As he ran, dodging fallen pillars and leaping over crumbled walls, his system continued to provide updates.
DING!
[ 150 meters remaining ]
"I'm going as fast as I can!"
[ Clearly not fast enough. ]
"I just recovered from nearly dying!" Krad protested between breaths. "Cut me some slack!"
[ No. ]
"You're the worst!"
[ I am aware. Now move faster! ]
Krad pushed his legs harder, his heart hammering against his ribs. The ruins flew past in a blur of gray stone and twisted metal. His system helpfully provided a glowing waypoint that pulsed like a beacon through the debris.
DING!
[ 100 meters ]
A pack of Corrupted Rats suddenly burst from a pile of rubble ahead, their red eyes gleaming with hunger.
"Oh, come on!" Krad didn't slow down. Instead, he activated his newly acquired skill.
[ Skill Activated: Evade ]
His body moved with supernatural grace, weaving between the lunging rats without breaking stride. One snapped at his ankle. He kicked off a fallen pillar, twisted mid-air, and landed in a roll that carried him past the entire pack.
[ Impressive. For once. ]
"Was that a compliment?!"
[ Don't let it go to your head. ]
DING!
[ 50 meters ]
The collapsed fountain came into view, a massive stone structure that had once been grand but now lay in ruins, water still trickling weakly from a cracked basin. And there, growing in the crevices between broken stones, were clusters of delicate white flowers that seemed to glow with an inner light.
Moonbloom.
"Found them!" Krad skidded to a stop and immediately started gathering the herbs, his fingers moving with desperate urgency. The flowers were surprisingly resilient, their stems thick and healthy despite growing in such harsh conditions.
DING!
[ Moonbloom Herb x5 collected ]
[ These herbs can be consumed raw for minor healing, or crushed and applied to wounds for stronger effect ]
"Got it!" Krad clutched the herbs to his chest and spun around, ready to sprint back---
And came face-to-face with a Corrupted Orc.
This one was different from the one he'd fought before. Smaller, but its eyes burned with intelligence that the previous Orc Titan had lacked. Worse, it stood directly in his path back to Mist.
[ Enemy Detected: Level 50 Corrupted Orc Scout ]
[ Warning: This enemy is significantly stronger than your current level ]
"I don't have time for this!" Krad yelled, his frustration boiling over.
The Orc grunted, raising a crude but effective-looking club.
Krad's mind raced. He couldn't afford a prolonged fight. Mist was dying. Every second mattered.
"System! Buddy!" Krad's voice cracked with desperation. "I need help! Give me something! Anything!"
[ You want my help? Now you want my help? After spending the last hour making fun of my conversational parameters?! ]
"I'm sorry, okay?!" Krad shouted, not taking his eyes off the Orc. "I'm sorry I called you chatty! I'm sorry I gave you a nickname! I'm sorry for everything! Just please... help me save Captain Mist!"
The notification flickered, and for a moment, Krad thought his system had actually abandoned him.
Then---
DING!
[ ...Fine. But you owe me. ]
[ Analyzing combat situation... ]
[ Recommendation: The Orc's left knee was injured in a previous battle. Target weakness for maximum efficiency. ]
Krad's eyes immediately darted to the Orc's left leg. Sure enough, there was a poorly healed wound, barely visible beneath the grime and dried blood.
"You're the best, Buddy!"
[ I know. Now go! ]
The Orc charged with a roar that shook the air. Krad didn't meet it head-on. Instead, he waited until the last possible second, then dove to the side. The Orc's club smashed into the ground where he'd been standing, sending stone shards flying.
Krad rolled to his feet and immediately pivoted, driving his fist directly into the Orc's wounded knee.
CRACK!
[ Critical Hit! ]
[ Damage Inflicted: 250 ]
The Orc howled, its leg buckling. It swung wildly, trying to catch Krad with a backhand strike, but Krad was already moving. He ducked under the massive arm, grabbed onto the Orc's belt, and used its own momentum to swing himself around behind it.
Another strike to the back of the injured knee.
CRACK!
[ Critical Hit! ]
[ Damage Inflicted: 250 ]
The Orc crashed to one knee, roaring in pain and fury. Krad didn't hesitate. He leaped onto its back, scrambled up to its shoulders, and delivered a hammer-fist strike directly to the base of its skull.
[ Critical Hit! ]
[ Damage Inflicted: 500 ]
[ Enemy Defeated! ]
The Orc slumped forward, unconscious but alive. Krad jumped off its back and immediately broke into a sprint, the Moonbloom herbs still clutched tightly in his hand.
DING!
[ Time Remaining: 3 minutes ]
"I'm not gonna make it!" Krad gasped, his lungs burning.
[ Then run faster! ]
Krad's legs screamed in protest, but he pushed harder, faster, his vision tunneling on the path ahead. The ruins blurred around him. His heart felt like it would explode. But he couldn't stop... wouldn't stop.
Because Mist—annoying, secretive, lying Captain Mist... had saved his life. Had used his last Celestial Stone on him. Had hidden the truth about what really happened.
And Krad wasn't about to let him die.
DING!
[ Time Remaining: 1 minute ]
Mist came into view, still slumped against the pillar. His face had gone pale, his breathing shallow. The blood pooling around him had grown significantly larger.
"Captain!" Krad skidded to his knees beside him, immediately crushing the Moonbloom herbs between his palms. A glowing paste formed, radiating gentle warmth.
"About... time..." Mist muttered weakly, though that insufferable grin still played at his lips. "Thought you... got lost..."
"Shut up and let me work!" Krad pressed the crushed herbs against Mist's wound. The paste immediately began to glow brighter, spreading across the injury like living light.
The Moonbloom paste glowed against Mist's wound, pulsing with gentle warmth. Krad held his breath, watching desperately for any sign of healing.
One second passed.
Two.
Three.
The glow began to fade.
"Come on, come on..." Krad pressed harder, his hands trembling. "Work, damn it!"
But the wound didn't close. The bleeding didn't stop. If anything, Mist's breathing grew more labored, his face paler.
"What the hell?!" Krad's voice cracked with panic. He grabbed more of the crushed herbs, applying them frantically. "Why isn't it working?!"
Mist's pink eyes flickered open, unfocused. "Kid... it's fine..."
"It's not fine!" Krad's golden eyes burned with desperation. "The Moonbloom is supposed to heal you! Buddy said---"
DING!
The notification sound cut through his panic, but something was wrong. The familiar blue interface didn't appear. Instead, the air itself seemed to glitch, pixels fragmenting and reforming in jagged, wrong patterns.
"What..." Krad's voice died in his throat.
The notification finally appeared, but it looked corrupted. The text was sharp, angular, displayed in a font that made his eyes hurt to read. The usual soft blue was replaced with harsh crimson and black, pulsing like a heartbeat.
[ System Override: Critical Error ]
[ Primary Interface Compromised ]
[ Switching To Emergency Protocol ]
The cheerful, sarcastic system he'd come to know was gone. This interface was cold, mechanical, professional... exactly what Mist had said a proper system should be.
And that terrified him more than anything.
"Buddy?" Krad's voice came out small, uncertain. "What's happening?"
The corrupted notification shifted, text reforming with deliberate precision.
[ USER: Slayer 143 ]
[ I apologize for the system error. The communication bug has been eliminated. Resuming proper protocol. ]
"Slayer 143?" Krad repeated, his stomach churning. "What are you talking about? I'm Krad! And what do you mean bug eliminated? Buddy, what---"
[ CRITICAL INFORMATION ]
Item Analysis: Moonbloom Herb
Classification: Medicinal/Restorative
[ Effective Against: ]
- Wounds inflicted by Slayer weapons
- Wounds inflicted by Beast-class entities
- Standard physical trauma
[ Not Effective Against: ]
- Wounds inflicted by Mythical Beast entities
- Wounds inflicted by Celestial-tier entities
- Corruption-based damage
[ Current Wound Analysis: ]
- Damage Source: Mythical Beast (Moon Eater)
- Corruption Level: 47% and rising
- Moonbloom Effectiveness: 0%
[ PROGNOSIS: Terminal without Divine intervention ]
The words hit Krad like a physical blow. His hands, still pressed uselessly against Mist's wound, began to shake.
"No..." The word came out as barely a whisper. "No, that's... that can't be..."
But even as denial rose in his throat, memories crashed through his mind with brutal clarity.
The horns growing from his skull.
The silver eyes that weren't his own.
The overwhelming power that had made his body move like a puppet.
Mist's sword clashing against his hardened skin.
That deep wound across Mist's side—too precise, too powerful to be from any Goblin Orc.
"I did this..." Krad's voice cracked, his eyes wide with horror. "I hurt him. The Moon Eater... I..."
Mist's hand weakly grabbed Krad's wrist. "Krad... don't..."
"You lied to me!" Krad's shout echoed through the ruins, raw with anguish and guilt. "You said it was a Goblin Orc! You said you were fine! But it was me! I almost killed you!"
"Didn't want you... to blame yourself..." Mist coughed, blood flecking his lips. "Not your fault... you weren't in control..."
"But I still did it!" Tears burned at the corners of Krad's eyes. His whole body trembled. "You used your last Celestial Stone on me! You wasted it healing me when you're the one who needed it! And now you're dying because of me!"
This wasn't supposed to happen! He was supposed to get stronger! He was supposed to save people, not hurt them! Not hurt someone who'd been trying to help him!
Suddenly, the air thickened. A foul energy slithered through the ruins, accompanied by a low, bone-chilling hum. The shadows around them twisted unnaturally, writhing like serpents. Krad's breath hitched.