The moment the system alert flashed before Aiden's eyes, his instincts sharpened like a blade.
[Warning]
Hostile Entity Approaching
Distance: 92m → 88m → 81m
It was fast.
Too fast.
The Celestial Hunter had left…
But the danger didn't leave with it.
Aiden wiped the sweat from his forehead, forcing his breathing to steady.
"Not even a minute to rest… perfect."
He unsheathed his dagger and crouched low, scanning the cavern. The shadows trembled—not because of movement, but because something warped them.
The air turned colder.
The stone walls turned pale.
A new message appeared.
[Unknown Skill Detected: Domain Influence]
Effect: Fear Resistance Reduced
Aiden's heartbeat spiked.
This was no ordinary monster.
A low clicking sound echoed from the passage ahead.
Click… click… click…
Aiden stepped back.
The temperature dropped further until his breath came out white.
From the darkness, something crawled into view.
Thin.
Wrong.
Unnatural.
A humanoid figure, tall and emaciated, its body stretched like skin over bone. Its skin was a dead, sickly white—almost translucent—veins pulsing faintly beneath the surface.
Its eyes…
No pupils.
Just endless pale light.
Aiden felt something tighten around his heart.
"…What are you?"
The creature tilted its head at a disturbing angle.
Then it spoke.
In a whisper that sounded like scraping metal.
"W̵͕̠̰͐͑r̸̺͓̔o̵̢̜̖̍͗ņ̵̜͈̽͝g̴̢̦̤̍̓… ṕ̴̦̘̮͋ạ̵̳̩͠͠ť̵̨͖̮͌h̶̡̗̫̑…"
Aiden stepped back, muscles locking involuntarily.
"The hell…?"
The creature pointed at him with its long, crooked finger.
The system reacted instantly.
[Target Locked]
Name: The Pale One
Rank: ???
Intent: Hunting]
Aiden didn't get time to think.
The Pale One lunged.
WHOOSH—!
Aiden barely dodged as a white claw sliced past his throat, cutting a deep line across the stone wall behind him.
He rolled away, coming up on his feet just as the creature twisted unnaturally, its limbs bending backward to face him again.
It attacked—
Again.
Again.
Again.
Fast.
Ferocious.
Relentless.
Aiden blocked one strike with his dagger—
The blade trembled as if it were about to snap.
The Pale One hissed and swept its arm in a horizontal slash.
Aiden ducked—but the shockwave alone sent him crashing into a boulder.
He coughed blood.
"This thing… is stronger than the wolf…!"
His HUD blinked with red alerts.
[Minor Rib Fracture]
[Stamina: 43%]
[Warning: Fear Suppression Failing]
The Pale One crawled toward him, limbs clacking along the stone like broken marionette joints.
Aiden forced himself up.
He couldn't outrun it.
He couldn't block its hits for long.
He had to outsmart it.
When it leapt again—
Aiden dove to the right, sliding across the floor.
He grabbed a loose stalagmite shard and infused it with mana.
BAM—!
He slammed it into the creature's leg.
The shard cracked—
The Pale One's limb did too.
It hissed, that pale glow in its eyes flickering.
"Good," Aiden muttered, breath ragged. "You can bleed."
He couldn't overpower it… but he could break it piece by piece.
He dashed forward, feinting left, then right—
The creature swiped—
He leapt over the arm and slashed its shoulder.
Black fluid splattered the ground.
The Pale One convulsed violently, then screeched—a sound that stabbed into Aiden's skull.
[Unknown Effect: Mind Tremor]
[Focus -20%]
Aiden winced, vision shaking.
The Pale One seized the opening and jumped—
Pinning Aiden to the ground.
Its face hovered inches above his.
Its breath was ice.
Its voice twisted with static and hatred.
"Y̶̲̓o̶̞̽ų̶̭͂… s̵͇͖̎h̴͉͂o̴͕͠u̷̡̾l̶͙͗d̵͍̊… n̵̳̑ŏ̵̳t̶̗̄… e̶̟̿ẋ̸͙i̵͚͗s̵͉̿t̵̠̿."
Its claw rose—
Aiden grabbed its wrist with both hands, stopping the strike only an inch from his throat.
But he could feel his strength failing.
He couldn't hold it off for long.
He had one chance.
Aiden twisted, letting the claw slice into the ground beside his head.
With his free hand, he grabbed the dagger—
And stabbed upward with everything he had.
STAB—!
The blade pierced under the creature's chin and drove straight through its skull.
The Pale One froze.
Then it collapsed on top of him like a sack of dead bones.
Aiden shoved it aside, gasping for air.
The system pinged softly.
[Creature Eliminated]
Reward: ???]
Analyzing…
Error.]
Reward: Unidentified Essence Fragment]
A strange, faintly glowing shard floated above the corpse.
Aiden took it hesitantly.
"Just what the hell… is happening in these dungeons…?"
He stood up slowly, still trembling, still bleeding.
But he was alive.
Barely.
Then the dungeon trembled.
Aiden froze.
Cracks crawled up the walls—
Ceiling stones crumbled—
Mana surged wildly.
[Warning]
Dungeon Stability: 2%
Collapse Imminent
Aiden cursed under his breath.
He ran.
Through the corridors—
Past broken monsters—
Past fallen stones—
The dungeon shook with every step.
He could see the exit portal—
Light spilling from it.
Almost there—
BOOOOM—!
The dungeon exploded behind him as he dove out, rolling onto the ground as the gate shattered into nothing.
Silence.
Aiden lay on the cold floor, staring at the morning sky.
Alive.
Barely.
The system gave one last message.
One that changed everything.
[Hidden Title Unlocked]
"The One Who Should Not Exist"
Effect: Enemies with Unknown Rank will now seek you first.
Aiden stared at the text.
A cold wind blew.
"…that doesn't sound good."
To be Continued...
End of Chapter 10