Chapter Five: The Monster on the Second Floor
The deeper they walked into St. Ivana Memorial Hospital, the colder it felt.
The lights flickered as if the building itself was breathing.
Hallways stretched long and empty, filled with overturned stretchers and dried blood trails.
Something heavy shifted above them—on the second floor.
Aiden tightened his grip on Maya's hand.
Dara whispered, "Bro… tell me that wasn't footsteps."
Aiden's eyes glowed faintly with Heavenly energy. "Not footsteps."
He looked up toward the staircase.
"Something's waiting for us."
The System chimed.
[WARNING: HIGH-LEVEL VARIANT SIGNATURE DETECTED]
Estimated Threat: A-Rank
Classification: "Stalker-Type Mutant"
Ability: Unknown
Dara swallowed loudly. "A-Rank? But you're only Level 1, bruv!"
Aiden didn't deny it.
He simply stepped forward.
The Stairwell
The stairwell was dark.
Completely dark.
As if all light refused to enter.
Maya tugged Aiden's shirt. "Don't go…"
He knelt down and brushed her hair softly. "I have to. But I'll come back. Dara will stay with you."
Dara lifted his machete. "I got her."
Aiden nodded and placed Maya in his arms.
"Keep her safe. If anything happens—run."
Then he turned toward the darkness.
His fist glowed brighter.
[HEAVENLY STRIKE — Lv. 3]
Damage Output: High
He exhaled.
And stepped into the shadows.
Second Floor Corridor
The second floor was… different.
Not just abandoned.
Transformed.
Veins of glowing blue spread across the walls like sick roots.
Metal doors were twisted open by incredible force.
The air felt heavy, charged, almost electric.
Aiden whispered, "What happened here?"
The System responded:
[The hospital was a transformation zone. Multiple humans mutated beyond Stage 2.]
A sound echoed down the hall.
Click.
Click-click.
Like claws touching tiles.
Then—
A low voice, distorted yet chillingly intelligent:
"…Celestial host… come closer…"
Aiden stiffened.
Zombies didn't speak.
Not like this.
A shape detached itself from the darkness at the far end.
Tall.
Slender.
Human-shaped—but wrong.
Its limbs were too long.
Its bones too visible beneath its skin.
Its eyes glowed with twin halos of blue.
And on its chest was a core—
Bigger than the one from the first variant.
Pulsing like a heart.
The System flashed crimson.
[A-RANK VARIANT IDENTIFIED]
Name:The Stalker
Type: Hunter Mutation
Ability: Adaptive Camouflage
Secondary Ability: Energy Leech
Intelligence Level: High
Kill Count: 47
Aiden's jaw tightened.
This thing had killed people.
A lot of people.
The Stalker tilted its head slowly.
"…You glow like the sky… young one…"
Aiden stepped forward. "You're not getting anywhere near my sister."
The creature shivered with excitement.
"…Protective instincts… delicious… I must taste them…"
It vanished.
Aiden blinked.
"Where—?!"
A claw slashed behind him—
He blocked just in time—
But the impact sent him sliding back across the tiles, shoes screeching.
The Stalker hissed.
"…Fast reflexes… ruined by fear…"
It lunged again.
Aiden dodged with Celestial Step, appearing behind it.
He swung with Heavenly Strike—
But the creature's skin shifted, turning glassy.
His fist passed through its body as if hitting mist.
Aiden stumbled.
"It… phased?!"
The System answered:
[Stalker can partially shift matter using absorbed energy.]
Aiden growled.
"Okay. That's busted."
The Stalker reappeared in front of him, claws dripping with bio-energy.
"…Your fear… strengthens me…"
Aiden's eyes widened.
This thing fed off emotions.
If he panicked—
It got stronger.
He exhaled and steadied his heartbeat.
"No. You don't get to scare me."
Golden energy flared around him.
[NEW ABILITY SYNTHESIS AVAILABLE]
Use Bio-Core Fragment to create a counter-skill?
→ Yes
→ No
Aiden didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
The fragment glowed in his pocket—
Then dissolved into particles of light—
Forming a new sigil on his arm.
[NEW SKILL UNLOCKED]
• Radiant Pulse (Lv. 1)
Releases a blast of pure celestial disruption. Cancels camouflage and phasing.
Aiden smirked.
"That's more like it."
The Stalker froze for a moment.
"…What… did you create…?"
Aiden raised his hand.
"Your worst nightmare."
RADIANT PULSE!
A shockwave of golden light erupted from his body—
The hallway lit up like a sunrise—
The Stalker screeched as its camouflage shattered and its body flickered solid.
Aiden didn't waste the chance.
He activated Celestial Step—
Appeared above the creature—
And slammed his fist into the glowing core on its chest.
BOOOOOOM!
The entire corridor shook.
Ceiling tiles fell.
Walls cracked.
Blue energy exploded outward.
When the light faded—
The Stalker lay crushed in a crater of broken tile.
Its core flickered… then dimmed.
Aiden stood over it, panting.
The System chimed softly.
[A-RANK VARIANT DEFEATED]
Reward: +50 XP
New Item: Stalker Core (Rare)
Level Up: Level 2 → Level 3
Aiden wiped sweat from his brow.
"That's for everyone you killed."
He turned toward the stairs.
"Maya… I'm coming back."
But as he walked away, the creature's shattered core twitched.
A faint blue spark crawled across the floor—
Seeping into the hospital walls—
Disappearing.
Unseen.
Unnoticed.
Alive.