2026-07-09 18:29:49The alley narrowed behind Zayn.
Broken brick walls boxed him in on both sides, leaving him barely enough room to maneuver. Rainwater dripped from rusted fire escapes overhead, forming shallow puddles that reflected the monster's glowing eyes.
Zayn tightened his grip on the iron pipe.
Think he thought inwardly to himself
The creature was stronger than the Infected he'd fought before.
This one moved faster,and was clearly smarter.
And unlike the others, it wasn't rushing.
It was studying him.
"...You're learning too," Zayn muttered.
The creature answered with a low growl.
Then it vanished.
"What….?"
Echo Trace activated on instinct.
Several translucent trails burst into existence around him.
Left.
Right.
Above.
Too many.
It wasn't moving faster,it was creating false paths in order to confuse him even more
"Damn it..."
At the last possible second, one trail became brighter than the others.
The real attack.
Zayn ducked.
A claw sliced through the air where his neck had been a heartbeat earlier.
The wind from the strike stung his face.
He swung the pipe upward.
CLANG!
The creature blocked it with its forearm.
The impact echoed through the alley.
Its strength sent Zayn skidding backwards several steps.
His palms burned from the vibration.
"...You're kidding."
The creature smiled,not a monstrous grin,an intelligent one,as if it enjoyed watching him struggle.
Behind him, the girl finally found her voice.
"M-Mister..."
"Run!" Zayn shouted without looking back.
"I... I can't..."
He risked a quick glance.
Her ankle,it was twisted badly.
She couldn't even stand.
"...Perfect."
The creature lunged again, giving Zayn just enough time to roll beneath it giving it a dangerous blow to the ribs with the pipe he held.
CRACK!
This time the monster actually staggered,not much,but enough.
"...So you can be hurt."
The creature slowly turned back toward him.
Then, to Zayn's surprise...
It spoke.
"You... adapt."
Zayn froze.
"...Another talking one?"
Its voice sounded rough, like stones grinding together.
"Few... survive... this long."
"You know what?" Zayn said, circling carefully. "I'm getting tired of monsters talking."
The creature ignored him.
"Why... protect... her?"
Zayn blinked.
"...Seriously?"
"She... has... no value."
For a split second...
Something flashed through Zayn's mind.
The interface.
"Helping her is inefficient."
This monster wasn't asking a question,it was repeating the lesson,testing him.
Zayn's eyes narrowed.
"So that's what this is."
The creature tilted its head.
"You all think the same."
Another smile spread across Zayn's face,not from confidence,but from realization.
"This entire trial isn't about fighting."
The monster remained silent.
"It's about making me believe people are liabilities."
The creature didn't deny it.
Instead...
It attacked.
This time Zayn was ready.
Echo Trace bloomed around him.
The fake paths appeared again,but now he ignored them,and instead he focused on the one detail they couldn't fake.
The sound.
Every illusion moved silently.
The real creature displaced air.
"There!"
He pivoted sharply and drove the pipe downward.
BANG!
The iron struck the creature's shoulder.
Bone cracked.
The monster roared.
Before it could recover, Zayn rammed into it with his shoulder.
Both of them crashed into a brick wall.
Dust exploded into the air.
The creature lashed out wildly.
A claw caught Zayn across his ribs.
Pain erupted through his side.
He bit back a scream.
Not deep.
Still manageable.
He shoved himself backward.
Breathing hard.
"...Okay..."
Blood soaked through his shirt.
"...That definitely hurt."
The monster stood again.
Its broken shoulder twisted unnaturally.
Then...
It snapped back into place.
Zayn's face fell.
"...You regenerate."
"Slowly."
"...Wish you hadn't told me."
The creature took another step.
"So... why... save... her?"
Zayn laughed despite the pain.
"You really want an answer?"
The monster waited.
Zayn adjusted his grip on the pipe.
"When this all started..."
His voice grew quieter.
"I thought surviving was all that mattered."
Another step.
"I've only been here a few hours..."
Another.
"...and this system has already tried to make me ignore people."
The monster stopped.
"So if I abandon someone now..."
Zayn smiled bitterly.
"...who exactly escapes this game?"
Silence.
The creature stared at him.
Then...
For the briefest moment...
Its glowing eyes flickered.
Not with rage.
With something almost like recognition.
"You..."
It hesitated.
"...sound..."
Its voice became strained.
As though fighting itself.
"...like... him..."
Zayn frowned.
"...Who?"
The creature suddenly grabbed its own head.
Its body convulsed violently.
"No..."
Its voice distorted.
"No... remember..."
Its flesh began flickering between human and monster.
"I... was..."
For an instant…Zayn saw it.
Not claws.
Not glowing eyes.
A terrified young man,covered in blood
Then the vision disappeared.
The creature screamed.
A system notification exploded into existence.
[WARNING]
[MEMORY CORRUPTION DETECTED]
[FOREIGN DATA INTERFERENCE]
The creature's body swelled grotesquely.
Bones cracked.
Extra limbs burst through its back.
Its jaw split wider than before.
The human expression vanished completely.
"...Run," Zayn whispered.
The monster roared.
The sound shattered every remaining window in the alley.
Behind Zayn, the frightened girl covered her ears and screamed.
A second notification appeared.
[BOSS ENTITY CREATED]
[EXECUTIONER CLASS: AWAKENED]
Zayn stared.
"...You've got to be kidding me."
The ground trembled.
The monster took one step.
The concrete beneath its feet cracked.
Its gaze fixed solely on Zayn.
The trial...
Had just entered its second phase.
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Chapter 12
The alley shook.Dust drifted from the rooftops as the newly awakened creature took another step.Each footfall sounded like a hammer striking stone.Zayn stood perfectly still,not because he wasn't afraid,but instead he didn't dare move because every instinct screamed that moving first would get him killed.The monster was nearly twice its previous size now. Thick black veins pulsed beneath cracked gray skin, and four arms ended in claws that looked capable of slicing through steel. Jagged horns curled from its skull, while a burning crimson eye had opened in the center of its forehead.It wasn't an Infected anymore.It was something far worse.A new notification materialized before him.[BOSS ENCOUNTER INITIATED]Enemy: Executioner – AwakenedThreat Level: LethalRecommendation: Escape Probability – 0.8%"...Zero point eight?" Zayn muttered.He laughed bitterly."So you're saying there's still a chance."The boss roared,and the shockwave blasted through the alley, throwing broken gl
Chapter 11
The alley narrowed behind Zayn.Broken brick walls boxed him in on both sides, leaving him barely enough room to maneuver. Rainwater dripped from rusted fire escapes overhead, forming shallow puddles that reflected the monster's glowing eyes.Zayn tightened his grip on the iron pipe.Think he thought inwardly to himself The creature was stronger than the Infected he'd fought before.This one moved faster,and was clearly smarter.And unlike the others, it wasn't rushing.It was studying him."...You're learning too," Zayn muttered.The creature answered with a low growl.Then it vanished."What….?"Echo Trace activated on instinct.Several translucent trails burst into existence around him.Left.Right.Above.Too many.It wasn't moving faster,it was creating false paths in order to confuse him even more"Damn it..."At the last possible second, one trail became brighter than the others.The real attack.Zayn ducked.A claw sliced through the air where his neck had been a heartbeat ea
Chapter 10
Light swallowed everything,not blinding at least, not in the way Zayn expected,it was softer,warmer,and even almost… comforting.That alone made it dangerous.When the light faded, he wasn’t in the containment level anymore, instead he stood on grass.Real grass.Soft beneath his feet, swaying gently in a breeze that actually felt alive,the sky stretched endlessly above him,blue, clear, untouched by the decay and distortion of the world he’d been trapped in.For a moment,zayn didn’t move.“…This is fake,” he said quietly.“Correct.”The voice came from behind him.Zayn turned.A figure stood a few meters away.Human,completely human,no distortion,no flicker,no glowing eyes.Just a man,dressed simply, hands clasped behind his back, watching him with calm, unreadable eyes.“…You’re not an enemy,” Zayn said.“Not in the conventional sense.”Zayn exhaled slowly. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”He glanced around again.No Lira.“…Where is she?”“Removed,” the man replied.Zayn’s expressio
Chapter 9
The door opened and the silence broke,cold air rushed in first, carrying that same heavy, metallic scent. Zayn stepped through beside Lira, every muscle tense, his mind already reaching for the edges of his upgraded skill.The hallway beyond had changed,the red emergency lights were gone,now it flickered in a dull, pale white,but unstable,and glitching“…It wasn’t like this before,” Zayn murmured.“No,” Lira said quietly. “It wasn’t.”The corridor stretched ahead longer than it should be.Too long.Zayn frowned. “…Did it get bigger?”Lira didn’t answer.Because she was already moving.Zayn followed, slower this time, eyes scanning every shadow, every flicker of light,his mind felt… sharpe,not clearer,but faster,like something beneath the surface was constantly calculating,and predicting what was to come.A faint flicker,he saw it.A movement that hadn’t happened yet,a distortion at the far end of the hallway.“…Stop,” Zayn said suddenly.Lira froze instantly.“What?”Zayn’s eyes narro
Chapter 8
Darkness pressed in from all sides.Zayn leaned against the cold wall, forcing his breathing to steady as the lingering effect of the system’s penalty drained through him. It wasn’t just fatigue,it felt like something essential had been taken.He didn't feel much pain,not exactly but he felt an absence within him“…I feel lighter,” he muttered.Lira glanced at him. “That’s not a good thing.”“Yeah,” Zayn said weakly. “Figured.”The room they’d stumbled into was small,and enclosed,no windows,no visible exits beyond the door they had just sealed behind them.And worst of all,no sound,no movement,no enemies,as good as that sounded it wasn't really comforting Zayn slowly pushed himself upright, gripping the wall for balance. His legs still felt unsteady, like they didn’t fully belong to him anymore.“…Where are we?” he asked.Lira moved cautiously toward the center of the room. “I don’t know.”That alone was unsettling,she always seemed to know something.A faint hum began to fill the ai
Chapter 7
The fall felt longer than it should have,wind tore past zayn’s ears as the rooftop vanished above them, replaced by open darkness and the rushing blur of broken walls. His grip tightened around Lira’s arm instinctively, his other hand reaching for anything that could slow them down.“zayn!” Lira’s voice cut through the air, sharp with alarm.“I see it!”A narrow ledge,two floors below,barely standing on its own,barely wide enough to stand on.Not ideal.Not safe.But it was something.Zayn twisted midair, pulling Lira with him as gravity dragged them down faster.“Brace!”They hit hard.The impact exploded up his legs, forcing a strangled gasp from his throat as his knees buckled. Lira slammed beside him, her shoulder crashing into the wall with a dull thud.For a split second,everything went black.Zayn sucked in a ragged breath as sensation rushed back all at once.Pain shooting through his body “…Still alive,” he groaned.“Barely,” Lira muttered beside him.He pushed himself up sl
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