Everyone in the team began to call for the team member that just yelled.

But there was no answer.

Saiph began to panic, the village’s superstition made him panic even more, everything he learned from the village elders began to ring in his mind.

Other team members began to get closer to see what's happening.

Saiph began to yell to them “Stick together, don't separate!”

But it was too late, after the team member at the front walked into the darkness there was no response.

Saiph couldn’t hold it anymore, he began to tell others to quickly start running.

“Run!”

He immediately starts running without looking at who was behind.

He can’t run towards the exit since that's where everyone seems to be disappearing.

He was just hoping that there would be no dead-end in front of him.

----

After a while of running, Saiph couldn't keep going anymore. He collapsed to the ground panting and looking back to see if anyone followed him or if that “thing” was there.

Seeing nothing behind him, he began to look for a place to hide.

He found a crevice and hid inside it, hoping not to be found.

The eerie silence made his heartbeat audible, to him, it seemed like banging on a drum. It just kept getting louder and louder. The fear made him petrified and unable to move.

Not long after he started to hear the faint sounds of running.

The sounds were coming closer and closer.

Soon Saiph was able to hear the sound of panting made by the runner in the dark.

He even felt he knew the person, it was Micah, his childhood friend.

He could tell him to come and hide with him, but something inside of him stopped this action.

His fear kept him from speaking.

As the runner was about to pass the hidden crevice.

Saiph wanted more and more to call out and help his friend, but a part of him just didn't let him.

He knew this choice may end up killing his childhood friend but his terror just didn't let him.

After Micah went past, a wave of great guilt washed over Saiph.

Even now he kept on thinking about leaving his hiding spot and calling for him, but a part of him kept telling him that there is no guarantee he is safer than running away or if his hiding spot is secure. He didn't know if these were a way for him to rationalize his actions or if he was doing the right thing.

However, his thoughts were cut short, all of a sudden he felt an incredible amount of chill. For some reason, he felt it was that “thing”. At this moment he did not even dare to breathe.

This moment, to him, felt like an eternity and was the most stressful and nerve-wracking moment of his life.

Just as he was about to not hold on anymore and letting out his breath. The cold feeling went away.

He quickly let out a sigh and started to pant while still trying to be as quiet as he can be.

But he still didn't dare to leave his hiding spot.

Remembering that Micah ran past and now that thing most likely is chasing him right now. He could not help but feel regret for not telling him to hide with him. But deep in his mind, a part of him was happy that he wasn't the target, that he won't be the one being chased by that thing.

These thoughts made him even more guilty.

-----

Saiph didn't know how long it had been, he wondered if help would come and if the head steward of the village would make a move.

The Azfar family that owns Yellowrock mountain sends its stewards to gather the rocks from the village. But this world is a very dangerous one. Any normal villager can't venture too far from the village. He heard, one of the villagers that once tried to leave the village came with only parts of his body remaining.

Only the stewards have strong people among them, which allows them to travel between villages and the strongest one he knows of is the head steward.

They also recruit from villages like yellowrock to act as hunters and guards from wild beasts.

But Saiph never heard of creatures like a floating head.

But he didn't dare to leave his hiding spot until the stewards are able to kill that creature.

-----

For what seemed to be a very long time for Saiph, he finally heard sounds coming from the direction of the entrance.

He started to feel a sense of hope, for it may be the stewards.

Indeed it turned out to be them, Saiph was able to see a group led by the head steward as he passed the location he was hiding while holding onto a torch.

For some reason, he still didn't dare to leave his hiding spot until he was sure that thing was dead.

Not long after the head steward and the others left, he started to hear the sounds of fighting and screaming from the direction he left.

Saiph tried to listen as closely as he could since this could decide his fate.

Shortly after, he saw the floating head fighting three stewards, he didn't know where the others were but assumed the worst for them.

Looking closely he was able to see that the head seems to have been gravely injured and the three stewards seem to have the upper hand.

He was excited about the chance for survival.

However, he saw the head suddenly plunge itself into one of the stewards, ignoring all attacks on it.

This action left a big hole in the steward and then dropped dead.

Once, Saiph saw this he was happy, to him it seemed that the monster was exchanging its life with one of the stewards. Even if it lived, it would be too badly hurt to fight a group it was already closely tied to in terms of strength.

Looking closely, he saw that the floating head still seems to be alive and able to put up a fight.

But what seemed strange is that the floating head seemed to have gotten a lot faster.

He didn't understand how this could be.

“This happened again!” the head steward shouted.

“He must have some kind of Mygan that let's get stronger after killing one of us, it's probably a blood genre.”

After hearing that, Saiph could not believe the trouble he was in, he could not imagine a way to survive if this is true, he could only hope that the creature would not notice him if the two stewards are dead.

In the short time that Saiph was caught up in his thoughts, another steward was dead. However, the creature seemed to be on its last doorstep.

The head stewards eyes were gleaming with greed, to him, this seemed like a great opportunity to gain the Mygan inside of the creature. Even though the blood genre is frowned upon, no one would throw away a chance to grow stronger quickly.

The steward went for a hail-mary attack hoping to kill the creature before it becomes even stronger. However, that proved to be the wrong judgment.

The creature also seemed to put up its final struggle before its demise.

BANG!

Saiph saw two shadows flying away from each other.