The flickering light grows stronger, and the players finally get a full view of the monster. It's like a mix of several different animals - it has the fangs of a wolf, the talons of a hawk, and the tail of a scorpion. Its eyes are bright red, and they glow with an unearthly light. It stands on two legs, but it hunches forward as it walks, like a giant, monstrous ape.
Axel realizes that it's something unnatural, something that shouldn't exist. "Run!" he yelled in an instant, while the other players complied as everyone took to their heels.
The cave is a twisting labyrinth of tunnels, with passages leading off in all directions. The walls are jagged and rough, and the floor is covered in slippery moss. There's a damp, earthy smell in the air, and it's so dark that it's impossible to see more than a few feet in front of them. There are strange, echoing sounds all around the players, and it's impossible to tell if they're coming from above or below.
In the distance, Axel can see small glowing fungi growing on the walls. The light from the fungi is faint and eerie, and it casts strange shadows on the walls. There's also a faint breeze blowing through the tunnels, and it makes a low, moaning sound as it blows past him.
Every player ran in different directions, without looking back at the monster. Axel, running at full speed, finally came to a stop, panting for breath. He noticed that the monster wasn't following him anymore.
"Did he die from running?" Axel murmured to himself, but was soon startled by a voice.
"Guess we lost him!" said the voice, which he recognized as Livi's. Rosa was also standing beside her, and he watched the two women pant for breath.
"Darn it! What was that?" Rosa asked, panting for breath as she scanned her surroundings with fear written on her face.
"I really thought my lungs were going to explode from running," Livi said, still catching her breath. "Are you okay?" she asked, raising her eyebrows at Axel.
"Sure, I'm good," Axel replied, his body still tense.
Rian's death was caused by that monster," Rosa said, tears streaming down her cheeks. "He suffered so much, it was a brutal killing," she added, embracing Livi and crying on her shoulder.
"It's okay, Rian is at peace now," Livi reassured her, patting her back.
"I hope the others are safe, but I have a bad feeling about this," Axel said, scanning the tunnel exit for any signs of danger.
"They'll be fine, thank heaven we all ran away in a group. That way, we'll be able to look after each other better," said Livi as she patted Axel on the shoulder while he nodded in agreement.
_
The players had huddled together in the darkest part of the tunnel, their hearts pounding in their chests. They held their breath, trying to be as quiet as possible. Then, they heard a low growl in the distance and saw two red pinpoints of light approaching them. The lights and the growl grew closer and closer, and the three players felt their fear rising.
Rosa covered her mouth with her palms, her eyes wide with shock and terror as she gazed at the ugly creature in front of her.
Noticing her trembling body, Livi quickly hugged her to shield her from the monster.
Soon, the monster stormed away from Axel and the two women, its heavy growls fading as it moved further away. It was no longer heading in Axel's direction.
Axel thought to himself, feeling tense with frustration. "We might be discovered sooner or later if I don't do anything," he realized.
"Remember the shadow movement skill from the second game?" Axel asked eagerly, his eyes fixed on the two ladies in front of him. They listened with keen interest.
"Yes, the assassination skill," replied Rosa, her excitement evident. "It makes you invisible as..."
Before she could finish, her eyebrows shot up in excitement. "We have a secret weapon!" she exclaimed loudly, before Livi quickly covered her mouth.
"Sorry," Rosa apologized, her voice barely audible. "So what do you plan to do?" She asked, raising her eyebrows at Axel.
"This cave has lots of tunnels, according to what we've all witnessed so far. One tunnel has to lead outside the cave, but the question is, which tunnel is it?" Axel said with a heavy sigh. "We don't know which tunnel the other players ran off to, and to kill this monster, we all must cooperate and think of a good plan together," he added.
Yes! Coming up with a solid plan to take down the monster together is a great idea. And with Axel's invisible skill, he should be able to find the right tunnel out of the cave. Livi said, her eyes shining with excitement.
Creating a strong team and working together is the best plan. This way, we can all leave the cave unharmed once Axel locates the tunnel out. "Even though we can't defeat the monster, we can all make it out of the cave safely," Rosa said, exhaling a sigh of relief.
Yes! The system doesn't require us to kill the monster by force. We just need to find a way to escape the tunnel so we don't end up as the monster's dinner," said Livi, while the others nodded in agreement.
Axel activated the invisible skill in his mind and soon became invisible in front of the two girls.
"Axel! Where are you?" asked Livi, with a bewildered and shocked expression as Axel disappeared in front of them.
I'm here, Livi!" Axel replied with a light chuckle. "You can still hear my voice after all. You two should behave, okay? I'll be right back," he added, and jumped out of the tunnel, walking away deep into the cave. Although he could still hear the two ladies chatting with him, they had no idea he had left.
**GROWLS**
Axel reached a spot and saw the monster moving from one tunnel to another in search of other players. He continued walking, checking every tunnel.
Just where is the way out of this cave? Axel murmured to himself as he stood in front of a tunnel with a faint glimmer of light. He began walking down the tunnel, hoping it would lead to the exit. Suddenly, he heard a loud growl behind him, and it kept getting louder.
Axel froze in place, hoping the monster would just leave him alone. But to his horror, the monster appeared just a meter away, its red glowing eyes fixed on him. Panic set in as Axel wondered if the monster could see him. No, he thought, it's impossible for it to see me with my invisibility skill.
But as the monster let out another growl, Axel realized his skill wasn't working. The stench of decay filled the air, and it felt like the monster's presence was pulling him off the ground. It was clear that the Shadow movement skill was useless against this creature.
As the monster approached, Axel saw that it was holding something in its massive hand - a stone tablet. As it got closer, he noticed strange symbols carved into the tablet. They looked like a mix of hieroglyphics and ancient runes, glowing with the same red light as the monster's eyes. The monster was just a few feet away now, and Axel could feel its hot breath on his face.
Just as the monster raised its clawed hand to strike, Axel slipped underneath it and took off running with the monster close behind. Suddenly, a hand pulled Axel into a dark tunnel, narrowly missing the monster's gritting teeth.
As he caught his breath, Axel turned to see Lionel, Logan, David, Florence, and Ave, the exact people who had pulled him into the tunnel.
" You must have a death wish," scolded Lionel as he held Axel by the shoulder with a fierce look underneath his mask. But his reaction only irritated Axel, who shrugged his hand off his shoulder.
"I'm glad you're all fine. Now that I've found you, my task is simple. I just have to locate the tunnel that leads outside of the cave," said Axel with a determined expression.
"So, you plan for all of us to escape once you find the tunnel?" asked Ave, raising her eyebrows at Axel.
Exactly!" replied Axel.
"So, that's what you were doing earlier that got the monster running after you," said David.
"It really shouldn't be running after me. I used the shadow movement skill. I guess I was revealed either because of its eyes or its loud growls," said Axel, with a confused yet frustrated expression.
GROWLS**
The monster's growl was soon heard by the five players who stopped talking all at once. It continued moving towards the tunnel, its bright red glowing light serving as its guide through the darkness.
"Are we discovered?" asked Ave, panicked.
"Then you should go out there and quickly find the way out of the cave since you have that skill or whatever," said David, his anger evident in his voice. "That monster will eventually find us all, and then we'll all end up as its dinner," he added.
I don't know what went wrong in my first attempts at using the skill. But before I try again, I need to figure out why I was discovered during the first attempt," said Axel, with a serious expression.
"We don't have time for that. Just get out there and check the tunnel that leads outside this cave," said David, causing the other players to glare at him in anger.
"Are you deaf? Didn't you hear what he said? Why don't you go out and find the tunnel then?" yelled Ave angrily, but she quickly controlled her anger when she heard the monster's loud growl.
I would if I had the damn skill he said he had," he replied. "The third trial is titled Sacrifice, which means we have to sacrifice someone or someone has to sacrifice themselves for us," David said with seriousness in his tone, causing the other players to gaze at him in confusion.
"Then you be the sacrifice for us, man!" said Lionel from behind as he pushed David down the tunnel.