Theo's POV
They didn't run.
Raiders don't run.
But they moved—
Fast.
Tight formation.
No wasted motion.
We turned back the moment the leader gave the signal.
"…We're done here," he said.
No argument.
No hesitation.
We moved.
Away from it.
Away from whatever that thing was.
The dungeon felt different now.
Not just heavy—
Hostile.
Like it noticed us leaving.
Like it didn't want us to.
The walls shifted.
Subtle.
But wrong.
Kairo glanced around.
"…yeah, I don't like this."
"…Stay focused," Selene said.
"…Something's coming."
She was right.
We heard it first.
Not footsteps.
Scraping.
Dragging.
Too many.
Too close.
"…Contact rear," one of the raiders said.
The leader didn't turn.
"…Keep moving."
"…We don't stop."
That meant—
It wasn't one or two.
It was a horde.
They came into view.
From behind.
From the sides.
Crawling over the walls.
Out of cracks.
From the ground.
Monsters.
Twisted.
Distorted.
Wrong.
More than before.
Way more.
"…That's not normal spawn rate," Kairo said.
"…It's being pushed," Selene replied.
"…By what?"
No answer.
We already knew.
The leader raised his hand.
"…Rear guard—hold them off."
Two raiders broke formation.
Turning back.
Weapons ready.
No hesitation.
They didn't try to win.
They tried to slow.
That was the difference.
We kept moving.
Fast.
Controlled.
But the monsters kept coming.
More.
Faster.
Relentless.
One broke through the rear line.
Then another.
Then—
Too many.
Kairo moved.
Lightning exploded outward.
Clearing space instantly.
"…don't slow down!" he shouted.
Selene moved with him.
Perfect timing.
Covering angles.
Cutting off flanks.
I stepped forward.
Water formed.
Clean.
Controlled.
I released it.
A wide strike—
Freezing three at once—
Shattering them instantly.
Normal.
Then—
A flicker.
The water—
Shifted.
Darkened—
For a split second.
[WARNING: EXTERNAL INTERFERENCE DETECTED]
I forced it down.
Ignored it.
Focused.
More monsters surged.
Climbing over each other.
No hesitation.
No fear.
They weren't hunting.
They were driving.
Pushing us.
Forward.
"…This isn't random," Selene said.
"…They're herding us."
"…Into what?" Kairo asked.
Then—
We felt it.
Ahead.
The same pressure.
That thing.
Waiting.
The leader's voice cut through.
"…Break formation!"
That was bad.
Very bad.
"…Left path!" he shouted.
We turned instantly.
Sharp.
Fast.
No hesitation.
The tunnel narrowed.
Tighter.
Harder to move.
The monsters followed.
Relentless.
Closing distance.
A raider stumbled.
Just for a second.
That was enough.
A creature lunged—
Claws raised—
Then—
Gone.
Cut down instantly.
But more replaced it.
Too many.
The leader stopped.
Just for a moment.
Turned.
"…I'll hold here."
"…No," one of the others said.
"…You lead."
"…I said I'll hold."
No argument.
Because they understood.
He wasn't asking.
Kairo stepped forward.
"…I'll help."
"…No," the leader said.
"…You keep moving."
"…That's not—"
"…That's an order."
Silence.
Tight.
Kairo clicked his tongue.
But stepped back.
Selene grabbed his arm—
Pulled him forward.
"…We don't break formation now," she said.
"…we get out."
We moved.
Fast.
The sounds behind us—
Worse.
Louder.
Then—
A shockwave.
Heavy.
Violent.
The entire tunnel shook.
Dust fell.
Cracks spread.
Silence followed.
Too sudden.
Too complete.
We didn't stop.
We didn't look back.
Because stopping—
Would get us killed.
The exit came into view.
The gate.
Close.
Too close to fail.
"…MOVE!" one of the raiders shouted.
We pushed forward.
Everything we had.
No holding back.
No hesitation.
The air shifted again.
Behind us.
That pressure—
Back.
Stronger.
Closer.
The system flared.
Violent.
[CRITICAL WARNING: ENTITY PROXIMITY]
I didn't turn.
Didn't look.
Because I didn't need to.
I felt it.
Right behind us.
Watching.
Closing.
We crossed the gate.
One by one.
Fast.
Clean.
The moment I stepped through—
The pressure vanished.
Instantly.
The world snapped back.
Normal.
Too normal.
We stopped.
Just outside.
Breathing steady.
Alive.
But not safe.
Because not everyone came through.
Silence fell.
Heavy.
Kairo looked back.
"…they're not—"
The gate flickered.
Unstable.
Then—
It closed.
Gone.
Just like that.
No bodies.
No confirmation.
Nothing.
Selene didn't speak.
Didn't move.
Her eyes—
Locked on where the gate was.
The instructor stepped forward.
Slow.
Serious.
"…We report this immediately."
No one argued.
Because this—
Wasn't a normal mission.
And whatever that thing was—
It didn't just watch anymore.
It acted.
And next time—
It wouldn't let us leave.