For a heartbeat, silence. The sheep twitched once, then stilled.

But then—

Splrchhh—

A wet, sickening sound escaped the wound. From the gash spilled crimson, vein-like tendrils, writhing like living wires. They pulsed and spread, forcing the sheep's body to spasm violently. Its once-blank square eyes bulged, rolling erratically as its cube-like wool bristled unnaturally.

"…What the hell?" Airen muttered, stepping back.

The creature trembled, then slowly—unnaturally—rose. Not on its stubby legs, but upright. Bones cracked and warped as its short legs stretched, joints snapping into place where none had existed. With grotesque precision, it reshaped itself into a monstrous parody of a biped, balancing shakily like some cursed experiment.

The sheep—no, the thing—turned its eyes toward Airen.

Its movements were jerky at first, but the red tendrils tightened like puppet strings, guiding its body with terrifying control.

Airen's eyes widened. "…Shit."

The creature lunged.

BOOM!

The impact hit like a truck. Airen was thrown off his feet, skidding across the uneven ground. Dirt blocks scraped his arms, his lungs rattling from the force.

"Argh—damn it!" He coughed, forcing himself upright. His heart hammered. "System! You said this area was safe!"

[ This one is not strong. You can defeat it. ]

[ Look—it's coming. ]

Airen snapped his head up.

The abomination was already charging again, its broken hooves pounding the ground as it barreled toward him.

"Shit, shit—!"

He scrambled upright, placing two blocks in front of him with frantic precision.

CRASH!

The infected sheep slammed into the barricade. Its body crumpled backward, twitching violently, tentacles writhing as it tried to regain control.

Airen's lips curled into a sharp grin. "Heh. Guess you don't have much of a brain after all."

Without hesitation, he sprinted forward. Sword raised high, he drove the blade down into the monster's head.

Stab!

The parasite twitched. The tendrils writhed harder, refusing to let it die.

"Still not dead?!" Airen growled.

Stab! Stab! Stab!

Again and again, he plunged the blade into its skull until wool, flesh, and parasite matter split apart. Finally, the writhing slowed… then stilled.

Airen panted, pulling his bloodied sword free. His hands trembled—not from fear, but from the rush.

The corpse twitched.

Airen stiffened. At first, he thought the sheep was still alive. But then he noticed—something was moving inside the body.

Splrch—

From the gaping head wound, the parasite pushed itself out. A writhing bundle of crimson tendrils, slick with blood, dragging itself free like a monstrous worm. Its pulsing veins writhed desperately, searching for a new host.

"Ugh… disgusting," Airen muttered, grimacing.

The thing slithered across the dirt, dragging its squirming body, but halfway through its escape the tendrils spasmed. Without the host's body to sustain it, the parasite weakened rapidly. Its movements slowed, twitches turning sluggish until it collapsed into a shriveled, dried husk.

Only then did the sheep's carcass finally fall still, lifeless once more.

A panel appeared 

[ Experience gained: 20,000 ]

[ Points earned: 200,000 ]

[ Level up! Current Level: 11 ]

Then, before the corpse, three glowing panels appeared:

Options:

Vanish the body.

Collect the loot.

Store in inventory.

Airen tilted his head. "Oh? This option appeared too."

I almost forgot about this.

He eyed the grotesque husk. "…Yeah, no. What would I even do with this body?"

He tapped Vanish the body. The corrupted corpse dissolved into motes of light, disappearing completely. In its place, a single wool block appeared.

Airen stared, his expression flat. He even tilted his head, unimpressed, lips twitching in mild annoyance. "…Really? All that for one wool block?"

Still, he bent down, scooping it up. "At least it's something." The wool disappeared into his inventory with a soft flash.

When he looked up again, his chest tightened. The sun was already sinking. Shadows stretched long across the Cubic World.

"…Tch." He hurried back to the crude wooden house, slipping inside. He sealed the two-block gap with plank blocks, trapping himself in the boxy shelter. Still roofless, still crude. But better than nothing.

Sitting on the dirt floor, he exhaled. "System… that sheep. What the hell happened to it?"

[ It was infected. ]

"Infected? By what?"

[ I cannot tell you that. ]

Airen clicked his tongue. "You could tell me. You just don't want to."

[ I cannot say what infected it. But I can tell you the parasite's rank. ]

[ It was the lowest. Tier 1. ]

[ They affect low-level creatures. Mindless, weak. ]

Airen blinked. "…That was weak?"

He leaned back with a hollow laugh. "So, a low-level parasite… and it almost crushed me."

Outside, the last rays of the sun faded. The moon rose, pale and heavy, bathing the land in ghostly silver.

The silence that followed was suffocating.

Airen hugged his knees slightly, his instincts gnawing at him. "…I really don't want to go out at night."

Then—

ROOOAR!

The cry split the night like thunder. Airen flinched hard, his heart skipping. The sound echoed across the silence, deep and primal.

"What the hell was that?!"

[ I believe that was an Elite Wolf. ]

Airen froze. "…What's that?"

[A wolf larger and stronger than its kin. Leader of a pack. ]

"…So even wolves get ranks here." His jaw tightened. "Can I beat it?"

[ Yes. ]

Airen stayed put. Hours crawled by. The darkness pressed against his walls. Boredom itched at him.

"Should I… go out?"

Instead, he stacked three blocks high and climbed up, peeking over the edge of his roofless hut. He squinted into the distance, but the darkness swallowed everything.

"…I can't see a damn thing." He hopped down again, dusting himself off.

The System's voice cut in.

[ A hero should not be this cowardly. ]

Airen made a face—an awkward mix between annoyance and disbelief, his lips twisting and one eye squinting. It was the kind of expression that said: Are you kidding me right now?

"You don't get it. Sure, I could walk out there. But if I die, who's gonna save the world?"

[ …Well. You're not wrong. ]

Airen smirked faintly, leaning against the wooden wall. "…Exactly."

And so, under the moon's watch, he waited.