Season 1. Chapter 59: The battle
Chapter: Hero vs Stalker — Light vs Void
The cavern walls rattled, water thundered in the distance like drums of war, and from the shadows of the spillwater crevasse—
The battle began.
Zack Erebus moved first, blinking in and out of the Voidstep, his figure flickering like a broken image. In the moment before he struck, the Djinn—Mal-Khazir—hovered behind him, its six glowing eyes rotating like a gear of fate.
> [Target: Luke Astoria]
Element: Light
Speed: Moderate Light-Level
Swordsmanship: Decent (Below Aurelia)
Power: Extremely High
Points: 50,000+
Class: Semi-Hero (Divine Resistance Boost, Anti-Dark Bonus +35%)
> Strategic Readiness: Avoid direct clashes. Suppress light bursts. Counter physicals with void threading.
Zack vanished.
And then—
SLASH!
He reappeared behind Luke with a blinding flash of dual daggers aimed at the knight's lower back, targeting a blind angle predicted by Mal-Khazir's foresight.
But Luke had already twisted.
Light aura exploded from his sword, burning like a divine flare.
The strike deflected Zack's blade, and the cavern lit up in radiant white as Luke's longsword arced in a sweeping uppercut.
CLANG—!!
Zack was thrown back—feet skimming across wet stone—but not damaged.
> "You read me already?" Zack murmured.
Luke's sword shimmered brighter. "I don't need precognition when I've fought monsters more honest than you."
Zack smirked slightly.
Then dove again.
This time, he used nonexistent threads, not to bind—but to anchor his steps in mid-air, moving in unnatural patterns. From above, below, from sideways against gravity itself, he struck—
But Luke's blade traced arcs of light shields, blinding barriers that surged with each parry.
Still—Zack was faster.
He wasn't attacking to kill—he was studying.
Every swing of Luke's sword, every change in stance, every moment of hesitation—
> Mal-Khazir's six eyes glowed.
[Next Action Detected: Counterslash | 2.7s Delay]
Zack ducked left, flicked his dagger upward—
And carved a shallow line across Luke's shoulder.
The first blood drawn.
Luke grunted but didn't falter. "So that's your trick. You think the future makes you invincible?"
Zack's eyes narrowed. "Not invincible. Just efficient."
Then Luke exhaled—and let all restraint fall.
His sword erupted in radiant gold.
> [Light Surge: Arc of Judgment – Charge Time: 2 seconds]
He charged.
Zack blurred away—Voidstepping left—
But Luke's blade bent with the light, curving unnaturally mid-swing as if guided by fate itself. The blade clipped Zack's side and sent him slamming against a cavern wall.
Even Mal-Khazir faltered slightly, its glowing eyes rotating in a stutter.
Zack stood slowly, smoke curling off his shoulder, part of his coat seared.
> "...Okay," he muttered.
"You're more than numbers."
Luke steadied his breathing, blade high. "You'll have to do better than cheat-sight."
Zack's smirk returned.
> "Then let's make it interesting."
With a snap, Zack activated the Thread Dome—a reality-bending web of invisible threads in a full sphere around them.
Now—
There was no escape.
Just Light…
And Void.
And the cavern itself became the arena of legends.
------
Chapter: Hounds of the Abyss
The clash of light and void between Luke Astoria and Zack Erebus roared on like divine thunder in the spillwater cavern—but just outside their dueling dome, a deeper danger emerged.
Rindle, hands trembling, peered from behind a jagged rock. His dwarven instincts screamed retreat, but his loyalty to Luke—and fear for the others—kept him rooted.
"Should we jump in?" Rindle hissed.
Fern didn't even glance. "Not yet."
Oliver, standing near the Druid, still held his sword tight. His heart pounded, his breath was short. His Systematic Guide flashed open beside him, its page glowing softly with Zack's recent combat analysis.
That's when Zack—without looking, without blinking—slipped his right hand under his soaked white sleeve…
And pulled out eight folded black-edged cards.
"…Wait," Oliver murmured.
Zack flicked his wrist.
The eight cards fluttered into the air, swirling in a slow, controlled spiral. Each one burst into dark ink-like fire, unfolding to reveal distorted silhouette drawings, each etched in charcoal with terrifying precision.
As the drawings vanished—
They became real.
All at once, the stone floor quaked.
Nineteen black beasts emerged from the card ashes, their forms crawling into shape. Fur like smoke, eyes glowing like dying stars. Their mouths dripped with violet mist. Claws scraped sparks into the cavern floor.
> [Summon: Abyssal Hounds – 19 Dark Dog Spirits | Blue-Ranked Tier]
Rindle's jaw dropped. "Oh come on."
Each hound was Blue Ranked, built for overwhelming force against opponents like Oliver.
They weren't high-tier monsters—but in numbers, they were brutal.
Oliver instinctively checked his stats:
---
> [Oliver Woods]
Class: None (Mercenary Title Only)
Speed: Regular Human
Vita Levels: Medium to High
VP: 50,006
Power Rank: Blue Level
Points: 590+
---
He could take one. Maybe two. Not nineteen.
Fern, however, calmly lowered her staff. She too glanced at her guide:
---
> [Fern of the Verdant Circle]
Class: Druid
Speed: Irrelevant (Anchored to Environmental Sync)
Vita Level: Very High
Output: Small Forest-Level Creation
VP: 100,000
Power Rank: Mid-Blue Level
Points: ~900 (Shared)
---
Fern blinked slowly.
"They're real… but not alive," she whispered. "Dark spirits. Formed. Not born."
Oliver gripped his sword tighter. "So what do we do?!"
The hounds started charging, claws slamming the earth, barking out distortions in space.
Fern simply stepped forward.
She whispered something ancient—green glow swirling around her hands—and pressed her staff into the damp cavern soil.
> "Verdant Invocation: Wrath of Roots."
In an instant, the ground between them and the oncoming dogs erupted.
Thick vines, thorned roots, and mossy stone shot up like barricades, wrapping and slamming into the first wave of beasts.
Four were instantly crushed.
Three were entangled and burned by acidic sap.
Others lunged past—
But Oliver was ready now.
He slashed one dog that leapt too close, his iron blade piercing the smoky ribcage, causing it to whimper and dissolve into vapor. His heart thundered, but the system didn't buzz with failure.
> One down.
Another hound circled wide—only to be whipped across the room by a summoned vine-serpent, Fern's staff glowing more intensely with each summon.
"I'll hold the bulk," Fern said calmly. "Oliver—guard the dwarves. Clean up what slips through."
Oliver nodded.
This was his role.
He wasn't a chosen hero.
He wasn't even a real class.
But he was still in the game.
And across the cavern, Luke and Zack's battle pressed on—
Light and Void crashing—while shadows surged from the sides.
And the ruby…
Still hidden.
Still the prize.
But Zack had made it clear—
If you stood in his way, he'd bring the darkness with him.
--------
Chapter: 5:40 A.M. — The Last Surge
ALERT.
A pulse rippled through the Systematic Guide, sending a sharp, internal chime through every Traveler tuned to the game.
> ⚠️ Time: 5:40 A.M.
– 20 Minutes Until Ruby Phase Lock
– All Rubies Must Be Collected
– Territory Reset Imminent
Zack Erebus froze mid-air.
His eyes flickered, pupils dilating as his internal countdown synced.
> "...Damn."
He immediately extended his hand. Nonexistent threads—those invisible feelers of twisted darkness—shot out like snakes through the misty cavern, wrapping toward the hovering satchel of true rubies on the far ledge.
They moved fast.
Too fast for a normal human to stop—
SHNK!
A glint of silver curved through the air—a dagger—flung precisely, nearly skewering Zack's hand mid-motion. The threads recoiled violently.
Zack twisted in air and hissed—
She was back.
Standing at the far end of the cavern mouth—
Aurelia Dawnmere.
Sweater torn, cheeks bruised, eyes on fire with unbent defiance. She casually flipped another dagger in her hand, grinning.
"Surprise again," she said. "You missed the part where I'm always one dramatic moment late."
Behind her, Garrick stumbled in with two new bags of rubies slung over his shoulder, and Nico Faelwyn re-entered in a flicker of foxfire, embers trailing from his fingertips.
Oliver's eyes widened from his defensive stance across the field. "Aurelia?! Nico?!"
Luke straightened up. "Coworkers of yours?"
Oliver nodded, stunned. "They're Travelers like me—mercs from the north."
Marnick blinked. "So... are we still fighting them?"
Aurelia leapt down with a confident twirl and landed near the ruby stash. As she landed, a glowing orb of water materialized in her palm. Her Vita shimmered pink—unlike Oliver's blue or Fern's green or even Zack's pale void-laced aura.
It pulsed hot.
Personal.
Fiery and spirited.
With a sharp splash, she hurled it at Zack—
The orb burst on impact with a wave of pressure that soaked everything in a ten-foot radius.
Zack didn't flinch. His darkness affinity kicked in immediately.
> [Darkness vs. Water: 80% Damage Reduction]
His coat barely even dripped.
He stood there, silent… but now slightly irritated.
Aurelia stepped in front of the rubies, hands on her hips.
"All mine," she smirked.
Garrick grumbled behind her. "She just got kidnapped and still talks trash like she owns the place…"
Zack narrowed his eyes. "You don't understand what's at stake."
Nico flashed a fang-filled grin. "Oh, we do. You just don't like losing."
Luke stepped up beside Oliver, nodding. "We hold here. If we lose the rubies, it resets everything."
Oliver readied his sword. "Then let's make this the final stand."
Allies and rivals now stood side by side:
Luke the Semi-Hero
Fern the Forest-Bound Druid
Oliver the Unclassed Mercenary
Aurelia, the Pink-Vita Bladeheart
Nico the Foxkin Ember-Scout
Garrick the Ironbag Carrier
The Seven Dwarves, grumbling with growing courage
And in the center of it all—
The rubies.
The prize.
The trigger.
The only thing standing between Zack and complete control of the night.
The air tensed.
The countdown ticked.
5:41 A.M.
The final chapter of the Ruby Game was coming.
And this time… everyone was in.
------
Chapter: Flames, Blades, and Multiplayer Rules
5:42 A.M.
The cavern seethed with tension—cascading waterfalls roaring, mist curling through the light of the fading night. The countdown pulsed through every Traveler's Guide as the final minutes of the Ruby Game approached.
Zack Erebus stood calm, composed, and deadly, surrounded by figures of resistance on all sides.
Suddenly—Nico Faelwyn stepped forward.
His foxlike orange hair sparked, embers trailing behind his boots as he lifted one glowing hand. The Vita aura around him flared deep orange-red, licking upward in strands of energy.
> "Elemental Recomposition…"
"Carbon and Oxygen. Fuel and breath."
"Ignite."
With a focused breath, Nico conjured a dense ball of flame, forged by drawing from the core elements of fire—carbon-rich air and pure O₂ from the atmosphere. It compressed into a sphere of volatile heat, his eyes narrowed in focus.
"Go!"
Nico hurled the fireball forward.
BOOM—!!
It collided directly with Zack's upper body—his coat caught fire for the second time tonight, flames licking up the sleeves and shoulder.
But Zack didn't scream.
He didn't even flinch.
> [Darkness Elemental Resistance: -80% from Fire]
He simply tilted his head, eyes calm, and brushed the embers off like loose dust. His coat sizzled and smoldered, but his skin was untouched.
"Aesthetic damage," Zack muttered.
Before he could retaliate—
Aurelia charged in.
Her pink Vita flared like a pulse. She leapt forward with her iron dagger drawn in reverse grip, flipping through the mist like a whirlwind of tenacity. She lunged—
CLANG!
Zack caught the dagger between his twin blades, locking her in a close clash of steel and will. Sparks erupted.
She gritted her teeth, forcing the pressure—
Even though Zack held the edge in sheer skill and vision, Aurelia didn't waver. The surrounding darkness tilted the balance in his favor, his vision enhanced by the void's veil, yet her stubborn glare never cracked.
"You're not untouchable," she growled.
He responded with silence.
From the sideline, Oliver looked stunned—but Aurelia whipped her head back mid-lock.
"Oliver!" she called. "We're on the same [MP]—Multiplayer node!"
Oliver blinked. "Wait—so if I get the rubies—?"
"We all get credit!" she grinned. "Team drop rules!"
Luke gave a quick nod, eyes flicking to the bag.
"Fern," he said.
The Druid was already one step ahead.
With a flick of her hand, vines whipped upward from the moist cavern floor, lifting one of the ruby satchels into her grasp. Her green Vita glowed gently as she tossed it toward Oliver.
Oliver caught it with both hands, shoulders trembling slightly from the weight—not just of the rubies, but the pressure of the moment.
"Go," Fern said.
Oliver turned north—where the map had earlier revealed a potential Extraction Pillar.
Zack sensed it.
His eye twitched.
He reached up—
> [Nonexistent Threads: Cast]
Dozens of invisible strands launched toward Oliver, moving faster than the eye could track—
But—
Aurelia, still locked with Zack, released one hand and twisted his wrist.
She grabbed his arm. Tight.
Painfully tight.
"Not this time," she said, smirking.
"You want to chase him? Gotta get past me first."
Zack tried to pull away—
But she didn't let go.
She wasn't just a dagger-user.
She was trained in grip-breaks, disarms, and grapple holds.
And she was strong—as strong as any mercenary worth her rank.
Zack's threads wavered mid-air—losing direction as his concentration was broken.
> [Threadcast: Cancelled.]
He hissed through his teeth. "You're persistent."
Aurelia leaned in close. "You're not the only one who fights dirty, thread boy."
Behind them—Oliver and Fern sprinted into the northern tunnel, rubies in hand, with the Seven Dwarves yelling encouragement and Luke keeping Zack pinned with radiant pressure from the side.
5:43 A.M.
The endgame had begun.
And the shadows were slipping.
Zack wasn't out yet.
But he wasn't alone in control anymore.