Auren wasn't just trying to outrun the Cursed Creatures. That was impossible—an inevitable path to death.
Death had nothing on him but worse than death was the helplessness of his situation. Auren hated reacting. Being forced to respond to every threat, every danger. That was how this world worked. It dictated, and people obeyed.
He despised that.
He thrived in control. No matter how little control he could exert, he appreciated it. And when he had it, he wielded it well.
That was why he excelled at the sword. Swordsmanship was control. It wasn't difficult to see, and Auren never understood why people called him a genius because of it.
All he did was impose control.
Of course, control was no easy feat. It demanded precision, deliberation, and a sharp, calculating mind.
Auren didn't think of himself as wise—there were limits to how much he could do. Experience. Maturity. But intelligence? Intelligence he had. He was sharp!
His grin was brief but hard-edged. Suddenly, he pivoted right, lunging into a narrow passage between jagged rock formations.
The creatures surged after him, mindless of their surroundings, either too frenzied to see how tight the space was or too unintelligent to care.
Auren leaned toward the former. They reeked of ravenous hunger—desperate, insane. And desperation was easy to control.
In the narrow passage, movement became strained, forcing the creatures into a chaotic struggle. Their bodies collided, limbs entangling, their momentum turning against them. Some tripped, others were crushed under the weight of their own kind, bones snapping beneath the frenzy.
What had been a relentless pursuit devolved into an in-house slaughter. Screeches of rage and agony filled the air as the weaker ones were trampled, their broken forms discarded by the stronger.
But some—too consumed by hunger, too far gone in their madness—kept coming.
His grin widened.
This was going to be easier than the Chasm Dweller. Even though he was outnumbered.
As he ran, he bent low at intervals, scooping up small fragments from the ground. He cut through corners, never running in a straight line, his gaze scanning every inch of his surroundings with scrutiny.
Then, he saw it.
His lips curled in satisfaction.
Without hesitation, he surged forward, boosting his speed. With a flick of his wrist, he hurled a loose rock toward a precarious overhang above.
The moment the first abomination crashed into the passage he just passed.
The rocks collapsed.
Dust and debris swallowed the horde. Their screeches of rage echoed through the canyon, a cacophony of fury and frustration.
Auren didn't stop. His advantage was temporary. He had bought himself time—but time was a fleeting luxury.
He needed to find higher ground.
He leaped onto one rock, using it as a springboard to vault onto another, then back to the first. His muscles tensed, coiling, and with a final push—
He hurled himself onto the top of the opposite formation.
Then he bent down, breathing heavily as he watched the mass of abomination recover from the crash and pursue him yet again.
Auren stood, his gaze sweeping over the terrain from his vantage point. The rock beneath him was slightly higher than the rest, granting him an overview of the plain—at least as far as the chasm he had escaped from.
Time was limited. But even in that sliver of a moment, he allowed himself to take in his surroundings, committing every detail to memory before shifting his focus back to the abominations below.
They scrambled in confusion, their heads twitching erratically, desperate to find their lost prey.
Auren licked his lower lip.
'Now, let's see who's hunting who.'
He threw his hand backward and hurled a stone far from his position. The instant it clattered against the rock, the creatures reacted.
A frenzy erupted as they lunged toward the sound, their desperation overriding reason.
Auren wasted no time. He grabbed another handful of stones, launching them in quick succession, scattering them across the formation. The result was immediate—what remained of the abominations split apart, chasing phantoms of noise in different directions.
Auren grinned, satisfied.
It wouldn't last long, but that didn't matter. His objective was simple:
Kill as many as possible in as little time as possible.
After taking down a Major Blighted, a new sense of confidence had taken root in him. The creatures pursuing him now didn't seem half as formidable as the Chasm Dweller.
In fact, they looked exactly like the ones that had been chasing him before he fell into the chasm.
Equipped with four powerful limbs that rippled with brown muscle, they moved like reptilian beasts. Their thick, coiled tails lashed against the ground, aiding their balance, while their clawed limbs—each ending in three vicious talons—dug deep into the earth with every movement.
One pitch-black eye glared from each of their faces, unblinking and soulless. Their maws hung perpetually open, as if the hinges had been broken beyond repair, leaving them frozen in an eternal, silent scream.
Yet somehow, despite their grotesque, unhinged maws—snarling was still possible.
Auren drew the sword from his back and broke into a sprint. But he didn't jump down. Instead, he dashed across the rocks, leaping from one jagged formation to another, using the height to his advantage.
His gaze locked onto his first target.
The moment he was within range, he launched himself downward, his sword descending like a guillotine.
The holy blade cleaved through flesh with a sickening crunch. A geyser of black, fetid blood erupted upward, splattering across his face and arms like a burst water pipe.
The creature barely made a sound before convulsing and collapsing.
[You have slain a Moderate Tainted, Hollow Screamer.]
[You have devoured the Hollow Curse.]
[Your Curse grows stronger.]
Auren barely had time to wipe the sticky black ichor from his face. He turned sharply, his mind already calculating the next move.
Another one should be onto him at any moment.
Just as he yanked his sword free, another Hollow Screamer rounded the jagged corner, its pitch-black eye locking onto him.
Auren was ready.
He lunged first, colliding into it with his shoulder.
But he had overestimated his own force.
The creature staggered sideways but recovered instantly, its powerful hind limbs and thick tail pressing against the rock wall before launching it forward like a spring-loaded predator.
Auren shoved himself sideways, rolling just in time as the beast shot past the space where he had been standing.
He was already rising, his grip tightening on the hilt.
With a burst of speed, he drove the sacred sword straight into the creature's back before it could fully turn.
A terrible, wailing snarl erupted from its broken maw—ghastly and inhuman, like a wraith screaming through shattered vocal cords.
It only grew worse as Auren twisted the blade, sinking it even deeper.
[You have slain a Moderate Tainted, Hollow Screamer.]
[You have devoured the Hollow Curse.]
[Your Curse grows stronger.]
[You have gained a shard.]
Auren exhaled sharply, he couldn't quite put it the feeling to words but he felt a rush of something malovalent pour into his soul.
He flicked the black ichor off his blade. This was nothing like the Chasm Dweller. These things? They were manageable..
'Onto the next'