Kaito had to stop and catch his breath.
His arms were sore, his hands raw from gripping the knife too tight. The sleeve of his hoodie had completely torn off, and his legs felt like they might give out at any moment. He hadn't eaten since the morning. He wasn't even sure what time it was anymore—if time passed normally here at all.
The last creature had been bigger.
It had moved differently, not charging straight in like the others. It had circled him. Waited. Tested him. And it had taken more than a few hits to bring it down.
He didn't like how quiet it had gone when he finally landed the last strike.
Too quiet.
Kaito sat on a wide stone step beneath the overhang of a crumbling archway. It might've been part of a shrine once, or a gate. Now it was just something to lean against.
His bag sat next to him, half-zipped.
He opened it and pulled out one of the rice balls. It was warm from being carried so long, and the seaweed had gotten soggy, but he didn't care. He ate in slow bites, chewing even when there wasn't much flavor left.
The hunger hit him all at once as soon as he started.
He forced himself to eat slowly anyway. No use throwing it up later.
When he was done, he rinsed his mouth with the warm sports drink and finally—finally—let himself rest for a bit.
But not too long.
The longer he sat still, the more he felt like something would find him.
He moved again.
Quietly.
Not because he was trying to be stealthy—he didn't even know how—but because it felt natural now to avoid making noise.
The area had changed again.
More stone now. Fewer trees. The air felt heavier. The sky above, if it even was a sky, had turned a dull gray, like fog behind tinted glass. The ground wasn't as soft, either—just flat stone broken in places by cracks and moss.
And the creatures had changed, too.
They were getting smarter.
He didn't know if that meant the dungeon was adjusting or if he was just walking deeper into it. Maybe both.
Either way, he had to stay sharp.
The next one appeared after a bend in the path.
Kaito spotted it before it moved.
It was tall—taller than him—and thin, with long arms that dragged along the ground. Its skin looked like cracked clay, dry and flaking, with dark lines running along its chest and face. It stood in the middle of a circular stone platform, unmoving.
It hadn't seen him.
He crouched low behind a broken wall.
Took out the knife.
Waited.
His heart thumped hard in his chest.
Okay. Think.
The last one had nearly gotten him with a surprise second lunge. The one before that had faked weakness. They didn't all fight the same. He had to learn.
You couldn't just swing.
You had to watch. Listen. Move.
He circled slowly to the side, stepping carefully over loose stones.
Then—he threw a rock.
The clatter echoed through the space.
The creature twitched. Its head turned toward the sound, jerking like a badly animated puppet.
Kaito didn't wait.
He ran in from the side, low and fast, knife in hand. He aimed for the back of its leg.
The blade sank in—but not deep. Its skin was tougher than the others.
The creature shrieked and swung one of its arms backward wildly.
Kaito ducked under it and backed away, fast.
The monster turned now, really focused on him. Its body cracked as it moved, long limbs twitching.
Then it came at him.
Not fast. But steady. Heavy.
Kaito waited. Watched its reach.
It raised its arm—and Kaito rolled to the left, came up behind, and stabbed it again in the same leg. This time, deeper.
The monster staggered.
It turned too slow.
Kaito didn't give it time to recover.
He stabbed again—three times in quick succession, jabbing toward the same spot. His arm burned. His grip nearly slipped.
But the creature finally went down, crumbling with a loud, dry thud.
It didn't get back up.
Kaito staggered back, breathing hard.
His hands were shaking again.
His chest hurt.
But he was alive.
[ SYSTEM UPDATE: ABILITY TRACE STABLE ][ CALIBRATION: 17% ]
[ USER CONDITION: MINOR FATIGUE // NO BLEEDING ]
"Thanks," he muttered.
He didn't know if the system could hear him. He didn't even care.
The knife was starting to feel like an extension of his hand now, but his body told a different story—tight muscles, shallow breathing, that faint tremble in his knees. His shoulders ached from crouching and dodging. His palm stung.
He was pushing his luck.
He needed to rest soon. A real rest.
He found a small hollow in a broken wall not far from the last fight. It wasn't much, but it would keep him covered from at least one direction. He gathered some dry moss and broken bits of wood for a makeshift bed.
He checked the contents of his bag: one rice ball left, half a bottle of drink, the rest of his energy bars.
Not great.
But enough for one night.
He sat with his back to the wall and took off his gloves. His fingers were blistered where they'd gripped the knife too tight. One knuckle was raw. He cleaned it gently with the water he had left.
Then he leaned back and stared at the strange, fog-colored sky.
He wasn't used to pain.
Not like this.
It wasn't unbearable. It wasn't heroic.
It was just constant.
A dull, persistent reminder that this wasn't a game.
If he made a mistake, he wouldn't respawn. There was no checkpoint.
Only one body.
And maybe it wasn't even the right one.
But it was all he had.
His eyes started to close before he realized he was even tired.
He didn't dream.
Just drifted.
When he woke up, the system pinged softly.
[ DUNGEON SHIFT: MINOR ][ TERRAIN CHANGE – EASTERN PATH OPENED ]
[ PROXIMITY ALERT: MOVEMENT DETECTED NEARBY ]
Kaito sat up fast.
Pulled the knife.
Held his breath.
Then, after a long pause…
Nothing.
The sound faded.
Whatever it was, it didn't come for him.
Not yet.