Zaen froze when he saw the beast next to the door. Now, he knew why the ghouls did not want to enter the chamber... because the chamber had belonged to the ghoul in front of him. But even though he knew that the ghoul in front of him was responsible for killing the other ghouls, he just couldn't wrap his mind around that fact.
Just how was this ghoul able to kill all those ghouls so quickly that too without making any noise? Moreover, there were at least a hundred ghouls outside the chamber. Even if the Depraved ghoul did not make any noise, the ghouls that turned into the Depraved's prey should've made at least some noise before being squatted around like mosquitoes.
But now, all of them were dead and Zaen did not know what to do next. The ghouls had been killed by one of their own. Not only that, this Depraved ghoul was busy devouring the other ghouls while Zaen stood there. Some of the ghouls being devoured were still alive, barely, but alive. However, the Depraved Ghoul, did not bother with it and kept feasting on them regardless.
But Zaen had bigger problems to worry about... like his fear-stricken state. The Ghoul in front of him was nothing like any other ones he had seen before.
The Depraved Ghoul had a humanoid structure just like the others, still, the ghoul looked different. The ghoul was easily twice as big as Zaen, both in height and in the area and unlike the ghouls, Zaen had seen so far, had a rigid exoskeletal structure covering the left half of its body that seemed to end at his forearm that had been mutated into a shield-like structure that was as big and wide as Zaen.
The other side of the ghoul was made entirely of flesh with the ligaments and muscle exposed, the only exception to this was the fingers. It had four bony, razor-sharp fingers that were roughly three feet long. Not to mention its feet had a similar structure to that of a rabbit but were abnormally large. Multiple spikes protruded from its back like a cactus. However, it had a similar facial structure that the Frenzied Ghoul had.
Adrenaline flooded Zaen's body. His heart was pumping and beating as if it was trying to escape out of his body. Just being around the monster felt as if his heart could explode at any moment. He was scared, his eyes were wide with fear yet he couldn't take his eyes off of the ghoul who had its back turned towards him.
Zaen's body was begging him to either run out of the building or dig up a cave to hide inside for safety. But instead, he remained where he was... Frozen. His feet were no longer listening to the brain.
He remembered the first time he faced off against the Frenzied Ghoul. But even then, he wasn't afraid of the Frenzied ghoul. Instead of being paralysed with fear back then, he was excited to fight a stronger opponent. Yet there he was, unable to move an inch in front of the Depraved Ghoul.
For the first time since coming inside the other realm, a thought crossed Zaen's mind. However, it was neither an optimistic thought nor a hopeful one. Instead, it was a thought of mercy, a thought of fear, and a thought of defeat. He thought he was ready to fight anything that came in front of him, but now his unwavering will to fight had disappeared just like cotton candy in water.
It didn't matter what he wanted to do because, in the end, he could do only one thing- Pray that the demonic ghoul won't notice him while ripping the other ghouls apart. But looked like his prayers did not reach the gods in time.
The Depraved Ghoul already noticed Zaen's presence the next moment. Zaen did not waste another moment and ran, faster than he had ever before. He had to get out of the building as soon as possible. However, the moment he was about to exit the corridor, a weird kind of fog surrounded him. The cold atmosphere spread everywhere, enveloping his body as well.
[Depraved Ghoul has activated its primal skill: Silent Kill Zone. Affected targets cannot leave this sub dimensional plane for one minute.]
[You have been cut off from the rest of the other realm.]
It was Zaen's first time seeing such a skill. At least he now got the answer to his question from before. It wasn't that the ghouls didn't make noise when the Depraved attacked them, it was just that they were stuck in a different plane just like Zaen was. No matter how much they screamed, Zaen was clueless about it all.
[New Quest!]
[Quest: Run!]
[Introduction: You have been outclassed by a monster having a higher rank than you. Defeating the monster right now is impossible for you.]
[Task: Survive for a minute and return to your realm.]
[Rewards: No rewards]
[Failure to complete the task would result in your death.]
"Great! It's a do or die situation now-"
RAWRRRR!
[Caution! You've been stunned for 5 seconds due to the Depraved Ghoul's battle cry. You cannot move.]
[You're stunned. You cannot use bandages to heal your wounds or access your inventory.]
By the time Zaen could realise what was happening, the Depraved Ghouls had jumped over him, with the help of its rabbit-like paws and was now standing in front of him. The following moment, the ghoul wrapped its claws around Zaen's head and bashed it on the wall next to him.