"Hera, what do you think?" Quasi asked, his voice low as he turned toward her.
Hera studied the walls for a moment before responding, her expression tightening slightly.
"I’ve never seen anything like this before," she said, a mix of unease and curiosity threading through her voice. "It feels like a living organism."
She reached out and touched the wall lightly, her fingers pressing against the pulsing surface.
Barack grimaced.
"Then we’d better be careful," he muttered, clearly unsettled. "Let’s deal with whatever’s inside and get out of this place as fast as possible."
"That’s right," Quasi said, stepping forward, his tone steady as he addressed the group. "The objective hasn’t changed. We find the boss, we kill it, and we get out. Simple."
Simple?
Cain doubted it would be anything close to that.
But the objective itself remained clear.
Quasi continued, his voice carrying more weight now.
"Stay together. Watch each other’s backs. And most importantly, don’t take unnecessary risks that could endanger the party. Understood?"
"Yes, captain."
They moved forward.
At first, the path was straightforward, a single corridor stretching ahead, but that didn’t last long.
Not far in, the passage split into two.
Barack let out a low sigh.
"Something tells me this is going to turn into a damn maze."
"It might take a while to find the boss," he added, scanning the branching paths.
"Luckily, I’m good with mazes," Isaac said, stepping forward slightly. "The trick is always to go left."
Hera scoffed.
"That’s the fastest way to walk yourself into a dead end."
Isaac frowned, clearly not appreciating the pushback.
"I say we try his idea first," Quasi said after a moment. "We have to pick a path anyway. If it doesn’t work, we adjust."
Isaac nodded, a hint of satisfaction slipping into his expression.
"I have another idea," Ava suddenly spoke up. "What if we split up? We could cover more ground that way."
"That’s a dumb idea," Isaac said immediately. And judging by the reactions around them, most of the group silently agreed.
"Excuse me? Who are you calling dumb?"
Isaac gave her a flat look.
"Have you never watched a horror movie?"
She snapped almost instantly.
"This isn’t a movie."
"Exactly. And that’s why I called you dumb."
"How’s my idea dumb? You’re the dumb one for saying we keep going left."
"We don’t know what we’re dealing with yet," Quasi cut in. "Splitting up is the fastest way to get yourselves killed."
Ava bit her lip, irritation flashing across her face.
"I know that of course. I was just suggesting something."
Isaac rolled his eyes.
"Well, no one asked you to suggest anything, attention seeker."
Ava looked like she was going to explode but Quasi interrupted.
"Enough. This isn’t the place for this."
Isaac looked away with a smug grin, while Ava restrained herself, though the tension in her posture didn’t fully fade.
Beside her, Avery remained quiet, her expression far more composed than her sister’s.
Cain, like the man in the coat, said nothing.
He was observing both the environment and the people around him.
These people were strangers.
Strangers who already saw him as a liability. And in a place like this, that was enough reason to stay cautious.
As they continued walking, one thing became clear.
This wasn’t a straight path.
The corridors branched repeatedly, splitting and looping in ways that made it difficult to track direction.
It was a maze, just as Barack had suspected. And somewhere within it, the boss was waiting.
But there was something else bothering them.
They hadn’t encountered a single monster yet.
And that silence... was disturbing.
Ava moved closer to him.
"You don’t seem nervous for someone who is entering his first dungeon."
Cain didn’t respond, or rather, he didn’t even know how to respond.
She continued.
"Are you always this quiet?"
"Well... I don’t know you," Cain said simply, his gaze still scanning the surroundings.
Along the walls, he noticed something else. Dark streaks of what looked like dried blood.
His attention sharpened immediately.
The others ahead seemed to notice it too, their movements becoming more cautious.
Ava, however, kept talking.
"You’re going to have to if you want us to trust you. And what better way to get to know each other than to talk, right?"
"Right."
The response came out absent-mindedly.
Cain’s thoughts were elsewhere.
The blood... was it from the creatures here? Or from something else?
"So what ability did you awaken?" Ava pressed.
Cain frowned slightly. Again with the questions.
"I know you’re not mute, so why aren’t you answering?"
Cain’s expression hardened slightly.
Before he could respond, however, Avery, her sister, stepped in.
"Ava, leave the poor kid alone."
Cain’s jaw dropped.
Poor kid?
He was sure they weren’t that far apart in age.
"You three, keep it down!" Barack snapped. "Are you trying to attract attention?!"
His gaze shifted briefly to Cain.
"Especially you, newbie."
Cain frowned.
He had barely said anything.
Worse, Barack’s voice had been louder than anyone else’s.
If anything was going to attract attention... it would be him.
But once again, Cain said nothing.
Then... he heard it.
A faint buzzing sound.
Cain stopped.
His head turned slightly as he tried to pinpoint it.
It was subtle, but distinct. Like the hum of insects.
"Did you hear that?" he said to no one in particular.
The twins stopped as well, their attention shifting.
The rest of the group followed, tension rising again as weapons tightened in their grips. The buzzing grew louder. Closer. Layered.
Indicating it wasn’t just coming from one, but many.
Cain’s eyes narrowed.
A swarm.
The realization settled instantly.
And at that moment, Cain knew exactly what type of creature they were about to face.
Insect-type creatures.