The cavern's darkness pressed against Max like a living weight, suffocating and absolute. The stale air smelled of ancient death and forgotten prayers, drifting through the twisting tunnels like whispers from a graveyard.
Every breath felt stolen, each heartbeat pounding in his ears like a war drum.
Below him, the Abyssal Pit yawned wide — an endless void swallowing sound and light alike.
A low, guttural rumble echoed from the depths. The earth trembled beneath Max's boots.
He was not alone.
Something waited.
Something hungry.
[System Alert]
Entering: The Abyssal Pit
Threat Level: Grade S – Guardian Boss
Name: Gorgath, The Blind Maw
Objective: Survive and bypass or defeat the guardian to descend deeper.
Warning: Direct combat may trigger forced death loop.
Max's throat tightened.
The name alone carried a weight heavier than stone. Gorgath. The Blind Maw. A creature whispered about in dying screams on every floor.
He'd heard the stories—tales told by those who never returned—of a giant beast without eyes, a monstrous guardian who sensed prey through vibrations and scent alone. It tore players limb from limb, a nightmare forged by the system to be an insurmountable wall.
And now, Max stood face to face with it.
The cavern floor trembled.
Massive claws scraped the stone with terrifying force. A hulking shadow shifted in the gloom, its monstrous silhouette distorted by flickering torchlight.
The creature breathed—a sound like thunder rolling over mountains.
Max's hand instinctively tightened around the Chain of Hunger coiled on his wrist, the faint glow pulsing like a heartbeat synced with his own.
The chain was new. Unfamiliar. But it felt alive. Like a part of him.
Like a promise.
He moved with deadly caution, each step deliberate.
His boots whispered on the cold stone as he hugged the cavern's jagged edge.
Silence.
A sudden sharp crack shattered it.
Max froze.
A guttural growl rumbled through the pit.
The Blind Maw knew.
Ahead, four massive stone pillars rose from the abyss, etched with ancient runes that glowed faintly blue under Max's torch.
Between them stretched a heavy iron gate, sealed tight with no visible lock.
A riddle echoed inside Max's mind — the system's voice, calm and cruel.
"To pass, solve the riddle of the four.
Answer right: the path opens.
Answer wrong: face death and learn."
Max swallowed past the lump in his throat.
He forced himself to breathe slowly.
"Four brothers stand side by side,
Each different, none can hide.
One guards the truth, one guards the lies,
One brings dawn, one brings demise.
Choose the path with light and care,
Or drown forever in despair."
Max's mind raced. Four pillars, four brothers. Truth and lies. Dawn and demise.
His eyes scanned each pillar.
The first shimmered with golden light — bright and warm, but blinding.
The second was stained black — cracked and cold as a grave.
The third flickered softly with pale hues — like dawn breaking through mist.
The fourth was dark and silent — a shadow among shadows, cold and forbidding.
He reached toward the golden pillar first.
A whisper stopped him cold.
"Not all that shines is truth."
He pulled back.
Next, the flickering pillar.
Warmth beckoned.
"Dawn can blind or reveal," the voice warned.
He hesitated.
Then the black pillar.
A chill radiated from it.
"Lies may protect, but only for a time."
Finally, the dark, silent pillar.
Fear clenched his heart like ice.
But a voice inside urged him onward.
"Despair is the path… only for the brave."
Max closed his eyes.
He felt the weight of every death behind him.
The pain.
The loss.
The endless loop.
And in that moment — he slammed his fist hard against the coldest pillar.
The cavern shuddered violently.
A deafening roar erupted from the pit below.
The earth quaked.
And the massive iron gate began to slide open slowly, grinding against ancient stone.
The system pinged in his mind:
[Puzzle Solved – Door Unlocked]
[XP Gained: 1500]
[Bonus: Chain of Hunger Evolution +1]
Warning: Guardian still active. Proceed with caution.
Max didn't hesitate.
Heart hammering, breath ragged, he dashed through the open door.
Behind him, the ground cracked.
The Blind Maw's fury thundered through the abyss — a monstrous tidal wave of rage and hunger.
The chamber beyond was a tomb — walls lined with ancient bones, some human, some beast, crumbling in eternal silence.
The air was thick and heavy.
Every shadow seemed alive.
And then, from the darkness, two eyes gleamed — cold and merciless.
A figure stepped forward.
A player.
Draped in ragged leather and scars, their face half-hidden beneath a hood.
They moved with lethal grace.
Their voice was rough, edged with bitter experience.
"Welcome back," they rasped.
Max's blood ran cold.
This wasn't a friend.
Not here.
"Brave… or stupid… to come this far," the stranger said, stepping closer.
Max tightened his grip on the Chain of Hunger.
"Which are you?"
The player laughed, a bitter sound that echoed like a curse.
"I'm someone who's learned the price of death in this hellhole. And I'm hunting you."
The fight ignited like wildfire.
No words. No mercy.
The player's blade sliced through the stale air.
Max dodged, chaining his movements with instinct honed by death and survival.
He struck with the Chain of Hunger — wrapping it tight around the player's wrist, yanking hard.
A sickening crack echoed as bones shifted under the strain.
But the player grinned through the pain.
"You're strong… but this place changes everyone," they snarled.
Max realized the truth.
This wasn't just survival.
This was war.
Max's breath came in ragged gasps.
He blocked a strike, countered with a snap of the chain.
The battle was a brutal dance — strength and speed, fear and fury.
Every moment pushed him closer to his limits.
Closer to death.
But also, closer to power.
And in the shadows of the tomb, the guardian waited.
Silent.
Watching.
(To Be Continued ....)