Chapter 16: Shadows in the Ruins

Sehan stood at the edge of the crumbling building, eyes scanning the ruined streets below. The wind carried a faint, hollow whisper through the empty city, a ghostly sound that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

Something was out there.

He tightened his grip on his sword, Void Edge. His instincts, sharpened by battle and survival, screamed at him—something was watching them.

Behind him, the others slept, their exhaustion overriding their fear. They had made it through the journey, but the real danger was just beginning.

A flicker of movement. Sehan's gaze snapped toward the far end of the street. In the dim moonlight, a silhouette darted between the ruins—fast, deliberate. It wasn’t some mindless beast.

A scout? Sehan narrowed his eyes. If something was scouting them, then it wasn’t alone.

Carefully, he stepped back into the shelter and nudged Jisoo awake. The man groaned but sat up quickly when he saw Sehan's expression.

"What's wrong?" Jisoo asked, keeping his voice low.

"We're being watched."

Jisoo's posture tensed. He glanced at the others. "Should we wake them?"

"Not yet. We don’t know what we’re dealing with," Sehan whispered. "Stay here. If something happens, wake the others and be ready to fight."

Jisoo looked like he wanted to argue, but he nodded. Sehan turned and slipped out into the ruins, silent as a shadow.

The cold night air bit at his skin as he moved through the streets, keeping low. Every step was measured, careful. The ruins were a perfect hunting ground—tight corridors, blind spots, and plenty of places for an ambush.

He rounded a corner, and the scent of something foul hit his nose—blood, rotting flesh. Then he saw it.

A corpse, slumped against a broken wall. The body was fresh. Not human.

Its features were twisted, monstrous. A humanoid creature with jagged teeth and dark, sickly skin.

So this world isn’t empty after all.

Sehan knelt beside it, examining the wounds. Deep gashes, clean cuts. Not from claws or fangs.

From weapons.

That meant intelligence. That meant enemies who could think and strategize.

A shuffling sound behind him. Sehan reacted instantly, spinning on his heel with Void Edge raised.

A figure lunged from the darkness.

Metal clashed as Sehan deflected a strike aimed at his throat. His attacker was fast, but Sehan was faster. He twisted, using the force of the attack to pivot behind them, slashing out.

His blade met flesh. A sharp cry of pain.

The figure staggered back into the moonlight, revealing its form. A humanoid monster—similar to the corpse he had found—but this one was alive, its glowing red eyes filled with malice. It held a crude weapon, dripping with black ichor.

Sehan didn’t give it time to recover. He dashed forward, Void Step activating in an instant. His body blurred, closing the distance in a blink.

With a single, precise strike, his sword pierced through its chest. The monster gurgled before slumping to the ground.

[You have slain a Forsaken Scout.]
[Experience gained.]

Sehan exhaled slowly, yanking his blade free.

Forsaken.

So that's what inhabited this world.

And if there were scouts...

His stomach tightened. That meant there was a larger force nearby.

They had to prepare.