The One Who Watches

The battle was over.

And they had won.

For the first time in days, the tension in the fort snapped like an overdrawn bowstring released all at once. The militia stood among the corpses of their enemies, breath ragged, bodies coiled from the rush of battle. But slowly—slowly, the weight began to lift.

Someone let out a breath of sharp laughter. Another whooped, pumping a fist into the air.

No casualties.

They had expected the worst. A fight that would take dozens from their ranks. But not a single fighter had fallen.

It didn't feel real.

Darren clapped a hand on Kai's shoulder, grinning. "Damn. Not a single one of us dropped. I'll take that as a damn good omen."

Juno let out a half-crazed chuckle, running a hand over his sweat-slicked face. "We should be dead. We should—hell, we should at least be bleeding."

Sasha exhaled, shaking her head, but there was a hint of relief in her sharp gaze. "That wasn't a full attack. They were testing us. But still… we won."

The murmurs turned into cheers.

For the first time in too long, the mood in the fort was something close to hope.

And then—

The clapping started.

It was slow. Deliberate.

A soft, measured sound.

It came from the edge of the forest.

Not deep within.

Not hidden behind the trees.

Just standing there. Watching.

A lone figure, dressed in flowing black and deep green, framed by the corrupted woods like he had always belonged there.

He looked human at first glance.

That was the trick.

A body wrapped in dark, flowing robes that swayed too gently for the wind. Skin smooth, flawless in a way that felt unnatural. His hair, long and black, melded into the shadows behind him, merging with the forest like strands of living ink.

But it was his eyes that betrayed him.

They weren't empty. They weren't glowing.

They were deep.

Not metaphorically. Physically.

Like staring into the hollow of a rotted tree, where darkness didn't just linger but stretched inward, pulling.

A gaze that made you feel like roots had already coiled around your ribs, squeezing ever so gently, testing the give of your bones.

The longer you looked, the more you could swear something inside them was moving.

His skin was smooth, almost too perfect. His features refined, sharp, sculpted in a way that felt unnatural.

His hair fell long and dark, nearly blending into the shifting shadows of the trees.

But his eyes—

They were wrong.

Not empty. Not hollow.

Just… deep.

Like looking into the space between roots buried beneath the earth. Like something ancient, something patient. Something that had always been watching.

And then he shifted.

It wasn't obvious.

Not some grotesque unraveling.

Not some violent transformation.

Just… wrong.

Like a painting that had been hanging in your home for years suddenly having different colors, different details, a new face staring out from it.

His arms hung just a fraction too long.

His fingers tapered too fine, too sharp, more like thorns than flesh.

And when he breathed—the forest breathed with him.

A noble's face. A monster's presence.

And he was clapping.

Soft. Slow.

Pleased.

Vaelin, The Deathroot Colossus, had arrived.

"Spectacular," the man said smoothly, his voice rich with amusement. "Truly, I am impressed."

The air shifted.

The weight of his presence finally settled over them.

Heavy. Unshakable.

Not like a spell. Not like an ability.

Just an existence.

Something too real.

No one moved.

No one spoke.

Not because they were frozen in fear—but because he didn't feel like something they could attack.

Kai hated that.

His grip on his fist tightened, but he didn't step forward yet.

Instead, he tilted his head, mocking. "And you are?"

Vaelin smiled.

"Ah, of course. Formalities. I apologize. I am Vaelin, the Deathroot Colossus. But that title is only a gift from the system. You may simply call me Vaelin."

His voice was gentle, easy. A noble addressing his court. A scholar greeting a guest.

Which made it all the more unsettling.

Because they could all feel it.

This wasn't someone playing at being a king.

This was someone who did not see them as a threat.

At all.

Kai's lips twitched.

He glanced Vaelin up and down, frowning slightly, then waved a hand at him. "Colossus, huh? Bit of a letdown, honestly. Was expecting someone, you know… colossal."

A pause. Then, he clicked his tongue.

"Should've gone with something more accurate. 'Vaelin, the Regular-Sized Necromancer' would've done the trick."

Darren snorted, and even Sasha's lips quirked slightly.

Vaelin simply smiled, as if he expected it.

"If it helps," he said lightly, "you should consider the title a warning rather than a description. The Colossus does not refer to my body, but my reach."

His head tilted slightly, gaze unreadable.

"And it is long enough to bury you all."

Kai's smile sharpened.

"We'll see about that."

Vaelin chuckled. "Indeed."

Then, he gestured toward the battlefield, where the corpses of his minions lay strewn across the dirt.

"You held your ground well. Better than the others. I commend you for that. Not a single casualty. That is… rare."

His tone was almost appreciative.

"But you understand, don't you? This was just an introduction."

The words were light. Casual.

Like he was discussing the weather.

"I come with an offer," Vaelin continued, "one I have already presented to the others. You may surrender. Kneel before the forest, and I will not harm you. There is no need for further battle."

The words hit like a stone thrown into a still pond.

Shocked murmurs spread through the militia. Uneasy glances, shifting stances.

Sasha's hand tightened on her bow.

Juno muttered a curse under his breath.

Darren's fingers twitched toward his sword.

Vaelin smiled.

"You don't believe me, do you? Allow me to clarify."

He spread his hands, as if revealing something grand.

"I am bound to the tutorial. Just as you are. My mission is to win this tutorial. But I do not have to kill you to do so—I simply need you to kneel. If you surrender, I win, and you all live. If you challenge me then I shall leave this place alone."

The weight of his words settled like a sickness.

And then—

________________

[System Alert: Final Quest Objective Confirmed.]

[SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT]A surrender option has been issued.

-Players who surrender now will be immediately removed from the tutorial.

-All tutorial rewards, including stat growth, skills, and class advancements, will be permanently forfeited.

-Those who leave now will have no way to reclaim what they've lost.

-Once the battle Begins, surrender will no longer be an option

Continue fighting or leave empty-handed.

Victory Condition: Defeat the Deathroot Colossus 

Defeat Condition: Surrender or Death 

____________________

The system itself had confirmed it.

There was no deception. No mind games.

They could leave. They could survive.

If they bowed.

The System Announcement was like thunder across the quiet camp.

For a heartbeat, nothing. Then—murmurs. Uncertainty. Fear.

"This is it," someone whispered. "Last chance to walk away."

A few took the offer without hesitation. Figures blurred, flickered—gone. No time for goodbyes. No second chances.

More silence.

Then, Talia scoffed. "Cowards." She spat onto the dirt, her dagger spinning between her fingers. "After all that? After everything we've survived?" Her eyes burned as she turned to the ones who remained. "We didn't crawl through blood, fight monsters, and bury our own just to throw it all away."

Sasha crossed her arms, nodding. "Exactly. No clue what the world looks like beyond this, but if we step into it empty-handed? Might as well be dead already."

The weight of her words settled over them.

"We fought too hard."

"We earned this strength."

"The system doesn't give out favors. We need this power."

Hesitation cracked. Those still wavering clenched their fists, squared their shoulders. The ones who stayed weren't just surviving anymore. They were choosing this.

Another handful vanished. The last to leave.

Then, all eyes shifted. Not to the system. Not to the sky.

To Kai.

He rolled his shoulders, slow and deliberate. Exhaled.

"Well," he murmured, a smirk creeping in. "Guess that settles that."

And just like that—surrender was off the table.

Kai let the silence stretch.

Let the pressure build.

And then, with all the weight of someone who did not give a single damn, he spoke.

"So, tell me, Vaelin," Kai said lazily, "why us? Why did you show up here instead of any of the other camps?"

Vaelin's smile didn't waver.

"Because you are the only ones who pose a tiny threat."

He said it so simply.

"You killed the Gorran boss. The others camps folded quickly once they saw the undead. But you? I felt my true form was required to break you."

The wind whispered through the trees, carrying the weight of his words.

Vaelin took a step forward.

"This is your last chance."

He extended a hand.

"Surrender, and live. Resist, and die."

Kai stared at him.

Held his gaze.

Felt the full force of what Vaelin was.

A monster. A strategist. A being that had already won against four other groups.

And then, Kai smiled.

And in the same mocking, casual tone, he answered.

"Nah."

The wind howled.

The earth trembled.

And for the first time—Vaelin's smile disappeared.