Location: Roof of the Ghost Train]
[Speed: 150 km/h]
[Status: Approaching Tunnel]
The wind on the roof was brutal. It felt like invisible knives slicing through the air, trying to peel the skin off Ryan's face. The roar of the engine was deafening, drowning out even the sound of his own heartbeat.
Ryan stood on the vibrating metal surface, his [Shadow Cloak] flapping violently behind him like the wings of a bat. He channeled mana into his feet—a basic technique he had picked up from the Skill Book—sticking himself to the roof like a magnet.
Five meters away, the monster screeched.
[Boss: The Tunnel Crawler (Level 25)]
[Type: Mutant Arachnid]
It looked like a nightmare crossbreed between a spider and a human corpse. It had eight long, spindly limbs ending in rusted hooks. Its mouth was a vertical slit filled with needle-teeth that dripped sizzling green acid onto the metal roof.
"KIIIIII!"
The screech pierced through the wind.
"Ugly thing," Ryan shouted, gripping his Soul Shatterer. "You don't have a ticket! Get off my train!"
The Crawler lunged. It moved terrifyingly fast, scuttling across the slippery metal roof with unnatural grace. It swiped a massive hook at Ryan's head.
"Duck!" Ryan yelled, dropping flat onto his stomach.
The hook missed him by inches, sparking against the metal roof. CLANG!
"Now, Annie!"
Annabelle, who was hiding behind Ryan's leg, launched herself into the air.
"My turn!"
She landed on the monster's back, her small hands gripping its slimy scales. She raised her [Jester's Dagger].
Stab. Stab. Stab.
She wasn't strong enough to kill it, but her dagger inflicted [Madness Poison].
The monster roared in confusion, thrashing violently. It threw Annabelle off its back. She flew towards the edge of the train, about to fall into the frozen wasteland below.
"Annie!" Ryan stretched out his hand.
A black arm shot out from Ryan's shadow—Bob (The Shadow Butcher) extended his limb and caught the doll in mid-air, pulling her back to safety.
[System Warning: Tunnel Entrance in 30 seconds.]
[Clearance Level: Low. Standing targets will be decapitated.]
Ryan looked ahead. A massive black mountain was approaching fast. At the base was a small stone archway—the tunnel.
The clearance was barely a few feet above the train. If the monster (or Ryan) was standing when they hit the tunnel... SPLAT.
"We have to finish this fast!" Ryan gritted his teeth. "I am not dying in a traffic accident!"
The Crawler shook off the poison's effect. It was enraged. It opened its mouth wide, ready to spray a stream of acid that would melt Ryan and the roof beneath him.
Ryan tapped his Pandora watch.
"Pandora... Form Change: Riot Shield."
CLICK-CLACK.
The black liquid metal expanded instantly, forming a heavy tower shield with a glowing blue energy field.
PSSSHHH!
The stream of acid hit the shield and sizzled harmlessly. Ryan braced himself against the impact, his feet sliding backward on the icy roof.
"Grog! NOW!" Ryan shouted into his earpiece.
Inside the carriage directly below them, Grog was standing on a table, waiting for the signal. He wound up his massive fist.
"GROG SMASH CEILING!"
CRASH!
A massive green fist punched through the metal roof of the train, right underneath where the monster was standing. The metal buckled and exploded upwards.
The Crawler lost its balance as the floor beneath it dented. It stumbled, two of its legs slipping off the edge.
"Goodbye, Spider-Man," Ryan smirked, deactivating his shield.
He grabbed his gun. He didn't aim at the monster.
He aimed at the Coupling Pin connecting the monster's car to the rest of the train.
BANG! BANG!
Two explosive spirit bullets shattered the metal pin.
The connection broke.
The train car the monster was standing on began to drift away, slowing down rapidly as the engine pulled the rest of the train forward.
The Crawler screeched, realizing it was being left behind. It tried to jump, but the gap was already too wide.
Then... WHOOSH.
The train entered the tunnel.
Ryan dropped flat on the roof just as the stone archway zoomed past, inches above his nose. He could feel the cold stone brush against his hair.
Pitch black darkness swallowed them.
The sound of the monster's screech fading into the distance was replaced by the rhythmic roar of the tunnel.
[Ding! Defeated The Tunnel Crawler.]
[Method: Environmental Kill.]
[Fear Points: +3,000]
[Level Up Progress: 50%]
Ryan lay on the roof in the dark, breathing heavily. The adrenaline was fading, leaving his limbs shaking.
"That... was too close."
Annabelle crawled over to him in the dark, her button eyes glowing faintly.
"Papa, that was fun! Can we do it again?"
"No," Ryan groaned, rolling over. "Next time, we stay inside and drink tea like civilized people."
He found the roof hatch and pulled it open. He dropped back into the warm, lit carriage.
The passengers—the Vampire, the Ghouls, the Headless Woman—all looked at him. They had heard the battle. They saw him return alive.
The Vampire raised his blood-bag in a toast.
Ryan nodded back, exhausted.
The Conductor's voice crackled over the speakers.
"Tunnel cleared. We are arriving at the destination. Zone Z: The City of the Dead. Please mind the gap between life and death."
The train began to slow down. The screeching of brakes echoed.
Through the frosted window, Ryan saw it.
A massive metropolis of ruins. Skyscrapers that looked like tombstones piercing the frozen sky. Green fog swirled through the streets.
And in the center of the city, floating on a cloud of tormented souls, was a gigantic black castle.
The Necropolis.
Ryan's eyes glowed blue. His System hummed with anticipation.
"We're here."
[System Quest Updated: The Trial of the Abyssal Monarch.]
[Objective 1: Enter the City.]
[Objective 2: Survive the Horde.]
Ryan turned to his squad. Felix was vomiting in a bag (motion sickness). Violet was analyzing the Ogre blood on the floor. Grog was sleeping.
"Wake up, everyone," Ryan kicked Grog's foot. "Vacation is over. Welcome t
o Zombieland."
He checked his ammo. He checked his health.
He put on his [Mask of the Laughing Demon].
"Let's go steal a Crown."