The air in central Bandung was no longer something that could be called oxygen.
It felt sharp.
Like breathing in shards of glass that scraped the lungs with every breath.
The fog that had once been dull gray now carried a faint purple black glow.
Unhealthy.
Wrong.
The light came from corrupted mana particles, tainted by the Pride Domain.
It leaked from the massive tower in the distance.
Their steps slowed as they entered a large intersection.
Here, the silence felt heavier.
There were no more moving NPCs.
No repeating loops.
Only figures.
Standing still.
Arlan stopped in front of a broken bus stop.
His eyes widened.
His gloved hand trembled slightly.
This wasn't stone.
Not a statue.
A man.
Wearing mid level Paladin armor.
The emblem of the White Wing Garuda guild was still visible on his shoulder.
But the armor no longer looked like armor.
It had fused with his body.
From his boots to the strands of hair sticking out of his helmet, everything was covered in black crystal.
The crystal wasn't just coating him.
It had grown from inside.
Breaking through skin.
Through metal.
Then freezing the moment it touched the air.
Its surface reflected Arlan's face in a distorted way.
"God…" Bara whispered.
His voice sounded dry.
"This isn't a curse."
"This is preservation."
He stepped closer.
Lowered his shield slightly.
His hand hovered before finally touching the crystal.
The moment his skin made contact, he pulled back instantly.
"Cold," Bara muttered.
"Too cold."
"It's like touching something that keeps draining heat."
He frowned.
"…but I can feel something."
"What?" Desta asked.
His grip tightened on his sword.
"A pulse."
Vila moved immediately.
She closed her eyes and placed her palm against the chest.
A faint white glow spread from her hand.
Life Pulse.
It tried to reach inside.
A few seconds later, Vila staggered back.
Maya caught her before she fell.
"He's conscious," Vila whispered.
Her voice shook.
"Fully conscious."
"His heart is beating."
"Slow. Very slow."
"Maybe once every few minutes."
"But his mind…"
She swallowed.
"…his mind is still active."
"He's trapped in complete darkness."
"He can't move."
"He can't scream."
"He can't die."
Arlan felt sick.
He stepped closer.
Looked through the narrow gap in the crystal helmet.
Eyes.
Still open.
Still human.
But frozen.
The fear inside them didn't move.
Didn't fade.
It stayed.
Locked.
Like it had been caught at the exact moment of despair.
Maya turned slowly.
Her face pale.
"They're everywhere…"
The fog shifted slightly.
Just enough.
And the truth revealed itself.
Along the road leading to Gedung Sate, there were hundreds.
No.
Thousands.
Frozen players.
An archer stuck halfway up a streetlight.
Bow drawn.
Now turned to crystal.
A group of healers knelt in the middle of the road.
Hands covering their faces.
Frozen in grief.
A berserker split in half by a powerful strike.
Both halves suspended in the air.
Blood turned into dark crystal.
This wasn't a battlefield.
This was a gallery.
A monument.
Proof of failure.
Proof of Pride.
"Why does the system do this?" Desta's voice shook with anger.
He slammed his fist against a wall.
The sound felt hollow.
"Why not just kill them?"
"Why this?"
Raka answered without looking away.
"Fear."
"It feeds the domain."
"The more fear, the stronger it becomes."
He glanced at the frozen figures.
"They're not just victims."
"They're fuel."
Arlan closed his eyes for a moment.
Every statue felt like a voice.
Silent.
Screaming.
He remembered the early days.
When everyone thought this was a game.
When they believed they could win.
That illusion was gone.
Here, they were nothing.
Just pieces.
Maya raised her staff.
Her hand shook.
"We can't leave them like this."
"Wait," Arlan said sharply.
He grabbed her wrist.
"Don't."
"If you break the crystal now, you kill them."
"The crystal is tied to their life."
Maya lowered her head.
Tears fell.
"They're watching us…"
"They're waiting…"
"And we're doing nothing…"
"We are," Arlan said.
His voice was steady.
Cold.
He looked toward Gedung Sate.
The building was surrounded by a vortex of dark fog.
Like a crown made of thorns.
"There's only one way."
"We destroy whatever is controlling this."
Silence.
Then a sound.
From the right.
Scraping.
Srak.
Srak.
Srak.
Everyone shifted.
Combat stance.
Bara moved to the front.
Shield raised.
Arlan drew his sword.
Blue light cut through the fog.
From the shadows, shapes emerged.
Wolf like.
But wrong.
Too large.
Muscle exposed.
Black.
Purple energy pulsed through their bodies.
Their mouths opened.
Sharp teeth.
Black saliva dripped to the ground.
It hissed on contact.
Monster Detected
Shadow Hound
Level 41
Status Territorial Predator
"Level forty one," Bara muttered.
"And this is just the entrance."
"Don't let them get close," Arlan said.
"Keep them away from the statues."
Two of them lunged.
From opposite sides.
Bara slammed his shield down.
Iron Wall.
A barrier formed.
The first monster crashed into it.
The impact shook the ground.
But Bara held.
"Now!" Arlan shouted.
Desta moved.
He jumped over Bara.
Great Cleave.
His sword came down with full force.
The monster was slammed into the ground.
It screamed.
Black blood sprayed.
The second one was already mid air.
Heading for Maya.
Then it stopped.
A dagger pierced its throat from below.
Raka appeared from its shadow.
He twisted the blade.
The monster dropped.
Gone.
More movement from the alley.
Three more.
Arlan exhaled.
"Mine."
Flash Step.
He vanished.
Reappeared in the middle of them.
Azure Torrent.
His blade moved in a full circle.
Blue energy exploded outward.
All three were cut in a single motion.
Clean.
Precise.
They collapsed.
Then dissolved.
Silence returned.
System message flickered.
EXP increased.
Level 38.
45.6 percent.
Arlan lowered his sword.
His eyes moved to the frozen Paladin again.
There was a small stain of black blood near the crystal.
Too close.
"We can't fight here anymore," Arlan said.
"This place isn't safe."
"Not for them."
Desta wiped his blade.
"So we move."
"To Gedung Sate."
Arlan nodded.
He looked up at the Tower of Pride.
It felt like it was watching.
Waiting.
"To the center," Arlan said quietly.
"That's where this ends."
They moved again.
Faster.
Through rows of silent witnesses.
Arlan didn't look back.
He couldn't.
Because if he saw someone he knew among them,
he wasn't sure he could keep walking.
Ahead, the fog thickened.
The presence grew heavier.
Something was waiting.
Something that had swallowed the entire city.
Neo Bandung was no longer a city.
It was a cage.
And they had just stepped into its center.