A Corpse Is Talking?

Axel's boot connected with the corpse, sending it rolling slightly to one side. The body flopped into an even more awkward position but showed no reaction. No twitch. No sound. Nothing. It looked as lifeless as any corpse should.

"Was I mistaken?" 

Axel muttered.He stared down at the body. It looked ordinary enough, still, limp, pallid. Yet, for a fleeting moment, something had felt off. Axel frowned. His heightened senses weren't something he had fully adjusted to yet. Maybe they were playing tricks on him.

Axel was about to turn away and let the matter drop, but he hesitated.

'Just to be sure,' he thought, the nagging feeling refusing to let go.

He couldn't explain it, but unease crawled up his spine like an itch he couldn't scratch. There was something about this corpse that gnawed at him, no matter how much he tried to rationalize it away. After a beat of contemplation, Axel crouched beside the body. His gaze hardened, and a ruthless gleam flickered in his eyes.

He hated doubting himself. 

With a sudden, fluid motion, his claws extended. The sharp, glinting edges aimed directly for the corpse's eyes.

Then it happened.

Just as his claws were about to connect, the corpse's eyes flew open.

"ARRRGGGHH!"

A guttural scream tore through the air. 

Axel recoiled but only slightly. His shock faded in a heartbeat as his instincts took over. He straightened, looming over the flailing figure on the ground. 

The young man lying on the ground flailed, raising trembling hands to shield his face. His blond hair stuck to his forehead, damp with sweat. His wide, terrified eyes darted to Axel, pleading.

"Help!" the man sobbed, his voice cracking. "Please, don't kill me!" 

Axel stared, unblinking. "A corpse… is talking?" 

His tone was skeptical, though he couldn't ignore the nagging unease that had brought him here in the first place. 

The young man shook his head desperately, tears streaming down his face in thick, unnatural rivulets. "I'm alive! Please… I swear, I'm not lying!" 

Axel frowned, his piercing gaze studying the man's trembling form. Something didn't sit right. This wasn't normal. 

"What happened here?" Axel's voice was low, dangerous. 

The man flinched, his breath hitching as he tried to speak. "A… a monster…" he stammered. "There was a man… he left…"

Axel sighed, frustration flaring. The man's broken, disjointed words only raised more questions. Axel scanned the area again, his sharp eyes sweeping over the mangled bodies littering the clearing. 

He crouched again, closer this time. His voice dropped to a calm, measured tone. "Listen carefully. Take a breath and explain, clearly. What happened?" 

The young man froze under Axel's intense stare. His mouth opened, then closed, his trembling worsening as if the weight of the question was too much. Finally, his words spilled out in a desperate rush. 

"When I came out of the tunnel, we all met herel… stopped here to rest. But then, then dire wolves attacked! A whole pack of them!" 

Axel raised an eyebrow, skepticism plain on his face. "Dire wolves?" 

The man nodded frantically. "Mutated ones! They, they killed everyone!" 

Axel didn't respond immediately. His gaze shifted to the corpses again, taking in every detail. He'd fought the dire wolves before, and the ones he'd just killed here didn't compare to the beasts he'd encountered in the tunnel. The bodies strewn around him painted a grim picture, but something about the story didn't add up. 

"Dire wolves," he repeated flatly, his tone unreadable. "And you're the only survivor?" 

The man's face crumpled, and fresh tears poured down his cheeks. "I—I don't know! Please, I'm telling the truth!" 

Axel leaned back slightly, studying him. The man's fear was real enough, but his story had holes. How had this quivering mess evaded a pack of Mutated Dire Wolves? 

The man's trembling voice cut through his thoughts. "It wasn't just the wolves…" 

Axel's eyes narrowed. "Go on." 

The man hesitated, his gaze darting to the bodies before flicking back to Axel. "It was a false ranker," he whispered. 

Axel stilled, his expression hardening. "A false ranker?" 

The young man nodded hurriedly and continued, his words tumbling out in a rush. "After we were exhausted from fighting the wolves, he… he turned on us. He killed everyone!" His gaze shifted to the mutilated bodies around them, lingering on the ones missing parts. A shudder ran through him, and dread etched itself into his face.

Axel's jaw tightened as he processed the words. He'd heard of false rankers before, traitors, individuals who gained power by breaking the natural laws of their abilities. Dangerous, unpredictable. 

The man continued, his voice trembling. "He—he didn't just kill them. He took their parts. Merged them into some kind of… puppet." 

Axel's sharp eyes flicked to the bodies again. The story was gruesome, but plausible. The mutilation, the missing limbs… It matched the man's description. Yet— 

"A puppet?" Axel's voice was calm, but his suspicion was clear. "And it came to life?" 

"Yes!" the man gasped. "I swear! I only survived because I played dead!" 

Axel's gaze returned to the man. His instincts told him the pieces of this story weren't fitting together. The fear in the man's eyes seemed genuine, but desperation could make anyone a convincing liar. 

He smirked faintly, though the cold glint in his eyes remained. "You're a terrible liar," he said, his voice low and cutting. 

The man flinched, his face paling. "I'm not lying!" 

Axel didn't move, letting the silence stretch. He could see the panic rising in the man's expression, his breathing growing more frantic. 

Finally, Axel leaned forward, his voice a quiet snarl. "If you're not lying, then explain this: How did you escape a false ranker? How did you fool someone who could do that?" He gestured sharply at the mutilated corpses. 

The young man froze, his mouth opening as if to respond, but before he could speak, Axle snapped. "Let's rephrase the story a bit," he said, his claws flexing slightly at his sides. "What if you're the false ranker?"

Axel's claws twitched, glinting under the faint light as his gaze pinned the trembling man in place. The silence hung heavy, thick with tension, and the man's lips quivered as he opened and closed his mouth, struggling for words.

Finally, with a shaky breath, he stammered, "It—it was an artifact. A high-grade necklace, enchanted to… to disguise me as a corpse." 

His words tumbled out in a rush, desperate to fill the oppressive quiet. "It's a one-time-use thing. It hides you completely, makes people disinterested. That's how I escaped."

Axel didn't move, but his sharp eyes didn't miss the trembling hand that hovered near the broken chain at the man's neck.

"And why would a foolproof artifact fail now?" Axel said flatly.

The man flinched, clutching the remnants of the chain. "It… it breaks if you move. That's the condition. I—I had to stay still, even when the false ranker was… was cutting the others apart." 

He swallowed hard, his eyes darting toward the carnage. "I only moved because—because you were about to—" He cut himself off, his throat bobbing as he swallowed again.

Axel's expression didn't soften.

"You're saying this necklace fooled the false ranker, but not me?" Axel's voice was sharp, skeptical.

The man nodded hesitantly. "Yes… I—I don't know how you saw through it. Maybe your senses… they're stronger than his?"

Axel's claws retracted with a quiet snick, though his posture remained guarded. He crossed his arms, his gaze like a blade cutting into the man's trembling form.

"Convenient," Axel said, his tone laced with suspicion. "You say you're not lying. Fine. Prove it. Share your system information."

The man froze, his face paling even further. "You… want me to share my system?"

Axel nodded, his expression unreadable. "If you're telling the truth, you've got nothing to hide. Or is there something you don't want me to see?"

The man swallowed hard, then raised his trembling hand. A faint glow flickered to life in his palm, and Axel's vision shifted as a projection appeared before him.

---

[Shared System Status: Viewing from Axel's Perspective]

Name:Rael Faelith

Rank: Human (D)

Basic Attributes:

Strength: 19

Agility: 21

Endurance: 18

Mana: 84

[Ability: Mana Core Cascade]

Type: Magic

Rank: A

Description: Unleash a torrent of raw mana to amplify all magic spells. Provides immense power at the cost of severe physical strain. Ideal for large-scale combat or prolonged battles.

---

Axel's eyebrows twitched upward, though his expression remained otherwise neutral. An A-rank ability? That was a rarity. No wonder this trembling mess had survived long enough to reach this point. The potential was undeniable, though the execution seemed to be lacking.

"I see," Axel murmured. "So your name is Rael Faelith." He let the words hang for a moment, savoring the visible relief that flickered across the man's face. "And your ability…" He crossed his arms, his tone turning dry. "I guess you're not completely useless."

Rael blinked, unsure whether to feel insulted or relieved. "So… you believe me now?"

Axel smirked faintly, though his eyes remained sharp. "Let's just say your system checks out. For now." He turned away, already scanning the area. "Looks like I may have been… mistaken," he added, his voice carrying the faintest trace of reluctance. "Though I don't make a habit of it."

Rael's mouth opened, but before he could respond, Axel waved a dismissive hand. "If there's a false ranker roaming in this dungeon," he said over his shoulder, "I've wasted enough time here. I'll be going ahead."

"Wait!"

Axel stopped, glancing over his shoulder. Rael had taken a hesitant step forward, his hands clenching nervously at his sides.

"I… I want to come with you."

Axel turned fully, his expression equal parts disbelief and annoyance. "Come with me? You were crying your eyes out five minutes ago."

Rael flushed in embarrassment, but his jaw tightened. "You're strong. If anyone can survive this dungeon or stop the false ranker, it's you. The wolves will only kill me if I stay here.

Axel stared at him for a long moment, his eyes narrowing. Then, with a flat tone, he said, "No."