"Alright. The area is clear."
Rian whispered the moment he dropped down from the vent. The moment his boots touched the floor, he immediately scanned the dark surroundings, gripping the flashlight tightly as his sharp eyes moved through the thick smoke lingering inside the room.
Light quietly climbed down after him and handed over the bag.
"Hurry, everyone."
His voice was low, almost cautious.
Something felt wrong.
The silence around them was far too unnatural.
Just moments ago, the entire area had been filled with monsters, yet now everything was eerily quiet—as if the creatures had suddenly disappeared without a trace.
But instead of feeling relieved, the silence only made the pressure around them heavier.
Rian could feel it pressing against his chest.
The air itself felt suffocating.
Even though the room was large and open, he still felt trapped, as though he were stuck inside the narrow vent with barely enough space to breathe.
One by one, the others climbed down successfully, including Ella and Summer.
But before any of them could even move—
CLINGGG...
A sharp metallic sound echoed across the floor.
Everyone instantly turned toward the darkness behind them.
The thick smoke made it impossible to see clearly, but the sound alone was enough to send tension crawling down their spines.
"Y-you three, go ahead. Find the exit door now."
Rian immediately gave the order without taking his eyes off the smoke-covered area ahead.
Confusion flashed across their faces.
Still, Ella reacted first and quickly pulled Summer along with her.
"H-how can we just leave you—"
"This isn't the right time to be stubborn, Light."
Rian cut him off firmly.
"I'm not trying to play hero here. I'm ordering you to move so all five of us can survive."
Light fell silent.
His jaw tightened as he stared at Rian. Clearly, he still didn't want to leave him behind.
But before he could argue again, Rian shoved the bag into his hands.
"Take this. You also need to protect those two. Now go before—"
Rian abruptly stopped.
His instincts screamed.
Without hesitation, he violently shoved Light away from him.
SHING!
A sharp object sliced through the air exactly where Light had been standing moments earlier.
Light lost his balance and stumbled across the floor, but when he looked back—
His eyes widened.
A shallow cut had appeared on Rian's cheek.
Blood slowly trickled down his skin.
"Damn it! Run already!"
Rian shouted through gritted teeth.
For a brief second, Light froze.
The sight of Rian standing there alone while blood dripped from his face made his chest tighten painfully.
But he understood.
If they wasted even a few more seconds there, all of them could die.
Grinding his teeth, Light finally forced himself to turn around before sprinting toward the fire exit together with Ella and Summer.
Only after hearing their footsteps grow distant did Rian slowly exhale.
Then he turned back toward the smoke.
"Damn it... that hurts."
He wiped the blood away using the back of his trembling hand.
And then—
Something slowly emerged from the darkness.
Rian's expression hardened immediately.
"The hell... where did you even come from?"
The creature standing before him barely resembled the monsters they had encountered earlier.
It had no eyes.
No nose.
Its face was nothing more than a horrifying mouth stretched unnaturally wide, exposing rows of jagged teeth that twitched grotesquely within the darkness.
Its arms resembled bent steel blades sharp enough to cut through flesh effortlessly, while its legs bent backward like those of a goat.
Every step it took produced an unbearable metallic scraping sound against the floor.
SKRREEEECH...
Rian instinctively tightened his grip around his axe.
'No eyes... no nose...'
Despite the fear creeping beneath his skin, he forced himself to observe it carefully.
'Then how did it detect us?'
The monster suddenly tilted its head slightly.
As though listening.
Rian's eyes narrowed.
'Wait... does it react to sound?'
But before he could fully process the thought—
The creature vanished.
Rian's eyes widened.
'Fast—!'
BLAG!
A sharp steel limb suddenly appeared inches away from his face.
Everything happened too quickly.
But before the blade could pierce through his eye—
ARRKKKHH!!
A heavy impact smashed violently against the monster's arm.
The creature let out a distorted shriek as its body staggered sideways.
At the same time, another figure landed beside Rian.
Thino.
Still gripping the fire extinguisher tightly, Thino immediately stepped in front of him protectively.
"Rian! Are you okay?!"
For a second, Rian couldn't even answer.
His heartbeat pounded violently inside his chest after realizing just how close death had been.
If Thino had arrived even a second later—
"I-I am..." Rian finally managed to respond while catching his breath. "But I think we seriously need to leave too."
"Yeah! Let's go—"
"THINO!"
TINGGG!!
Sparks burst into the air.
The monster attacked again before they could even move properly.
Thino barely managed to block the incoming strike using the fire extinguisher, but the sheer force still slammed him hard against the floor.
"Argh!"
"Damn this!" Rian cursed while quickly pulling out his axe. "How can it still locate us through all this fog?!"
The creature released another horrifying shriek before swinging its steel-like arm once more.
Without hesitation, Rian stepped forward.
SLASH!
"AAARRKKHH!!"
One of the monster's blade-like limbs fell onto the floor.
Dark blood splattered across the ground as the creature staggered backward from the attack.
"Move!"
Rian immediately grabbed Thino and pulled him back onto his feet before both of them started running through the smoke-filled room.
"It doesn't have eyes or a nose," Thino explained between breaths while sprinting beside him. "But its hearing... and probably its sense of vibration... are extremely sensitive."
"This is fucking insane..." Rian muttered while tightening his grip around the axe. "How are we even supposed to kill something like th—shit!"
BLAG!
A violent crash exploded behind them.
Chunks of debris flew across the hallway, forcing both of them to stumble forward.
Rian glanced back and saw the monster recklessly smashing through everything in its path just to chase them.
"As of now, fighting it is too risky," Thino said firmly despite his heavy breathing. "We run first. Survive first."
Rian clicked his tongue in frustration but still nodded.
Right now, they barely had enough energy left to keep moving.
Fighting that thing head-on would only get them killed.
But after several more seconds of running—
Both of them suddenly froze.
Not far ahead, several familiar monsters slowly emerged from the smoke.
The same creatures they had desperately avoided earlier.
"AAARRGGHHH!!"
The monsters instantly shrieked the moment they noticed the two boys.
Their bodies twisted unnaturally before charging straight toward them.
"Oh, fuck..."
For a brief second, panic flashed across both Rian and Thino's faces.
Then suddenly—
"Over here!!!"
Ella's voice echoed loudly from nearby.
Rian quickly turned and saw Ella, Summer, and Light desperately waving at them near the fire exit.
Without wasting another second, both he and Thino immediately sprinted toward them.
Their lungs burned painfully.
Their legs already felt numb from exhaustion.
But neither of them dared slow down.
Because the monsters behind them were closing in fast.
"Now close it!!"
Ella shouted the moment Rian and Thino crossed through the fire exit.
BANG!
Light immediately slammed the heavy metal door shut.
THUG!
THUG!
THUG! THUG! THUG!!
Violent banging instantly shook the entire door.
Everyone instinctively stepped backward as deep dents slowly formed across the metal surface from the monsters pounding against it from the other side.
"T-that was close..."
Thino collapsed onto the floor while struggling to catch his breath.
Meanwhile, Rian leaned heavily against the wall, still gripping the axe tightly in his hand.
"T-those fucking monsters are such a headache."
Despite the complaint, his eyes remained alert.
The silence inside the stairwell didn't comfort him at all.
If anything, it only made him more anxious.
After taking a deep breath, Rian slowly straightened himself again.
"But we still need to move," he said seriously. "This place isn't safe anymore."
Without wasting another second, he reached for his weapon once more.
The others silently nodded and prepared themselves to descend deeper into the building.
------
Meanwhile...
"K-kid... we really need to leave. This place is already dangerous."
"Mister, shh... they're here."
"W-what? Who's here?"
The young man whispered nervously as he hid beside the child, who was currently peeking inside the auto service center.
"The Vireth."
The child's gaze remained fixed on the monster ahead.
Curious, the young man slowly peeked outside as well—
And immediately regretted it.
A gigantic creature with three heads stood in the middle of the area, feasting on unconscious bodies scattered across the ground.
"T-this... this is impossible!" he stammered in disbelief. "Those monsters are way too big for you. How did you even get close to them?!"
The child remained silent for a moment, clearly deep in thought.
Then suddenly, the child looked at him and smiled.
"I guess creating a distraction is enough to make them come to us."
"H-huh? What do you mea—"
But before he could finish speaking, the child suddenly threw something toward the creature.
One of the monster's heads immediately turned toward the object after it struck its face.
The blinking spherical device rolled slightly across the ground.
Then—
FWIP!
A net suddenly exploded out from it and wrapped around the monster's head.
The creature instantly panicked, violently thrashing around as it desperately tried to tear the net away from its face.
Even its other two heads looked confused by what was happening.
Their meal had been completely interrupted.
The smaller monsters surrounding them were mercilessly crushed beneath the giant creature's rampage.
The child quietly chuckled at the chaos before sneaking closer to the distracted monster.
Then, from inside the bag, the child pulled out another object—
A strange pink liquid.
As the young man watched everything unfold, one realization became painfully clear in his mind.
There was definitely something unusual about this child.
Something far beyond ordinary.