My mind ran through everything I rembered from [WOMD], but I could not recall a constellation nad ’Forgotten Shore’ anywhere. Then again, I was not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed when it ca to rembering every little detail.
"I will check later..."
I made a ntal note to look it up in my ’Diary’. Well, it was just the notes app on my phone, but calling it a diary made it sound more professional.
Either way, I tapped ’No’, and the sub-scenario disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.
"Man..."
I let out a small sigh.
I would be lying if I said I was not tempted. After everything I had just gone through, my pockets were basically empty, and ten thousand coins would have fixed that instantly.
But then I glanced at the river.
The water had already started to settle, and beneath the surface, I could see the massive shapes of the Titanoboas slowly rging back into it, as if nothing had happened.
Gulp!
My throat went dry. I had just survived being food once. That was more than enough snake-related experience for one day.
"Yeah... not happening."
Turning away from the river, I began walking toward the city ahead.
[You have entered the area of the third scenario.]
As soon as I crossed into the city, the next scenario began.
[Scenario – Descent of the Yellow King ]
Category: Sub
Difficulty: F
Clear Conditions: The King in Yellow is trying to descend by spreading its madness. Stop the four Apostles before they gather enough sacrifices.
Ti Limit: 1 week
Compensation: ???
Failure: ???
The mont I stepped into the city, a strange heaviness settled over everything around . It didn’t look like a place that was a normal city just a few hours ago.
It was as if the place itself had been abandoned for far too long and no longer belonged to the living.
The streets were already ruined. Buildings stood broken and hollow, with large cracks running across their walls and sections completely collapsed as if sothing massive had torn through them. The ground was uneven, covered in debris, shattered glass, and dried stains that had turned.
This was not a city anymore. It was what remained after one.
A faint sll was present in the air, thick and unpleasant. It was like rot had seeped into every corner and refused to leave.
I walked forward carefully, my eyes moving across the surroundings, taking in every detail. There were no signs of life anywhere, but the silence did not feel empty. Instead, it felt like sothing was hiding inside it, waiting.
"This place feels wrong..."
The words left my mouth quietly as I tightened my grip on the dagger.
As I moved deeper into the street, I started noticing shapes scattered around. At first, they looked like piles of debris, but the closer I got, the more they began to resemble bodies.
So were barely recognizable, while others still looked almost human, frozen in the exact positions they had died in. I forced myself to look away and kept walking.
Then I heard it.
A slow, dragging sound echoed from sowhere ahead. It was faint but clear enough to make stop. I stayed still and listened.
The sound ca again, uneven and rough, like sothing heavy being pulled across the ground.
My body tensed.
"That is not good..."
I looked ahead and noticed a figure standing at the far end of the street. It was hunched slightly, completely still at first. Then its body jerked in a strange, unnatural way.
My eyes narrowed as I watched it.
The figure slowly lifted its head and took a step forward, but instead of walking normally, its foot dragged across the ground. The movent was stiff and delayed, as if it had forgotten how to move properly.
As it ca closer, its appearance beca clearer.
Its skin looked pale and damaged, stretched thin in so places and torn in others. Parts of its body seed to be decaying, and its eyes...
There was nothing in them.
No awareness, no emotion, nothing that resembled a human anymore.
"Yeah... figures."
The mont the thought crossed my mind, more movent followed.
From the sides of the street, from behind broken walls, and from inside dark buildings, more figures began to appear. So walked slowly, so dragged their bodies forward, and so just stood there before turning in my direction.
Every single one of them looked the sa. Empty and broken.
The silence around disappeared as the faint sounds of dragging feet and low, distorted noises filled the air. It created an atmosphere that made it clear this place was far from safe.
I exhaled slowly and adjusted my grip on the dagger.
These people... or whatever they had beco... were all those who had failed the scenarios. Even in death, they had not found peace.
Unlucky!
But that was a problem for philosophers, not for .
Because right now... it was ti to run.
"What? Fight them?" I muttered under my breath as I took a slow step back. "Do I look like a charity worker? There is literally nothing to gain here."
One zombie was already getting too close, its head tilting in that creepy, broken way as it dragged itself toward .
"Yeah, no. I respect your enthusiasm, but I am going to pass."
And with that, I turned around and ran.
"I choose life!"
My legs moved before my brain could even catch up, and within seconds, I was sprinting down the ruined street, my footsteps echoing loudly as I pushed myself forward.
Behind , the zombies reacted. The dragging sounds grew louder as more footsteps joined in.
That low, disturbing chorus of groans and scraping noises followed like a wave.
"Why are there so many of you?!"
I did not look back. Looking back was how people tripped, and tripping was how people died.
I took a sharp turn into a narrow street, nearly slipping on debris as I forced my body to keep moving.
"Think... think..."
Fighting them was pointless. There were too many, and they did not even look like they could feel pain properly. Even if I managed to stop a few, the rest would just keep coming.
"This is not a boss fight, this is pest control!"
A broken car blocked part of the road ahead, forcing to vault over it. I barely cleared it, my foot scraping against the tal as I landed awkwardly on the other side.
"Great, now I am doing parkour too..."
Another growl echoed closer than before.
"...Why does that sound closer?"
I risked a quick glance over my shoulder. It was a bad idea. A very bad idea.
"They are faster than they look?!"
A few of them had picked up speed, their movents still awkward but disturbingly effective as they closed the distance.
"Nope. Absolutely not."
I pushed myself harder, ignoring the pain in my legs as I sped up.
"Listen, we can talk about this! You guys clearly had a rough day, I get it, but chasing is not going to fix your problems!"
One of them lunged from the side.
"OH CO ON!"
I barely dodged it, stumbling for a second before regaining my balance.
"Personal space! Ever heard of it?!"
My breathing grew heavier, but I did not slow down. Running blindly was dangerous, but stopping was worse. I scanned ahead and spotted a partially collapsed building with a narrow entrance.
"Perfect."
Without hesitating, I dashed toward it and slipped inside, imdiately ducking behind a broken wall as I tried to control my breathing. I was no longer in their view.
The sounds followed. They gathered outside, so of them wandering past, others stopping near the entrance as if sensing sothing.
I covered my mouth and stayed completely still. Seconds passed, followed by a few more. Slowly, the sounds began to fade as the group moved on, their attention drifting away.
Only then did I finally exhale.
"...I hate this city."
Leaning back against the wall, I wiped the sweat from my face and let out a tired sigh.
"Third scenario, huh..."
If this was just the beginning... then this was going to be a long week.
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