chapter 5: Anomaly
You have acquired: Dagger of the Smiling Horror (Cursed Weapon)
You are now Bound.
Warning: Foreign Entity Detected. You are Being Observed.
Blood Classification: [ERROR: UNIDENTIFIED]
Continuation
The battle raged deep within the cave.
The old woman — twisted and monstrous — lunged at Herwoj, her movements eerily fast, almost supernatural.
She was no normal enemy. Her presence was like the twisted energy of a demon, while the succubus spider stayed behind her supporting the old woman.
But Herwoj wasn't backing down.
Clutching the cursed dagger in his hand, he fought with everything he had, moving faster, hitting harder.
At first, it seemed like he was winning — dodging, countering, slashing back — forcing her to retreat.
However…
something was wrong.
The dagger pulsed.
Each time Herwoj swung it, a burst of dark energy leaked out,
coiling around him like smoke.
It wasn't just draining his body — it was consuming him.
His movements slowed.
His breathing got heavier.
The old woman's grin widened.
Herwoj tried to resist.
He gritted his teeth and pressed forward — but it was too late.
The dagger's energy finally burst out — an uncontrollable explosion of force.
BOOM!
The shockwave sent both Herwoj and the boy he had saved flying.
They crashed through the crumbling cave floor, falling deeper and deeper into the darkness.
They landed hard — but they weren't dead.
Groaning, Herwoj pushed himself up, blinking in shock.
Before them stretched a massive underground chamber.
The walls sparkled with treasures — gold coins, shining artifacts, rare earth minerals — everything glittered under the dim light.
It was like they had stumbled into the vault of an ancient kingdom.
But the noise of their fall had awakened something.
Massive figures stirred from the edges of the treasure piles —
Golems.
Huge, lumbering, stone creatures, their eyes glowing with cold, merciless light.
Without hesitation, Herwoj grabbed the boy's hand.
They ran.
As they fled, Herwoj suddenly heard a voice inside his head, whispering to him.
It wasn't the dagger — it was something else, something deeper, calling from within the chamber.
At the same time, the dagger's voice urged him:
"Follow it."
Without looking back, Herwoj decided to follow the voice.
The boy, scared but loyal, stuck close behind.
They sprinted through winding paths of treasure, the golems rumbling behind them.
Finally, at the far end of the chamber, Herwoj skidded to a stop.
There it was.
A ring — old, cracked, yet strangely beautiful — sitting atop a pedestal.
The cracks in it pulsed faintly, almost like it was breathing.
Herwoj hesitated.
Before he could touch it, he whispered to the dagger:
"Why should I trust this thing?"
But before he could get an answer, the boy tugged on his sleeve, panicked:
"Herwoj, I'm getting tired of running! And… who are you talking to?!"
Herwoj clenched his jaw.
"I'll explain everything when we escape!"
Without further argument, he grabbed the ring.
As soon as Herwoj touched it, a giant screen appeared in front of him and the boy:
[The Trial Has Started.]
The pedestal collapsed into dust — and a swirling portal opened where it stood.
No time to think.
The golems roared, closing in.
Herwoj and the boy jumped through.
They landed on a cold stone floor.
The portal closed behind them.
Looking around, Herwoj realized they were in a massive dungeon-like room.
Other people were here too — but they were confused, stunned, and scared.
Herwoj tried talking to them — but they only looked at him strangely, speaking in a language he couldn't understand.
The boy leaned over and said:
"They're speaking Japanese."
Before Herwoj could even react, more notifications popped up.
[The Constellations are watching you.]
The air grew heavy.
It felt like a thousand unseen eyes pressed down on their bodies.
The gods themselves were watching.
Then — out of nowhere —
a cartoon rabbit appeared, floating in the air with a furious expression.
"WHAT is going on here?!"
He flailed his little arms around, looking absolutely furious.
Then he froze, his eyes widening in horror.
He looked up sharply — as if realizing the Constellations were watching — and immediately bowed deeply:
"I-I apologize, Great Constellations!"
The rabbit, sweating bullets, flicked his finger sharply.
A strange ripple spread out — and instantly, the feeling of being watched disappeared, like someone had snipped invisible wires.
The gods' attention vanished.
The rabbit wiped his forehead.
"There. Now we can talk."
The rabbit floated down, eyes narrowing as he stared at Herwoj and the boy.
"You're an anomaly… but how did you get here?
We made sure to wipe out all anomalies."
Before either of them could answer, the rabbit snapped his fingers.
With a blink, he teleported Herwoj, the boy, and himself into a smaller, empty room.
There, he faced them, serious.
"Tell me — how did you two get here?"
The boy, frightened, blurted out:
"It… it's the ring!"
The rabbit frowned.
"What ring?"
Herwoj shot the boy a disappointed look — but there was no helping it now.
He slowly pulled the cracked ring out from his pocket.
The rabbit's eyes widened slightly.
He floated closer, inspecting the ring carefully.
"Hmmm… I see."
He looked Herwoj dead in the eye.
"Seems like you'll be worth investing in after all.
That ring is far more powerful than you think."
With a casual motion, the rabbit threw something at Herwoj.
A glowing skill gem floated in the air.
When Herwoj touched it, a notification appeared:
[You have obtained the skill: Taming.]
The rabbit smiled — but his smile twisted into something terrifying.
"In exchange… you'll belong to me."
Herwoj clenched his fists.
"No."
The rabbit's face darkened immediately.
His cute appearance twisted —
his ears sharpened, his fur darkened, his mouth filled with razor teeth.
In his paw appeared a sleek, sharp rapier.
The rabbit sneered.
"A lowlife like you dares reject me?
You think you can survive in this broken world?
Those gods — those Constellations — they only see you as their plaything."
"You're less than an insect to them.
I was offering you mercy. Now, you'll die here instead."
With a snarl, the rabbit lunged — rapier aimed straight for Herwoj's heart.
But in that split second,
another entity surged out from within Herwoj —
a dark, cold force —
A black, clawed hand burst from his chest, catching the rapier mid-air.
blocking the rapier with a single finger.
Another voice, deeper and full of laughter, came out of Herwoj's mouth:
"Tch. Already making dumb decisions without me?"
A second presence rose inside him.
A shadowy figure grinning with savage eyes.
The boy gasped, stepping back in fear.
Even the rabbit froze for a moment.
"What… are you?" the rabbit whispered.
The creature controlling Herwoj's body grinned wider.
"Wouldn't you like to know."
The skeletal hand squeezed —
the rapier snapped like glass.
The rabbit stumbled back,
The room shook from the clash.
The entity smiled — its presence terrifying.
For the first time, the rabbit hesitated.
[To Be Continued.]