The Marked; Absolute peak of Chaos

False hope

Kent couldn't believe his eyes as he stared at the hostile-looking man standing before him. His expression darkened.

"You again? How on earth did you even get here? I blame him for not letting that creature have you for dinner."

The young man who had rescued them turned toward him and spoke in a low voice.

"Keep your voice down, or we'll all end up as food for those creatures."

He glanced into the darkness before continuing, "If I hadn't done the same for you, you might have ended up in their stomachs by now. Besides, numbers are our strength in this situation."

'Numbers are our strength?' Kent wondered. 'What does he mean by that?

He turned toward the corner of the maintenance room and noticed an old man and two young men huddled against the wall, staring at him with trembling bodies.

'Are these the numbers he's talking about? They're acting like cowards. I hope he doesn't have some hidden motive.'

"What? Keep your eyes off me!"

One of the young men shot Kent a disdainful glare.

Kent ignored him and hurried toward Mika, who was lying on the ground. He placed his hand beneath her nose, checking for signs of breathing.

"Thank goodness. She's still breathing."

Meanwhile, the young man who had rescued them walked toward the entrance and carefully inspected the darkness outside, making sure no Dreadborn were nearby.

"Looks like there aren't any around. We're safe for now. Hopefully, the Awakened will arrive soon."

He released a deep sigh, returned to the wall, and sat down with his knees drawn to his chest.

Kent gently settled Mika across his lap, checking her condition.

"She probably passed out from exhaustion," the young man remarked.

Kent nodded without saying anything. He focused on Mika as silence settled over the maintenance room.

After a while, the old man cleared his throat.

"Holy grief! When will all this end? I've never known a moment of peace in this world. Sometimes, I wonder if it would've been better never to have been born. The moment you're born, you're forced to fight for survival, especially if you come from a poor family."

Silence followed his words.

Kent leaned his head against the wall, sorrow clouding his face. Glancing sideways, he noticed that even the hostile-looking man and the others seemed affected by the old man's words.

He lowered his gaze toward Mika, who lay motionless across his lap.

'If Mika had never been born into this world, she wouldn't have to suffer like this.'

His chest tightened.

'Mika, I'm sorry. It's not your fault you were born into this world. But now that you're here, you have to survive at all costs. I'll do whatever it takes to keep you alive.'

The young man picked up a small object from the ground, breaking the silence.

"That's the reality of this world. Once you're born, you have to fight to survive. But things are different for those born with silver spoons in their mouths. The poor are always the most unfortunate. For most of us, our chances of survival are barely twenty percent."

He swallowed hard before continuing.

"This disaster isn't going to end anytime soon. As long as the Dreadborn remain, humanity will never know true peace."

"Is this the time for you to start talking nonsense?" the hostile-looking man suddenly roared. "How the fuck are we supposed to get out of here?"

The young man stood up and approached the exit. He peered into the darkness, then abruptly turned back when a distant roar reached his ears.

His expression changed.

"We need to leave. Now."

One of the young men, whose wrist was wrapped in a bandage, rose to his feet with a troubled expression.

"Why do we have to leave now? Aren't you afraid of those damn creatures?"

The hostile-looking man glared at him.

"Do you think staying here guarantees our safety? It's only a matter of time before those disgusting creatures discover this place. If you don't want to leave, stay here and wait for a horrible death!"

After hearing his words, everyone agreed to leave the maintenance room. except Kent who remained seated, lost in thought.

"Hey, fools! Are you coming or not?" the hostile-looking man barked.

Kent glanced at him and shook his head without saying a word.Eventually everyone began preparing to leave. Kent carefully carried Mika onto his back.

The hostile-looking man looked at him with disdain before pointing at the unconscious girl.

"Don't you think she's a burden? Wouldn't it be better to abandon her and save your miserable life?"

"That's none of your business. She's my responsibility, not yours."

The man snorted and turned away.

"Why am I even wasting my breath? You'll soon become a perfect meal for the Dreadborn anyway."

The young man with the bandaged wrist turned toward their rescuer, his voice trembling slightly.

"Who's going to lead the way?"

Before the young man could respond, the hostile-looking man answered flatly.

"You are."

He pointed at himself in disbelief.

"Me?"

"Yes, you, you one-handed coward."

Kent's expression tightened as he glanced between the two men and their rescuer.

'Something isn't right here.'

Before he could think further, the young man who had rescued them intervened, wearing an innocent expression.

"You don't have to force him. If he doesn't want to lead, let him be."

Kent relaxed slightly as he listened.

'Nah, he seems like someone I can trust.'

The one-handed young man lowered his head, visibly dejected by the insult.

"Fine. I'll lead the way."

Without waiting for anyone to respond, he walked toward the tunnel's exit, and the others followed.

As they moved through the darkness, Kent caught sight of a faint smirk on their rescuer's face. It disappeared almost immediately.

Kent narrowed his eyes but said nothing.

The one-handed man stepped out of the tunnel into the moonlight. After looking around, he turned toward the others and smiled.

"Everything's fine. There's no Dreadborn in sight."

The old man and the other young man immediately rushed outside, their faces brightening with relief.

However, the hostile-looking man, Kent, and their rescuer remained inside, seemingly waiting for something.

Then, without warning, a terrifying shadow fell over the three men standing outside.

They froze in shock as they looked up seeing the same monstrous creature had returned but this time, there were two of them.

Before anyone could react, the creatures attacked. In the blink of an eye, all three men's heads were severed, and their bodies were dragged into the darkness.

"Looks like they haven't noticed us," the young rescuer muttered, his face pale with shock.

"Are you fucking crazy?" the hostile-looking man hissed. "If they haven't noticed us, should we walk outside and let them chop off our heads? I'm going back inside!"

Kent was about to speak when the man turned toward him.

"If you object to anything I just said, I swear to the gods I'll smash your head open!"

Kent shrugged and adjusted Mika on his back.

'What a hypocrite. He's the one who insisted we leave, and now he wants to return. Three people are dead, and he can't do a damn thing about it.'

Their rescuer lowered his head and sighed.

"We can return to the tunnel for now. He has a point."

Kent watched as the hostile-looking man turned around and headed back inside, followed by the young rescuer.

Suddenly, Kent's eyes widened, and his jaw dropped seeing the young rescuer had covered the hostile-looking man's nose and mouth with his hand.

The man struggled desperately, trying to break free, but his strength gradually faded.

A few seconds later, his body went limp.

"Is... is he dead?" Kent asked shakily.

The young man removed his hand and slipped the object he had used to suffocate the man into his pocket.

Kent's gaze followed the movement.it looked like some kind of chemical residue, the same substance the young man had picked up from the floor earlier.

'Has he been planning this all along? Is that why he didn't object when the bandaged guy was chosen to lead the way?'

Without saying a word, the young man dragged the unconscious-looking body toward the tunnel entrance and threw it outside.

Then waited.Less than a minute later, a Dreadborn appeared, grabbed the body, and dragged it away.

The young man turned toward Kent with a calm expression, as though nothing had happened.

"Don't think I'm a bad person. I did what I had to do for our survival. You should've noticed how suspicious that bastard was. He was willing to use the other guy as bait just to save himself."

Kent stared at him, cold sweat running down his face.Now, everything the young man had said earlier was beginning to make sense.

Still, he remained silent.

"Come on. We need to find an Awakened as soon as possible," the young man said.

Kent had no choice but to follow him out of the tunnel.

They walked along the stony road, keeping their eyes peeled for danger and after a while, Kent suddenly stopped. His face turned pale as he stared ahead.

The young man looked at him in confusion, irritation beginning to show on his face. But when he turned to see what had caught Kent's attention, his expression changed instantly.

"Shit!"

A shadow was approaching from only a few meters away.

"We need to hide!" the young man whispered urgently, scanning the surroundings for somewhere to take cover.

Kent spotted an abandoned yellow bus nearby. Without a second thought, he rushed beneath it, and the young man followed.

Once underneath, Kent adjusted Mika on his back, making sure her head wouldn't strike the metal frame.

Neither of them dared to move as the Dreadborn passed the bus, sniffing the air as it searched its surroundings. Then another appeared, followed by several more.

Within moments, the road was crawling with the creatures. The young man gritted his teeth.

'Why are more of them gathering here every second? And why haven't the Awakened done anything to stop these monsters?'

He shifted his gaze toward Kent, who seemed strangely calm despite their predicament.

"Are you still thinking about what happened in the tunnel?" he whispered. "Don't be afraid of me. I'm not a bad person."

Kent gave him a sideways glance, his expression blank.

'I know people like you. You claim you won't do something, only to become the very person who does the worst things. Do you think I'm stupid?'

He finally spoke in a low voice.

"Aren't you just like him? You also used him as bait to give us a chance to escape. If you could do that to him, what's stopping you from doing the same to me and my sister?"

The young man's eyes widened.

"No! How could I do something like that to an innocent child like you? Why would you even think that, Kent? If I wanted to hurt you and your sister, I could've worked with that bastard and used both of you as bait instead!"

Before he could say anything else, the situation outside grew worse. More Dreadborn continued gathering around the bus.

"Why are they increasing every seconds?" the young man muttered.

Kent was watching the creatures when he suddenly felt something touch his arm.

He turned his head to his arm and his heart shrank

The young man was reaching for Mika, apparently unaware that Kent had noticed his movement.

A few seconds later, he broke the silence, his voice trembling.

"These damn monsters are gathering around us. They'll discover us soon. I need someone to distract them, so we'll have to use your sister as bait."

Kent's eyes widened, then his expression hardened.

"What did you just say?"

The young man didn't hesitate. He grabbed Mika's clothes and attempted to drag her out from beneath the bus.

Kent immediately seized his wrist.

"Get your fucking hands off her!" he snarled.

"She's as good as dead anyway! Why can't we use her to save ourselves?"

"You must be crazy!"

Their difference in strength quickly became apparent as Kent's grip began to weaken.

Desperate, he reached into his trousers, pulled out the strange substance, and smeared it across the young man's face.

The man screamed in agony, immediately drawing the Dreadborn's attention, clutching his eyes, he released Mika.

Kent seized the opportunity and shoved him out from beneath the bus.

The moment the man emerged into the moonlight, a Dreadborn lunged at him and severed his head.

The silence that followed told Kent everything he needed to know the man was dead.

For a brief moment, Kent felt relieved, then he realized something was wrong as the bus was moving.

Before he could react, it shifted aside, exposing their hiding place to the creatures.

"Holy crap! Are we going to die with him?"

Several Dreadborn immediately stretched their limbs toward him.Kent closed his eyes and held Mika tightly, accepting that their lives were probably over.

'Mika, I hope we'll still be together when we finally return to the peaceful world we've always dreamed of. A world where we can live with our parents without worrying about dying every day.'

He waited for the inevitable, but nothing happened.Confused, he slowly opened one eye.

A flash of steel swept across his vision. Putting five down simultaneously

"Who is that?" he wondered nervously.

Looking ahead, he spotted a figure standing a few meters away. The stranger wore ash-colored clothes and a cap, his sword pointing toward the ground as it gleamed beneath the moonlight.

'An Awakened! No ordinary human could do something like that. Mika and I might actually be safe!'

The mysterious figure tilted his head and smirked. His eyes glowed red as dozens of Dreadborn surrounded him, preparing to attack.

"You damn Gravemaw. You've fed enough. This ends tonight."

With a single swift movement, the figure charged forward.

In the blink of an eye, every creature around him fell.

Kent was stunned.

The figure had moved so quickly that he could barely follow his movements But before Kent could even process what had happened, the stranger disappeared from his sight.

The next moment, Kent spotted him again.

His legs immediately weakened, and he dropped to his knees.

The stranger was holding Mika in his arms with a wicked smile spread across his face.

"I'll take her as my spoil. And then..."

He pointed his sword at Kent.

"I'll kill you."

The relief Kent had felt moments earlier vanished completely.

"Aren't you an Awakened?" he demanded, his voice trembling with anger. "Isn't your duty to protect humanity? Why would you commit such atrocities?"

"What I do is none of your concern," the stranger replied coldly.

"And I won't let you take my sister! No matter what!"

Kent forced himself to his feet, picked up a stone, and loaded it into his catapult and fire it immediately

The stranger casually deflected the projectile with his sword. Seeing that method fail he dropped the catapult and charged toward him, desperately trying to snatch Mika from his arms.

A flash of light suddenly flash before face put him to stop

His eyes widened, and tears welled up as he realized the stranger had already moved past him.

Turning around, Kent saw the man dragging Mika away.

"Mika!"

He immediately chased after them again But before he could reach them, a sharp pain tore through his stomach with blood gushing from the large wound created by the sword strike he had just received now.

Kent collapsed face-first onto the ground, his body trembling as a pool of blood spread beneath him.

With blurred vision, he raised a shaking arm toward the retreating figure.

"Mika... Mika, please. Don't take her away."

But the stranger continued walking, carrying his little sister into the darkness.

Kent's arm slowly fell to the ground and his eyelids grew heavier with every passing second.

'My eyes... are so heavy...'