Kael stood frozen, his breath catching in his throat.
The Guardian lumbered forward, its breath a low, rasping echo that filled the chamber like a funeral hymn.
Its form, a skeletal mass of blades and sinew, crowned by a gaping, endless maw, seemed carved from some deep-rooted nightmare.
He had never felt a feeling like this before.
It wasn't tension, wasn't nerves.
It was fear.
The kind that wrapped around your chest and squeezed until his thoughts started to blur.
He still gripped his sword, but barely.
His fingers had gone cold, his legs refused to move. His body screamed retreat, but his feet stayed planted on the cold stone.
He had always joked about all of it.
The system.
The tasks.
The Archive.
And even dying.
It was always easier that way. Laugh and float along. Make it all feel less real.
Because none of it ever had felt real.
But now, staring at this thing… this monster, with the size of a small house and the aura of death itself rising out of the stone and marching towards him, he finally understood.
This wasn't a dream.
This wasn't a novel.
This wasn't some quirky second life where he could goof off and stumble his way to power.
This world wasn't waiting for him to take it seriously. It already was.
Theo was trying to get Seraphina out of her daze, his voice low and urgent.
She hadn't moved.
Her sword hung limp at her side, her eyes locked in a daze Kael didn't understand.
Behind them, Liri stood shaking, whispering to her staff like it was a desperate prayer.
Even they were afraid.
Especially the strong ones.
Kael looked down at his hands.
They were trembling, not from exhaustion, but from profound doubt.
'What the hell am I even doing here?'
He thought about his old life.
Waking up late. Drifting through days. Never trying. Never needing to. It was numb. Easy. Quiet.
But now?
Now there were people here. People that looked to him, even if just barely, as a leader.
And he had a choice.
Fold.
Or try.
'You don't get to be numb anymore.'
Kael inhaled deeply, letting the sharp, dusty air fill his lungs.
"Theo," he said, his voice steadier than expected, cutting through the rasping silence. "Any clue how to kill this thing? A weak point, maybe?"
Theo responded as though he had been waiting for the particular question. "That's a Hollow Man. They mostly live underground. They hate anything related to white light."
Kael nodded, the information clicking into place. "Anyone got an idea on how we can get the white light?"
"I-I can cast something," Liri stammered, her voice thin with fear. "Not too bright though, and it won't last long."
"It'll do," Theo said, his eyes still on Seraphina.
Niko stepped forward, his own confidence returning now that there seemed to be a plan. "Its magical defense is high. Physical strikes will work better. Seraphina and Kael will have to land the heavy blows."
Kael turned to look at Seraphina… but she still wasn't moving.
She looked pale.
Empty.
Like someone whose mind wasn't really in the room anymore.
"Seraphina?" he said, stepping in, shaking her lightly by the shoulder. "Hey."
But there was nothing.
Her fear didn't look simple. There was definitely something deep behind it.
Kael exhaled sharply and turned away, making a snap decision.
"Rylen," he called, "stay with her. Don't let her do anything stupid."
Rylen gave a quiet nod, the usual smile gone for once, replaced by a rare flicker of seriousness.
Kael turned back to the remaining mages. "Niko, Theo… support me from the back. Range spells, anything you can. Hit anything that moves near me. Liri…"
She nodded before he could finish.
She whispered an incantation and tapped her staff.
A soft, radiant glow bloomed at its tip, growing steadily brighter.
She handed it to him, her eyes wide with a bit of nervousness. "Be careful."
He smiled, just a little, a thin, tired line. "I'll try."
He then turned to Theo, a final, crucial question forming eating his mind. "Quick question."
Theo raised an eyebrow.
"We don't, like… actually die if we die here, right?"
Theo blinked slowly, then Niko sighed from behind them. "Of course not, it's just an exam."
"Cool," Kael muttered, the word laced with a strange, dark humor.
He turned to face the hulking monster. "Because it really doesn't feel like one."
The Hollow Maw let out another low, cavernous groan. Its mouth twisted wider, arms scraping the stone, dragging its nightmare form closer.
Kael raised the glowing staff in one hand, his sword in the other. Then suddenly…
[Trait Activated: Unknown Effect.]
A strange, unnatural calm washed over him.
A cool sensation spread across his chest as he took a deep breath.
He didn't feel stronger, not physically.
But he felt something click, like a dense fog lifting just enough for him to step forward.
He smiled, sharp, tired, utterly reckless.
"Okay, bastard," Kael muttered, his voice low, a promise and a challenge. "Let's which one of us breaks first."