They approached cautiously, stepping into a wide-open area.

A campfire.

Beside it, two men sat bound and gagged, writhing weakly. The missing soldiers. And they looked alive.

Daion leaned forward to move—

Jack pushed him down gently, signaling for silence.

Daion focused his gaze and, after a moment of concentration, saw them.

Dozens of creatures like before, crouched in the shadows, all exhaling the same dark smoke.

And beneath them…

Two figures. Hard to make out.

Jack whispered dryly, "Minjae."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Minjae muttered, annoyed.

Without hesitation, he moved forward, made a subtle hand gesture, then shot Daion a smug grin before vanishing into the darkness. Just disappeared.

The silence that followed was suffocating, as if the entire cave was holding its breath.

Then, one of the bound soldiers slowly lifted into the air, floating toward them. Jack caught him without issue.

The Devourers began murmuring—inhuman, wet, rasping sounds, like something viscous slipping between their teeth.

They were restless.

Why?

The second soldier floated toward them—

Then something dropped from the ceiling.

A Devourer landed on the floating body, pinning it in midair. Its nostrils flared as it sniffed, like a hound catching a scent.

The screech it let out was horrifying.

And then, it sank its teeth into the soldier's throat.

A scream ripped through the cave.

A wet sound.

Then, from the darkness—

A voice.

"Well, well… what do we have here?"

Minjae spun around instantly, knives in hand.

The rest of the group snapped to attention.

From the shadows, a reptilian creature emerged—nearly two and a half meters tall. Its body was a mass of muscle, covered in dull scales and scars from old battles. Its long arms gripped a massive battle axe, its edges chipped and jagged, as if it had cleaved through countless bones.

Its yellow eyes gleamed with anticipation.

If reptiles could smile, this one was.

Without warning, the axe came crashing down in a brutal strike.

Minjae rolled out of the way just in time. The blade smashed into the rock, sending shards of stone flying like shrapnel.

Without hesitation, Minjae countered. A clean cut. Precise.

The reptile's arm flew off in a spray of dark blood.

The monster let out a guttural roar.

But what it did next was even more disturbing.

Showing no pain or desperation, it crouched, picked up its own severed arm… and tossed it aside like trash.

"Ugh… filthy human," it snarled, flexing its jaw.

Unfazed, it adjusted its grip on the axe with its remaining hand and locked eyes with Minjae.

"Minjae, watch out!" Haruka shouted.

Minjae reacted at the last second.

A massive club swung past his head, the force of the blow sending a gust of wind that ruffled his hair.

Another attack. Then another. Wild. Erratic. Minjae dodged with inhuman reflexes, but each strike forced him back, cornering him.

For someone carrying an injured soldier, moving like that was absurd.

But he wasn't invincible.

The cave exit was blocked.

And worst of all…

They weren't alone.

"You hear that?" the reptile muttered, flicking its forked tongue. "There's a woman here."

"Yes…" Its companion, a gaunt creature with black skin and four glowing red eyes, tilted its head. "There are probably more Summoned ones."

The reptile's gaze darkened with a hunger that had nothing to do with food.

"Maybe we should have some fun before we kill them."

A chill ran down Daion's spine.

Then, he moved.

Jack tried to grab his arm, but Daion slipped free and sprinted forward without hesitation.

If they wanted a fight, they'd get one.

His blade slashed toward the reptile's back.

But the creature was ready.

It turned swiftly, dodging with ease. Daion, off-balance, released his sword to retreat.

Luckily, it wasn't a direct hit.But now he was unarmed.

Or was he?

He remembered the fight with the bat in the city.

The sword…

He raised his hand, focusing.

The blade responded instantly.

It flew back to his palm with terrifying speed—And in the process, it severed the leg of the gaunt monster.

The creature looked down at its split foot… with disturbing calm.

"Gah! You bastard!" the reptile snarled at the sight of its injured comrade.

Daion tightened his grip on his sword and, without thinking, shot back:

"I'd say that title fits you better."

A brief silence.

Jack, still keeping an eye on the enemies, muttered,

"…Was that an insult?"

With adrenaline pumping through him, Daion replied confidently,

"…Yeah? Right?"

Jack sighed.

"Look, I don't know what kind of person you were before you lost your memory, but I really hope you weren't a comedian."

The reptile growled, more annoyed by their conversation than his companion's injury.

"Are you two done with your stupid jokes?"

Jack smirked.

"Tell him that. He's the one testing new material in the middle of a fight."

Daion cleared his throat, refocusing.

The banter was cut short when Minjae—still holding the injured soldier—shouted:

"Catch!"

Without thinking, Daion extended his arms.

The weight nearly knocked him over, and in the process, his sword grazed the soldier's leg.

"Shit, sorry!" he blurted out immediately.

The soldier only groaned in response.

Minjae brought his arms together, and from him, a thick black smoke spread like venom, engulfing the monsters in a blinding haze.

Then, with the precision of an executioner, his knife slid across the reptile's throat.

A wet gurgle echoed through the cave.

The lizard dropped to its knees, its body trembling in spasms as blood bubbled from its open neck.

A weak choking sound escaped its lips before its eyes went completely blank.

"You bastard!" its companion roared.

With a furious motion, the gaunt creature swung its massive club, striking Minjae with brutal force.

The impact was deafening.

The blow slammed him against the cave wall with a sickening crunch.

A chilling snap filled the air.

Minjae gasped. His mouth opened as if to breathe, but all he managed to do was cough up blood.

Daion felt a cold shiver crawl down his spine.

Minjae—their most experienced fighter, their strongest ally—was on the ground.

The monster advanced, stepping over its fallen comrade without a second thought.

A twisted satisfaction gleamed in its grotesque face.

Daion tried to move back.

But his body wouldn't respond.

Then, he saw it.

The creature's leg…

It was regenerating.

"…Shit. It's a Hellseaker," Jack murmured, his voice pale.

A gunshot rang out in the cave.

The bullet hit the creature directly in the eye, blasting through its skull in an explosion of flesh and bone.

But the Hellseaker didn't fall.

It roared, its remaining eye burning with rage.

"Daion, move!" Finn shouted, carrying the other soldier on his shoulder.

The Devourers… had awakened.

The ground trembled under the weight of dozens of creatures emerging from the darkness. Their small, skeletal bodies swarmed forward, their gaping jaws filled with endless hunger.

Daion slashed through the guard's restraints, and together, they ran. Jack, somehow, had managed to carry Minjae as they fled.

"What the hell just happened?!" Daion panted.

"The rookie screwed up," Minjae groaned through clenched teeth.

Finn and Daion exchanged confused looks.

"The Devourer you killed…" Haruka muttered, tension thick in her voice. "Its blood fell on Minjae. You alerted them."

A lump formed in Daion's stomach. The weight of guilt hit him like a punch to the gut.

But there was no time to dwell on it.

Jack kept running at full speed.

"We can't worry about that now. Our only hope is reaching the entrance," he said, frustrated but breathless. "Haruka, get ready!"

She nodded, flames dancing in her palm.

They raced through the cave, past the ancient paintings Daion had seen earlier. The light of the exit seemed closer.

Then…

A bloodcurdling scream stopped them cold.

Daion spun around.

One of the soldiers had fallen.

His body was swallowed by a swarm of Devourers.

The creatures tore into him mercilessly, their teeth sinking into his flesh with ravenous glee. Their claws ripped open his abdomen, pulling out pieces of skin and organs with terrifying ease.

The soldier's screams—pure, raw terror—sent shivers down everyone's spine.

Daion's body moved on instinct.

His sword was ready to strike.

His mind had already decided to save him.

But then—

A hand grabbed him.

"Leave him, idiot!"

Daion froze.

The others stopped too, momentarily stunned.

"…What?"

Jack's eyes burned with fury… and fear.

"You can't do anything!" he growled, teeth clenched. Behind them, the soldier's screams became unbearable. "Look at him! They're tearing him apart—he won't be able to move! Even if you get those things off him, are you gonna carry him all the way out by yourself?"

Daion's world tilted.

He looked at the soldier. Then at Jack.

Jack—who had always been the rational one, the guy who knew what to do. But now… he looked different.

Angry, yes. But also terrified.

He was telling him to let someone die.

Someone who was only in this situation… because of him.

The Hellseaker's roar shook the cave.

And Daion did the only thing he could.

He ran.

End of Chapter.