Chapter 36

Kaden lay sprawled on the cold, damp forest floor, his body paralyzed and his mind racing in a whirlwind of fear and fury. A glowing notification hovered persistently before his eyes:

[System is detoxifying poison: 21% detoxified…]

It had to be when Mr. Duke placed his hand on his shoulder. That was the moment Kaden thought that he must have been poisoned. Summoning all his strength, he managed to tilt his head slightly, just enough to see Mr. Duke standing in front of him. The man's twisted smile sent a shiver down Kaden's spine.

"You… you bastard," Kaden rasped, his words slow and slurred, the effects of the paralysis poison making it nearly impossible to speak.

Mr. Duke chuckled darkly, crouching down to meet Kaden's gaze. "Me, a bastard? No, no, no. You—you—are the bastard. Born from the filth of the outskirts." His voice dripped with venom as he continued, his gaze filled with disdain. "Do you even know what you are? A parasite. A leech. People like you shouldn't even be breathing the same air as us. The outskirts are a stain, a cesspool that should have been eradicated long ago. But here you are, clinging to the edges of society, hoping to scavenge whatever scraps you can find."

Kaden's anger burned hot, but his body refused to obey his commands. He could only glare at Mr. Duke, his rage palpable even in his frozen state.

Mr. Duke's tone shifted to one of mockery and arrogance. "Do you know why you're here, lying helpless on this ground? Because you dared to step into a world where you don't belong. People like me? We're greatness incarnate. We control the Grave Gardens, the wealth, the power. And people like you? You're nothing but dirt under our boots."

He stood up, towering over Kaden, his voice suddenly taking on a pitying tone. "Don't worry. The poison won't kill you. It'll leave your system in less than thirty minutes. I made sure of that. Can't have anyone tracing it back to me, can we? So just hang on… thirty minutes." He paused, glancing toward the trees where the sounds of snarls and growls grew louder. "But," he added with a cruel laugh, "I don't think they'll give you thirty minutes."

With that, he turned and began walking away, throwing one last remark over his shoulder. "Rest in Hell."

Rage bubbled within Kaden as he watched Mr. Duke's retreating figure. "Coward," he thought bitterly. "You'll pay for this." But his anger couldn't mask the dread creeping into his heart. The sounds of the beasts drew closer. He couldn't turn his head to see them, but he could hear their guttural growls, feel their hot breath on the air. They were close—mere meters behind him.

He glanced at the system notification again:

[System is detoxifying poison: 27% detoxified…]

The numbers ticked upward, but it wasn't fast enough. The poison was leaving his system too slowly. By the time it was purged, he'd be nothing more than a meal for the beasts. His mind raced. "I'll be rolling in their stomachs… or whatever they have that serves as a stomach," he thought grimly.

The snarls grew louder, turning into eager panting. Kaden could almost feel the beasts circling him. He began tensing his muscles, focusing all his willpower on moving—anything to fight back. He thought of the demon blood coursing through his veins, desperate to call upon it.

Black veins began to crawl up his arms, writhing like living shadows. They pulsed with dark energy, creeping slowly down his legs. He gritted his teeth, pushing harder, trying to force the demonic power to break through the paralysis. The veins reached his thighs but stopped, unable to push further. The poison's grip was too strong.

Kaden remained frozen, his body still a prisoner to the toxin. The growls were right behind him now. He couldn't see the creatures, but he knew they were there—the hordes of rat-dog beasts with fiery red eyes and saliva dripping from their snarling jaws. One of them stepped closer, its claws scraping against the dirt. Kaden's breath hitched. He couldn't even turn to face his death.

The first beast lunged, its maw opening wide like a Ronaldo fan after Ronaldo missed a penalty. Kaden felt every hair on his body stand on end. This was it. His end was here. A month after he had defied death, it had come for him again—this time, unstoppable.

His heartbeat slowed, each thud echoing in his ears like a countdown. Memories of his life flashed before his eyes: his sister's laughter, the days he spent fighting to survive, the fleeting moments of hope that kept him going. He closed his eyes, bracing for the pain—or perhaps hoping it would be sudden and merciful.

But the pain never came.

The forest grew silent. The snarls, the growls, the sounds of the beasts—all of it vanished. The only noise that remained was the chirping of crickets and a strange, wet, quenching sound from behind him. Kaden's panic surged. He tried to move, to turn and see what had happened, but his body still refused to respond.

He glanced at the notification:

[System is detoxifying poison: 52% detoxified…]

Fear gnawed at him. The beasts chasing him had been killed—of that, he was certain. But what had killed them? The quenching sound continued, growing louder. Kaden's mind raced with possibilities. "A tier-two beast. It has to be." His chest tightened. Tier-two beasts were leagues above the rat-dog creatures. If one had arrived, he was beyond doomed.

The sound drew closer, wet and guttural. It was feeding, tearing apart the corpses of the tier-one beasts. Kaden's stomach churned. The stronger creature was taking its time, savoring its meal. He realized, with a sinking heart, that it must be saving him for last.

He forced himself to look at the notification again:

[System is detoxifying poison: 71% detoxified…]

"Faster," he whispered, his voice barely audible. Even if the system managed to finish detoxifying the poison in time, what hope did he have? He couldn't outrun a tier-two beast. He couldn't fight it. He was damned, no matter what.

The notification ticked upward:

[System is detoxifying poison: 84% detoxified…]

Kaden's heart pounded, his breaths shallow. He was trapped, helpless, and the inevitable loomed closer with every passing second.