The clattering of Jaron's footsteps echoed through the quiet, narrow streets of Beysolun in the early morning. The cold air felt increasingly dense, and sweat poured down Jaron's forehead. His body ran without stopping, like a hunted rabbit, hoping to get as far as possible from the shadow of death behind him. Behind him, the sound of heavy, menacing footsteps drew closer.
Thump… thump… thump…
Jaron could feel the presence of that villain, and fear immediately enveloped his entire body. He knew who it was. He knew what he had just witnessed—a silent murder, a body shattered in an instant, as if from within. That wasn't just killing; it was something darker, like a poison seeping slowly, corrupting everything it touched.
"No, no... I have to run... I have to escape," Jaron thought in panic, but his steps felt halted by fear. Every time he looked back, that dark shadow drew closer and closer, like a shadow of death swallowing every bit of light. He didn't know where to go. His only option was to run.
His legs felt heavy, his breath ragged. His heart beat so fast, as if wanting to leap out of his chest. His eyes darted around, searching for an escape, but there was only the encroaching dark shadow. Every step was filled with anxiety, every heartbeat full of unspoken fear. "I can't fight this…" Jaron thought, and a deep despair came, drowning him in terrifying darkness.
Jaron looked back again, but all he could see was that shadow. The cold air piercing his bones grew sharper, and his breath became more choked, as if the air around him grew denser, more deadly. "No… I can't… I have to keep running!" he screamed in his mind, trying to dispel the fear controlling his body.
The Mycelic Executioner didn't make a single sound. As if the world grew quieter around him, no one could hear the tension in the air except Jaron himself. Suddenly, that sound—a sound like something moving inside his body—was heard. Like mushrooms crawling, gnawing at his body from within. His ears rang. Panic. Panic. Panic.
"No… I can't die like this…" Jaron ran faster, trying to suppress the fear that was nearly overwhelming him, but it was futile. Every time he ran, his steps felt heavier, as if his legs were being pulled into the ground, dragged by invisible hands full of despair. Behind him, the sound of that large sword striking the ground shook the city with a hard impact that resonated in his chest.
And then, he felt something touch his back—something cold and wet, seeping into his body. The mushrooms, they had begun to corrupt his body, like fine threads infiltrating every living tissue, silently destroying everything.
"W-w-what is this?!" Jaron felt a tingling throughout his body, as if needles were pricking him from within. His bones felt brittle, and every movement he made felt heavier, like trying to move in deepening mud.
"Argh!" he screamed, trying to shake off the pain, running again even though his body felt increasingly uncooperative.
"I can't stop! I have to keep running!"
With immense tension, Jaron activated Etherium Pulse to accelerate his body. The slight increase in speed gave a glimmer of hope, but it still wasn't enough.
The Mycelic Executioner was too fast, too deadly. The large sword came swinging from behind—as if the world grew heavier with every step. Jaron could only run with a feeling of being trapped, as if every step was a step towards death.
"I can't fight... I have to dodge!"
Then, suddenly, Jaron heard a loud explosion behind him, and vibrations from the ground enveloped his body. Rocks shattered and flew, and the attack struck hard, shaking everything.
Jaron felt the vibration deep within his body, every heartbeat felt faster, more panicked, more uncontrolled. The fear grew deeper; his body just wanted to stop, yet he knew that was the same as surrendering.
But he couldn't.
Jaron ran, leaped over a large rock, hid behind bushes, trying to find a chance to evade further. Even though his body was exhausted, even though his heart wanted to stop beating, there was one thing deepest within him: "I can't die here. I'm not finished. I'm not ready to die."
The Mycelic Executioner drew closer, but Jaron had already run into the Beysolun forest, hoping to hide deeper, hoping to escape that monster.
But, as he ran further into the darkness of the forest, his fear transformed into something even darker—like a shadow threatening to swallow the world. Something he couldn't predict, something possibly far worse than what he had already faced.
---
The End
Dawn began to slip light into the Beysolun forest, the grayish-blue sky slowly shifting to an orange hue signaling the sunrise. Jaron, who had been running almost all night, was now deep within the increasingly dark forest. He hid behind large trees, regulating his ragged breath. Sweat streamed down his temples, and his body felt heavy—as if all his energy had been drained.
As the first light appeared on the eastern horizon, that fear still enveloped him, growing deeper, gripping tighter. Time moved so slowly, and the hairs on his neck stood on end every time those heavy footsteps approached.
The Mycelic Executioner kept stalking him, large and menacing steps shaking the earth. Jaron could hear him approaching—and with that, increasingly uncontrollable fear crept into every fiber of his being. He knew—he knew that monster wouldn't stop until he was caught.
Yet, it was then that the voice came, a heavy and hoarse voice from the creature that had drawn near.
"You're tired, boy." The voice rumbled, like distant thunder. Jaron held his breath, his body rigid, as if the earth beneath his feet wanted to swallow him alive. "Run as far as you want, you won't be able to escape. You're only prolonging your suffering."
Jaron ran faster, even though his body felt heavier, as if all his strength had been sucked dry. His internal monologue grew more chaotic.
"Why… why do I have to keep running? What should I do? I have nothing… it's all pointless… Why do I keep living in this fear?"
Cold sweat flowed down his body, his trembling intense. And it was then the voice returned, this time closer.
"You know, boy, your fate was decided long ago." The Mycelic Executioner approached with deliberate steps, the large sword gleaming in his hand. "You're just a tragic, foolish boy trying to run from reality. Your life—all of this—it's all just an illusion."
Jaron looked up, his face full of confusion and terror. "I... I just want to survive. What's wrong with that?" His voice sounded broken, almost as if he were speaking to himself.
"You ask what's wrong?" The Mycelic Executioner laughed lowly, almost sneering. "Your life is mere foolishness. Look at yourself, Jaron. Running, hiding—is that a way to live? No one cares about you. No one cares about a boy who doesn't know what to do."
Jaron felt his chest tighten, an empty feeling pressing him deeper. All those emotions mixed—fear, confusion, and the foolishness named by his enemy. "I just... want to get out of here. I can't die... I can't...!"
The Mycelic Executioner took another step closer, and the large sword shone sharply under the intensifying sunlight. "You've been dead since the moment you stepped into this game. And now, it's time for the world to continue without trash like you." He swung the sword towards Jaron with lethal speed.
Jaron tried to dodge, his body almost collapsing, but the sword shot forth so fast, slicing a part of his body, leaving a deep wound. The pain was immense, but it didn't make him stop running. Only his fear and confusion kept driving him forward. Yet, he knew—this was the end. There was no way out.
"What do you feel, boy?" asked The Mycelic Executioner in a flat tone, as if indifferent to Jaron's resistance. "Your despair… is a sign that your life has indeed ended."
Jaron tried once more to use his Etherium power, but exhaustion and tremendous pain clouded his mind. He was out of strength, out of hope. In that chaos, an explosion of energy was heard, and the large sword once again aimed at Jaron's body.
---
Jaron felt his body flung, sliding at a speed he couldn't control. The world seemed to spin in chaos. His head spun, his heart beat so hard it felt like it would explode. Everything happened so fast. He could only see blurred shadows, spinning and spinning, as he was thrown into the air.
In an instant, the villain's face blurred in his mind, the words spoken like thunder in his ears. "Tragic and foolish boy." Those words were like a blow, more deadly than any attack he had ever experienced.
"I... what have I done?" Jaron thought. Feelings of annoyance, anger, and disappointment overflowed. What had he hoped for? That he could be a hero? That he could stop a force far greater than him with just willpower? It was all a foolish delusion. His plan was a mess, his steps wrong from the start. His courage, naive, without careful calculation. Everything was pointless.
He felt as if there was a major flaw within himself. "Don't think you can fight all this with just courage," he thought, frustrated. He blamed himself. "Stupid boy… I can't even save myself."
Even as his body was flung further, Jaron felt his body growing more uncontrollable. Time seemed to slow. His head spun, his thoughts grew more chaotic, his body felt like it no longer belonged to him. In the blink of an eye, he realized how unprepared he was to face all this, how naive he was to think he could overcome everything with mere desire and spirit.
"What should I have done? Why didn't I think more carefully?" His inner self sank deeper into the mistakes he had made. If only he had been more careful, if only he hadn't rushed to involve himself in something even bigger than him… But it was all too late.
It wasn't courage needed in moments like these, but clear thinking, meticulous planning. "I'm just a nuisance... I don't even know what to do after this."
And then, his body slammed into something hard.
The clanging sound of the magical barrier echoed in the air, and the whole world went dark for Jaron. Only one thought crossed his mind before consciousness faded. "I... am truly foolish..."
The sound of a hard impact echoed in the air, the terrible sound of breaking bones, and everything turned dark. At that moment, all of Jaron's hopes vanished—as he crashed into that barrier, his body was shattered, and his life ended.
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