Kalm clutched his head and rubbed his eyes in shock, unable to believe what he was seeing.
He looked up at the ceiling, blinked twice—then looked again, now in a state of panic.
The queen's flying beast was battling high up in the cavern's ceiling, locked in a deadly clash with the grotesque creature whose form had finally revealed itself to the eye.
Its skin was black as coal.
It had two massive wings—several times larger than its body—and short hind legs that ended in stubby claws. The creature had no eyes, but possessed two large ears and a gaping maw lined with multiple rows of sharp, terrifying fangs.
It resembled some hybridized, revolting giant bat. And while it lacked sight, it seemed to compensate for it through sound and vibrations—enough to manipulate the senses of its prey and lure them right into its jaws.
Kalm took a cautious step closer to the queen, one hand still pressed to his head as the headache gradually began to recede.
He opened his mouth and asked,
"Was that thing the one controlling my senses…?"
Kalystra glanced at him from the corner of her eye for a few seconds, her expression calm.
"Correct," she said. "As I told you before, not all monsters fight with brute force and madness.
There are types and categories among them—and that thing up there is one of them."
She returned her gaze to the battle overhead, then added after a moment,
"The Lost One placed two weapons in this cave, intended for the one who would inherit his legacy. But an ordinary human would only meet death if they tried to venture too far alone."
Kalm found himself thinking the same thing.
Even with her presence, all of this was well beyond the limits of his body—and mind.
If he were to encounter another monster capable of mental manipulation like this one… it could force him to kill himself, or trap him in some illusion with no escape.
There were all kinds of dangers here.
Even if Kalystra truly cared for him and sought to protect him, he still had no idea just how much she could—or would—tolerate.
She might just sever his head faster than he could imagine…
"Don't worry," she said, as if reading his thoughts. "I won't do any of the things you're imagining.
You're important to me—just as you are important to *him*."
Kalm raised his gaze toward her, his expression faint.
"Am I really that easy to read…?"
Kalystra let out a soft laugh.
"No. But I can still read your thoughts.
Stay calm. After I help you kill that beast, we'll move past this entire cave.
There are horrors ahead that defy imagination—things terrifying and grotesque.
You'll need to stay strong. Stay alert.
Nothing here happens by coincidence."
She fell silent, but the battle above them did not.
The thunder of wings, the howls of monsters, and the tremors that rippled through the cave walls—they felt like they were pounding directly on Kalm's bones.
Cold blood ran through his veins, but he forced himself to take another step forward.
He moved closer to the queen for protection, shielding himself from falling stones and foul blood that splattered the ground.
He opened his mouth, hesitated—then asked,
"Kalystra… what was that creature that emerged from your shadow?"
The queen raised her hand, and a dome of shadows rose around them like a small barrier—just in time to block a jagged stone pillar that shattered against the shield, falling to the ground in harmless pebbles.
After a few seconds, Kalystra answered in a calm, measured tone,
"It is a shadow… from the Realm of Shadows."
Kalm repeated her words, stunned.
"A shadow… from the Realm of Shadows?"
She nodded and explained,
"You must first understand—my shadow is not ordinary.
It acts independently of me and can make its own decisions.
Once you reach the fifth stage—or fourth, depending on your talent—your shadow becomes a gateway that connects you to the Death Realm… the Shadow Realm."
She paused, listening to the sounds of the clash above.
"You must've seen the shadows on the city walls earlier.
I summoned them under my authority as Queen of Shadows—and naturally, they answered.
Some shadows are mischievous.
Others are rebellious by nature, unwilling to submit or obey—but they are rare.
Some can be negotiated with. Some can be tamed.
That's why I encountered… a few issues when my shadow first transformed into a gateway.
Now that I think about it—I've dealt with *many* issues."
Kalm gave her a faint, awkward smile at the way she said that.
Still, he remained quiet. He'd heard enough surprises for one day.
His eyes moved from the queen to her shadow.
The two looked at each other—
And then, in a rather casual gesture, the shadow lifted its right hand and waved at him, as if to say:
*Hello there, little one. No—short one.*
Kalm's brow furrowed.
Was the shadow… mocking him?
It was.
Just a shadow—and it had the nerve to throw cheap jokes at him.
But instead of scowling, Kalm's lips curved into a half-smile.
His logical mind had returned.
And the damned headache had finally faded.
He raised his hand to wave back at the shadow—
But a massive tremor rocked the ground beneath his feet, and he nearly lost his balance.
He looked past the shadow dome toward the source of the quake—
The earth had cracked wide open, splitting into deep, branching fissures like the roots of a tree.
Dust surged up thickly, clouding the view.
But after a few seconds…
It slowly began to clear, revealing the collapsed beast—
Sightless, swaying weakly, its body torn and bleeding from numerous wounds.
One of its wings had been completely ripped off.
Deep gashes and mangled flesh covered its massive frame.
And atop the defeated monster stood the terrifying Shadow Bird, its massive foot pressing down hard against its prey's head—pinning it mercilessly to the ground.
There wasn't a single visible wound on it.
It stood there—majestic, fearsome, sharp as the edge of a blade.
And now that Kalm thought about it… could a creature of shadow even *be* wounded?
It was, after all, something already dead by nature.
The dome of shadows melted away, parting elegantly to make room for the two of them.
With graceful precision, the queen forged a magnificent sword in her hand—crafted entirely from shadow.
She extended it to Kalm.
"Go on, little one," she said. "I hope the Voice of the World grants you something useful..."
Kalm took the sword in his right hand.
He stepped forward—slowly, steadily—holding on to his courage.
He stood near the head of the grotesque bat-like creature…
The same one that had tampered with his senses without permission.
The monster was already breathing its last.
All that remained was a final blow from Kalm to end it.
But something inside him resisted.
The creature before him was wounded, weakened, blind—utterly defeated.
It felt almost heartless to strike down something so pitiful.
He wasn't a bully preying on the helpless.
A strange warmth crept into his chest.
A tender, almost compassionate impulse urging him to let the creature go.
It had done nothing truly evil, after all.
In fact… it had given him some measure of peace—comfort, even—
A strange warmth in this cold, desolate world full of madness and solitude.
Even the pain in his body had faded.
Wouldn't *he* be the monster if he killed a harmless being like this?
Just let it go…
There's no need to kill it.
It's gentle… peaceful…
**"Mental influence again…"**
Kalm clenched his teeth.
He shook his head violently, trying to dispel the foreign obsession.
The effect was still present, but faint—no longer as intoxicating as before.
And before that deceptive kindness could grow and fester,
Kalm drove the blade forward—
Plunging the sharp edge of the sword into the creature's forehead with all the strength he could muster.
The beast let out a low, guttural groan—
A sound that almost sounded like a plea for its life.
But its cry was met only by the unyielding blade, sinking deeper into its skull.
The grotesque monster writhed, trying to fight back—
But the Shadow Bird pressed it firmly into the ground, preventing any escape.
Thick, foul-smelling blood trickled from the deep wound.
Kalm gritted his teeth and pushed the sword deeper—
All the way to the hilt—burying it in the monster's brain.
The creature convulsed, lashing out feebly…
But the shadow beast pinned it in place.
And after a few final, twitching moments—
Its head fell still.
Its body stopped struggling.
Kalm withdrew the blade… and then he heard it.
A familiar voice, echoing inside his head:
**\[You have slain a Tier Three Monster… the Soul Player.]**
Kalm raised an eyebrow, surprised by the name.
*The Soul Player?*
That grotesque thing was called a *player*?
But in a way… it *had* played a kind of music—
One that danced through minds and emotions.
He paused, reflecting on the name and the fallen beast…
Then the voice returned once more—with better news this time:
**\[You have received an Element.]**
Kalm gave a faint smile.
Just as the queen had said—he *had* received something.
But the problem was… he still had no idea how to use these things.
It all felt vaguely familiar.
Like those games rich kids used to play—what were they called again?
**Video games.**
Kalm had never played one himself.
Never even had the chance.
But he'd heard of them… and of how fun they were.
From what little he'd gathered in his wandering—and it wasn't much—
Each game had a specific system for playable characters.
Every detail about them would be recorded and tracked…
So he tried to focus on himself—
To see if maybe something would appear, something that might help him understand his current state.
And then, in a single instant,
his eyes widened as glowing letters shimmered before him—
written in a beautiful golden hue.
Kalm gasped.
His heart raced.
He didn't know what language this was—
but somehow, he understood it as if it were made just for him:
---
Name: Kalm
World Title: ?????
Stage: Dormant
Alignment: ?????
Attributes: ?????
Marks: \[Mark of Shadow]
Ichor: None
Elements: \[Warning Whistle], \[Player's Shield]