Lucian's army marched through the narrow gorge, the Southern Forest looming ahead.
Dense fog clung to the earth. A damp stillness settled over the bandits' boots as they moved in formation, Veyra quietly issuing hand signals while the younger ones whispered about monsters.
This place was called Ebonrose—one of the oldest regions in the Shattered Realm.
The Shattered Realm was the known world. A continent-shaped fragment carved from the flesh of a dead god—specifically, a serpent whose petrified body stretched across reality.
Four great continents sat on its twisted form like islands on a corpse. Each one claimed a limb or a vital piece of the beast. But nobody knew what lay beneath. Below the stone flesh, under the marrow and soul-fibers… nothing ever came back.
Ebonrose was a kingdom of the Northern Continent. Warm, misted, blood-rich land. The earth here pulsed faintly if you listened long enough. Magic and violence came easily to this region.
There were five main territories in Ebonrose:
At the center sat Vandora, the capital city, built atop the serpent's broken heart. It was ruled by noble houses that traced their bloodlines back to a Principled—an ancient being of law and force.
North of Vandora lay The Dominance Forest, thick with scarlet trees and bone-like vines. Above the forest, built into a cliffside, stood the Iris of Dominant Temple—a fortress-chapel that trained warpriests and executioners.
South of Vandora stretched The Southern Forest, a region of decay and bloom, where beasts born from leftover divine marrow roamed free. Lucian headed there now, hunting one such beast.
West of the capital sprawled Greywater Reach, marshland controlled by smuggler kings and exiled mages.
East sat Rosethorn Expanse, a wide and thorny plain of dueling clans and outlaw faiths. None of them answered to the capital unless beaten down first.
Ebonrose had no true unity. The nobles ruled, but the people survived in pockets—each village swearing to whatever kept them alive longest.
Lucian knew this. He didn't need books or maps. He'd died too many times to forget where the fault lines ran.
And beyond The Northern Continent...
Three more continents lay scattered across the dead serpent's body.
Each continent had kingdoms. But none knew what lay beneath.
Even the gods refused to look down.
Lucian did not care about the deep.
He had five hundred bandits, a half-trained army, and a monster to kill.
"Pick up the pace," he said. "The beast is waiting."
The trees answered with silence.
After a full day of marching, they finally reached the Southern Forest.
The trees were massive and ancient—some rotted from the inside, others strangely in bloom. A sickly sweet scent clung to the air. Petals and fungus grew from the same bark.
The ground was soft, damp, and quietly alive.
Lucian raised a hand, signaling the troops to slow. Up ahead, between the twisted trunks, small figures emerged.
The townspeople?
They weren't human.
They were Mushrooms—round-bodied, short, and pale, with caps of violet and red. Their eyes were wide and unblinking, glowing faintly in the shade. Despite their strange appearance, they moved without fear.
One stepped forward. "You've come for the monster?"
Lucian nodded. "South quadrant. We tracked it here."
The Mushroom tilted his head. "We've seen it. It circles at night. But... not tonight. You should rest."
Another Mushroom appeared beside him, shorter, carrying a basket of fruit and dry moss.
"You look tired," she said gently. "Let your people breathe. There's no rush to die."
Lucian glanced at Veyra. She gave a small nod.
He turned back. "Alright. We'll rest. But at dawn, we move."
The Mushrooms bowed and led them deeper into the settlement.
That night, Lucian found himself in a natural hot spring nestled between the roots of a giant tree. Steam curled through the misty air. The water was hot, but soothing. Mineral-rich and faintly glowing.
Veyra sat across from him, her blade resting on a nearby rock.
They sat in silence for a while. The soft hum of the forest surrounded them.
Tomorrow, they would face the creature.
---
The moment Lucian woke, he didn't waste time. He went through his morning routine—pushups, stretches, breathing control. His body had to stay sharp.
After that, he walked the edge of the settlement alone.
The Mushroom town was built high—treehouses anchored to thick blooming trunks, connected by winding bridges of woven vine. Flowers hung from every branch. Moss grew soft underfoot. The whole place was too green, almost unnaturally so.
But it was peaceful.
Lucian breathed it in the quiet wind before something broke.
Then he returned to camp and roused the army. Veyra was already dressed and ready.
The others followed suit, and no one complained. They knew what was ahead.
By sunrise, they were moving.
The forest changed the deeper they went. The blooms faded, bark blackened, and wind picked up, cold and sharp, like a warning.
Then it came.
A hollow ping in Lucian's mind. The pressure of the system.
[New Side Quest: Kill The Hollow Beast]
[Objective: Kill The Hollow Beast.]
[Death Limit: 5]
Lucian's jaw clenched.
Five deaths only.
Five tries to kill a monster born from something even the Mushrooms refused to name.
---
Lucian scanned the foggy horizon of the Southern Forest. The thick mist swallowed everything beyond a few steps. There was no way to spot the Hollow Beast from here.
"Rest up for an hour," he ordered. "Then we strike. We'll ambush it."
Drogas stood close, his usual calm presence steady beside Lucian.
"They say this monster's been terrorizing nearby villages for months now," Drogas said, eyes sharp. "No one's been able to kill it."
Lucian nodded. "We'll be the first."
A soldier approached, holding out a bottle of water. "For you, sir. And for Drogas."
Lucian frowned but took it. Maybe a gesture of thanks? He unscrewed the cap and drank. Drogas followed suit.
As they talked quietly, a sudden heaviness pressed down on Lucian's head. His vision blurred. Drogas staggered, face paling.
"What—?"
Before he could finish, Drogas collapsed beside him.
Lucian's knees buckled. His body hit the cold ground hard.
What's happening? No, not now... Stay awake...
The last thing he saw before the darkness pulled him under was Veyra's worried face hovering above.
This can't be happening. Not now. I'm not done yet...
[Death Detected.]
[Death Count: 1]
[Loop Restarting...]
---
Lucian had died again, and he woke up gasping for breath as though his lungs still remembered drowning in poison, and he turned his head to find Drogas sitting right in front of him, breathing fine, alive like nothing had happened, and it made no sense.
No, no, not again... this isn't random—this was someone inside.
His mind spiraled because it wasn't just a mistake or a failed mission this time—it was betrayal.
And he remembered the water. The soldier handing it over casually, like a gesture of respect, and Drogas had taken it too, and both of them fell, and now the pieces were fitting in a way he didn't want them to.
It was him. It had to be him. And if I hesitate, Drogas dies again.
So when the same soldier appeared in the same spot with the same bottle hanging from his side like an afterthought, Lucian didn't hesitate, and he didn't ask questions either.
He drew his blade and ran it straight through the man's neck before the lies could start again.
"What are you doing, Lucian?!" Drogas shouted, standing up in shock as blood spilled onto the grass.
"He was going to kill you!"
But he didn't get to finish, because something moved too fast to track on the right.
He turned too late, and the blade was already inside him, puncturing through his ribs like it had been waiting for this exact moment.
"ARGHHH! WHAT DID I DO TO YOU!?" Lucian screamed, voice raw and shaking as pain flooded his body.
"I TRAINED YOU! I SHARED FOOD WITH YOU! I FOUGHT SO YOU COULD STAND STRONG! I BROUGHT YOU OUT OF THAT DAMN PIT!"
He looked at them—at all of them—and none of them came. Not even Veyra or Drogas.
They just stood there, frozen in place, as though his death wasn't worth interrupting.
Why aren't they moving?! Why are they just watching me die?!
His legs gave out, and he collapsed, and the last thing he saw was his own blood soaking the dirt again.
[Death Detected.]
[Death Count: 2]
[Loop Restarting…]