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-Lv4-
Ryan spoke up.
Ryan: "Alright, guys. The men will carry bottles of Almond Water, and the women will take bags for storing supplies like weapons..."
Harry, ever the lazy one, immediately protested.
Harry: "Why does everyone have to go? You guys can handle it. The more people, the harder it is to keep control."
His words seemed to trigger Aiden's doubts.
Aiden, hesitant: "I… I think he has a point… What if I just end up being a burden to everyone?"
Sacium frowned. His gaze shifted between Harry and Aiden. For a moment, it looked like he was holding something back, but then—
BAM!
His boot stomped against the floor. His voice was ice-cold, yet filled with restrained fury.
Sacium: "You guys talk as if you even have a choice!"
Both of them flinched.
Sacium: "Listen up. Do you think staying put means you're safe? Ever heard of noclipping?! Sooner or later, whether you like it or not, you will be thrown into another level! There's no room for laziness here. And no room for hesitation either!"
Silence. Harry and Aiden said nothing more.
Ryan, sensing the tension, stepped in before things got worse.
Ryan: "Well… That was a little harsh, but he's not wrong. So let's just stick together."
With no further arguments, the group prepared to move out.
Helen, however, found herself staring at Sacium.
She had never seen him like this before—his eyes burning with anger, his voice sharp like a blade. He was still the Sacium she knew, but...
Was this his true nature?
Her chest tightened. Had he just been pretending to be calm and kind all this time? Was he really just an impatient, judgmental person beneath it all?
No... No, that couldn't be right...
She forced herself to push those thoughts aside. She was probably overthinking things. Hopefully.
Ryan led the group forward. They ascended, descended, turned through stairwells in what felt like an endless loop.
Minutes turned to half an hour.
Fatigue started to settle in. Steps became sluggish, sighs and complaints filled the air. Helen, too, was breathless, her heart pounding in her chest. But when she glanced at Ryan, he looked completely unfazed—walking as if none of this exertion affected him.
After a short rest, they continued.
Ryan was the first to step down the next set of stairs, with everyone following behind.
One step.
Two steps.
Three steps.
Then—
The scenery changed.
No warning. No shifting sensation. No strange noise.
Just in the blink of an eye, they were somewhere else.
Gone were the stairwells. Gone were the aged, dilapidated walls of the previous level. Instead, an opulent hotel lobby stretched out before them. Deep red carpets covered the floor. Crystal chandeliers sparkled from the ceiling. Intricate gold-trimmed wallpaper adorned the walls. A faint yet elegant fragrance lingered in the air—something refined, yet oddly unreal.
Helen froze.
What the hell just happened?
On instinct, she turned to look behind them.
But the stairs were gone.
In their place was just another long hallway—one identical to the ones before them.
No trace of their previous path.
No exit.
A cold shiver crawled up Helen's spine. She trusted Ryan, but… this transition had been too sudden, too unnatural.
Yet Ryan simply kept walking forward, completely unfazed.
Helen clenched her fists. She had no idea where they were now, or what was waiting for them.
But one thing was certain: They were no longer in the same level.
-Lv5-
Helen looked around in awe at their surroundings. The décor was breathtaking—elegant, vintage, almost nostalgic in its beauty. It looked like a luxurious five-star hotel with a classical theme.
Ryan: "This is Level 5. It's an endless stretch of hotel hallways, so we have more space to move. But stay in two lines."
Harry, predictably, complained.
Harry: "Why do we have to stick to two lines? We can just move around freely. Keeping formation is a pain!"
Aaron, annoyed by Harry's whining, grabbed him by the collar and effortlessly lifted him off the ground.
Aaron: "Stop running your damn mouth!"
Before things could escalate, Ryan stepped in. With a firm grip, he clamped down on Aaron's arm, squeezing just enough to make the larger man flinch and drop Harry.
Ryan: "Not now. No fighting."
Ryan turned to Harry, who was still sitting on the floor.
Ryan: "There are a lot of rooms here. And the path ahead is long. We need to avoid unnecessary fights. Walking in two lines ensures that if a threat appears, there's a room on either side we can take cover in."
Harry looked beyond annoyed, but after a quick glance at Aaron—who was still glaring at him—he muttered a reluctant, "Fine..."
Ryan: "Alright, everyone. Same formation as Level 3, but this time in two rows."
Hearing that, Helen instinctively moved behind Ryan.
Ryan took the lead on the left row. Sacium led the right.
Ryan turned back to glance at the group—only to notice Helen right behind him. His brows lifted in amusement, and a teasing grin crept onto his face.
Ryan: "Oh? What's this~? Not sticking close to Sacium, huh~? That's rare~. He's actually here this time, you know~. Why not go stand next to him~?"
Helen's heart skipped a beat. Her face turned red as she stammered out a response.
Helen: "I— I'm just following the formation from Level 3, okay?!"
Ryan chuckled but said nothing more, turning his focus back to the path ahead.
Ryan: "Alright, let's move."
With that, the group pressed forward.
With Ryan's knowledge of the level, he guided them deeper into Level 5. He and Sacium swiftly handled new but manageable entities along the way, including—
Entity16 – Nguithr'xurh: A large spider-like creature with sixteen limbs. Despite its menacing appearance, it moves slowly and lacks the perception needed to effectively pursue prey. As long as you avoid its traps, it's essentially harmless.
Entity24 – Death Rats: Similar in appearance to regular rats but far more intelligent. Their forms vary depending on their level, adapting to survive in different environments.
Suddenly, a pack of male Entity 4s charged in from ahead at breakneck speed.
Instinct screamed one thing—hide.
Helen's hand flew to the doorknob, ready to swing the door open at any second.
But Ryan didn't give the signal to take cover. Instead, he raised his hand, motioning for everyone to press tightly against the wall.
And then—something unexpected happened.
The Entity 4s didn't attack.
They sped right past the group, completely ignoring them, like something far more terrifying was trailing behind.
Ryan frowned, muttering under his breath:
Ryan: Strange... why do they look so terrified...?
Helen, right behind him, heard his words and tried to joke to ease the tension:
Helen: Hey, don't say creepy stuff like that... haha...
But before her words could lift the heavy mood, every gaze was drawn to the direction the creatures had come from.
And then—they stopped.
Or rather, they couldn't move anymore.
Their bodies began to twitch violently, as if something was gripping them from the inside. Then, from within the mass of Entity 4s, slimy tentacles began to writhe and slither out, wrapping around each one.
It all happened so fast no one could react.
In a blink, the bodies were pulled together, merging into a shuddering, pulsating mass of flesh, ever-changing and writhing in grotesque unison.
Ryan shivered.
He recognized what was happening—and he had no intention of waiting to see what it became.
He shouted, urgency thick in his voice:
Ryan: RUN!!
His command broke the trance.
Everyone turned and bolted, leaving behind the screaming, nightmarish blob.
In the chaos, Helen looked back in panic—a mistake.
She crashed into Ryan's back and fell to the floor.
Ryan yelled for the others as he and the rest entered a room. Helen, still down, saw the grotesque blob creeping toward her, dragging itself with wet squelches. Behind it, another creature screeched with inhuman fury.
The one closest to her emitted a sharp white noise, a high-pitched static that drilled into her skull.
Between that and the creature's screech behind, her body froze, paralyzed by fear.
Suddenly—it lunged.
But before it could reach her, Ryan yanked her into the room, both of them crashing to the floor.
He landed on top of her, shielding her with his body.
He quickly stood and dragged her to the farthest wall, furthest from the door.
He held her tight, clamping a hand over her mouth.
Then they both heard it—the grotesque sound of flesh sliding along the floor.
Ryan (whispering): It merged… Tch... this is bad.
Helen's mind raced. What the hell is that thing?!
Their terror spiked as—
Click!
Multiple doors began to open at once.
The creature had learned how to use doors.
Others in the building were witnessing the same horror.
A door began to creak open.
BANG!
A heavy kick slammed it shut again, followed by footsteps dashing away.
The creature chased after the sound immediately.
Realizing this, Ryan didn't hesitate.
Ryan: Everyone, move!
The group rushed out, Ryan still clutching Helen's hand.
They sprinted madly through the corridor.
Suddenly, a voice echoed through the chaos—it was Rose.
Rose: Well well~ it looks like dear Sacium, Ryan's so-called trusted friend, decided to leave us behind~. He ran ahead, hoping the creature would feast on twenty fat little prey instead—and forget all about him. But alas~ he miscalculated, didn't he?
Helen stumbled to a halt.
No light.
No sound of footsteps.
Only a cold, suffocating nothing.
She didn't need anyone to tell her.
They had fallen into another Level.
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