The castle

Silas knelt, trying to calm the frantic beating of his heart as he stared down at the massive, headless body of the Crazed Chimptant King. Dark purple blood still oozed from the mutant's neck, pooling on the forest floor beneath its corpse. His hands trembled slightly, more from exhaustion than fear, as he wiped the cold sweat from his brow with the back of his sleeve. He had finally taken down the creature, but the battle had pushed him to the brink. His muscles ached, his breathing was labored, and the stench of blood and decay clung to his skin like a heavy mist.

A soft chime rang in his mind.

**DING!**

**[Host has acquired the Realm's Key]**

His tired eyes focused on the red notification window that blinked to life before him, illuminating the darkened space around him with a faint glow.

**[Realm's Key: Allows instant exit from the realm. All rewards will be lost, and the evolution quest will be canceled. No improvements to stats.]**