A heavy silence fell.
Even the sound of breathing… felt unnaturally loud.
That grotesque thing—whatever it was—
was breathing.
Rolin didn't move.
His eyes were locked onto it, studying every detail.
That… thing had no clear shape.
Every time your eyes tried to follow its outline—
it shifted.
A mass of flesh, swelling and collapsing.
Black weeds writhed across it like living serpents—slithering in and out of its body, coiling, vanishing, then emerging again.
Disgusting.
Horrifying.
Repulsive.
Those were the words that crossed Rolin's mind.
Then—
A sound.
A pulse.
Slow.
Heavy.
Thump… Thump… Thump…
It wasn't clear if it was a heart… or something else.
But it felt wrong.
Like war drums echoing before a massacre.
Likath's voice came out low… different this time.
Cautious.
"…This isn't a normal monster."
Rolin didn't respond.
But he felt it too.
Something in his body was screaming.
Run.
But—
His feet didn't move.
The shock… was beyond his comprehension.
Then—
The thing moved.
A portion of its mass rose upward—
forming something like a head.
No eyes.
No mouth.
No nose.
No ears.
Just rotting flesh… wrapped in writhing black growths like veins.
It didn't make a sound.
It didn't need to.
Because it was obvious—
It had noticed them.
Likath froze.
"…It saw us."
In the next instant—
A part of its body exploded outward.
SHHHHH!
A whip-like mass of flesh shot forward at terrifying speed.
"MOVE!"
Likath shouted.
Rolin exploded backward.
BOOOOM!
The strike slammed into the rocky edge of the opening.
The stone cracked.
Shattered.
Fragments scattered everywhere.
That thing… was strong.
Far too strong.
At least—
Breaker-level.
The ground beneath them trembled violently.
Both of them lost balance and fell.
"RUN!" Likath roared.
Rolin didn't hesitate.
He clenched his teeth, forced himself up.
Likath dropped onto all fours.
Then—
They turned.
And ran.
Their footsteps mixed with the wet, sliding sounds beneath them.
Behind them—
SHHHH! SHHHHH!
Multiple fleshy tendrils surged forward, crawling across the ground at terrifying speed.
The sound—
Like chains dragging across solid stone.
Likath shouted,
"It's extending its body! This disgusting bastard—hey Rolin, isn't it one of your relatives? It's a meat bag just like you!"
"Shut up!" Rolin snapped.
He glanced back for a split second—
And saw a tendril slam into the ground right behind him.
BOOOOM!
Rotten flesh splattered everywhere.
Some of it landed on Rolin's arm.
He ignored it.
There was no time to worry about cleaning himself while running for his life.
SSSSSS!
"DAMN IT—!"
But that flesh did more than just stain him.
It melted through his black coat.
Burned his skin—
Like acid.
Rolin gritted his teeth.
He didn't stop.
The pain was intense.
But his life came first.
"LEFT!"
Likath shouted.
Rolin turned sharply.
Another tendril shot past him—sharp like a spear.
"This thing isn't just grabbing—it's trying to pierce you! Move faster if you don't want to end up roasted!"
"I KNOW!"
Rolin roared.
But—
Something was wrong.
They were getting slower.
Not from exhaustion.
The problem was—
The ground.
It was… moving.
Rolin stopped suddenly.
Looked down.
The sticky surface…
Was pulsing.
"Don't tell me…"
Likath whispered slowly.
"…we've been standing on it this whole time."
Rolin's eyes widened.
The realization hit.
That thing hadn't been worried about them escaping.
Because—
They never could.
Only one option remained.
Fight.
Or die.
Thump… Thump… Thump…
The pulse grew stronger.
The ground beneath them—
Rose.
As if it were breathing.
Then—
"AAAAAAAH!"
The ground exploded.
Dozens of tendrils burst out from all directions.
The attack was no longer from behind—
It was everywhere.
Rolin jumped.
Twisted his body midair.
His chains unraveled and shot toward the walls.
SHACK!
They anchored into the stone.
He pulled himself forward—
Barely clearing a tendril that could've torn him apart.
He landed.
Rolled.
Got up instantly.
"We can't escape like this!" Likath shouted.
"The whole place… is it!"
Rolin paused for a split second.
Just one glance at his flaming companion.
It was enough.
A tendril lunged at him—
SHHH!
He raised his dagger—
CHAK!
The black blade sliced through it.
But—
The severed piece didn't fall.
It moved.
Like a filthy rat.
Crawling toward him.
Alive.
Independent.
Rolin crushed it under his foot.
"…Damn it. It can split now?"
Then he said calmly—
Cold.
"I don't care."
"I'll send you to hell."
The tendrils closed in from every direction.
The ground shifted.
The walls pulsed.
The sound—
Thump… Thump… Thump…
It was like standing inside the chest of a giant creature.
Rolin inhaled slowly.
Then—
He smiled.
A small smile.
A mad one.
"Likath…"
"…Looks like we really found something useful."
Silence.
Then—
Likath laughed.
Low.
Dangerous.
"Finally, you're making sense."
His body ignited brighter.
Flames intensified.
"Then let's tear it apart."
The next moment—
Rolin lunged forward.
Not running.
Attacking.
In a living hell—
About to swallow them whole.
He pulled his chains—
Then released them.
They shot forward in a curved arc, cutting through the darkness like black serpents.
SHHHH!
CHAK! CHAK! CHAK!
Dozens of tendrils were severed instantly.
Rotting flesh scattered across the ground—
Still moving.
Likath burned the smaller pieces before they could reach Rolin.
But things weren't that simple.
The more Rolin cut—
The more enemies appeared.
He cut.
They multiplied.
As if they never died.
Rolin didn't stop.
He yanked the chain back—
Spun with it—
CRASH!
It slammed into the ground, dragging everything it had cut, tearing through even more tendrils.
"Don't stop!" Likath shouted.
"Don't give it time to regenerate!"
His flames surged.
He bit down on a plant-like appendage about to pierce Rolin's shoulder—
Burned it instantly.
Then turned into a streak of fire—
Shot toward a larger mass.
At the last moment, he reformed into his wolf shape—
BOOM!
The impact exploded.
Black smoke rose.
A sickening smell filled the air.
But—
Something was wrong.
The severed pieces didn't stop.
No matter how much they were crushed… cut… shredded—
They didn't die.
They moved faster.
Gathered.
Merged.
Formed something larger.
And then—
That larger mass began producing… smaller ones.
Rolin's smile froze.
"…It's multiplying."
Suddenly—
SHHHHH!
Dozens of new tendrils erupted from the ground.
Likath burned many of them.
But more kept coming.
Faster.
More violent.
As if the entity itself was growing enraged.
Rolin jumped back.
Not retreating—
Planning.
His chains lashed out again—
Cutting more.
"Stop mindlessly cutting!" Likath snapped as he returned beside him.
"Are you in love with flesh lumps because they look like you?!"
"You're making it stronger!"
Rolin slowed.
His eyes narrowed.
He started observing.
Not the attacks—
The movement.
All of it… was returning.
Every severed piece—
Crawled.
Toward one direction.
Deeper.
Toward—
The core.
The real body.
Rolin smiled again.
This time—
Cold.
"Then there's no escape."
"…Likath."
His voice dropped.
"Open a path."
Likath grinned.
Savage.
"With pleasure."
In an instant—
Flames exploded outward.
Fire surged from his body, igniting the black vegetation—
Turning a small blaze into a raging inferno that swept the entire path.
BOOOOOOM!
The tendrils burned.
Withdrew.
Shrank.
Weakened.
For a few seconds—
A path opened.
"NOW!"
Rolin dashed forward.
Like an arrow.
Chains wrapped around his arms, daggers in hand.
He raised his arms to shield his face from the intense flames.
He wasn't fighting what was in front of him anymore.
He was breaking through.
Heading straight—
To the core.
Likath followed close behind.
The closer they got—
The hotter.
The stickier.
The louder.
The pulse—
Thump… Thump… Thump…
Faster.
Stronger.
Then—
He saw it.
Deep in the darkness.
A massive mass of tangled flesh.
Pulsing slowly.
Rooted into the ground like a living core.
Black vegetation pierced through it… emerging like swollen nerves.
And there—
At its center—
Something like…
An eye.
Closed.
Rolin stopped for a fraction of a second.
One thought crossed his mind.
What the hell is this thing…?
Then—
It opened.
Slowly.
A human-like eye.
With a warm hazel pupil.
Completely—
Out of place.
The cavern shook violently.
"WATCH OUT!" Likath roared.
He leaped—
A mass of living fire—
Colliding with incoming tendrils.
BOOOOM!
They turned to ash instantly.
Faint, distorted screams echoed—
As if the flesh itself was in pain.
Likath didn't stop.
He burned.
Tore.
Destroyed everything in his way.
Forcing a path.
Rolin had only one goal—
End this.
At that exact moment—
He lunged forward.
Gripped Likath's dagger tightly—
And drove it into the center of the creature with everything he had.
CHAAAK!
The blade pierced the pulsing mass.
Flesh twitched.
Contracted.
As if the entire hell around them tightened into that single point.
The whole place trembled violently.
Strange screams echoed from all directions.
Likath moved behind Rolin.
His body began shrinking—
Condensing.
From a blazing beast—
Into a concentrated flame.
Then—
He dove into the wound Rolin created.
Silence.
One second.
Then—
Explosion.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Everything ignited.
The tendrils—
The ground—
The walls—
Even the air itself seemed to burn.
Oxygen thinned.
The entire cavern became a living furnace.
Dark crimson flames devoured everything like a starving beast.
The black flesh peeled.
Burned.
Melted.
The sound—
Was no longer a pulse.
But—
A scream.
Massive.
Piercing.
It felt like it tore through Rolin's very soul.
He stood there, barely.
Heat slamming into him.
Skin burning.
Soul shaking.
Pain everywhere.
But his eyes—
Didn't move.
He was staring—
At the eye.
In the middle of the chaos…
The flames…
The screams—
There was…
Peace.
Rolin's eyes widened.
"…What?"
The eye—
Wasn't angry.
Wasn't resisting.
Wasn't even fighting.
It was…
Calm.
Relieved.
As if—
This was what it wanted.
Rolin froze.
This wasn't a battle.
He realized—
He had never been fighting anything.
"Rolin…"
Likath's voice came faintly from within the flames.
"…Something's wrong…"
The fire intensified, devouring everything.
The flesh and vegetation turned to ash.
But—
The entity didn't resist.
Didn't attack.
It was…
Collapsing.
Slowly.
As if something inside it was melting away.
Rolin felt something gentle flowing into him.
Power.
Massive power.
Far greater than what he gained from the wolf.
Then—
He heard it.
A voice.
Not a scream.
Not a roar.
But—
A weak, exhausted whisper.
As if it had waited for ages to speak.
"…Finally… I can follow you… my dear."
Rolin's heart stopped for a moment.
That was—
A human voice.
The tendrils fell.
The sticky ground began to dry.
The walls cracked.
And the eye—
Started to fade.
Slowly.
But before it disappeared completely—
It focused on him.
Directly.
Then—
A surge of images flooded his mind.
Not his memories.
The creature's.
Darkness.
Roots.
Human screams.
Bodies—
Thrown.
Merged.
Crushed.
Words repeating—
"Equality…"
"All are one…"
"No difference…"
"…I love you."
Then—
Silence.
Long.
Painful.
Everything cut off.
Rolin snapped back to himself, breathing heavily.
The flames began to fade.
The mass…
Was no longer a mass.
Just burned remains.
Likath emerged slowly.
Back to his normal size.
His glow dimmer than before.
"…Damn."
He muttered.
"…That wasn't a monster."
Rolin stared at the ashes.
Silent.
Then said, in a heavy voice—
"…It was a prison."