Crazy World, Wicked System (2)

Chapter 10

The thunder of hooves grew louder—too loud.

Conner's face paled as panic clawed at his chest. He'd hoped for a few more seconds to think, to breathe, to plan. But there was no time left—and not that there was much to plan anyway.

Steeling his nerves, he summoned a layer of shadow around his boots for grip and stepped onto the rickety bridge. The first few planks held, creaking ominously under his weight. But as he took another step, the entire structure began to tremble.

Conner froze.

The bridge swayed violently, and for a moment, he lost his balance. His heart leapt into his throat as the plank beneath his foot cracked. He barely regained his footing—one slip, one misstep, and it would all be over.

With his teeth clenched and shadow-clad boots sticking carefully to the warped wood, he inched forward. Each step was agony, each creak a promise of doom. He was halfway across when he risked a glance back.

The red horses had stopped.

They stood at the edge, snorting and pacing, but not daring to step onto the bridge. Apparently, even fire-breathing demon beasts had a healthy fear of falling into endless, black nothingness.

Conner almost laughed. "Guess you guys aren't that crazy after all—"

CRACK!

The board beneath him snapped.

His heart dropped.

He plunged downward—only to catch himself, one hand clutching a jagged piece of wood still tethered to the frame. He dangled over the abyss, legs swinging above eternal darkness.

The bad news? The bridge was giving up.

The worse news? He wasn't off it yet.

Grimacing, Conner pulled himself back up with sheer desperation and shadow-assisted grip. His muscles screamed in protest, but he didn't stop. He moved even more cautiously, whispering silent prayers to any god who might be listening.

After what felt like an eternity—though only seconds had passed—his foot touched solid ground.

He stumbled onto the ledge, fell to his knees, and exhaled like a man reborn.

A distant shriek echoed behind him.

Conner turned, a victorious smirk forming as he spotted the fiery silhouettes of the red horses still standing on the far end of the chasm. He was finally safe. The joy hit him so hard he almost laughed.

But the horses were not amused.

Their furious shrieking grew louder—frustrated, enraged. One of them suddenly charged forward onto the bridge, hoofs clattering madly over the ruined planks.

Conner's eyes widened. "No way…"

The beast barreled ahead, ignoring the snapping wood beneath it—until finally, the bridge betrayed it. The boards splintered, and the horse fell, vanishing into the abyss with a haunting screech.

Conner couldn't help himself.

He raised his middle finger toward the void and grinned. "Yeah! That's what you get!"

But the celebration was short-lived.

Three remaining horses suddenly burst onto the bridge—and this time, they weren't falling. Their movements were frantic, yet careful. The planks somehow held under their weight.

Conner's grin vanished. "Wait... why aren't they falling?!"

He stepped back, panic flaring again. One of the remaining horses stumbled slightly—but recovered. The other charged forward with terrifying speed.

"Come on, fall… Fall!" he shouted.

As if the abyss had heard his plea, one of them suddenly lost its footing. With a final shriek, it tumbled into the void.

Conner sighed in relief—but only for a heartbeat.

The last two horses was still coming. And this one wasn't slowing down.

His escape was far from over.

"Damn it!" Conner shouted, spinning on his heel and breaking into a desperate sprint.

Behind him, the red horse let out a bloodcurdling shriek and launched two blazing fireballs in rapid succession. The first exploded against his back, the second struck him mid-air, sending him tumbling like a ragdoll across the scorched earth.

He crashed hard—bones rattling, lungs crushed from the impact.

Conner groaned. It felt like half his blood had left his body.

As if mocking him, a system notification flashed in his blurry vision:

–30 HP

[40/100 HP Remaining]

Pain roared through his limbs, but he gritted his teeth and forced himself upright. Every muscle screamed in protest. He stumbled forward, running purely on instinct and desperation.

Then came another fireball—larger, hotter.

It slammed into him like a meteor, lifting him off the ground and slamming him into something hard and jagged. His back collided with a massive boulder, knocking the breath out of him.

Conner crumpled to the ground, vision spinning, limbs heavy as lead.

The red horses were approaching—he could see their silhouettes growing clearer through his dazed eyes.

A bitter curse escaped his cracked lips.

The system had offered him no guidance. No help. It had thrown him into this strange, merciless world and left him to die. He cursed the system. He cursed the red cosmic army. He cursed the Eye in the Void. Whatever cosmic force had dragged him here—he cursed it all.

A dry, humorless chuckle escaped his throat. He hadn't even survived a full day in this so-called second chance, and here he was—about to die again.

How tragically ironic.

His shadow reserves were nearly depleted. His body was broken. He couldn't fight. He couldn't run.

Conner closed his eyes.

If this was the end... then so be it. But God, he hated dying.

And yet—something shifted.

He felt it. The change in the air. The red horses—once brimming with savage fury—suddenly slowed. Conner cracked an eye open. What he saw made the blood freeze in his veins.

They weren't looking at him.

They were staring in terror at something above him—at the top of the boulder.

Their rage had turned to horror.

Before they could flee, a shadow leapt from the top of the rock and landed in front of them with a thunderous impact. The ground trembled.

And in a single motion—clean, effortless—the creature slashed its claws.

Both red horses were decapitated instantly.

Their heads rolled across the ground, stopping inches from Conner's trembling hands.

He should've felt relief. Hours of running. Of pain. Of desperation. The red horses—finally gone.

But instead, terror flooded his chest.

Because something even worse now loomed over him.

Conner forced himself to look up. His face, already pale, drained of all remaining color.

The creature towering before him was nothing short of a nightmare.

It was massive—its body cloaked in obsidian-black skin that shimmered like volcanic glass. Every muscle rippled with power, radiating a pressure so overwhelming it made Conner feel like an insect beneath a mountain.

It resembled a lion… but there was something vulpine about it too. A long, fox-like tail swayed behind it, crackling faintly with energy. Its limbs were thick, sturdy—each movement a silent demonstration of overwhelming force.

Two large, curved horns protruded from its head, exuding pure dread. Just looking at them made Conner feel small, helpless. Its fangs—long, jagged—looked like they could tear through steel.

But what truly horrified him… were the claws.

They weren't normal.

They looked like blades—massive sabers, fused into flesh. Each claw glowed faintly, as if they'd tasted cosmic power.

Everything about the creature was wrong. Ancient. Unnatural. Terrifying.

Conner knew, with absolute certainty, that this thing could kill him in the blink of an eye—without effort, without thought.

And yet… it hadn't.

Not yet.

He didn't dare breathe.

To be continued....

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