The moment Seth fell, all eyes fell on the Twisted figure as it stopped moving.
Slowly, its head turned towards where Seth was as its long and twisted smile started to fade.
Creak!
The wooden floor creaked beneath each step as it crept toward Seth, its smile now almost completely gone from its face.
Kyle could only stare at the figure with his breath held.
His palms were sweaty, and he could feel his heart beating out of his chest. Tensions ran high as he followed the figure with his eyes.
’Will this work? Is Seth’s idea going to work…?’
There was no guarantee that the Twisted Man would leave them alone even after Seth died.
Kyle also didn’t know whether Seth’s theory about the game ending with him was going to work. Kyle only went through with it because he trusted Seth, and after analyzing the situation, he also had an inkling that he was right.
Although he didn’t know why Seth was the one being targeted by the anomaly, from what he had seen, there was no reason to believe that Seth’s theory was wrong.
That was why he went through with it.
In Seth’s current state, he was no different from a dead person. His entire body was frozen in time.
’For now, he should be fine, but it can be dangerous if he’s exposed for too long.’
Kyle felt his head throb slightly.
The skill required a lot of concentration, and even now, he was maintaining it with his mind. Kyle didn’t know how long he could maintain it, but he had to try.
In order for everyone to survive, he had to—
Spurt!
“——!”
Blood suddenly splurted all over the floor, and Kyle’s face changed drastically as he looked down to see the Twisted Man pressing its long and sharp finger onto Seth’s body.
’This bastard! I’ll—!’
Kyle forcefully bit his lips, his entire body shaking as he just barely managed to keep himself from moving forward.
However, it was hard for him.
It was really hard for him to remain composed.
Especially when…
“Ahhhh! It hurts so much!!”
Seth’s cries for help echoed throughout the room.
“T-that hurts… It hurts so much…!”
As the one to have used the skill on Seth, Kyle knew that it was impossible for him to be screaming. The Twisted Man was doing all the talking… Once again, it was trying to bait them into speaking.
’Resist. I need to resist…!’
Feeling something wet trickle down the side of his chin, Kyle wiped it with his arm as his nails dug into his palms.
Looking to his left, he saw Zoey and Raymond staring at the Twisted Man with serious expressions.
As if sensing his gaze, their eyes met, and Raymond raised his hand in a ’pause’ motion.
Kyle opened his mouth, but Zoey soon placed her hand over her lips, pointing towards the stairs. She then began to make a series of hand signals that Kyle was able to understand.
’It’s testing us. Remain quiet. Leave soon.’
“Ahhhh—!”
Seth’s screams continued to echo as Kyle found his nails digging further and further into his palms. With bloodshot eyes, he looked at Seth’s body.
Kyle knew that he was still alive.
The Twisted Man had only stabbed him in the shoulder. The wound wasn’t anything serious.
But who could say that it would stop there?
What if, once they left it planned on finishing Seth?
’I can’t have that happen.’
The Guild was efficient. By now, Kyle estimated that the reinforcements should’ve arrived. The fact that reinforcements had yet to be sent suggested that something occurred up above.
Kyle turned his attention back towards Zoey and Raymond.
He took out his phone and typed.
[You guys go. I’ll stay behind. Figure out what is going on up there. I’ll stay here to make sure that nothing happens to him.]
Zoey didn’t even look surprised by his words.
She had seen it coming from miles away. She wanted to tell him to go, but closed her mouth. As much as Seth made her want to kill him, she would much rather be the one to do it than have someone else do it.
It would take the fun out of it.
However, it looked like she was the only one to see things this way, as Raymond coldly looked in Seth’s direction.
Eventually, he also began typing.
[Leave him. He said it himself. He has his own ways to get out. Don’t waste this opportunity he provided for you.]
His words were cold, but to Raymond, who was unfamiliar with Seth, he was merely one of the other sacrifices within the expedition.
He wasn’t the only one who had died.
This wasn’t the time to mourn or lament over someone’s potential death.
An opportunity had been presented to them, and they had to take it.
“Ahhhh! It hurts!”
As another scream pierced through the room, Kyle’s face stiffened once again. He looked to be really struggling to make his decision.
He began to type again.
[Staying behind will only put him at more risk.]
This wasn’t a lie.
Kyle looked to be on the verge of exploding every time he heard the anomaly scream.
If he acted, then the only chance that all of them had, alongside his friend, would crumble just like that.
[You said it before, didn’t you? That you’d treat him as another recruit. This is our chance. Move out now.]
Kyle bit his lips, his body shaking.
He looked really undecided. In the end, however, taking a deep breath, his entire demeanor calmed down.
’He’s right. I can’t let my emotions get to me.’
Rationally speaking, leaving was the best choice he could make to protect everyone. It also gave Seth a better chance of surviving.
What would he even be able to do if the anomaly decided to kill Seth?
Nothing.
Kyle would be able to do nothing.
…And for that reason, he had to leave.
He had to trust Seth and also find a way to help him out.
Therefore, after taking a deep breath, Kyle’s eyes sharpened as he looked towards Raymond and Zoey.
Then…
With a slow and careful step, he started moving.
“W-here are you…? H-elp.”
Even as he heard Seth’s pitiful and frail voice, he moved towards the stairs, his steps quiet.
“..K-yle. D-don’t leave me.”
Seth even started to call out for his name, but Kyle didn’t fall for it.
He didn’t look back.
He just continued to move forward, as slowly and agonizingly as possible.
He couldn’t afford to turn back.
He couldn’t afford to listen to the voice.
He couldn’t afford to…
“…..”
Eventually arriving on the second floor, Kyle closed his eyes and looked around. Seth’s voice was long gone. In its place was a terrifying silence that shattered with the subtle creaking of the nearby window.
Taking out a small device from his pocket, Kyle placed it on the floor.
Because it needed a couple of seconds to activate, and it needed to be near the same spot where they had first entered, they could only use it here.
Tick! Di—!
A faint sound emitted from the device.
Thump! Thump!
Almost immediately, they heard a loud thumping sound coming from beneath. As though something was rushing in their direction.
Clank—
Suddenly, a long and sickly figure emerged from behind the door, its pale face looking around the place.
But…
By the time it had arrived, it was already too late.
Kyle and the others had left.