Alodius presses deeper into the labyrinthine corridor, each step echoing against the stone like a drumbeat in an empty crypt.
The luminous inscriptions fade behind him, leaving only the pale gleam of his helmet light to cut through the dark.
The air is heavy here, damp. Every breath tastes like mold and rusted iron. At first, the hallway looks empty, just broken tiles, collapsed bricks, and silence.
But when his eyes adjust, he sees shapes littering the ground.
At first, his heart lurches. "Wait… survivors?"
They look human; men and women in ragged clothes, a soldier's dented breastplate, a merchant's stained tunic, a young woman's torn dress.
Some are sprawled on the floor as if fainted, others lean limp against the walls. They don't look like the skeletal horrors or the stinky zombies from before.
Alodius slows, chest tightening.
"Are they… alive?"
For the first time since the shrine collapsed, a flicker of hope cuts through the fear. Maybe he isn't alone in this nightmare. Maybe someone else got trapped in here.
He steps closer, lowering Bloodfang slightly.
"Hey… are you okay?"
The nearest body shifts.
A soft sound escapes its throat, half a gurgle, half a moan. Its head jerks unnaturally as if the neck resists the movement.
Then it hurls itself at him with a feral burst of speed. Alodius stumbles back, nearly tripping over himself.
"What the…?!"
Another stirs, and another. Their movements are twitchy, violent, too sharp for the weak bodies they wear.
One claws at the wall, dragging itself upright with bone-snapping twists, while another slams its head repeatedly against stone as if the pain doesn't exist.
The HUD flares.
***
[Entity Detected: Thrall – Rank F+]
Note: Former humans. Infection stage: irreversible.
Recommended Strategy: Eliminate on sight.
***
Alodius' mouth goes dry. "Former… humans?"
The first slams into him, nails raking across his chest. The tactical fabric tears with a harsh rip, threads snapping as claws scrape dangerously close to skin.
He barely manages to shove it off, the impact rattling through his arms. Its strength is savage, far too much for something that looks half-rotted.
He doesn't hesitate this time. With a desperate roar, he swings Bloodfang, cleaving into its skull. The body spasms, then collapses, twitching violently before falling still.
***
[Kill Confirmed]
+13 Experience
Vitality Surge Activated (Duration: 5 minutes)
***
The others are already closing, snarling, sprinting in jerky bursts. Alodius grits his teeth, his fear boiling into anger.
"You want me? Then come!"
Two more rush him together. He ducks, kicks one in the knee, and hacks into the other's ribs, feeling bones snap under the blow.
The first Thrall claws at his back. He twists, rage boiling over, and plunges the blade through its gut before dragging it up to the sternum. Both collapse in heaps.
The last one comes straight at him, faster than the others. It leaps but he simply plants his feet, raises Bloodfang high, and lets the corpse impale itself down the blade.
Its rotten weight slides onto him, thrashing, until he wrenches the weapon free and sends it tumbling lifeless to the stones.
Silence follows. His chest heaves, the air thick with rot and ichor, the taste of bile hot at the back of his throat.
Then, just above one of the corpses, something flickers into being. A faintly glowing box hovers a foot above the puddle of decay.
"…The hell is that now?"
He edges closer, sword raised, then reaches out. Once he touches it…
***
[Item Drop Acquired!]
Rusted Breastplate
Condition: Worn
Defense: Basic (low durability)
Special: None
Pick?
***
Alodius exhales.
"Armor…? Real armor?"
He hesitates, then grits his teeth.
"Screw it. Let's just take it for now."
The moment he chooses, the box folds into light and vanishes. Another HUD shimmers in front of him:
***
[Inventory Unlocked]
Capacity: 16 Slots (expandable)
Current Contents:
Slot 1: Rusted Breastplate
***
Alodius stares, dumbfounded. A grid of small squares hovers in the air, one marked with the crude outline of the breastplate.
"What… so this is my… bag?"
The HUD pulses, as if responding.
***
[Inventory Mechanic Tutorial]
- Items acquired can be assigned to empty slots.
- Linked items may be summoned at will.
- Summoning produces the physical item directly in front of you.
- Items can be returned to their slot if within 10 meters of the user.
- Each item-slot link is unique. To assign a different item to the same slot, the current one must be unlinked or discarded.
***
Another line etches itself across the HUD:
***
Assign Rusted Breastplate → Slot 1?
***
Alodius tilts his head, still catching his breath. "…So it's asking me to bind this thing? Alright. Slot one, link."
The icon of the breastplate glows faintly on the grid.
***
[Item Linked]
Slot 1: Rusted Breastplate
***
He squints at it, muttering, "Summon Rusted Breastplate…?"
The air distorts before him, light bending, space folding, until the breastplate materializes with a dull clang at his feet. His eyes widen as he crouches and touches the cold metal. It's solid and real.
"Holy shit… It really works."
He straps it on quickly, heart still racing. A faint shimmer marks the slot again.
***
[Equipment Updated]
Rust Breastplate – Equipped (Linked to Slot 1)
Durability: 63%
***
Alodius stares at the grid one more time. "…So if I unlink it, the slot clears, right?"
The HUD answers with its unfeeling glow:
***
[Correct.]
Unlinking removes the current bond, allowing Slot 1 to hold a different item.
Warning: An unlinked item will no longer return automatically.
***
"Got it. So I keep this linked unless I find something better."
Alodius adjusts the rusted breastplate on his shoulders and keeps walking, boots echoing in the suffocating corridor. His nerves are still taut, but his thoughts sharpen with each step.
Then it hits him. That Bloodfang, he's already taken a liking to it.
He grips the short sword tighter, eyes narrowing. "What if I lose this? What if something knocks it out of my hand…?"
As if the system is listening, the HUD flickers, bringing up the inventory grid again.
***
[Tip: Any physical item can be stored and linked.]
Select a slot to begin.
***
Alodius scans the 16 empty boxes, then taps his finger at the second square. The icon expands, shimmering faintly in front of him like an open frame.
***
[Slot 2 selected.]
Place item within interface.
***
He hesitates only a second before raising Bloodfang toward the glowing space. The blade trembles against the grid, then dissolves into fragments of light.
The interface folds shut, leaving Slot 2 marked with the sword's icon.
A new line of text appears.
***
Link Item → Bloodfang?
***
"Yes. Link it."
The sword's image locks into place, glowing faintly.
***
[Item Linked]
Slot 2: Bloodfang (Two-Socket Short Sword)
***
Alodius exhales, flexing his now-empty hand. A strange relief floods him, knowing the weapon won't just slip from his grip or vanish if things go wrong.
"Good. I'll summon it when I need it," he mutters, half to himself. "Better safe than sorry."
The HUD fades, leaving only silence and the faint scrape of his boots as he pushes deeper into the labyrinth.