Chapter 2.5

"I couldn't move my body as the undead crushed her lifeless form until it became dust, and the blood splattered over my face. I was scared, so scared, wishing someone would save me. Trembling, fear developed my body, I felt helpless as the monster approached me slowly, the atmosphere reminiscent of a scary movie, surrounded by eerie noises.

'I want to run away,' I thought repeatedly. Before the monster could reach me, I used my dodging ability and sprinted away as fast as I could.

While running, I breathed heavily, my emotions a mix of fear and terror for my life.

I peeked back to make sure the big undead monster wasn't catching up.

Panic took over, and my breaths felt like desperate attempts to survive. Thoughts of Cleric Joy's loss haunted me, pushing me to keep moving and escape this undead nightmare.

The system's voice echoed in my mind, warning about undead presence and urging me to evade and survive. Distant howls added to the spooky atmosphere as I pushed my stamina to the limit, desperately searching for safety.

But the undead caught up to me.

'It's impossible! How did you—' Before I could finish my sentence, he grabbed me and threw me. He tossed me across the empty ground. Lying there, beaten and scared, the undead's creepy laughter filled the air, making me feel even more helpless. Its twisted smile sent shivers down my spine, and I knew begging wouldn't help.

Despite the scary situation, I clenched my fists and asked, "What do you want?"

The undead stopped laughing, looking at me with empty eyes. It leaned in and said, "Fear, despair, the vulnerable part of you," its words echoing in my mind.

"Leave me alone! I don't want any part of this!" I shouted, scared and unable to move.

I peed myself, feeling a mix of shame and fear. The undead, finding it amusing, backed off a bit, still being all creepy.

I clenched my fists, stood up straight, and faced the undead.

"You might like scaring me, but I won't let it control me," I said, kinda shaky but trying to sound tough.

The undead, surprised by my sudden change, tilted its decayed head. It got all quiet, like the air was waiting for something to happen.

Using the magic powers the system gave me, I aimed the Default Staff I was holding and cast a spell, making a bright burst of light.

The undead didn't like that. It stepped back, its creepy eyes narrowing. Encouraged by my small victory, I tried to look brave.

"I might be scared, but you won't break me," I said, more to convince myself than to challenge the undead.

In response, the undead growled, annoyed by my defiance. It tried to lunge at me, but I dodged its move, narrowly avoiding its creepy grasp.

Thinking I was in control, I got all confident and took a step forward to show the undead I wouldn't be an easy target. But that confidence didn't last.

The undead, suddenly super fast, attacked me with crazy speed. I tried to fight back, but I was slow, and the magic stuff that worked earlier wasn't doing anything.

The creepy vibe got worse as the undead kept attacking. It was like the whole mystical place was against me. The system's voice, which used to help me, went silent, leaving me on my own against the relentless attacks.

I freaked out when I realized I was in trouble. My attempts to fight back were weak, and I started losing that brave feeling I had earlier. The undead, noticing I was struggling, seemed to enjoy the whole thing.

"I thought I could do something," I mumbled, feeling scared and regretful.

Every try to escape failed, and the undead's attacks got meaner. It laughed, not the teasing laugh from before, but a creepy, triumphant sound that echoed around us. I was stuck in a hopeless situation.

The magical power I had earlier was gone. The Default Staff I held was useless, and the bright bursts of light were now weak, not enough to keep the darkness away.

Feeling trapped and unable to do anything, I faced the harsh truth that my courage from earlier was just a brief feeling. The undead's triumphant laughter reminded me of how vulnerable I was in this strange place.

"I just wanted to live," I thought to myself, giving up and just standing there as the undead's weapon approached my head, trying to smash me into pieces.

"I lost hope; I want to retry everything. I want to save Cleric," I thought to myself, overwhelmed by fear and regret.

The undead stopped its attack and started laughing at me, treating me like some toy.

" YOU FUCK, FUCK YOU! I'M GONNA KILL YOU. I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU!" I shouted, Anger and fear consumed me.

The undead smashed my head, blood splattered everywhere, causing unbearable pain. I screamed loudly as it continued crushing my head into pieces. In my mind, I begged, "Please end this, please stop this, please just kill me."

The undead just laughed at me, relentlessly smashing my head. The skull opened, exposing my brain with blood splattering all over as It was like a horror-thriller movie, blood either flowing or spraying in a gruesome display.

The system stayed quiet for a moment and then replied, "Player, this is the harsh reality of the Adventure Quest. Death is a part of the game, and your choices will shape your destiny. The journey continues, and new challenges await. Do you wish to respawn and continue your adventure?"

"I died, didn't I?" I thought to myself as I observed the system window.

The system window displayed a message: "Player terminated. Respawn option available. Do you want to continue?"

"No, I don't want to. I don't want to experience it again. I'm scared," I said, traumatized.

Faced with the option to respawn, I couldn't shake off the fear and trauma from the brutal undead encounter. The memories replayed in my mind like a scary movie, making the idea of going through it again is unbearable.

The system window patiently waited for my decision. With a deep breath, I chose to decline the respawn. "No, I can't go on. I can't face that horror again," I muttered, trembling with fear.

However, the system didn't acknowledge my decision. Instead, a message appeared: "You will respawn in 3...2...1."

"No, please! I don't want to do it anymore. Please!" I pleaded with the system, tears rolling down my face. In desperation, I even tried to punch it, but there was no response.

Despite my desperate pleas and attempts, the system continued its countdown, indifferent to my reluctance. As the digital countdown reached its conclusion, an overwhelming sense of dread consumed me.

"3... 2... 1," the system announced, and with a disorienting sensation, I found myself back in the realm of AdventureQuest. The familiar surroundings returned, and I stood once again of this unpredictable world.

Suddenly, I heard someone saying, "We'd like to take on the E-rank task to defeat 10 skeletons."

"Cleric? I thought you died." My voice filled with disbelief.

"What do you mean?" Cleric said, her voice filled with confusion.

To be continued...