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Chapter 20 - The Pale Maw Hunts

The dungeon corridors seemed narrower now, the air thicker.

Wong's boots splashed in shallow puddles that reeked faintly of rot, the sound bouncing off the wet stone walls in irregular echoes.

Behind him, the dragging noise grew clearer — a heavy, rhythmic scrape, followed by a muffled thud.

Whatever the Pale Maw was, it was not in a hurry.

Predators that know you can't escape never are.

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[System Warning]

> Proximity Alert: The Pale Maw is tracking you.

Detection Radius: 35 meters and closing.

---

Wong's heartbeat quickened.

He ducked into a side passage and pressed himself flat against the wall, extinguishing the faint necrotic glow from his staff.

The corridor ahead was broken — floor stones cracked and sunken, with narrow gaps that dropped into darkness.

A half-collapsed bridge stretched over one of them, the rope frayed and damp.

The shortest path out. Also the loudest.

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He tested the first plank — it groaned under his weight.

Halfway across, the wood snapped. Wong threw himself forward, barely catching the opposite ledge. His ribs screamed in protest.

[HP: 25 / 90] – Minor Injury Applied]

The dragging noise stopped.

Silence.

Then a low, wet inhale — from directly below the bridge.

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A pale, sinewy arm shot upward from the darkness, fingers too long, skin stretched tight over bone.

Wong yanked his leg back just in time, feeling the air stir where claws had been.

He scrambled down another hallway, breathing hard, resisting the urge to glance back.

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[System Update]

> Environmental Hazard Detected: Choking Fog ahead.

Effect: Vision reduced by 70%, stamina drain increased by 25%.

Optional: Use summon to scout (risk: detection).

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The fog rolled in from the floor like a living thing, swallowing the stones beneath him.

Somewhere inside it, something metallic clinked — like chains dragging on stone.

And still, far behind but relentless, came the Pale Maw's steady pursuit.

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