Belial exhaled, surveying the two paths before them.
Neither was ideal.
His visor lit up, displaying familiar words.
ㄴNew landmark discovered: Hollowed mountainㄱ
Wow they even got the location's name right, Belial said with a impressed tone
The mountain route was open, exposed, and while it was free of monsters, there was one deadly flaw—the heat. As the planet's star rose, the crystalline structure of the giant mountain would retain its scorching temperature for far longer than the ground. Unlike loose rock or sand, which dispersed heat quickly, the giant mountain's dense, glass-like material would bake for hours before it cooled enough to be survivable.
They didn't have that kind of time.
Then there was the tunnel route—a direct path through the mountain's core, winding through an underground labyrinth. It would shield them from the sun, but at a heavy cost.
The monsters lurking within weren't just mindless beasts like the ones outside. No, these creatures were something else—predatory, calculating.
Belial knew this from experience.
Not that he could say that.
From Xin and Raven's perspective, this was their first time encountering these dangers. But he knew what was waiting for them in the dark.
And they were not ready.
Yet, despite the risk, the tunnels might be their only option.
Raven stood beside him, arms crossed, staring up at the mountain's gleaming surface. "I say we run for it," he stated bluntly.
Belial groaned. "Of course you do."
Xin, who was still catching his breath from their recent fight, shook his head firmly. "That's a terrible idea."
Raven glanced at him. "It's the safest bet. There are no monsters up there, and if we move fast, we'll be fine."
"No, we won't." Xin motioned to the crystalline rock above them. "Do you see what that is?"
"…A mountain?"
Xin sighed. "It's concentrated Crystalline composite—it holds heat. Unlike the sand, ground which cools after an hour or two, this thing is going to stay hot for much longer. If we run up there, we might avoid monsters, but we'll cook alive before we reach safety."
Belial had to admit, Xin had a point.
Raven, however, still looked unconvinced. "So your solution is to just run into a death tunnel instead?"
Xin shrugged. "It's either that, or die from heatstroke."
Belial sighed, rubbing his temples. "I hate this. I really do."
Raven huffed. "You're the one leading us. You make the call."
That was the problem. He already knew what was inside that tunnel. And if they went in, there was a good chance they wouldn't make it out.
But… was there another option?
He tapped his fingers against his arm, thinking.
He had run this scenario before—back when this world was just a game. Back when dying didn't mean actually dying.
In those runs, he had tried both routes.
Climbing the mountain led to a slow, inevitable death—either from heat exposure or being caught by the rising sun.
The tunnels…
The tunnels had almost always ended badly.
Almost.
But there was a way through. A path—a slim chance that they could make it. If they stuck to the right corridors, if they avoided the deeper zones, if they moved fast…
It was doable.
Barely.
"Alright," he said at last, turning to face the two. "We go through the tunnels."
Xin let out a breath of relief. Raven just grumbled. "Wonderful."
Without wasting time, Belial took the lead, guiding them into the dark, cavernous entrance.
The deeper they went, the cooler the air became. It was refreshing at first, but soon, it grew too cold, as if the mountain itself had been hollowed out by something unnatural.
The passage twisted and curved, illuminated only by the faint glow of ether that clung to the walls in strange, vein-like patterns.
Xin ran a hand over the markings. "This place is… weird."
Belial didn't respond. He knew what this was.
This was the territory of something far worse than the creatures they had faced before.
After several minutes of walking, they reached a fork in the tunnel—three paths, each leading into the abyss.
Belial stopped. His gut twisted.
He remembered this part.
Xin and Raven waited for him to decide.
The wrong choice here would mean death.
A deep, distant rumbling echoed from one of the tunnels.
Something was moving.
Watching.
Waiting.
Belial swallowed hard.
Well… No turning back now.
A deep, guttural rumble echoed through the tunnels, vibrating through the stone beneath their feet. It was faint, but it sent a shiver down Belial's spine.
Something was awake.
Xin and Raven stood behind him, waiting for his decision. The three tunnel entrances before them yawned open like the maw of some great beast, stretching into total darkness.
Belial's eyes darted between them.
Think.
In his past runs, there had been one correct path—one route that led to the other side without getting torn apart by the things that dwelled here.
He had died too many times figuring out which one it was.
And if he got it wrong now…
He clenched his fists. No room for mistakes.
Raven exhaled sharply, shifting in his armor.
Belial ignored him. He stepped forward, pressing a hand against the cool rock wall beside the tunnels. A thin etheric pulse traveled through the stone, sending back subtle vibrations.
A second later, he felt it.
The left tunnel was no good—he could sense the faint ripples of movement within. The center tunnel… even worse. The ether flow was distorted, warped unnaturally. That meant only one thing—a domain. A creature had marked that space as its own.
That left the right tunnel.
It was eerily still.
Not safe. Just safer.
Belial took a slow breath and pointed. "We go right."
Xin nodded, trusting his judgment. Raven muttered something under his breath but followed without complaint.
They stepped inside.
The tunnel walls narrowed as they moved deeper, forcing them into a tight formation. Their footsteps echoed slightly, swallowed by the cold, heavy silence pressing in on all sides.
It felt… unnatural.
Xin ran a hand along the wall, his fingers brushing against ether veins embedded in the stone. The energy here was old, yet… something felt off.
"The ether's shifting," Xin murmured.
Belial already knew that. The entire mountain's core had been tainted—warped by years of exposure to whatever horrors lurked here.
They weren't alone.
They never were.
A faint scraping sound echoed from behind them.
Xin and Raven immediately froze.
Belial slowly reached for his weapon, eyes darting to the darkness behind them.
Nothing.
And then—
A second scrape. Closer this time.
Xin inhaled sharply. "Something's following us."
yep
Belial's mind was calm. They needed to move—now. "Keep walking," he whispered. "Do not turn around. Don't stop."
Raven tensed but obeyed. Xin swallowed and did the same.
They picked up the pace, their movements quiet, controlled. Every instinct screamed at Belial to turn and look, but he knew better.
Some things in this world didn't hunt with sight alone.
Then—
The sound stopped.
The silence was almost worse.
Xin's breathing was tight, controlled, but Belial could feel the way his muscles tensed.
They kept walking.
Minutes passed.
Then—
A voice.
Low. Hollow. Right behind them.
"Why do you run?"
Xin stiffened.
Raven's fists tightened.
Belial's blood ran cold.
That voice… wasn't human.
He had heard it before.
No. No, no, no, not this thing.
Not it.
"You do not belong here."
Xin couldn't help it—he turned.
The moment he did, the tunnel behind them changed.
The walls shifted, warping like melted wax, twisting into unnatural shapes. A shape emerged from the darkness—tall, thin, and wrong.
It had no face.
Only a black abyss, as if something had ripped a hole in reality itself.
And it was smiling.
The eyeless
The moment Xin made eye contact, his vision blurred. His knees buckled, his thoughts turned muddled, like he was being pulled into something unseen.
"Xin!" Belial grabbed him, yanking him forward.
The creature lunged.
Raven moved fast, slamming his gauntleted fist into the thing's chest. There was no impact—just a hollow, sickening wail as the entity's form distorted, like smoke curling away from fire.
It reformed instantly.
And laughed.
Belial Cursed under his breath
There was no fighting this thing—not head-on it was way too powerful, and whats worse it was intelligent which only meant one thing.
"RUN!"
They bolted.
The tunnel twisted and turned, the air growing thick and heavy. Xin's heart pounded as he tried to shake off the lingering vertigo, pushing himself to keep up.
Behind them, the entity whispered.
"You cannot escape."
Belial gritted his teeth. Wanna bet?