I didn’t dare breathe.
Staring at the lanky shadow that stood before me, it almost felt as though my entire body had been plunged into the depths of the sea, the cold water embracing me from all sides as the increasing pressure settled onto my chest.
Though I couldn’t see its figure, I was very aware of its presence as its shadow stretched further under the moonlight.
A moonlight that quickly shifted away, plunging the room into darkness once more.
Cold sweat trickled down the side of my face as I looked around.
‘What do I do now…?’
I didn’t dare move a single muscle, staying perfectly still as my grip over the knife tightened.
I really wanted to stab the shadow, but I knew that it was impossible.
Rather than it being physically present… it almost felt as though it lurked everywhere, prying on the little sounds that it could hear.
‘It probably also heard Kyle and the others, but maybe because of their strength, it hasn’t made a move yet…?’
I wasn’t too sure.
Rather, I was at a complete loss. However, I knew that I couldn’t continue like this.
The mission stated that I needed to figure out more about the Twisted Man.
Swallowing my fear, I tightened my hold on the knife and began moving, one step at a time. The stairs creaked faintly beneath me as I moved down the stairs.
Looking down, I silently licked my lips. They didn’t seem particularly long, rather, they were just a regular flight of stairs. And yet.. they felt extremely long.
As though there was no end in sight.
As the moonlight filtered from one of the windows, the faint silhouette of a fall and lanky shadow appeared behind me once again, its head hunched over near my head.
I started to shiver uncontrollably.
‘…Ah, I really want to puke.’
For a moment, I nearly dropped the knife in my hand. If not for the fact that I knew it would’ve led to an even worse situation, I managed to keep hold of it.
Gripping the handrail beside the stairs, I moved down the stairs, my footsteps deliberately slow, while the shadow trailed just behind me.
It felt as though it was waiting for something.
Me.
Yes, it looked like it was waiting for me to slip up.
Ready to take me like the others.
‘Focus, focus… Focus…’
I was extremely tempted to use the glasses at this moment; however, knowing that the entity that I was dealing with was capable of sensing them, I held off on that. Rather…
I tapped on my arm, and a tall figure appeared behind me. I could only have it appear behind me since the cameras were directly displaying all of my actions.
I didn’t say anything, but as if in sync with my thoughts, the Dreamwalker moved away and climbed back up onto the second floor. The Dreamwalker made no sound as it moved up while I continued to move down the stairs.
Eventually…
Clank!
The door upstairs closed, and the moonlight spilled into the surroundings once more.
I whipped my head down.
The shadow… was gone.
‘It worked.’
I checked my arm at the same time. The Dreamwalker was still alive. For now, at least. I was a little curious to see if it could put up a fight now that it had ranked up.
‘Maybe not, but it should at least last longer…’
Whatever the case was, I needed to complete the quest.
‘…I need to find out more about the Twisted Man. But how exactly can I do that?’
I racked my brain over the situation, but found myself unable to think of anything. For a second-order mission, this felt a little too hard.
Eventually, moving down the stairs and finally reaching the first floor, I looked around. The layout of the living room was the same as the one from the building before.
But although the layout was the same, everything else wasn’t.
The wallpaper peeled like shedding skin, curling away from the walls in brittle, yellowed strips. The sofas were sunken and filled with mold, producing a moldy stench that clung to the air.
Then came the sound.
Tap. Tap.
The gentle tapping sound of water dripping from the kitchen. In the quiet surroundings, such a sound stood out sharply, amplifying the unease that gripped the air.
I felt a knot form in my stomach while looking at my surroundings, hoping to find any clue.
However, just as I began my search, my eyes fell on a certain device that was embedded on the floor. It flashed a faint red light, and it looked like some sort of technological device.
‘No, that’s exactly what it is.’
I crouched down to see it closely.
Analyzing it, I quickly understood that this was probably something Kyle and the others had set up.
‘My best guess is that it’s supposed to tell them if it notices any anomaly nearby…’
Thinking about the shadow not too long ago, I shook my head.
Useless.
It didn’t even detect the Dreamwalker.
‘Or maybe it didn’t detect anything because the Twisted Man hasn’t made a move yet…? For the Dreamwalker, maybe it isn’t considered an anomaly anymore but a part of my power?’
I wasn’t too sure, but I quickly pulled my attention away from the device and looked around. I needed to find some sort of clue to better understand the situation.
But how exactly could I do that?
Looking around, besides the rot on the walls and the funky smell that lingered in the air, there didn’t seem to be anything strange about the place.
Just to make sure, I started looking through the drawers and cupboards of the place, but besides a few useless papers and broken cups, there was nothing out of the ordinary.
Then…?
Pausing in the living room, the moonlight shone once more.
There was no shadow.
I was all alone.
For now.
I licked my lips. A certain thought crossed my mind as I looked around and retrieved a pair of sunglasses. There was one thing I hadn’t tried yet. One thing that… could show me exactly what I needed to see.
But at the same time, it was also extremely dangerous.
The Twisted Man was already haunting me. Although it hadn’t acted yet, I knew it would eventually.
…It would as long as I made a sound, or put on the glasses.
I bit my lips.
I really didn’t want to do this, but I felt this was the right choice. The quest wouldn’t appear if I didn’t have the means to achieve it.
…And since I couldn’t see it with my regular eyes, the glasses were my only option.
With a slow, reluctant breath, I slipped the glasses on.
The world turned completely blue, and the cold pierced my skin even harder.
And immediately after, I heard it.
Thump!
A single, muffled step.
From upstairs.
Coming closer. Right above me.
It… had sensed me.
“H-haa.”
I held onto the knife tightly.