Steve stared at the leader.
Now he could see.
Before, the veil had hidden it.
Now, it didn't.
The mouth was deformed. The flesh retracted. Yellow, uneven teeth exposed far too much. The gums gray, almost black. The surrounding skin looked dead, like something that had forgotten to rot.
Steve's stomach churned.
It wasn't disgust.
It was recognition.
The same shade. The same texture. The same emptiness.
He looked away instinctively and noticed. The other villagers. Small details. A lip too rigid. A jaw that didn't close properly. A smile that wasn't human.
All of them.
The leader noticed.
He didn't try to hide it.
"By the way…" he said calmly, "…we haven't introduced ourselves yet."
Steve forced his gaze back.
"My name is Kairo."
The name landed heavily.
"We're like this because of a curse," Kairo continued. No emotion. No drama. Like someone talking about the weather.
Steve took a deep breath. The air felt thicker.
"Don't think everyone here is an Abject," Kairo added. "Some still resist."
Silence.
It wasn't comfort. It was a warning.
Steve swallowed hard. His voice came out shaky.
"And… those healers…" He paused. "They weren't wearing the same clothes as you. Where are they?"
Kairo raised a hand to his veil. Covered his mouth again.
"Adventurers," he answered. "Just passing through. We asked for help. There was an injured person. They healed him. Then they left."
Nothing more.
No names.
No faces.
No traces.
Kairo turned around.
"I'll come back later. We'll leave together. We're going to the temple of the Goddess of the Forest."
And he left.
Steve stood frozen.
His heart was beating too fast.
*How the hell did I get myself into this?*
The thought hammered inside his skull.
Time passed. He didn't know how much. Time seemed to slip away here.
He stood up suddenly.
If he was going to run, it had to be now.
He stepped out of the tent.
The village was… normal.
Too normal.
People walked. Children ran. Laughter echoed. Adults worked. Casual conversations.
As if nothing had happened.
Steve took a few steps.
He saw the mother of the Abject from the previous night.
She walked in a straight line. Eyes open. Empty. No tears. No anger. No visible pain.
A body moving.
An absent spirit.
A shiver ran through Steve.
No one talked about what happened.
No one mentioned it.
No one avoided it.
Everything just continued.
He started observing more carefully.
Paths. Entrances. Exits. Trails between the huts. Gaps between the trees.
Hope.
Then he noticed the soldiers.
Always in pairs. At the right distance. Watching too much. Reacting quickly.
Every step he took was being followed.
He wasn't walking.
He was being herded.
Without realizing, he drew closer to the center of the village.
The structure rose there.
The temple.
Simple. Imposing. Dark.
It looked ancient. Too ancient for this place.
Steve approached further.
Two spears crossed in front of him.
Two guards.
Serious faces. Empty eyes.
"Entry forbidden."
Nothing else.
Steve stepped back.
"Sorry…" he muttered.
He turned quickly.
There was no way out during the day.
When he returned to the tent, he heard the bell.
The same sound.
But something was wrong.
The bell wasn't calling.
It was marking.
It wasn't warning.
It was confirming.
Steve felt a weight settle in his chest.
The bell now sounded different.
Same tone.
Different meaning.
He sat on the bed.
Thoughts racing. Mental maps. Failed plans. Every option ended in a dead end.
Time passed.
The tent flap moved.
Kairo entered.
He was smiling.
The smile was wrong.
"Come on, Steve. It's time to meet the Goddess of the Forest."
Steve stood up slowly.
"I appreciate…" he began, choosing every word carefully, "…the hospitality. Everything you've done for me. But I think it's time for me to leave. I already feel much better."
Kairo listened in silence.
Then took a step forward.
"Before you go, you need to visit the Goddess."
Steve shook his head.
"I can't stay."
Another step.
The subordinates behind him shifted.
Hands tighter on weapons.
Breaths heavier.
Steve understood.
Leaving peacefully was not an option.
He forced a smile.
"Of course…" he said. "I don't want to be rude. I'll visit with you."
Kairo nodded.
"Very well."
"We leave now."
As he stepped out of the tent, Steve froze.
The sculpture.
Black. Immense. Somberly beautiful.
A naked woman. Giant. Mouth open in an eternal scream. Body twisted between pain and ecstasy.
It was so large that three people could fit inside.
Steve's stomach dropped.
He stood motionless.
"Come on, chosen one," Kairo said, lightly tapping his shoulder.
The deformed smile was there.
They set off into the forest.
Steve walked in silence. Eyes alert. Searching for gaps. Opportunities.
One guard noticed.
"What's your problem, offering?"
Steve thought fast.
"I… need to go."
The guard stared at him. Judgment. Contempt.
"You'll do it when we get there."
They kept walking.
Then the ground shook.
A roar tore through the air.
A massive lizard appeared ahead, green scales gleaming.
Steve didn't think.
He shoved the soldier beside him and ran.
The forest swallowed him.
Behind him, Kairo watched.
Calm.
"Go," he said. "And bring the offering back alive."
And the game began.
*(The system doesn't decide. Instinct decides.)*
Steve ran.
Branches slashed his face. Roots tried to drag him down. The air burned his lungs. His heart pounded too loud.
Behind him, footsteps. Many.
The lizard's roar echoed in the distance, mixed with metallic shouts and clashing weapons. Some soldiers stayed. Some came after him.
He didn't look back.
Ahead, the HUD appeared.
> Error
User: unidentified
Class: unidentified
Other functions: unlocked
Steve gritted his teeth.
"You don't have to remind me every time, damn system."
He ran faster.
His foot slipped. A root. The world spun.
He saw the slope too late.
The ground vanished.
"Not again!"
He tumbled down the hill. Body slammed. Shoulder. Back. Head. Everything became pain and leaves.
Behind him, the soldiers didn't hesitate.
They tore off large leaves. Slid them under their feet. Improvised boards.
They slid down.
The slope ended abruptly.
Steve hit the ground, gasping. Tried to stand. Legs failed.
No way out.
Behind him, three soldiers approached. Slowly. Encircling.
One stepped forward. Smiled.
"The leader said bring him back alive." He tilted his head. "But he didn't say in one piece."
The soldier charged.
The spear cut the air.
The HUD flashed.
> Error
User: unidentified
Class: Swordsman
Special attributes: activated
Steve felt something move inside him.
"If you're not going to help, don't show up."
His body reacted before his mind.
He spun. Leaped. A somersault in the air. The spear passed where he had been a second earlier.
He landed behind the attacker.
Stopped. Breathed.
*Did I just do that?*
The other two soldiers hesitated.
Steve ran.
The HUD went crazy.
> Error
Class: Swordsman
Level: 99
Level: 1
Level: 50
Level: 65
Level: 6
Level: 18
"What the hell is wrong with this system?!"
The soldier panicked. Threw a desperate punch.
Steve jumped.
Too high.
The HUD flashed.
> Level: 70
Steve's eyes changed.
Purple. Black. Too deep.
The kick came instinctively.
Dry impact.
The soldier was hurled through the trees, snapping branches, vanishing into the brush.
Steve landed.
Something in him had changed.
The posture.
The breathing.
The presence.
The two remaining soldiers stepped back.
Fear.
Steve felt an aura emanate from him. Something wrong. Something ancient.
He picked up a fallen spear.
The HUD kept flashing.
> Error
Level: 75
Level: 80
Level: 85
Level: 90
He threw.
The HUD changed mid-motion.
> Error
Class: Mage
Level: 15
The spear fell a few centimeters from his feet.
Silence.
The soldiers blinked, confused.
Steve stood still.
Then laughed. A short, nervous laugh.
"What…?"
He looked at the HUD.
> Class: Mage
Level: 5
"Damn system!" he shouted. "Now? Right now?!"
He was talking to himself. Gesturing. Looked insane.
The soldiers exchanged glances.
"What's going on…?" one muttered.
They nodded.
They charged together.
Steve panicked.
He pointed his hands.
"Get out! Get out!"
Something answered.
Ice exploded from the ground.
Trees froze halfway. The soil turned into slippery crystal.
The soldiers lost balance. Fell. Hit hard.
Steve didn't think. Ran.
He turned into a clearing.
Stopped.
Six soldiers ahead.
Four behind.
Surrounded.
He took a deep breath.
Smiled.
"Wanna play?" he said. "Then let's play."
He looked at the HUD.
Hope.
> Error
Class: unidentified
Attributes: deactivated
Level: 0
The smile died.
"Hands up," they said.
Steve raised his hands.
No strength. No confidence.
He surrendered.
Then the spears trembled.
They flew out of the soldiers' hands.
Floated.
Confusion.
A blue blur crossed the field.
A young man appeared running.
Blond hair. Blue eyes. Blue shirt. White pants.
The sword shone.
He didn't stop.
He leaped. Spun in the air. A clean slash disarmed two soldiers before they could react. Landed rolling, already rising, horizontal slash, then vertical. Absurd precision. Every movement calculated.
He shouted while attacking. Not in rage. In focus.
Another man entered the fight.
Older. Maybe thirty-five. Scruffy beard. A red cord tied around his forehead.
Simple clothes.
He smiled.
He fought relaxed. Light steps. Short strikes. Dodged attacks by centimeters. When he struck, it was surgical. Fists, elbows, sword hilt.
A soldier tried to grab Steve.
The bearded man appeared out of nowhere.
Dry elbow to the jaw.
The soldier dropped unconscious.
The man stopped in front of Steve. Planted his feet. Gripped the sword with both hands.
The blade traced a defensive arc. Body relaxed. Ready.
"Now it's alright, kid."
Steve dropped to his knees.
Staring at the man's back.
Stunned.
The bell echoed in the distance.
Same sound.
Different meaning.
And for the first time since he arrived in that forest…
Steve breathed.