"call……" Bang! As the last monster fell to the ground, I finally had time to catch my breath. Nearly five hours of non-stop fighting had exhausted me. Although this place was not a test for my body, I was still fighting and walking almost non-stop. The desolate, ghoul-filled landscape seemed endless, and each step grew heavier as time passed. "hiss……" I was also aching from the small wounds on my body. These were caused by the ghouls. Gurgle! I took out a bottle of potion from the bracelet and drank it in one gulp. I felt my body become lighter and a sense of comfort came over me. 'Now is not the time to relax.'
The moon above had changed position, casting an even more eerie light on the desolate battlefield. The screams and wails had numbed my senses, and I needed rest. My body ached from unhealed wounds, and my mind was exhausted from the constant vigilance against ghoul attacks. Boom! Boom! Boom! I continued to move forward, the sound of my tired steps constantly reminding me of the cruelty of this environment and that I was the only real and living person here. Just then, my eyes were caught by a faint flicker of light in the distance, almost imperceptible in the suffocating darkness. Although it was only for a moment, I still saw a small beam of light in the fog and darkness. 【Eye of Time】 I activated the skill and focused my sight into the fog, and then, I saw a small scene that was different from the fog. 'A cave?' It seemed to be a cave in a hill. 'It seems I have finally arrived.' Seeing this scene brought back memories from the game. It marked the end of a long journey through the mist. Having regained some strength and senses, I walked towards the flickering light in the distance. The entrance to the cave became clearer as I got closer. roar! The screams grew louder, as if a group of tortured souls were begging for my company. It made me uneasy, and I forced myself to focus on the task at hand. 'Why not stay with us, my child?' 'Aren't you tired?' 'Please, be my friend.' 'Child, mommy gives you a hug, come here.'
As I got closer to the cave, I began to hear whispers directly into my ears. It was as if I was surrounded by people on all sides. As I stepped deeper into the cave, the sounds became clearer, echoing off the walls and reverberating in my mind. Each step deeper into the cave was like a descent into a mad abyss. 'Join us...' 'Stay with us...' 'We can end your suffering...' The darkness within the cave seemed to twist and distort, as if it lingered with some purpose. At this time, even the moonlight could not shine into the cave, let alone illuminate it. The darkness completely surrounded me, yet that darkness did not make me feel uncomfortable. After all, even though I can't use my [Shadow] ability effectively in this place, I can still see everything clearly in the dark with my characteristics. The walls were damp and covered with a slippery liquid, as if all the ghouls I'd killed had gathered here. "Don't resist..." 'Embrace the darkness...' "We are waiting for you..." The whispers continued, like an endless psychic attack. I could feel their cold, bony fingers trying to invade my mind, trying to make me one of them. I resisted stubbornly, as I had a clear purpose for this trip. "Death is not something to be joked about." I muttered, staring into the darkness of the cave. Gah! Gah! Gah! As if in response to my words, the sound of crows suddenly came from all around me. I looked over and saw the walls around me suddenly disappear as if they had never existed. Now, I was in a forest. A forest full of trees. The moonlight reappeared, illuminating the surroundings. The fog disappeared, replaced by the obscurity of branches. The black trees were leafless, as if the life force had been sucked out of them. In this eerie forest, the air is filled with the smell of decay. The ground beneath my feet felt soft and uneven, as if soaked in blood. The red eyes of the crows stared at me, their gazes eerie. Countless crows perched on the dead branches, watching my every move. 'Join us...' 'Stay with us...' 'Embrace the end...'
The whispers continued, mingling with the cries of crows. It felt like the entire forest was filled with malice, urging me to succumb to the abyss. “…” And I just walked forward silently. Those are the sounds of death. With every step, the forest seemed to change, and bits and pieces of memories came flooding back into my mind. A woman holding the hand of a little boy... A young man was kneeling on the ground, holding a small box in his hand... A little girl looks at the candies in other children's hands... An old woman watched her grandchildren running around... Some memories are happy, others are sad and disturbing. 'Don't come over here!' From a woman's eyes, a man approaches her in the dark, disgusting saliva dripping from the corner of his mouth... 'Why did you do that?' From a man's perspective, he stood at the door of the room, two people were lying on the bed, one of them was his wife... 'Come here, child...' From the eyes of a little child, a woman holding a rolling pin... Countless different memories flooded into my mind, and with each memory came a variety of emotions. Fear, hatred, anger, sadness, betrayal, pain... Happiness, joy, excitement, nostalgia, thrill, joy... The contrast between these two emotions makes these heavy feelings even more vivid. Snap! Gah! In the mix of these memories, the trees twisted and deformed, branches reaching toward me like skeletal claws. The moonlight cast long shadows, and the trees danced around me, looking particularly eerie. The crows were still perched on the branches, staring at me without blinking, as if they were the guards of this dark world, watching for intruders. I can feel the subtle emotions of all these people, but then again, no one is happy all the time in this world. For every person living in luxury, there are always people living in slums. This is the nature of human beings and this world. Just as not everyone is born with strong talents, they are not born into the same environment. This is an undeniable fact, and it is what shapes the world. Wherever there is light, there is always darkness.
Without darkness, we cannot talk about darkness itself. "I see……" At this moment, I heard a voice. A malicious voice. Flutter! Flutter! Flutter! Countless crows took flight from the branches, forming a whirlwind of feathers and darkness around me. Gah! Gah! Gah! They chirped in unison, a chaotic tune that drowned out the whispers of memory. The forest floor seemed to tremble, and then blood seeped out of the ground, swirling and coagulating, forming a strange outline. It is a formless, ever-changing object, the stuff of nightmares. “Do you understand this world?” the monster screamed, its voice like the chorus of thousands of suffering souls. I could barely make out its shape amid the chaos of flying crows and swirling blood, but its presence was suffocating. Malice and hatred filled the air, and a sick feeling welled up in my stomach. "I understand nothing," I answered. The monster let out a deep laugh, the sound sending chills down my spine. "We shall see, little mortal. Allow us to test your heart." In a whirl, the monster began to change, showing me a series of horrific images. Scenes of death, betrayal, pain, and despair flashed before my eyes. A woman, her eyes wide with fear, falls from a height. A soldier, his face twisted in agony, a knife piercing his chest. A child, crying in the dark, lost and alone. "Can you bear the pain of this world?" the monster sneered. "Do I need to endure it?" I asked back. "...Your answer is good." The monster laughed again. "But you, a person who can't bear your own pain and escape from the past, shouldn't answer like that." As the monster spoke these words, suddenly, the scene changed. There stood a little girl made entirely of blood, with a claw piercing her chest. Her eyes were empty instead of the light they once were. Hers was filled with darkness. Not a word was uttered. She stared at me with those dark eyes. As if asking, why did you leave me alone?
Why don't you help me? Tick! A tiny tear of blood flowed from her black eye and dripped onto the ground. "You are here because of your talent. But when your talent is not enough, can you still move forward?" The monster spoke again in a malicious voice, as if it was mocking me for coming here. "A mortal who tries to forget the past has no right to stand before me." "What did you say?" I responded. I knew the asshole would say that, but it still irritated me. I can handle all the death and the horrific scenes, but to say I'm trying to forget the past? “I will never forget,” I declared. “And I will never forgive.” Saying these words, I finally released the emotions I had suppressed for so long. My mind went through countless scenarios in which I killed the demon, ripped him to pieces, and put a bullet in his throat. I have saved her countless times in these imagined scenarios, but I know it's all in vain. "Haha...you're so funny..." The figure spoke, and its ugly hands slowly stretched out towards me. "You have an aura that is suitable for being here." In the eerie silence, the figure approached, and I could feel its cold, bony fingers touching my forehead. The touch sent a chill down my spine, as if probing my soul. Even though I had prepared myself before coming here, the malice in that touch was almost enough to destroy my soul. "You are indeed worthy of receiving what I am about to give you." As this was announced, the figure withdrew his hand, and at the same time, a little crow appeared on my shoulder. Its eyes were purple, similar to mine. "Then, take your companions with you." The figure said, and its form began to disappear. Then, I felt a certain force pulling me...
