Chapter 3: The Price of Choosing
The first Ghoul moved.
Not fast.
Not slow.
Confident.
Like it already knew how this would end.
Its claws scraped against the stone as it stepped forward, head tilted slightly, as if studying Leon. The second Ghoul spread to the side, trying to flank.
They weren't mindless.
They were hunting.
Leon felt his throat go dry.
"Mira," he whispered without turning his head. "When I say run… you run. Don't look back."
Her breath hitched.
"I—I can't—"
"You can," Leon said, more firmly than he felt. "You have to."
He didn't know if it was true.
But lies were sometimes kinder than silence.
The first Ghoul lunged.
Leon barely reacted in time.
He raised the metal pipe and blocked.
Claws slammed into the pipe with brutal force.
The impact numbed his arms.
Pain shot up to his shoulders.
Leon stumbled back a step.
The Ghoul hissed, black saliva spraying.
The second Ghoul moved in from the side.
Leon twisted, swinging blindly.
The pipe caught the second Ghoul's arm.
Bone cracked.
The Ghoul shrieked — high and furious.
But it didn't fall.
Instead, it slammed its shoulder into Leon's chest.
Leon flew backward.
He hit the wall hard.
Air exploded out of his lungs.
Stars burst in his vision.
Mira screamed.
"Leon!"
The first Ghoul was already on him.
Claws raked across his side.
Fabric tore.
Skin burned.
Warm blood ran down his ribs.
Leon gasped, choking on pain.
Too slow.
I'm too slow.
The System flashed.
[ WARNING: HOST IN CRITICAL COMBAT STATE ]
[ BODY ATTRIBUTE INSUFFICIENT ]
[ SURVIVAL PROBABILITY DROPPING RAPIDLY ]
Leon tried to push up.
The Ghoul stomped on his arm.
Bone didn't break.
But something tore.
White-hot pain flooded his nerves.
He screamed.
Not heroic.
Not strong.
Just human.
The second Ghoul closed in.
Mira cried helplessly behind him.
Leon's vision blurred.
His grip on the pipe loosened.
This is it.
This is where it ends.
Not as a hero.
Not as anything.
Just another body in a dungeon.
Then something inside him snapped.
Not rage.
Not courage.
Refusal.
Pure, ugly refusal.
Not yet.
Not like this.
Not after choosing.
Not after trying.
Not after—
The world slowed.
The System surged.
Blue light exploded across his vision.
[ EMERGENCY SKILL AWAKENING ]
[ CONDITION MET: DESPERATION + PROTECTIVE INTENT ]
[ SKILL UNLOCKED ]
Pain tore through Leon's head.
Information slammed into his mind.
Not gentle.
Not clean.
Forced.
SKILL ACQUIRED: Soul-Strike (Incomplete)
Type: Active (Soul-Based)
Effect: Convert Soul Stability into a focused destructive impulse
Target: Single Enemy
Warning: Causes Soul Strain and Mental Backlash
Leon didn't fully understand.
He didn't have time to.
The first Ghoul raised its claws to finish him.
Leon looked it in the eyes.
And activated the skill.
"I won't die here!" he shouted.
Something ripped out of him.
Not from his body.
From deeper.
From a place he didn't know how to name.
A sharp, invisible pressure exploded forward.
The air itself seemed to bend.
The Ghoul's head snapped back violently.
Not cracked.
Not pierced.
Crushed.
Like something invisible slammed straight through its skull.
The Ghoul dropped instantly.
Dead.
Silence.
For half a second.
Then—
Leon screamed again.
Not from claws.
From inside.
It felt like his mind was being twisted.
Like someone shoved ice into his thoughts.
A splitting headache tore through him.
Blood ran from his nose.
He collapsed to one knee.
The second Ghoul hesitated.
Just for a moment.
That moment saved his life.
Leon forced himself up.
He was shaking.
His vision doubled.
But the second Ghoul was still there.
Still alive.
Still dangerous.
Mira screamed again.
Leon stumbled forward.
The pipe was still in his hand.
He swung.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Not clean.
Not skilled.
Just raw desperation.
The second Ghoul clawed him again.
Deep this time.
Across his back.
Pain exploded.
But Leon didn't stop.
He screamed and brought the pipe down again.
And again.
Until something gave.
The Ghoul collapsed.
Twitching.
Bleeding.
Still alive.
Leon raised the pipe one last time.
He hesitated.
Just for a fraction of a second.
Then brought it down.
The Ghoul stopped moving.
Silence returned.
Not peaceful.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
Leon dropped the pipe.
It clattered against the stone.
He fell to his knees.
Then to his hands.
Then he vomited.
Hard.
His whole body shook.
Not from weakness.
From what he had done.
From what he had become.
[ TARGETS ELIMINATED ]
[ EXPERIENCE ACQUIRED ]
[ LEVEL UP AVAILABLE ]
[ SOUL STABILITY DECREASED ]
Leon didn't look at the window.
He stared at the floor.
At the blood.
At his shaking hands.
Mira crawled to him.
"Leon… Leon, you're bleeding…"
He tried to answer.
Nothing came out.
His head felt wrong.
Too loud.
Too quiet.
Thoughts slipping.
For a terrifying second, he felt disconnected from himself.
Like he was watching his own body from far away.
The System updated again.
This time, darker.
[ SOUL STRAIN DETECTED ]
[ WARNING: IMPROPER USE OF SOUL-BASED SKILL ]
[ MENTAL BACKLASH APPLIED ]
CONDITION:
• Severe Headache
• Emotional Instability
• Reduced Soul Stability
Leon pressed his palms against his temples.
It hurt.
Not normal pain.
Deep pain.
Like his thoughts themselves were bruised.
"So this is the price…" he whispered.
Mira grabbed his arm.
"You saved me," she said shakily. "You saved me… thank you…"
Leon looked at her.
Really looked.
Her face was pale.
Her hands were shaking.
Her eyes were full of fear and relief and something else.
Hope.
He almost laughed.
Hope in a dungeon.
"Don't thank me yet," Leon said quietly. "We're not out."
He forced himself to stand.
His side burned.
His back throbbed.
His head felt like it might split open.
But he stood.
Because sitting meant stopping.
Stopping meant dying later.
He helped Mira up again.
She leaned heavily on him.
"You used something… just now," she said. "It wasn't normal."
Leon didn't answer immediately.
"I don't know what it was," he admitted. "But it cost me."
Mira looked guilty.
"I'm sorry… if you hadn't helped me—"
"Stop," Leon said.
Not harsh.
Just tired.
"If I start regretting it now, I won't be able to live with myself later."
They stood there for a moment.
Two injured people in a place that didn't care.
Then the System window reappeared.
LEVEL UP — LV 2 → LV 3
BODY: +1
MIND: +1
SOUL: +1 (PARTIALLY SUPPRESSED BY STRAIN)
NEW SKILL SLOT AVAILABLE
Leon almost laughed.
"Generous," he muttered.
He felt slightly stronger.
Slightly clearer.
But the soul pain remained.
A reminder.
This power wasn't free.
It never would be.
Mira looked at him quietly.
"Why did you help me?" she asked.
Leon thought about it.
Really thought.
Because it wasn't logical.
Because it wasn't optimal.
Because it almost got him killed.
"My mother used to say something," Leon said slowly. "That surviving isn't the same as living."
Mira didn't fully understand.
But she nodded anyway.
The glowing path pulsed again.
Stronger.
Brighter.
As if reacting to his choice.
[ HIDDEN CONDITION MET ]
[ PATH RESPONSE: CHANGED ]
[ FUTURE EVENTS ALTERED ]
Leon stared at the message.
"So my choice really matters," he whispered.
That was more terrifying than comforting.
Because it meant every future decision could shape something he couldn't see.
Good.
Bad.
Irreversible.
He tightened his grip on Mira's shoulder.
"Let's move," he said. "Before something else smells the blood."
They limped forward.
Two broken figures.
Leaving three dead monsters behind.
Deep in the dungeon, something ancient shifted its attention.
Not because of the kills.
Not because of the levels.
But because Leon had used his soul.
And paid for it.
The System had not just gained a Host.
It had gained a problem.