The red dot was coming out of the cave, Kael could see it on the mini-map even without looking directly, like his brain had learned to read danger through peripheral instinct. It wasn't creeping. It wasn't hesitating. It was moving with the kind of straight-line purpose that made the dot feel heavier than it should've, as if the map itself was straining under the speed.
And since he just ran past the first station next to the dungeon, he knew he'll be done for before he could even make it to the exit station.
Not because he was slow, he wasn't. Not anymore. The title, the stats, the adrenaline; he could run like a man possessed. But there were limits. The tunnel was long, the path wasn't clean, and the basilisk didn't need to be smarter than him. It only needed to be faster. The sound behind him, scales skidding on steel, claws scraping stone, proved that it was.
