Kyle stood up slowly, groaning as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Thank you," he said, his voice hoarse and low. The girl who had saved him, her posture calm and focused, didn't even glance in his direction.
"Find your way and get out of here," she said sharply. "It's dangerous."
Kyle blinked, caught off guard by her cold tone. He stared at her for a moment longer, something about her nagging at the back of his mind. She looked so familiar. The way she stood, the calm yet commanding aura she carried, even the precision in her movement as she wiped her spear clean on a patch of moss-covered stone nearby—it all felt like something he had seen before.
Then it clicked.
His eyes widened slightly as the pieces snapped into place. Lana Grey. That was her. He'd seen her face on gaming billboards, YouTube ads, and esports highlight reels about three years ago. She was a prodigy, a gamer who crushed leaderboards and made headlines everywhere. But then, as quickly as she rose, she vanished. No official announcement. No goodbye post. Just—gone.
Seeing her now, in this hellhole of a game where everyone was scraping for cash, Kyle was stunned. What the hell happened to her? Had life really taken that big of a downturn? Was she broke now? In debt? Forced into this nightmare just like him?
But he didn't ask. Everyone had their struggles. Everyone had their story. If she wasn't volunteering the info, it wasn't his business.
Lana, meanwhile, had already started walking deeper into the dim tunnels, her steps light and quiet despite the echoey ground. Kyle hesitated for a second, looking back at the tunnel behind him—where the spider had come from. Nope. No way he was staying alone down here.
He jogged forward, trying to catch up with her.
In a flash, Lana spun on her heels, her stance low and tense. Two wooden spears were suddenly leveled at his face. Her expression didn't change—still ice cold—but her eyes sharpened like blades.
"Don't follow me," she said, her voice even but filled with threat. "I'll pierce your skull."
Kyle froze with his hands in the air. "Okay, okay, relax," he said quickly. "I'm not trying to stalk you or anything. I just—I need to know how to get out of here. That's all. This place gives me the creeps. You clearly know your way around. I don't."
Lana stared at him for a long moment, her eyes reading him like a puzzle. She didn't lower the spears right away. Kyle held his breath, barely daring to move.
Finally, she dropped the weapons with a faint sigh. "Stay close to me. I'll drop you off when I pass the next exit. That's all."
Kyle nodded eagerly. "Deal. Totally fine."
He began following her, this time making sure his footsteps weren't too loud. The tunnels were long and winding, filled with cracks in the walls and strange clicking noises in the dark. At one point, Kyle saw something slither along the ceiling and decided not to comment.
He walked closely behind her, doing his best to stay in step.
After a few minutes, Lana suddenly stopped and turned her head slightly.
"What are you doing?" she asked coldly.
Kyle blinked. "Uh… you told me to stay close?"
She narrowed her eyes. "I said stay close, not within five meters of me."
Kyle raised a brow. "That's… kind of contradictory."
She didn't reply.
"Right, five meters," Kyle muttered, taking a step back. "Totally get it. Boundaries."
She started walking again, and this time Kyle made sure to trail her from a respectful distance. He wasn't about to get impaled just because he misunderstood a cold-hearted professional gamer.
And as her back disappeared into the darkness of the tunnel, Kyle couldn't help but think to himself that this game—this bizarre, dangerous, life-altering game—just kept getting stranger and stranger.
The walk back was agonizing. Every step Kyle took echoed in his mind like a warning. The silence wasn't the problem. It was the kind that made you hold your breath and wonder what was listening. Lana didn't speak a word either, and while Kyle didn't expect her to start chatting like an old friend, even a grunt of acknowledgment would have been welcome. Instead, all he had for company was the occasional, distant rustling of leaves or the low growl of a hidden predator.
His heartbeat stayed quick, never slowing, and sweat clung to his back despite the cool underground air. The tunnels twisted like a labyrinth, lit only by the pale blue moss clinging to the damp walls, and their footsteps were the only real signs of life. Kyle kept close—close, but careful not to get within the five-metre boundary Lana had demanded. She hadn't said what would happen if he crossed it, but he wasn't eager to find out.
Then, five meters up ahead, Lana suddenly stopped. Kyle froze too, reflex more than thought. Something about her posture made his stomach twist. She didn't just stop. She took a step back.
A step back was never a good sign.
Her body twisted unnaturally—graceful yet inhuman—just as a sharp whistle cut through the air. A spike zipped past where her neck had been a moment ago. If she had moved a second slower, she'd have been dead. Kyle's instincts screamed at him, and he dropped to the ground, the projectile soaring just above his head.
A frustrated growl echoed from up ahead. Low and guttural. It sent vibrations through the air. Kyle looked up, slowly, heart hammering.
A spider-like creature crept into view, massive and menacing. Unlike the earlier one that had ambushed him when he was hanging upside down, this one was bigger and deadlier. Its body shimmered with a black and crimson pattern, legs arched in unnatural bends, and along its back were lined a series of spikes—long, jagged, and slick. It didn't have eyes. Instead, its large mouth quivered as it sniffed the air, its head twitching side to side like it was scanning for movement.
Kyle's stomach sank. The spikes weren't just for show—this thing launched them.
Lana turned slightly and gestured sharply for him to come closer. Kyle shuffled forward on shaky legs until he was beside her. His breath caught when she leaned in and whispered, "We're going to kill it."
His eyes widened like saucers. "W-what???"
Her expression didn't change. "Follow my lead."
"Kill it?" Kyle hissed, his voice tight with disbelief. "Are you insane? That thing looks like it eats iron for breakfast!"
Lana calmly crouched, adjusting the spears in her hands. "It can't see us. It senses vibrations in the ground. As long as we don't move suddenly or make loud noises, we're safe."
Kyle stared at the beast again. Sure enough, it wasn't charging. It stayed still, its spiked legs tapping the ground gently, waiting. Searching.
She was right. No eyes. Just those antennae-like hairs flickering from its face.
"If we move quietly, we can get close enough," Lana said. "But I'll need a distraction."
Kyle turned to her, horrified. "You want me to distract that?"
"It's our only chance. I'll get in close. When it's confused, I'll go for the kill."
He blinked rapidly. "So you want me to play bait?"
Her face barely twitched, but the smallest hint of amusement curled at the edge of her mouth. "Exactly."
Kyle stepped back a little, shaking his head. "No way. Nope. Not happening. Do I look like I have a death wish?"
"You're still alive, aren't you?" Lana replied coolly.
"That's not the point!" he whisper-shouted, arms flailing quietly. "There has to be another plan—any plan that doesn't involve me becoming insect chow!"
She raised a brow. "You wanted to survive, didn't you?"
Kyle frowned, glancing again at the creature. It twitched but didn't move.
"If you can throw a rock to the side, make it believe someone's there, it'll move. Then I can close the distance. You just have to be calm. Do not panic. Do not run."
Kyle's breathing grew shallow. His brain screamed at him to bolt, to run blindly and never stop, but his body stayed still. Because no matter how insane this plan was… it was better than standing around waiting for death.
He gave her one last desperate look. "You better not let me die."
Lana's smile returned, faint and unreadable. "You'll be fine. Just listen to me."
Kyle gulped, rubbing the sweat off his palms onto his shirt. His heart thudded louder with each second. He adjusted his footing carefully, trying not to make a sound.
The creature hissed softly.
"What do you say?" Lana asked quietly, almost tauntingly. "Are you ready?"
Kyle looked at her, looked at the monster, and then back at her. He exhaled slowly, a shaky breath.
"…Okay. What's the plan?"
Her grip on her spears tightened. "You do whatever you can to confuse it. Yell, throw rocks, stomp—but don't get too close. I'll handle the killing."
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