Ren hesitated…
Yes, he could feel that something was wrong…
The air around them seemed to grow heavier.
Ren looked at Argo, then at the marks on the stone. They were deep and sharp, as if something incredibly dangerous had clawed at them.
The ones before them… had been here. And never returned.
Ren didn't like this.
He took a breath, about to say something, but then stopped.
Argo was still standing there, her hand resting on the claw marks, her gaze distant. She wasn't smiling anymore.
Ren bit his lip.
This wasn't his problem. He was only here to locate the wolf's den, not to get tangled up in someone else's mess. He should turn back.
But…
He had seen that look.
A look just like his own, at some moment in the past… helpless, tormented, yet unable to walk away.
Ren sighed, tightening his grip on his sword.
"…How much do you know?"
Argo blinked, then turned to him.
And this time, her smile no longer carried its usual teasing edge.
"You should really just head back," Argo said, her face unusually serious.
Ren didn't respond. He simply stared at her, an uneasy feeling rising in his chest.
"What do you mean by that?"
Argo shrugged, but this time, there was no feigned indifference.
"I'm not entirely sure, but the ones who came before us disappeared. Either they were killed by the wolf, or…"
She paused for a moment, then lowered her voice.
"…There's something else here."
"And… it's my responsibility… I'm fine handling this alone," Argo looked at Ren with determination.
As if to prove her point, she took a step back, pressing herself against the stone wall.
And in the blink of an eye…
Her presence vanished.
Ren's eyes widened.
Her voice came from the same spot she had disappeared.
"I may not be great at fighting… but surviving against tough opponents? Strength isn't the only way…"
In a flash, Argo reappeared, right behind Ren.
"I've been refining my stealth skills to an unbelievable level since the very first day we got trapped here… No one can catch me…"
"You think you spotted me following you because of your own ability? If I hadn't chosen to reveal myself, you wouldn't have even noticed. To be honest… I've been tailing you all the way from the blacksmith's shop to here."
Ren opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off.
"Even if I get spotted… with my current AGI and speed stats… I can't be caught."
Without warning, Argo moved.
Her entire body shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, leaving only the trail of her brown cloak behind.
She was fast.
Swift and nimble like a wildcat, she even ran along the slanted stone walls, effortlessly dodging obstacles.
Ren stood still, his eyes tracking every movement.
She wasn't just fast, she could vanish into thin air at will.
'From the blacksmith's shop all the way here?'
He hadn't noticed her at all.
A chill ran down his spine. If Argo had ever intended to do something to him, he would have never known until it was too late.
Argo landed gracefully on a rocky ledge, crossing her arms as she looked down at him, her expression calm.
"See? I can handle this on my own."
Ren remained silent.
He knew he could turn around and walk away right now. This wasn't his problem. He had found the wolf's den and completed his task. But…
"Then why did you go out of your way to reveal yourself to me?"
For the first time, Argo's teasing demeanor wavered. She was silent for a moment before sighing.
"I can go alone… but I don't want to."
Ren froze.
Argo chuckled. "Don't get me wrong. I don't trust you. It's just that… if I've survived this long thanks to stealth, then what about the others? Why didn't they run? Why did they disappear?"
"I want an answer."
Ren looked at Argo. She stood there, quiet and still, like a ghost among the rugged cliffs.
He let out a sharp breath.
"I don't trust you either," he muttered. "So just stay here with that shitty mindset of yours."
Ren didn't care what Argo wanted to do.
He wasn't going to risk himself like last time.
He knew full well how overwhelming that monster was.
Ren turned and walked away.
His footsteps sank lightly into the thick grass, the sound swallowed by the evening wind.
He had no reason to stay.
This wasn't his problem.
Argo had her stealth skills, she could escape whenever she wanted. She could take care of herself.
Ren tightened his grip on his sword, reminding himself of that.
And yet…
"Hey...."
Argo's voice called out from behind him, lacking her usual playfulness or casual tone.
"You've seen it, haven't you?"
Ren stopped.
The wind whispered between them, carrying the fading chill of late afternoon.
He didn't turn back, but Argo continued.
"The eyes of those who know they can't escape."
A cold sensation crept down his spine.
Ren recalled the eyes of those who had died in the dungeon.
That feeling…
He clenched his teeth and suddenly quickened his pace.
No. This isn't my problem.
It's not my problem.
I don't owe Argo anything.
I don't have to care.
And yet…
Ren could still hear the pounding of his heart in his chest.
Argo sighed as she watched Ren's silhouette gradually disappear into the golden hues of the setting sun, then vanish into the forest.
'I should still do this… alone…' Determination flickered in her eyes.
Activating her stealth skill, Argo stepped carefully into the rocky cave.
The air inside was much colder than outside, carrying moisture and the scent of old earth and stone.
She moved like a shadow, her footsteps as light as feathers, blending seamlessly into the darkness between jagged rock formations.
Gently, she ran her fingers over the deep claw marks gouged into the stone floor. Fresh.
Something had happened here… not long before they arrived.
The distant sound of dripping water echoed through the cave, mingling with another noise...faint, almost imperceptible, yet enough to send a chill down her spine.
Argo held her breath, straining her ears.
A breath.
Something… was still alive.
Her hand tightened around the dagger at her waist.
Then, without hesitation, she moved forward.
A soft breath whispered near her ear, and Argo's already silent footsteps vanished completely, as if she had never been there.
There was something… in the darkness ahead…
She narrowed her eyes as the silhouette of a Giant Elite Dire Wolf came into view, curled up in the shadows.
Its dark gray fur rose and fell with slow, steady breaths. The scars crisscrossing its massive body were proof of countless battles.
It was asleep.
Argo didn't waste the opportunity.
She lowered her body, keeping her breathing steady, gliding forward like the wind.
No sound. No disturbance.
She had done this countless times in far more dangerous places.
As long as she maintained her pace and avoided drawing attention…
Her foot brushed against the cold stone floor. One second, two seconds…
No sign that the beast had noticed her presence.
Only after she had passed it did Argo allow herself the slightest bit of relief.
But she didn't stop.
The wolf was not her goal.
She pressed deeper into the cave, where the darkness thickened, where the air grew colder… and where the answers awaited her.
The shadows within the cave felt alive, swallowing every breath Argo took.
She moved past the slumbering beast, her steps light as falling petals.
But no matter how careful she was, she could still hear the relentless pounding of her own heart.
'120 people…'
120 lives lost… because of her.
She bit her lip hard enough to nearly draw blood.
Regret was a dull blade lodged deep in her chest, not sharp enough to kill her outright, but painful enough to torment her every second.
"Argo, are you sure? Is this really a safe zone?"
"I checked the map during the beta test." She had replied with certainty. "The exit is just ahead. You just have to run fast enough."
But that exit had never existed.
Only an abyss.
Only fangs and claws belonging to monsters that had never appeared in the test phase.
Only the final screams of those who had trusted her.
One week after being trapped in the game… 120 people had died.
And that number would only keep rising.
Argo clenched her fists.
She would not allow herself to tremble. She would not allow herself to stop.
If she turned back now, what about those who had died? Who would remember them? Who would uncover the truth?
Her steps were as weightless as a phantom as she slipped further into the cave.
She had to gather information, find the answers… and piece everything together.
At any cost.
She had to make sure… that the death toll would rise no further.
The deeper she ventured, the colder the air became. Her breath faded into the shadows, as if she too could disappear at any moment.
This place… was not a normal wolf den.
The claw marks on the cave walls. The dried blackened blood staining the ground. And the most chilling sight of all...shattered pieces of armor scattered among the stark white bones.
Argo stopped, staring at a tattered cloak lying amidst the debris.
Equipment… had a small chance of dropping… when a player died.
The fabric was deep blue.
A color she knew well.
She knew exactly who had worn it.
Her fingers curled into a fist so tight her nails dug into her skin.
"Just run fast enough."
"I promise, the exit is just ahead."
Those words still echoed in her mind, each syllable a slap across her face.
And in the end… her footsteps carried her to the deepest part of the cave…
Argo's eyes locked onto something....something drawn upon the smooth rock surface of the cavern…