Final Countdown

Although the system urged him to move, Kazuki didn't. His legs refused to budge. He glanced sideways—Lillan was still there, asleep, her breath shallow but steady. Her face was relaxed now, the pain smoothed over by exhaustion. She wasn't in any condition to move and leaving her here wasn't a choice.

Corpses begun jerking with more vigor. Finger curling and uncurled, rhythmic spasms of headless bodies. But they still weren't moving. Still not enough of; whatever force lay behind them to make them rise.

But Kazuki had felling—all of that would change once the countdown hit zero.

He could feel the gears of construct—whatever ancient mechanism held this slice of reality together—groaning under the weight of something colossal pressing in from the other side. The air humming with tension. 

Then— A high-pitch frequency began to ring at the edge of his hearing, sharp and stinging like the phantom needle jabbed into his brain. The chirping sound followed. Shrill. Mechanical. And Unnatural. 

A grimace flickered across his face. "Uhh… Not this again," He clutched his side of head. It was the same Chirping sound, but it wasn't just annoying anymore. It had sharpened, distorting into something more metallic and jagged, clawing at the back of his thoughts; like nails on a pane of glass. A madness that wanted to seep in, like glitch trying to rewrite itself into reality.

He ground his teeth, glancing at the timer flickering in the corner of his vision.

[00:03:29]

"No shit… this isn't the time to sleep right now." Kazuki said, his voice low and urgent. He shook her shoulder—gently at first, then firmer.

"Lillian, wake up! Come on, not now—this is seriously the worst time for a nap!"

He shook her shoulder, a little harder this time.

"Hey! If you crash now, you're not waking up, got it? Don't do this—open those damn eyes!"

She groaned, a soft noise slipping from her lips, but her eyes stayed closed. Her body shifted slightly, barely responding. His grip tightened. "Dammit—don't make me carry you, you frozen psycho…"

[00:03:18]

Wet, squelching footsteps; trudging through the muck, echoed layering over the chirping glitch. Then came the groans. Low. Guttural. Gaining in volume and numbers.

Kazuki's head snapped toward the front—half a dozen zombies rushing toward him with both sides. He didn't have time to hesitate.

"Tch… You better thank me for this later," Then he dropped to one knee, hooked an arm under her knees, and with a grunt, hoisted her up onto his back. Her arms flopped over his shoulders, head lolling weakly against his neck. He hooked her legs with one arm, kept the dagger in the other, and rose in one smooth motion. Her weight pressed into him, but not enough to slow him down. He shifted Lillian gently. Dagger coiled in his fist, mana blade stretching.

"I don't have time for this," he growled. "Let's just get this over with quick."

The undead surged forward, growling in hunger. Kazuki moved, boots slamming against the broken earth, as he navigated through the collapsed debris of the ruined hut. Chunks of wooden beams jutted like splinters from the floor and straw and fibers of thatch clung to his boots, damp with gore and black ichor.

A corpse lunged out from the wreckage beside him—Kazuki didn't blink. He twisted his body, blade flashing upward in tight arc. The zombies head split open with a wet, sizzling snap, dark ichor spraying against the ruined wall. Another one came from behind—it tripped over the collapsed doorframe, only to get stomped into silence under Kazuki's boot.

He bolted forward, out of the hut and down the narrow dirt path; the lane from where they previously came from, toward the inner district. Suddenly Kazuki's hand shook slightly, gripping the Hydra's dagger, the weight of blade seemed to press against his palm. The dagger vibrated with a low hum, a deep resonance that seemed to sync with the pulse of his heartbeat. His fingers tightened reflexively, yet the trembling wouldn't stop.

The screen flickered as his vision adjusted, the world slowing for a fraction of a second.

Sync Threshold Reached: 96.8%

Hydra's Fang: Resonance Trial Available

Hydra's Fang begins to resonate with your will.

Let it guide your gaze—see the fracture lines, shimmering across flesh and steel. Every weakness, exposed for seconds.

Trial: Eyes Unclouded

Objective: Eliminate 20 enemies with a single, precise strike.

Warning: Thoughts will blur the vision. Let instinct carve the path.

Reward: Unlock Skill: [Hydra's Fang: Resonance Perception]

Kazuki whipped his head forward, not giving the screen more than a glance. Instead, it fell on the tickling time clock at the corner, [00:01:59]

His mind raced—only one minute and fifty-nine seconds remaining, the timer ticking away, as the undead closed in behind him.

He barely registered the shuffle of feet and soft groan of Lillian behind him. Her body seemed to stir, groaning softly as she shifted in his arms. His balance shifted, her weight pulling him off-course for a fraction of a second.

"Dammit!" Kazuki hissed under his breath. His vision sharpened just in time to see more of the undead—two dozen of them—rushing toward him. Their hungry eyes locked on him as they stumbled, reaching out with twisted hands. He braced himself, teeth grinding like gears under pressure.

The dagger continued to hum in his grip, the trembling in his hands intensifying as the resonance within grew stronger. Kazuki's breath hitched as the dagger's power seeped into his skin, urging him to act, to strike without hesitation. His grip tightened, but the shaking wouldn't cease. He could feel it—an urgency rising within him, an instinctive drive, like the blade itself was alive, pulling him forward.

Kazuki's vision blurred for a moment, everything sharpening suddenly. The world seemed to stretch, slow down, and then—his focus snapped back into place.

The display flickered, on the grotesque form of zombies, black wisps briefly dancing across their body. His heartbeat matched the pulse of the dagger. 

He let out a breath, slow and soft, adjusting Lillian behind him.

The dagger jerked in his grip, Kazuki's hand trembled in response, fingers tightening instinctively around the hilt.

And then he saw it.

Fracture lines.

Faint glowing veins running through the undead—across their limbs, their necks, their hearts. Like threads of weakness drawn in light.

His pupils dilated.

His body moved before he could think.