Suddenly, Gray halted mid-step, his body rigid and beads of sweat forming on his brow. A suffocating pressure, like an invisible hand, clenched tightly around his chest, causing his breathing to grow shallow. His pulse hammered against his temples as his gaze drifted forward, locking onto the distant silhouette of a colossal monster.
The creature sat there as though it were a god surveying its dominion. A boundless, dreadful aura radiated from it—warping the air itself. The very fabric of space seemed to twist and writhe in its presence, distorting its grotesque outline as though nature itself refused to behold such an abomination.
Gray instinctively froze, his muscles coiling with the primal fear of prey caught in the shadow of a predator. His lips parted slightly as the realization struck him like a lightning bolt.
"A… Ranked monster."
His voice was barely a whisper, yet it felt as though the very sound might alert the being to his presence.
