Each and every single person present in that region felt it, the presence of the one behind all of this.
[Awakener, you are inside the Red Zone.]
Raven's eyes flickered to his panel as the notification appeared.
[Participant, you are inside the Red Zone.]
Chris, too, received the same message.
It hadn't even been a full second since the warning flashed before them when the undead began to move.
They howled toward the sky, which had now bled completely crimson.
"Raggggggghhhhhhhh!!!"
With that bone-chilling cry, their second evolution began.
Raven and Chris locked eyes.
No words were exchanged, none were needed. Instinct told them both that even the faintest sound from their lips would bring every undead outside crashing down on them.
Even the thick walls and the glass doors of the store wouldn't be enough to stop the dead now.
And they weren't the only ones.
Across the region, eight locations had been engulfed in strange, hovering spheres.
High above them, Puck floated in midair, watching with a gleam in his eye.
"Are you all seeing this? The changes have begun. So many poor souls."
His words carried a veneer of pity, but his tone betrayed something else entirely.
Inside, he was screaming for more.
Below, the howls of the undead blended with the terrified screams of people, yet the loudest cries came from…
The Grey Zone.
"So, my dear viewers," Puck said, his voice almost playful, "get your popcorn ready… because the main scenario is about to begin."
He resumed his role as the enthusiastic commentator.
"I know most of you are familiar with this phase. The Curse of the Dead King, still unlifted after all these years. A scenario that has destroyed countless worlds, and the main reason for that… are the eight zones you see below."
As he spoke, chat notifications from his viewers began flooding in.
He slouched a little, his earlier excitement dimming as he muttered sheepishly,
"I apologize if I'm boring you. I was just explaining for any new viewers unfamiliar with this phase."
The eight zones weren't all Red. Each had its own horrors.
Orange Zones... where undead grew twice as strong as before. Survival here was still possible… in theory. There were currently 4 of them.
Red Zones... where undead strength quadrupled. Survival? Only for the luckiest or the strongest. There were 2 of them below.
Grey Zone... the dwelling of the Undead King's castle.
The chances of survival? None.
Every living thing, human or animal, was evaporated in an instant.
There was only one grey zone, and that was enough to destroy this entire region.
But among this chaos, there was one more place.
The green zone. The only place that was still safe. Where no undead will be able to reach.
But there was only one green zone.
"I know what you've all been waiting for," Puck said, his grin stretching wide. "This phase has never been cleared. No matter the world, no one has reached the King… until now. But…"
He paused, letting the silence build anticipation.
"This time, there's a human I think might do it. For the first time ever, this phase might actually be cleared."
His words detonated in his chat like an explosion.
It wasn't that there had been no worlds that hadn't come close before, many had, but none had succeeded.
And if the streamer with access to all participant information was saying this, there had to be a reason.
"I know, I know," Puck continued, feigning innocence, "you might think I'm baiting you to keep watching. But I would never lie to my viewers. So… let me show you something. You'll believe me when you see it."
He turned his gaze toward one of the two Red Zones.
Inside that very zone, within the store, Raven swallowed hard. His body trembled.
Yes. It was fear.
The constant ringing of the bell outside echoed in his skull, each chime tightening his chest. The undead shook violently in the growing dark fog, their presence thick and suffocating.
Raven gripped his chain so tightly it dug into his skin. Every instinct screamed at him to run, to survive.
He had never valued life the same way others did. Death was inevitable for all. And yet… he couldn't deny it, he didn't want to die here.
Maybe he never truly wanted to die at all. Or maybe…
'Why now? Why was I remembering them now?'
Was it because of his promise?
His teeth clenched, anger and frustration surging.
No matter how far he went, he could never escape his past.
'Maybe I'm just a leech after all.'
He looked outside. The undead had changed. He could tell at a glance that his old tricks for sneaking past them would no longer work.
"Do you know anything about this?" he whispered to Chris, his voice barely audible.
Chris's lips trembled, his eyes darting. "N-no…"
It was the first time Raven had seen him so shaken. But he couldn't blame him, this was not a moment where anyone could act normal.
And that went for everyone in the store.
"Ahhhhhh!!!"
A scream ripped through the air.
The fragile tension shattered. In a moment where even a whisper could be their death, the cry was like a flare shot into the night.
Thousands of undead turned toward them, eager, hungry, relentless.
And the store, once their refuge, had just become their cage.
***
Thanks for reading.