Chapter 5 - The Abyss Stalker

The world stopped.

No whispers. No shuffling feet. No rustling papers.

Everything—**everyone**—was frozen. My classmates sat mid-conversation, lips parted, fingers hovering over their notebooks. The air felt thick, pressing down on me like I was trapped underwater. Every breath was heavy, suffocating. My chest tightened. A shiver crawled up my spine.

Every part of me screamed to **run.**

But I couldn't move.

Because it was here.

The **same monster from the fire.**

The one that took everything from me.

My breath hitched. *How?* How was it here? How was I seeing it again? And why was it staring at me like I was its next meal?

The creature's grin stretched wider, feeding off my fear. It **glided** forward, not walking, but flickering—like a broken image skipping frames. The way it moved was **wrong.** My hands clenched into fists. I wanted to scream, to run, **to do anything**—but my body refused to listen.

The creature tilted its grotesque head, and a voice slithered into my mind. **Not spoken. Not heard. Felt.**

*"You survived."*

I **froze.**

The voice was everywhere. Inside me. Outside me. It scraped against my skull like nails on metal.

I swallowed hard, my thoughts scrambling for something—**anything**—that made sense.

I had seen this thing before.

It had caused everything. The pain. The loss. The fire that took my parents.

But now...

Now, I wasn't the same weak, powerless kid I had been.

A faint glow flickered at the edge of my vision. The system window.

**[Kang Juhyun - Level 1]**

**Strength: 6**

**Agility: 7**

**Endurance: 5**

*Still too weak.*

I couldn't fight this thing. Not yet. Fear clawed at my chest, but I forced a slow breath, pushing it down.

*Think.* *Plan.*

I had to get it away from here. Away from the classroom. Away from all the people frozen in time. If I could lure it into the open… somewhere I could **control** the fight… maybe, just maybe, I'd have a chance.

I tensed, muscles coiling, then **bolted** for the door.

The moment I moved, the creature **reacted.**

Its claws scraped against the window frame, the wood hissing under its touch. The sound was a warning. A promise.

It was **too fast.**

I **slammed** the sliding door open and sprinted into the hallway. It stretched ahead, eerily still, as if the entire school had been swallowed by silence. My pulse pounded in my ears, my breathing sharp and ragged.

And then—

A hiss.

Like wind tearing through the air.

I barely had time to react. The creature lunged, a shifting blur of darkness. I **dove** to the side, hitting the cold floor just as a claw **sliced through** the spot where I'd been standing.

Wood **exploded** behind me, shattered pieces flying in all directions.

*I can't keep this up.*

I pushed off the ground and ran, forcing my legs to move faster. I had to get to the gym—an open space, more room to think.

But I wasn't going to make it.

A **chill** slammed into my back.

I **felt** it before I saw it.

The creature's claw ripped through my shirt, the fabric tearing as the wall beside me **caved in.** A shockwave of rubble and dust sent me **crashing** to the ground. Pain flared through my side. My head spun.

I staggered to my feet, gasping.

The monster stepped out from the debris, its full form revealed.

It was **worse** than I remembered.

A skeletal frame wrapped in writhing shadows. Limbs too long. Fingers like knives. A mouth stretched into a permanent, wicked grin.

A name appeared above its head.

**[Abyss Stalker - Level 5]**

**Level 5.**

My stomach twisted.

There was **no way** I could beat it.

I had to be smarter. **Outthink** it.

The Abyss Stalker's glowing eyes locked onto mine. And for a split second—**I understood.**

It was **toying** with me.

That was worse than hunger. Worse than mindless killing.

It wanted to **drag this out.**

And then it moved.

A blur of shifting darkness.

I barely dodged the first strike. The second came too fast—I twisted, but a claw **whistled past my neck.** Too close.

I couldn't keep dodging forever.

I pivoted, planted my foot, and swung with everything I had. My fist **hit**—

And went straight **through** its body.

I staggered forward, off balance. **Shit.**

It wasn't solid.

The creature's form **rippled,** like mist parting around my strike. Then it reformed—just as fast.

It laughed.

A sound that dug into my bones.

*"Foolish prey."*

A claw shot forward.

**SLASH.**

Pain.

I gasped, stumbling back. My hand flew to my ribs. **Blood.**

The system flashed:

**[Warning: HP Critically Low]**

I was losing. **Fast.**

I clenched my teeth. My punches didn't work. But… that didn't mean it was invincible.

*What about light?*

The thing was made of **shadows.** Darkness clung to it, shifted with it. What if I could use that against it?

I scanned the hall.

There—

A broken light fixture, wires exposed.

That was it.

I **bolted** for the nearest classroom, throwing the door open. The Abyss Stalker screeched, following without hesitation.

Good.

The moment it stepped inside, I **spun**, grabbed the hanging wire—

And **shoved it into its chest.**

Electricity **exploded.**

A sharp **CRACK** of blue lightning.

The Abyss Stalker **screamed.** Its body convulsed, shadows flickering like dying embers.

Its grin **vanished.**

I didn't hesitate.

I threw everything I had into one final **kick.**

This time—

**It connected.**

The creature **disintegrated.**

A swirling mass of black mist, twisting violently—then fading into **nothing.**

Silence.

Then—

Sound rushed back. Voices. Footsteps. The distant ringing of the school bell.

My breath came in ragged gasps.

The system's notifications flickered in my vision.

**[You have defeated: Abyss Stalker - Level 5]**

**[Level Up! You are now Level 3.]**

**[Stat Points +4]**

**[New Skill Acquired: Shadow Veil]**

I blinked. **Shadow Veil?**

Before I could process it, another message appeared.

**[New Quest Unlocked: Survive the Abyss]**

A voice filled my mind.

*"You're not supposed to be alive, Juhyun."*

Cold dread pooled in my stomach.

I turned.

More glowing eyes.

One. Two. Three. **Four.**

The hallway was **filling** with them.

And then—

The shadows shifted. **Something bigger** stepped forward.

A towering figure. Its voice rumbled through the walls.

*"You cannot escape, Juhyun. The Abyss has claimed you."*

The ground **shook.** The lights flickered—then **died.**

Darkness swallowed the school.

I clenched my fists.

And then—

**[Skill Activated: Shadow Veil]**

The world blurred. The creatures lunged—

And passed **through me.**

For the first time, **I smiled.**

*Let's see how they like it when the prey fights back.*