## "Fear."
Before him sat someone on a throne.
Light black armor covered their entire body.
Where their head should have been—there was only a burning flame.
**"Black Flame."**
It felt as if the hatred of the entire world
had condensed into a single body.
**"King of Terror."**
Arthur remembered—when he was only ten years old,
he had seen just an image and the name in an old book.
To the right of the throne, a massive greatsword was planted in the ground,
as if waiting for a single command.
On either side of the throne stood two Gravehowler—his generals.
Suddenly, an eerie silence filled the entire room.
It felt as if everyone had forgotten why they were even there.
Before Durk could say anything,
both generals lunged forward at lightning speed.
One by one, adventurers were cut in half.
Durk steadied himself and collided head-on with a general.
Seeing this, the others regained their senses and began to fight back.
Arthur, Joseph, and Karaku dove into the battle without hesitation.
One general landed a brutal punch on Durk—sending him crashing into the wall.
The wall shattered from floor to ceiling.
Arthur screamed loudly—
**"Durk!"**
But he knew he couldn't keep his eyes on Durk.
He grabbed Joseph and Karaku and pressed forward.
Meanwhile, the generals struck the tanks one after another with their swords.
Suddenly, one general hurled his sword into the air—and leapt himself.
In the next moment, he grabbed it mid-fall and slammed it down onto the tanks below.
The impact was so immense that anyone nearby was thrown across the room.
Arthur, Joseph, and Karaku were also slammed into the walls, flying through the air.
Half the floor collapsed—deep cracks spreading in every direction.
The tanks below were completely obscured—only blood remained.
After a moment, Durk emerged from the debris and shouted—
**"Chain Binding… use it!"**
Several mages joined forces, trying to restrain both generals with Chain Binding.
**"I can't hold them for much longer!"** one mage yelled.
Arthur quickly steadied himself.
Some adventurers rejoined Durk, and Arthur pressed forward without pause.
He reached one of the generals and activated his skill—
**"Sword Hammer."**
With a thunderous impact, the general fell to his knees.
Blood poured from his head—but he was still alive.
Arthur immediately retreated, accompanied by another adventurer,
as a massive fireball had already formed above the general's head.
Once everyone was at a safe distance, the fireball descended directly onto both generals.
To shield themselves from the impact, some buried their swords in the ground, others took cover behind tanks.
When the dust settled, a huge lava-like crater had formed in the middle of the floor.
Arthur scanned his surroundings quickly…
Joseph and Karaku were at opposite corners of the room.
He sprinted to their sides.
**"Are you both okay?"**
Joseph and Karaku tried to stand, holding their heads,
but blood was streaming, and they struggled to remain upright.
After a while, they gradually got to their feet.
"How is everyone…" Karaku tried to speak but couldn't.
Arthur too was bleeding from the head.
He wiped it with one hand and said—
**"I don't think anyone's really okay…"**
Suddenly, the entire room was engulfed in fog.
Nothing was visible at a distance, only the sound of screaming.
Some adventurers were calling out each other's names.
Joseph and Karaku also raised their voices—
**"Arthur! Joseph! Where are you?"**
Only their voices could be heard; no one could see anyone else, as if they had entered an entirely different world.
Arthur couldn't understand anything.
His breathing quickened, his heart pounded violently.
After a moment, even the screaming stopped.
Arthur began moving forward, but he had no idea where he was going.
Joseph and Karaku shouted desperately, but there was no response.
Arthur felt as if the ground beneath his feet had slipped away.
Desperately, he unleashed a long-range skill—
**"Sword Hurricane."**
But it had no effect.
Again, Arthur screamed in desperation—Joseph, Karaku… still no response.
Then flames erupted around him, forming a sea of fire.
And in the middle of that inferno, Arthur stood.
Pain shot through his head, so intense it felt like his brain would explode.
He clutched his head and collapsed,
but the pain did not ease—it only intensified.
Blood flowed from his mouth; he couldn't breathe properly, his heart raced uncontrollably.
Arthur felt as if some long-suppressed memory was trying to emerge from his mind—
the fear he had buried for so many years.
He struggled to keep it from surfacing,
but he couldn't stop it.
Collapsed, he looked ahead…
and two shadows stood there.
They wanted to speak to him—but couldn't.
Gradually, the shadows multiplied—
from two to four, four to eight… spreading across the room.
Slowly, a distorted, echoing voice began to ring in Arthur's ears:
*"THIS WORLD…"
THIS WORLD…
THIS WORLD…"*
And then a childhood memory flashed in his mind—
he had read in a book about the **"King of Terror."**
It wasn't just a name—it was a living nightmare,
breaking people with their own fear. Those who could not survive were destroyed,
and with every encounter, it grew even stronger.
Arthur tried to resist,
but under the pressure of fear and hallucinations, he lost control.
And then, in a single moment, he screamed—
as if his mind was shattering,
as if he were on the verge of madness.
No matter how hard he tried, his fear only grew stronger.
He spent what felt like an eternity trying to convince himself—this was only a hallucination, an illusion playing with his mind.
Even after all that effort, he could not overcome his fear.
Exhausted, he collapsed to the ground, and slowly tears began streaming from his eyes.
Arthur realized that no matter what he did,
his past and his fear would always be a part of him.
And now he accepted it—because it was an inseparable part of his life.