily. His breath caught in his throat. Despite his cold blood, hardened emotions, and exceptional composure, this fear gripped his very soul, as if all creatures were meant to dread this presence. He watched with fear as the scene unfolded before him, feeling this fear ingrained in his being, in his human veins, as if a presence was approaching, a predator of humankind.
A monstrous creature emerged from the depths of the cave. Its twisted form was taller than both the prisoners and the beasts. It stood three meters tall, its back arched sharply to the ground, from which small black thorns protruded. Its long arms reached the earth, while its feet, shorter than its arms, gave it a strange and terrifying appearance. Raven's heart pounded in his chest when he saw the creature's jaw gaping open, its eyes hollow and empty, dripping blood like dark tears. Its white hair was stained with blood, and half its head was bald. Part of the monster's body was just flesh and bulging muscle, exposed as if a piece had been peeled away.
Raven's instinct screamed at him to flee immediately, to get as far away as possible, to retreat and never look back. But he knew he couldn't move for fear the creature would hear him, and even if he wanted to, he couldn't because his body felt drained of energy. "This monster instills a kind of fear in me—not me, but my body!"
As the creature drew closer, its deafening laughter, cries, and roars echoed through the hall.
When the monstrous creature ascended the platform, its gaze fixed on the terrified prisoners. He watched in silence as the creature, driven by savage instinct or perhaps cunning and malice, unleashed a wave of violence upon its helpless victims.
With a painful blow, the creature seized a young man who looked to be in his twenties. A look of terror was etched on the young man's face. His armor shattered in a single, brutal strike. Raven closed his eyes for a moment; even for him, the sight was horrifying as the sound of tearing echoed through the hall. The metal cracked under the force of the creature's blow, and even the man's screams were reduced to a gurgling sound before he died in the most gruesome way imaginable.
The creature turned its attention to another prisoner, tearing his body apart with merciless efficiency. A wave of nausea washed over Raven as he watched the carnage unfold before his eyes.
Then, with a powerful blow, the creature delivered a final, brutal strike, cleaving another prisoner in two. Raven felt bile rise in his throat as he watched life bleed from the prisoners' eyes, their bodies falling to the ground in pools of blood and scattered entrails as the creature began to devour the dead.
It was a scene of unimaginable horror, one that would haunt Raven's nightmares for years to come. He watched everything, unable to tear his eyes away from the carnage.
He was right there in front of him, and he knew there was nothing he could do. All he could do was witness the horrors unfolding before him, a silent testament to the terror lurking within the World Tower.
—
When the creature finished its meal, a deafening roar echoed through the hall, followed by a wave of frenzied laughter and screams from the beast, sending shivers down Raven's spine. With a final growl, the creature turned and slid back into the tunnel from which it had come, leaving behind a scene of devastation and despair.
As the echoes of the creature's departure faded, Raven dared to peer out at the spot where the monster had emerged, his heart still pounding in his chest.
Meanwhile, one of the black monsters rose up. It stood out from the others, with two large horns on the side of its head. It wore a black robe and hood, and carried a magic wand. It resembled a shaman.
When the creature shouted in an unintelligible language, the other monsters began to respond to its commands, emerging from the cave one by one through the great tunnel, leaving Raven alone in the darkness once more. He watched them silently as they vanished into the gloom, their forms fading into the depths of the tunnel until only silence remained.
Alone, watching everything unfold, he knew he had miraculously escaped a fate worse than death had he been captured. But as he witnessed the carnage in the hall, he also knew that the horrors of the tower were far from over. With a heavy heart and overwhelming fear, he turned and began to run, stumbling through the narrow tunnel. The fear this creature had instilled in Raven's heart was so intense that it would probably haunt him even in his dreams. "Damn it, what hell have I fallen into?" He ran as fast as he could, oblivious to his surroundings. He just wanted to escape this place and get as far away as possible from this cursed hill. Even death here was merciless. After running for a while, he finally emerged from the cave.
"Hahaha, I'm out! I'm out! I'm never coming back here..." He was still running and shouting when he froze in place. He saw the monster just enter the forest, but because of his loud scream, the monster heard him. It turned around when it saw Raven emerging from the crevice and began to laugh maniacally. This was followed by a terrifying scream and cry from the monster as it charged at Raven at breakneck speed.
Raven was frozen with fear and could barely push his legs out and jump back into the crack he had just emerged from, only to hear a crash behind him.
The monster was roaring furiously as it smashed through the tunnel, its massive body preventing it from passing through the narrow passage. Raven didn't even look back; he started running back inside in sheer terror. The monster slammed into the tunnel wall with tremendous force, its long arms nearly grabbing Raven's leg, but he managed to dodge at the last second.
The monster stared at the fleeing Raven with frenzied eyes. Seeing its prey escape, the monster went completely mad. Its screams grew deafening as it continued to tear and destroy the tunnel. It was following Raven at breakneck speed, and despite the tunnel's small size, the monster's strength was more than enough to destroy it and squeeze through.