Steve stared at the leader.
Now he saw.
Before, the veil had hidden it.
Now, it didn’t.
The mouth was deformed. The flesh retracted. Yellowed, uneven teeth, exposed too much. Gums gray, almost black. The skin around it looked dead, like something that had forgotten to rot.
Steve felt his stomach turn.
It wasn’t disgust.
It was recognition.
The same tone. The same texture. The same emptiness.
He looked away instinctively and noticed. The other villagers. Small details. A lip too stiff. 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 heavy.
“We are like this because of a curse,” Kairo continued. No emotion. No drama. Like talking about the weather.
Steve took a deep breath. The air felt thicker.
“Don’t think everyone here is an Abject,” Kairo added. “Some 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 his hand to the veil. Covered his mouth again.
“Adventurers,” he replied. “Passing through. We asked for help. There was a wounded man. They healed him. They left.”
Nothing more.
No names.
No faces.
No traces.
Kairo turned around.
“I’ll return 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 beat too fast.
“How did I get into this?”
The thought hammered.
Time passed. He didn’t know how much. Time there seemed to slip away.
He stood up suddenly.
If he was going to escape, 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 night before.
She walked in a straight line. Eyes open. Empty. No tears. No anger. No visible pain.
Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
A body moving.
A spirit absent.
Steve felt a shiver.
No one spoke of what happened.
No one mentioned it.
No one avoided it.
Everything continued.
He began to observe more closely.
Routes. Entrances. Exits. Paths between the huts. Gaps between trees.
Hope.
Then he noticed the soldiers.
Always two. At the right distance. Watching too much. Reacting too quickly.
Every step he took was followed.
He wasn’t walking. He was being herded.
Without realizing it, he approached the center of the village.
The structure rose there.
The temple.
Simple. Imposing. Dark.
It looked ancient. Too ancient for that place.
Steve drew closer.
Two spears crossed his path.
Two guards.
Serious faces. Empty eyes.
“Entry forbidden.”
Nothing more.
Steve stepped back.
“Sorry…” he murmured.
He turned quickly.
There was no escape 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 the weight 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, Steve. It’s time to meet the Goddess of the Forest.”
Steve stood slowly.
“I’m grateful…” he began, measuring every word, “for the hospitality. For everything you’ve done for me. But I think it’s time for me to leave. I’m feeling much better.”
Kairo listened in silence.
Then he took a step forward.
“Before you go, you must visit the Goddess.”
Steve shook his head.
“I can’t stay.”
Another step.
The subordinates behind him shifted.
Hands tighter on their weapons.
Breaths heavier.
Steve understood.
Leaving willingly wasn’t 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 good.”
“We leave now.”
As he stepped out of the tent, Steve stopped.
The sculpture.
Black. Immense. Darkly beautiful.
A naked woman. Giant. Mouth open in an eternal scream. Body twisted in something between pain and ecstasy.
It was so large that three people could fit inside.
Steve’s stomach sank.
He stood motionless.
“Come, chosen one,” Kairo said, lightly patting his shoulder.
The deformed smile was there.
They set off through the forest.
Steve walked in silence. Eyes alert. Searching for gaps. Opportunities.
One guard noticed.
“What’s your problem, offering?”
Steve thought fast.
“I’m… needing to go.”
The guard stared. Judgment. Contempt.
“You’ll do that when we get there.”
They continued.
Then the ground shook.
A roar tore through the air.
A huge lizard emerged 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 living offering back.”
And the game began.
Chapter 10 — Part II
(The system doesn’t decide. Instinct does.)
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 the clash of weapons. Some soldiers stayed. Some came.
He didn’t look back.
Ahead, the HUD appeared.
> Error
User: unidentified
Class: unidentified
Other functions: unlocked
Steve gritted his teeth.
“You don’t need to remind me every time, damn system.”
He ran faster.
His foot slipped. A root. The world spun.
He saw the hill too late.
The ground vanished.
“Not again!”
He tumbled downhill. His body slammed. Shoulder. Back. Head. Everything became pain and leaves.
Behind him, the soldiers didn’t hesitate.
They tore off broad leaves. Fitted them to their feet. Improvised sleds.
They slid down.
The hill ended abruptly.
Steve hit the ground, gasping. Tried to stand. His legs failed.
No way out.
Behind him, three soldiers approached. Slowly. Encircling.
One stepped forward. Smiled.
“The leader said to bring him alive.” He tilted his head. “But he didn’t say in one piece.”
The soldier charged.
The spear sliced the air.
The HUD flashed.
> Error
User: unidentified
Class: Swordsman
Special attributes: activated
Steve felt something shift inside him.
“If you’re not going to help, don’t show up.”
His body reacted before his mind.
He spun. Leapt. A mid-air somersault. The spear passed where he had been a second before.
He landed behind the attacker.
Stopped. Breathed.
“Did I just do that?”
The other two soldiers hesitated.
Steve ran.
The HUD went wild.
> Error
Class: Swordsman
Level: 99
Level: 1
Level: 50
Level: 65
Level: 6
Level: 18
“What the hell is wrong with this system?!”
One 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 foliage.
Steve landed.
Something in him had changed.
His stance.
His breathing.
His presence.
The remaining two soldiers backed away.
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 it.
The HUD shifted mid-motion.
> Error
Class: Mage
Level: 15
The spear landed inches from his own feet.
Silence.
The soldiers blinked, confused.
Steve stood still.
Then he 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. Looking insane.
The soldiers exchanged glances.
“What’s happening…?” one muttered.
They nodded.
Charged together.
Steve panicked.
Pointed his hands.
“Get away! Get away!”
Something answered.
Ice exploded from the ground.
Trees froze halfway up. The soil turned into slippery crystal.
The soldiers lost balance. Fell. Hit hard.
Steve didn’t think. He ran.
He burst into a clearing.
Stopped.
Six soldiers ahead.
Four behind.
Surrounded.
He took a deep breath.
Smiled.
“Want to 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 from the soldiers’ hands.
Floated.
Confusion.
A blue blur streaked across the field.
A young man burst into view, running.
Blond hair. Blue eyes. Blue shirt. White pants.
His sword gleamed.
He didn’t stop.
Leapt. Spun in the air. A clean slash disarmed two soldiers before they could react. Landed rolling, already rising, horizontal strike, then vertical. Absurd precision. Every move calculated.
He shouted as he fought. Not from rage. From focus.
Another man joined the fray.
Older. Around thirty-five. Unshaven beard. A red cord tied around his forehead.
Simple clothes.
He smiled.
Fought relaxed. Light steps. Short strikes. Dodged attacks by inches. When he struck, it was surgical. Fists, elbows, sword hilt.
One 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. His body relaxed. Ready.
“Now everything’s fine, son.”
Steve knelt on the ground.
Staring at his back.
Stunned.
The bell echoed in the distance.
Same sound.
Different meaning.
And for the first time since arriving in that forest…
Steve breathed.
