The dust began to settle.
Aiden lay half-conscious on the ground, every inhale stabbing his ribs like broken glass.
Elara knelt beside him, hands trembling as she tried to stabilize his head.
"Aiden—Aiden, stay with me. Your pulse is all over the place."
Aiden groaned. "Tell it to calm down, then… maybe it'll listen to you."
She shot him a glare. "Stop joking, you're literally dying."
"Yeah… feels like it."
The System flickered violently again:
[HOST VITALITY: FAILING]
[NEURAL SIGNAL INSTABILITY DETECTED]
[CARDIAC FAILURE: 31% RISK]
[RECOMMENDATION: IMMEDIATE REGENERATIVE STIMULATION]
Elara bit her lip. "I don't have potions strong enough for that—"
The red glow of Aiden's chest-mark pulsed once, slow but deliberate.
Elara's eyes snapped to it.
"What… is that thing doing now?"
The Mark responded with another notification:
[PRIMAL MARK — PASSIVE RESTORATION: 1%]
[WARNING: INSUFFICIENT AUTHORITY TO RESTORE CRITICAL DAMAGE]
[HOST MUST SURVIVE NATURALLY UNTIL NEXT AUTHORITY THRESHOLD]
Aiden exhaled sharply.
"Great. Even the Mark thinks I'm on my own."
Elara's jaw tightened.
"No. You're not."
She hoisted Aiden's arm over her shoulder again, straining to lift him.
He was dead weight—literally.
He could barely keep his eyes open.
"Elara… there are a hundred monsters around us… and a Titan Hound under those rocks… you should drop me and run."
She shot him a furious look.
"If you say that again, I'll drop you on purpose. And kick you."
Aiden smirked weakly. "Not very healer-like of you."
"I'm not a healer. I'm a mage who's currently dragging a suicidal idiot who keeps punching monsters ten times his size."
"Fair point…"
The ground rumbled again.
Both froze.
The Titan Hound—the B+ ranked monster that Aiden blasted into a wall—
began forcing its way out of the rubble.
Stone chunks fell off its body as it shook free and let out a low, murderous growl.
Elara's breath hitched.
"No… no no no—"
The horde of weaker monsters—still kneeling from the Mark's influence—began screeching in panic at the Titan Hound's aura.
Some tried to run.
Others stayed pressed to the ground, trembling.
Aiden managed a single curse under his breath.
"…Persistent bastard…"
Elara pulled Aiden back rapidly, step by step, but the Hound's eyes locked onto them—
bloodlust sharpened.
Then—
A single booming voice echoed from above:
"YOU TWO! MOVE!"
Elara snapped her head upward.
A figure dropped from the ceiling opening—
landing between them and the Titan Hound in a blast of displaced air.
Tall.
Muscular.
Wearing academy combat gear.
Twin gauntlets glowing with condensed mana.
It was one of the advanced-year upperclassmen—
someone Aiden recognized vaguely from orientation.
Ronan Graythorn.
Rank: High C, bordering B.
Known for one thing:
Insane physical strength.
Elara gasped, "Ronan?!"
He cracked his neck and flexed his mana-forged gauntlets.
"You two look like hell. Especially that one."
He jabbed a thumb at Aiden.
Aiden wheezed. "Thanks… appreciate it…"
Ronan didn't look back.
His eyes locked on the Titan Hound.
"Don't talk. Just stay alive."
The Titan Hound roared—and charged again.
Ronan vanished.
Aiden blinked. "Wait—"
BOOOOOOM!!
Ronan slammed into the Hound with a gauntlet-boosted punch that sent shockwaves through the cavern.
The monster reeled back, snarling.
Elara's eyes widened.
"He's actually holding it back…"
Aiden gritted his teeth through the pain.
"No… he's delaying it. We need to move."
Elara nodded tightly and dragged him toward the exit tunnel.
Behind them, Ronan and the Titan Hound clashed in a brutal exchange of blows—
each hit echoing through the cavern like thunder.
But The System's warnings didn't stop:
[HOST CANNOT WALK]
[NEURAL FATIGUE RISK: 84%]
[HEART FAILURE RISK: 42%]
Aiden muttered, "This system… needs to shut up…"
Elara's voice broke.
"Just… stay awake. Please."
Aiden forced one eye open.
"Only… if you promise something."
"What?"
"That you won't… leave me behind again."
Elara froze.
Her expression cracked—guilt, fear, anger—everything mixing at once.
"…I won't."
Before Aiden could respond—
a massive shockwave blasted from behind.
Ronan crashed into the ground, rolling across the stone, coughing blood.
The Titan Hound towered above him, ready to pounce—
Ronan yelled, "GO! TAKE HIM AND RUN!"
But the Hound ignored Ronan.
Its burning orange eyes locked onto Aiden.
Elara's blood ran cold.
The Titan Hound snarled—
—and charged straight for them.
Aiden's heart dropped.
"…Oh come on."