Chapter 4

Was Eren about to die?

Those metal jaws and teeth—sharp as swords—closed in like a guillotine, ready to fall.

A single bite, and it would all be over.

The creature's mouth opened wider, now just an inch from Eren.

He didn't move—he had accepted his fate.

Someone as weak as him, accidentally thrown into the portal, was already destined to die.

Eren : This is it...

Eren closed his eyes, accepting the end.

He waited, still and silent, for death to claim him.

A few seconds passed.

Why wasn't he dead?

Eren still had his eyes shut, frozen in place.

Then—

~"Thud"

A dense, lifeless sound echoed beside him.

Cold. Heavy. Final.

Something had fallen. But it wasn't him.

Eren slowly opened his eyes—and froze in terror.

Lying before him was the source of the sound.

The creature's head, mouth still wide open, stared back at him.

It had been decapitated.

Eren : I am not dead!?

A dagger hovered near Eren—so close, its tip nearly touched his eye.

Jack : Didn't I told you before? Both of us had the mission to escape this place. And look at you here...

You here accepted your fate, willing to die easily while not fighting till the end?

How pathetic of you...

Eren : I apologize! I let my guard down! Forgive me please.

Jack : Listen up, don't expect me to always come save you when you are near your death.

I prioritizing my life over you, so fight for yourself if you want to come out alive.

Jack stood over him, dagger still raised, his cold eyes locked onto Eren.

There was no anger—just disappointment.

He wasn't mad Eren had failed…

He was mad Eren had given up.

Jack : Is this the person I wanted to save? I know he's a stranger towards to me. But still, is there anyone who cares about him?

Jack's thoughts burned silently.

What Eren did—wasn't just fear. It was suicide.

He had a chance to fight back, to slash the creature and survive.

But he didn't. He gave up.

Why?

Doesn't he value his own life?

Does he intend to live always relying on others?

Jack : What a pathetic person this guy is...

The corpses of the wolf-like creatures began to fade, disintegrating like ashes swept away by the wind.

But there was no sign of the key to unlock the door in the middle tunnel.

However, one thing was different about this right side tunnel—it wasn't a dead end like the left.

Jack : What more lies ahead?

Hey, we should keep moving. This ain't no dead end road.

Eren : Alright...

Eren stood up, moving forward alongside Jack.

More danger? Who knew.

But one thing was clear—it was necessary to find a way out of this dimension, to escape the tunnel they were trapped in.

=============

Five minutes had passed as they walked through the tunnel.

Nothing had changed, except for the faint glow of their torches made from bright crystals, and the two daggers resting in Eren's backpack.

Jack : This thing, the motion. It seems big.

Eren : That's some large noises to be heard!

Eren could hear it—the faint, echoing sounds of something moving ahead.

Jack's eyes narrowed, scanning the darkness.

Something big was approaching.

A massive creature, perhaps? Maybe.

Jack : Hey Jack, you can't rely upon me. This thing's massive.

Eren : This creature... it's big!

A mutated wolf-like creature appeared, enormous—easily the size of an elephant.

It shared the same traits as the others: metal jaws and claws.

But this time, those metallic parts gleamed with a golden shine, reflecting the light.

Jack : PREPARE YOURSELF!

Eren : YOUR GOING TO FIGHT THIS!?

Jack : THERE'S NO TIME TO TALK! FOCUS!

It all happened in seconds—just a brief exchange of words.

The massive creature was already within striking range, its golden claws just meters from impact with Jack.

But before the blow landed, Jack shoved Eren out of the way.

~"THAAM!!"

A thunderous crash echoed through the tunnel—the claws collided with the wall behind Jack, shaking the ground and sending dust and debris flying.

The sheer force of the impact rang out like metal smashing stone.

Eren : What the fuck!?

Eren's reaction said it all—pure shock and fear.

Someone like him would've died instantly from that single impact.

And Jack… who knows what became of him after that collision?

Was he still alive? Or lying there, lifeless?

The massive creature slowly turned its head, eyes locking onto Eren.

It had chosen its next target.

Muscles tensed, claws digging into the ground—

It was ready to charge, a rushing beast of death hurtling toward him.

The beast lunged forward, a blur of gold and metal rushing straight at Eren.

Was he fast enough?

Barely.

He dove to his left just in time—the charge missed by a hair's breadth.

But it didn't end there.

The creature was already turning, preparing for another devastating rush.

Eren : This thing's not giving me any chance! What should I do!?

Then it hit him—he still had a dagger.

All this time, running, dodging, even fighting… he'd forgotten.

Strapped to his back, inside the pack, the weapon sat in its scabbard.

His hand twitched.

It was time to use it.

Eren : Maybe... if I could aim it towards his eyes!

As expected, the creature lunged—its massive form barreling toward Eren for the finishing blow.

But the scene shifted into something else entirely.

Like a Spanish bullfight—minus the red cloth.

The big creature, the bull.

Eren, the matador.

And once again, with a swift sidestep, the charge missed.

Eren's narrow escape from the creature's charged rush twice in a row enraged it, summoning another.

A deafening bark echoed through the air.

Eren : That bark was too loud, I might have became deaf if it continued to bark more like that! I was able to dodge that thing's tackle twice but haven't gotten time to aim my dagger towards his eyes!

The massive creature charged at Eren again, but this time, he didn't plan to dodge. It was a gamble—miss and die.

The dagger had to hit its eyes, that was his only hope.

Eren : Here it comes!

The massive creature charged at Eren, closing the distance quickly.

Suddenly, a dagger flew toward the wolf liked creature, aimed straight for its eyes—not from Eren.

Eren : Huh!?

Blood spilled from Jack's forehead, but he was still alive.

He was the one who had thrown the dagger at the creature.

Jack : Great mindset you got there.

No one knew when Jack regained consciousness, but he did—and understood Eren's true intent: to strike the creature's eyes with his dagger.

Eren : Now's my chance!

Eren hurled his dagger at the creature's second eye.

Jack's throw had hit the left eye dead-on with perfect accuracy.

But Eren's aim missed—it didn't strike the big creature.

Eren : Damn it!

Wait, what is that?

Eren's eyes locked onto a glowing yellow core on the wolf-like creature's chest.

Maybe striking there could kill it?

Eren : Hey Jack! Can you try to aim towards that thing's chest, towards the yellow shining thing.

Jack : ALRIGHT!

The creature, now one-eyed, reeled in pain but began recovering quickly.

This time, it didn't charge—instead, it lunged to slash Eren with its golden-metallic claws.

Eren : Oh gosh! He's now attempting to slice me! C'mon Jack, make things quick!

At Eren's command, Jack moved fast—going for the dagger that had missed and struck the wall instead.

Luckily, it held up.

The sharp tip hadn't broken.

Jack : That guy ain't no expert at combat... neither am I...

Eren sprinted toward Jack, who now had the dagger in hand.

Their chemistry had sharpened—no words, just action.

Eren's role was clear: set the aim so Jack could strike the creature's core.

Jack : Just this strike...

Jack hurled his dagger straight at the creature's core—

It hit!

Eren : YESS!

After the dagger struck the creature's chest core, its behavior shifted—it thrashed in pain, as if something had pierced its heart. Eren's hunch was right—hitting the core worked.

The wolf-like creature let out a deep, guttural scream, its voice cracking with pain as the dagger pierced its core.

With that, the wolf-like creature collapsed to the ground.

They had succeeded in defeating it.

Eren's intelligence and Jack's quick actions— their teamwork was truly brilliant.

Eren : We have defeated it...

Jack : Be glad with that mindset of yours.

You were able to detect it's weak spot.

Eren : I only noticed it's weak spot, that's all.

Jack : Appreciate it. Your mind really helped you this time.

The corpse of the massive wolf-like creature began to fade away.

Moments later, a shiny object appeared on the ground—a key!

Eren : This is it... the key.

Jack : So shall we head back to the huge door?

Eren : Let's go then.