A figure stumbled out from the far end of the hallway—human in shape, barely. Its skin was patchy, gray. Limbs moved stiffly, jerking like a broken marionette. Its eyes were milk-white, and spores pulsed visibly from gaps in its cheeks.
"...Zombies?" Noa muttered.
The thing lunged at him with a hoarse screech, arms swinging wildly.
Noa didn't even draw his sword.
He slammed a fist straight into its jaw.
The skull cracked with a sickening crunch, and the creature collapsed like a sack of meat, limbs twitching violently.
But then—
The chest convulsed.
Something crawled out.
A small, slick creature no larger than a cat. Red and black, almost insectoid—but with long tendrils and a bulbous eye in the center of its body.
It hissed and skittered across the stone floor, disappearing into the dark cracks of the ruins.
"Interesting."
Noa looked down at the hollowed corpse—chest cavity split open, spine gnawed clean.
"Great," he sighed, brushing a few spores off his jacket. "Zombie puppets with meat gremlins. Just what I needed today."
He turned slowly, watching as more figures dragged themselves out from the bloody, cracked floor. Their bodies were soaked in red, spore-drenched slime. Eyes empty. Movements jerky. Like they were being yanked forward by invisible strings.
Dozens became hundreds—a small horde forming, surrounding him.
Noa sighed and stretched his neck with a slow crack.
"So you guys just keep coming, huh…"
He placed a hand on the sword at his side.
Then stopped.
"…Actually," he muttered, closing his eyes, "Let's try that instead."
His eyes snapped open, glowing faintly with a crimson flicker.
[Crown of Dread]
Every creature froze.
Their spore-laced limbs trembled.
Some dropped to their knees. Others instinctively backed away, twitching as if resisting an unseen force.
"…This is the first time I'm using this," Noa muttered, blinking slowly.
He looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers.
"And they're… scared?"
A smirk tugged at his lips. "Oh, that's something."
He took a slow step forward.
They all stepped back.
"Thought there'd be a limit," he murmured. "Maybe a time constraint… or a counter."
He vanished.
Reappeared mid-stride.
In one second, they were all dead.
The ruins were silent again.
Noa stood in the center of the gore-soaked corridor, the air still vibrating from the force of his movement. Spores drifted around him, but none dared settle on his body.
"…These skills," he muttered, lowering his hand slowly, "…I really need to learn how they work."
There was a pause.
"Because if this is just the start…"
A grin formed on his face.
"…I want to know what the next level looks like."
Noa stepped deeper into the ruin.
But as he walked farther in, his foot landed on something soft.
He glanced down.
A body. Half-eaten. Face frozen in terror.
More corpses followed—half-devoured, shriveled like dried husks. They wore armor and gear. Adventurers.
But not undead. That meant there were survivors.
He pressed forward, movements quicker now.
Noa heard screams. Metal clashing. The roar of a monstrous creature echoing off the twisted stone walls.
Noa ran.
The corridor opened into a large chamber, almost organic in shape, as if grown rather than carved. Blood-red spores pulsated faintly along the walls. Nest—that was the only word that came to mind.
In the center, a group of adventurers fought for their lives.
A monstrous creature loomed over them, its form insectoid. Six limbs, each ending in clawed digits. Three tails—or tentacles—whipping the air behind it like vipers. Its head was a mass of flesh, embedded with thousands of tiny, blinking red eyes, moving independently.
Several adventurers engaged the beast—three clashing swords and spells against it, while others tended to the wounded or fought off smaller, skittering versions trying to break their line.
Noa observed from a distance, listening.
A robed man gritted his teeth, casting a flaming wall to hold back the smaller creatures.
"It's a hive beast! We stumbled into its nest by accident—the ruins go deeper than we thought! It's spawning parasites through corpses! They're everywhere!"
Another voice, ragged and choked with pain, followed: "It's intelligent—tries to separate us—goes for the wounded! We're trying to pull back, but it won't let us!"
Noa's eyes narrowed. A hive beast…? Tch. That explained the regeneration.
Then came the screech.
A horrible, piercing cry—like a thousand voices screaming in unison—shook the cavern above. Noa clenched his jaw as a low rumble followed, pebbles and dust trickling around him.
"Crap—IT'S CHARGING AGAIN!"
The creature suddenly froze, its gaze locking onto Noa. The sword in his hand thrummed violently, resonating with something deep within him. Noa's head felt like it was about to explode—a sharp, piercing pain searing through his skull. He grunted, clutching his temples as a chilling voice echoed in his mind: K...ill.
As the pain abruptly subsided, Noa didn't hesitate or question what had just happened. Without a second thought, he dashed forward, fury and resolve fueling every step as he launched into the fight.
That voice… from the sword. What the hell was it?
The battle intensified—Noa's blade sliced through the air, severing several of the creature's eyes in a spray of dark ichor. The beast howled in agony, its remaining eyes wild with fury. Noa dodged a desperate swipe and landed hard near a nearby adventurer.
The adventurer, eyes locked on the monster, shouted urgently, "Stall it! Just hold on a little longer—I need time to cast my spell!"
The clash echoed through the labyrinth as Noa's blade met the creature's savage claws. Each strike was brutal and precise—he slashed fiercely, severing several of the creature's bloodshot eyes. Dark, thick ichor spilled onto the cracked stone floor, the monster's roar twisting into a grotesque howl of pain and rage.
The creature lashed out wildly, its remaining eyes blazing with fury. Noa barely dodged a lethal swipe, claws scraping the air inches from his face. He spun, driving his sword deep into the beast's arm, eliciting a guttural shriek.
With a grunt, Noa rolled backward, blood pumping fiercely through his veins. The sword pulsed faintly in his hand, as if hungry for more. His heart pounded like a drum—every nerve sharp, every breath shallow.
Landing near a fellow adventurer, Noa caught his breath, sweat stinging his eyes. The adventurer, clad in worn leather armor, shouted urgently, "Stall it! Just hold it off a little longer—I need time to cast my spell!"
Noa's eyes narrowed with determination as the creature lunged again, jaws snapping. The labyrinth walls closed in, shadows dancing in the flickering torchlight. He raised his sword, ready to face the beast once more.
Noa swung again, aiming for the creature's exposed flesh where he'd torn out its eyes. To his horror, the torn flesh rippled and shifted, knitting itself back as if the wounds never existed. The missing eyes grew back, glistening and wet, the creature's monstrous gaze fully restored.
What kind of nightmare is this?
Noa thought, frustration and cold fear creeping in. Every strike was undone moments later; the creature's body healed at unnatural speed. The labyrinth seemed to close tighter, the air thick with blood's stench and something darker—decay, but alive.
There had to be a weakness. No way this thing could be invincible.
He gritted his teeth and attacked again, faster, slashing with all his strength and fury. The sword glowed faintly, responding to the strange contract sealed within it, but still the wounds closed relentlessly.
"No!" Noa growled, backing away as the monster advanced, whole again. "How do I stop this thing?!"
The nearby adventurer continued chanting under his breath, hands weaving intricate patterns in the air, sparks of magic building around his fingertips. But the creature's regeneration absorbed even that light, flickering like a candle fighting a storm.
Noa steadied himself, biting back despair. There had to be a way. He couldn't lose.
"NOW, DODGE!" the adventurer bellowed, voice sharp with urgency.
Noa's instincts flared. He threw himself backward just in time as a deafening crack split the air—followed by a blinding flash. A massive bolt of lightning surged from the adventurer's outstretched hands, slamming into the creature with divine fury.
The impact was catastrophic.
The creature wailed, shriek loud enough to rattle Noa's bones. Light exploded around them; the ground beneath erupted. A crater formed—a jagged, smoking pit gouged deep.
Dust choked the air.
Noa blinked through it, panting, body tense and ready. The adventurer collapsed to one knee, drained, sweat dripping from his brow.
"It's over," Noa muttered.
But then… a twitch. A wet, squelching sound.
"What the hell are you!?" he snarled, stepping forward.
Noa gritted his teeth as the creature's wounds knit back together before his eyes.Compared to this, that knight in the labyrinth was a joke.
With a frustrated click of his tongue, Noa rushed in, aiming to strike before the healing completed. He raised the sword high—and then—
A sudden motion.
From the smoke and ash, a long, writhing tentacle erupted from the creature's back. It hadn't used it before. It had hidden it—waited.
The slimy appendage lashed out with brutal force.
Noa's eyes widened, but he couldn't dodge in time.
CRACK!
The tentacle slammed into his ribs, and the world spun.
"Gh—!"
He flew backward, pain exploding in his chest, limbs flailing as he fell. The rim of the crater rushed up toward him—and then he tumbled down into the darkness.
Stone and dirt crumbled around him as he hit the crater floor with a bone-jarring thud.
Dust filled his lungs. He coughed, groaning, body twitching in pain.
In the pit's depths, Noa lay sprawled against broken stone, pain blooming like fire through his ribs. Dust settled in a choking haze. For a moment, everything was still—silent except for the faint hiss of the regenerating monster above.
What just happened…? Noa's thoughts drifted in a fog of agony and confusion. His body refused to move; every breath sharp with pain.
Am I going to die?
He coughed, thick blood staining his lips. His trembling fingers reached to his chest, feeling warm, wet—and gushing far too fast.
His vision swam, black crept into the corners of his eyes. He grit his teeth and forced himself upright—first to his knees, shaky and slow. The crater walls loomed like a grave.
Above, the creature showed no sign of noticing Noa's battered form in the crater below. Its many glowing red eyes were locked onto the adventurers surrounding it, claws and tentacles lashing out relentlessly. The hive beast's sole focus was the ongoing fight, ignoring Noa completely as it tore through its opponents with savage fury.
Noa didn't care.
He lowered his head, closed his eyes, and whispered—cold, low, devoid of humanity.
"…Who cares... Kill everyone who gets in my way."