Road Pathways to the woods, Outside of Willowrest.
Far from the town, Shanz was now heading deeper into the woods, his only thought focused on hunting some food for himself.
His stomach growled loudly as he strolled through the forest, every step heavy but stubborn. Despite the aching hunger, he pressed on, clutching a piece of stone he had picked up earlier.
With that stone, he scraped and sharpened it into a crude point, using it to mark the bark of trees along his way.
Each mark was his only assurance that he wouldn't lose himself completely in the endless green — a way to retrace his steps if things went wrong.
The forest was alive. Shanz kept himself aware of every sound, every movement.
Strange insects crawled along the roots and branches, unique and unfamiliar, though harmless to the eye.
The breeze swept through the canopy, making the leaves sway and rustle like whispers, while beams of sunlight cut through the high branches, scattering across the ground in golden stripes, creating long shadows that stretched and bent with his every step.
But despite the beauty around him, his mind gnawed as harshly as his stomach.
He thought to himself:
Why did I go back to hunt again in the first place? What am I even doing? This is suicide... My body can't endure this hunger. The pain's tearing me apart... How many hours has past by?... Urae will be sad if I'm gone home..
He clenched his stomach with one hand, the other hand gripping the rock tightly.
His eyes felt heavy and tired, his arm was numb, and his legs trembled beneath him as if they would give out at any moment. Still, he forced himself to walk, driven by a mix of desperation and willpower.
Then — a sound.
A sharp crack echoed in the distance.
Shanz froze on the spot, his eyes widening in alarm. His body stiffened, then jerked back with a startled jump, landing hard on his feet.
His gaze shot from side to side, scanning every shadow, every branch, every flicker of movement in the green.
His heart pounded so hard it drowned out the forest's sounds. But there was nothing. Nothing... until his eyes caught it.
Something was wrong with one of the trees.
Its surface wavered faintly, like water disturbed by a ripple. At first, it looked blurry, unreal, then it solidified again as if daring him to doubt himself.
He stepped closer, carefully, each footfall soft and deliberate. Then, as he neared, a strange vibration hummed through the air. A low, eerie tune, almost like a whispering chant, vibrating straight from the tree itself.
Shanz narrowed his eyes, thinking quickly.
Alright… careful. Doesn't matter if this is real or if I'm losing it. If it was just a barrier or an illusion it's fine but beyond of that is not. .. if I ignored it, I would've gone insane wondering. If it's a trap, then so be it.
His hand stretched out slowly, fingers trembling as they reached for the tree.
His breath caught in his chest the moment his hand slid right through the bark as if it wasn't even there. He yanked it back immediately, eyes wide in disbelief.
W—what the f-fudge was that??! His thoughts screamed. Did my hand just... no-clip through that thing? What the f—...
Oh yeah it's an illusion after all what am I thinking... A lot of animes and some other movies got some type of this...
He didn't dare waste his breath on words. He needed to save energy, every bit of it, or his hunger would consume him. But the fear clawed at him. The hunger sharpened it.
He didn't dare waste his breath on words. He needed to save energy, every bit of it, or his hunger would consume him. But the fear clawed at him. The hunger sharpened it.
I should be careful. This is stupid. Risking everything just because of curiousness... But this is my life… so I'll take the risk. I have to know what's beyond this... This has to be a dungeon or something.
He drew in a deep breath and stepped forward, forcing himself to phase through the strange tree.
What awaited him on the other side froze him completely.
His eyes widened. His body locked up. Not because he couldn't move — but because his mind refused to process what it saw. Fear struck first, then the raw instinct to run. He fought both down, trembling, whispering inside his mind.
Move... move... MOVE!!
His willpower forced his legs to hold steady as his gaze darted across the sight before him. His breath came out ragged, then broke apart completely when the smell hit him. The stench of death. Rot.
...
He gagged as bile rose up his throat, but his eyes couldn't turn away. Before him stretched piles. Piles of bodies.
Humans. But not just humans. Some had twisted features, ears stretched unnaturally long, others malformed, others clawed.
The corpses were stacked in a grotesque mound, limbs tangled together like broken dolls. Flesh split open, dried blood stained, eyes hollow and empty.
The smell was unbearable. It punched him harder than hunger ever could, forcing him to collapse to his knees as his stomach heaved. He vomited once. Twice. Three times, until there was nothing left.
His body shook violently, but he forced himself to raise his head again. His mind spun.
So it was an illusion... hiding all this. All these corpses... Why? Who the hell did this? What the f— is this place?
The ground vibrated again. That same eerie tune pulsed through the barrier field, like the sound of an invisible bell. Shanz's eyes widened further, his thoughts racing.
Wait… that sound… Someone's entered this place.
He spun quickly, scanning the field. Nothing but piles of corpses. But nearby — bushes thick with leaves. Cover.
Without hesitation, he forced his trembling body into the foliage, shoving himself down low, masking himself within the greenery. The smell made his head spin, his vision blur, but he gritted his teeth and stayed hidden.
His body shook. His breathing slowed. His eyes focused.
And he waited.
Because someone was coming.
A nearby sound broke the silence—creaking wood, groaning steel, the kind of noise that grinds its way into your ears and makes your stomach twist. Shanz stiffened.
Slowly, carefully, he tilted his head toward the source. From behind the rows of stacked corpses, a cart emerged, its wheels dragging unevenly over the blood-soaked earth.
Behind it, a lone figure pushed forward, both hands gripping a long wooden beam that connected to the cart. The weight of the load strained the wood, every step pressing deeper into the dirt.
Shanz's breath hitched.
A cart…? Why is it here—no… why am I even questioning that? Dumbass.
He swallowed the lump in his throat, forcing his eyes to focus not on the cart itself—because he already knew what it carried—but on the person behind it.
The figure wore a full white outfit, the cloth spotless despite the grotesque scene around them.
A long, flowing robe draped down like a priest's ceremonial garment, pale against the crimson splatters of the ground.
Beneath, plain white body-clothes hugged their frame, almost making them look like a ghost gliding across the rot.
Their arms and legs were bare, showing no other adornments—nothing that suggested armor, no symbols of rank.
Except for the weapon on their back.
A massive axe, wide-bladed and brutal, hung across the figure's shoulders. It was heavy enough that the shaft bowed ever so slightly under its own weight.
The very sight of it radiated menace, as though the steel itself had drunk from the blood it was built to spill.
The cart screeched to a halt before the mountain of corpses.
The figure's hands slid lower along the wooden beam, palms tightening as if the weight were nothing but routine.
With a grunt of effort, they lifted and tipped the cart.
Thud.
More bodies tumbled out, lifeless limbs smacking against the ground, rolling, folding, joining the grotesque heap.
The impact echoed in Shanz's skull, his chest tightening as he pressed himself deeper into the cover of the leaves.
The creaking of wood gave way to silence once more—only the faint buzzing of flies remained, circling greedily over the fresh additions to the pile.
Back to Shanz—his eyes watched in disbelief as the bodies tumbled down from the cart, falling like discarded dolls onto the pile of death.
Each impact released a burst of that rotten stench, the air growing heavier, fouler, until his stomach twisted and his body went numb.
His nose burned.
He could almost taste the decay in his mouth.
As the last corpse dropped, the cart landed back onto its wheels with a loud wooden creak. The figure pushing it exhaled deeply, almost like a sigh of exhaustion—or frustration.
For a moment, there was silence. Then, a voice.
"Another failure… Failure… FAILURE! FAILURE! FAILURE EXPERIMENT!!"
The man's roar echoed through the field like thunder. His hands shot up toward the sky, his hood slipping off and falling down his back.
His face was visible now—twisted in rage, his teeth clenched so hard the muscles in his neck stood out.
He was shaking, consumed by fury, the veins in his arms pulsing under the white robes.
"How many times must I kill and sacrifice more!? What could I have done wrong!?"
His voice cracked—then suddenly broke off. The wild energy drained out of him, replaced by something colder.
His arms fell limp at his sides as his eyes lowered toward the mountain of corpses.
Slowly, step by step, he approached the pile, leaving the cart behind.
The man's expression softened. He stared at the bodies with a strange mix of pity and despair. His lips trembled.
His eyes shimmered—and tears began to fall.
Then, just as quickly, his lips twisted into a trembling smile.
He crouched down, placing a hand on one of the lifeless figures. His voice came out shaking.
"I'm sorry… my little youngins. I should've never done this… these awful experiments. But… it has to be done. It has to!!"
His words broke apart, half-choked by sobs and anger.
He spat on the ground beside him, then looked back at the corpses with a cracked grin, crying, smiling, and shaking all at once—madness and guilt tangled together.
Then, suddenly, his face turned blank. The smile vanished. The tears stopped.
He stood upright again, completely calm, wiping his eyes as though nothing had ever happened.
"Oh y-yes… I almost forgot," he muttered softly.
He turned back toward the pile of bodies, raising one hand. Words left his mouth—low, ancient, and inhuman.
The chant twisted through the air, and in an instant, a burst of fire flared to life in his palm. He thrust it forward.
Flames roared across the corpses. Smoke coiled up into the air, thick and black, carrying the smell of burnt flesh.
The fire grew rapidly, consuming everything in its path until the whole pile blazed like a pyre.
Shanz couldn't believe what he was seeing. His entire body froze. His eyes were wide, unblinking.
His breath was shallow, his chest pounding so hard he could hear it echo inside his skull.
The man stood tall in the firelight—his short brown hair catching the glow, his green eyes reflecting the flames.
His sharp nose and slightly wide lips twisted into something unreadable, almost peaceful.
Shanz tore his gaze away from him, back to the burning mound.
The man turned toward the cart, placed his palm on it, and began dragging it away without another word.
The illusion barrier shimmered and popped softly as he exited the area, leaving only the flames behind.
For a brief moment, everything was still again—until Shanz heard it.
A faint voice beneath the crackle of fire.
"…Help… Help…"
His eyes widened even more. His heart jolted.
Someone's alive!?
Without thinking, Shanz moved—his body acting faster than his mind.
He sprinted toward the burning pile, his hands reaching into the fire, grabbing and pulling away scorched bodies one after another.
The heat seared his skin, smoke filled his lungs, but he didn't stop. He couldn't.
He pushed through the agony, through the nausea and exhaustion. His sweat mixed with ash and blood.
The cries grew louder, closer—until finally, beneath the smoking corpses, he found the source.
A body—still moving, still breathing.
Shanz gritted his teeth, pulled hard, and dragged the survivor out of the flames.
Shanz successfully pulled the figure out of the flames and stumbled backward, landing hard on the ground.
The fire behind him roared louder, crackling and spitting embers into the air, but he ignored it. His focus was locked on the person he had just saved.
He crawled closer, his hands trembling as he reached out to touch the figure's skin—it was hot, rough, and badly burned. He carefully rolled the body over.
"Are you okay?!"
he shouted, his voice breaking through the sound of the flames.
What he saw made his breath catch. It was a woman—her face badly wounded, her body covered in bruises, her skin pale and trembling.
Her hands twitched weakly, her legs barely moved. Her breathing came out ragged, shallow… but she was still alive.
Her head slowly turned toward him, eyes barely open. Her lips trembled as she tried to speak.
The voice that came out was frail, cracked, almost fading away.
"H-help… p-please…"
Shanz froze. His heart clenched at the sound. He wanted to lift her up, to carry her, but his own body felt like it could collapse any moment.
His arms were numb, his legs weak, his lungs burning from the smoke. Still, his eyes stayed serious—steady—refusing to give in to panic.
As he looked down at her face, thoughts raced wildly through his mind.
I can't carry her back to town… my body's too weak. But she's in pain—she's dying. What can I do?
I could heal her… if only I had a spell, or magic… but I don't. Think, dammit! Don't waste time on things you don't have!
His breath quickened, his chest rising and falling in panic as the seconds slipped away.
The girl's life could fade at any moment. He clenched his fists, forcing his brain to focus.
If I can't bring her back, I have to help her here… food… no, water! I need water. A river. There must be one nearby.
He looked around desperately, scanning through the trees, but there was no sound of running water. His jaw tightened.
No… I need strength first. I can't even move her if I collapse now.
Without hesitation, Shanz turned toward the burning pile. The smell was unbearable, the air thick with smoke and decay, but he forced himself closer.
His stomach twisted violently, yet he reached out, tearing off a piece of burned flesh from one of the corpses.
He stared at it for a brief moment—his face expressionless, eyes cold—and then, without flinching, shoved it into his mouth.
He chewed slowly, swallowing the taste of ash, blood, and rot.
"Of course," he muttered under his breath, his voice low and grim. "I wouldn't forget that trait…"
A chime sound pops up
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[DEFENSE MECHANISM]
Physical: 0.5 > 0.8 (increased!)
Status: 0.2 > 0.5 (Increased!)
Mental: 0.9 > 1.5 (Increased!)
Magic: 0.3 > 0.8 (Increased!)
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[System notice:]
Your energy is back!
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[ATTRIBUTES]
Strength: 45 (+6)
Agility: 8 > 12 (+4)
Intelligence: 4 (+3)
Charisma: 1
Luck: ???
[ATTRIBUTE POINTS]
- Unspent Stat Points: 0
- Potential Ascension: LOCKED
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