The familiar heat blanketed over me.

Despite the mana covering my body, sweat continued to trickle down the side of my face as I had a hard time breathing.

I felt an uncomfortable heat at the back of my throat with each breath that I took.

"Haa..."

But it wasn't the heat that was bothering me.

"Mana."

The fact that I was low on mana was bothering me the most. On any normal occasion, I'd be able to last more than a few hours before completely running out.

However, the situation was different.

My mana was almost completely depleted due to my effort in trying to escape.

It was so low that I figured I had less than ten minutes to spare.

'Good thing I brought some water with me.'

The main problem with the Crimson Shade was the fact that everything beneath it would dry up, including living beings besides monsters.

The few bottles of water that I had managed to get for myself in the supply area were going to help me buy some valuable time.

My current destination was the Black Hound Guild.

Not only did I want to go there to get some information regarding the Tree of Ebontorn, but it was also to get some supplies that would help restore my mana.

....If they even had them.

'They didn't have them in the bunker, so it's hard to say if they even have them here.'

No, they probably did have them.

However, they weren't within the memories of those that I had used my ability on.

....And I didn't have enough time to look for them.

'It's a good thing that I read the secretary's memories.'

There was nothing abnormal in the memories of the secretary. It didn't seem like he had any involvement in the situation. However, within those memories, I was able to have a better idea of where I needed to go.

"It should be this way."

The supply station was completely deserted.

Not a single soul was around.

It was deftly silent. To an uncomfortable level as I moved past the mummified remains of the corpses lurking around the station.

Swoosh--

As red dominated the world and a gale of heat picked up, sharp wailing drifted through the air.

It sounded like the cries of the ghosts of the fallen, calling out to me for help. I felt my entire body shudder at the sound.

I ignored it and continued to rush forward.

.....I couldn't afford to waste time.

Thankfully, I knew my way around the supply station. From the memories, and the areas that I had traveled to before.

Flick. Flick.

The lamps stationed around the cobblestone streets flickered as I headed deeper into the station. Towards the Sorrowvale sector.

There was something about the setting of the supply station that made me extremely uncomfortable.

.....It was hard to describe, but I couldn't put much thought into it.

I didn't have much time.

I continued to run.

My lungs were already on fire. Be it from the heat, and from my rapidly depleting stamina.

"Huap. Huap."

Strange sounds came out of my mouth as I ran on the cobblestone streets while passing the buildings and entering certain alleyways.

Eventually, I managed to reach the main square of the Sorrowvale sector.

'Concern Plaza'

It wasn't large, with a fountain in the middle.

Shh--

The fountain continued to function, the sound of the water falling down finally breaking the silence that gripped the station.

The sight was a familiar one as I had been here before.

But unlike in the past, the water was blood-red.

I knew it was just because of the Crimson Shade but the sight added to the overall chill that surrounded the place. It made it seem as though the fountain was recycling the blood of the ones that had died.

"Where is it...? Where is it...?"

Looking around the plaza, my gaze eventually settled over a tall black building where a certain flag hung. With the background in red, a black dog stood in the middle, its muse pointing up.

I recognized the flag in an instant and rushed towards it.

But just as I moved, I felt something crawl up from my ankles. I looked down to see the roots crawling all the way up from the ground and towards my cheeks.

I felt my pulse race at the sight.

But now familiar with the situation, I didn't let that affect me.

Cr Crack--

At the very least, not until I heard a faint cracking sound in the distance.

It was faint.

And yet, amidst the silence, it echoed loudly within the world.

I turned to look in the direction of where the noise was coming from. My eyes paused on the walls of the supply station. Though faint, cracks started to form on them. With the passing of time, the cracks grew more and more prominent.

Thump!

Alongside the crack, I heard what appeared to be a heavy thump. Almost as if someone was striking a tree.

....and for a moment, I thought it had been the sound of my own heart.

Blinking, the roots disappeared and I could move again.

Pressing my hand against my chest, I tried to feel the beat of my heart. It was rapid. Abnormally rapid.

'What's going on...?'

The ground shook beneath my feet.

Despite the suddenness of the situation, I thought I was doing great at keeping myself calm. That was... until the wails came.

Kieeeeeeekkk--

A single, hair-raising wail resounded throughout the supply station, which was soon followed by another, and then another. Each howl appeared to be louder than the other, sending shivers down my spine with each one that pierced through.

Cr Crack--

More and more cracks started to appear on the walls of the supply station.

I involuntarily took a step back.

Every part of my mind screamed in terror as a thin, black hand emerged from behind the walls, its bony fingers stretching and curling to clasp the walls.

The nails, long and jagged, scraped against the surface, creating an extremely uncomfortable scraping sound that echoed through the air.

My skin crawled.

Thump! Thump!

The thumping continued. This time, I could tell the difference between it and the ones coming from my own heart.

.....My heart was beating faster than that.

Thump! Thump....!

Within the deserted streets, the structures shook.

And then,

Crack!

The first part of the wall tore apart, revealing a hideous-

looking face.

"A-ah."

I felt my heart stop.

With thin hair growing on its head and falling to its shoulders, the creature looked human at first glance. However, its eyes... they were abnormally large, bulging with an eerie, unsettling intensity. And that smile... it was a grotesque, wide grin that stretched widely.

That smile...

"H-ho."

I thought I had seen it all, but this...?

I couldn't describe what I was seeing.

Thump! Thump!

The walls continued to break down under the creature's hands. Soon, more cracks appeared, and within those craps, smaller and thinner creatures emerged. With the same smile as the large monster, they clawed their way into the city, diving down in hordes.

I was long gone by then.

Turning around, I sprinted towards the Black Hound post.

"This is messed up..."

Clenching my shirt tightly, I rushed towards the structure. I could hardly think at the moment.

From the Crimson Shade to this...

Something was clearly wrong with the entire situation.

I didn't know what it was, but I understood that I had nowhere else to run. I was low in mana, and the bunker was no longer an option. Going out of the city was also impossible since it was surrounded from all sides and I didn't have the means to teleport.

.....I was stuck with no way out.

"Haa."

The sense of helplessness that I currently felt was hard to describe.

Despite having overcome so much, I found myself in an even crazier situation. It made my body grow weak.

But at the same time, I kept reminding myself of my goal.

I couldn't die.

I didn't want to die.

So, I continued. Sprinting towards the Black Hound Post, I directly shattered the windows of the building and jumped in.

Crash

It was dark.

Stepping onto the broken glass, I looked around me. The interior of the post was quite large, with several sofas, and furniture. It would've looked great on any other occasion, but right now, it felt eerie.

".....It should be here."

The reception desk was just a few steps ahead. Going on the other side, I rummaged through whatever I could find.

"No, not this one... Not this one too."

There was a lot of useless stuff. It wasn't what I was looking for. But I eventually did find what I was looking for.

"Ah, here."

It was a set of keys and a small map.

The map wasn't very big, nor detailed. It only labeled the different sections of the building which were arranged from A to F.

In essence, they were just the labels for the floor of the post station. A being the first floor, and F being the last floor.

I quickly scanned the map before tossing it away.

Having read the secretary's memories, I already knew everything. My main goal was the set of keys.

With them, I'd be able to get into where I wanted to go which were;

B - The library.

D - The storage space.

Those were where I needed to be.

I didn't waste time. Tossing the map to the side, I looked around before settling my gaze over the stairs in the distance.

Kieeeeeeekkk

Just as I moved, I heard wails in the distance. They were rapidly approaching, and I felt my heart leap into my throat.

I rushed up without hesitation.

".....Ukh."

But just as I moved, the mana film covering my body flickered. My eyes grew wide at the realization.

"Oh , no..."

The film eventually disappeared, forcing me to halt my steps.

"Haa..."

I felt a sudden surge of heat.

Each breath started to tingle the back of my throat, and sweat started to drip down the side of my face.

"Haa... Haa..."

My vision started to grow wobbly, and I felt lightheaded.

In no time, I grew thirsty as my lips grew parches.

In that moment, I reached for one of the water bottles that I had managed to get for myself and quickly drank it.

"Uak."

Tossing the bottle to the side, I grabbed onto the rail of the staircase and took a step.

Tak.

Each step felt heavier than the previous, and I had a hard time breathing through my nose. It felt as though I was breathing fire.

But I continued to force my way up.

"Haa..."

Kieeeeeeekkk

The wails grew nearer, and my vision was starting to tilt.

Despite that,

Tak.

I continued to move up the stairs.

"A-almost..."