Ren's breaths came in ragged gasps as he bolted across a narrow bridge, the wooden planks creaking under his hurried steps. His eyes were locked on the path ahead, too focused on the glowing arrows of his map to notice anything else.
Beneath the bridge, hidden in the shadows, a powerful figure stirred. A Titan humanoid-class—one of only fifteen known to exist—crouched silently, its crimson eyes glowing faintly in the darkness. Its blue skin shimmered subtly in the moonlight, and intricate tattoos sprawled across its body pulsed with a soft, eerie light, as though alive with power.
The Titan's gaze followed Ren, unblinking, its lips curling into a sinister smirk. It watched him for a moment longer before sinking deeper into the shadows, its expression unreadable.
Ren, oblivious to the threat below, muttered under his breath, "Almost there. Just a little more…" His pounding footsteps faded into the distance, leaving behind only the creak of the bridge.
As Ren left the bridge behind, the Titan humanoid stirred, its form springing into the air with a powerful leap. It soared above the buildings, its wings expanding like a shadow stretching across the night, before settling atop a crumbling building wreckage. The Titan grinned, a sly, almost predatory smile creeping across his face as he watched Ren from above.
"You don't see that every day," he muttered to himself, his voice low and deep, laced with amusement. "How many hundreds of years has it been since a human was foolish enough to be out this late? After 10:00 PM, no less." He chuckled softly to himself before his tone shifted, a note of respect in his words. "But this human... he's actually smart. Though the beasts are faster than him, he's using the wreckage scattered around to slow them down. Clever."
The Titan's grin widened as he stood tall, the air around him rippling with power. "Hmm... this might be fun," he said, his eyes gleaming with curiosity. "Let's see just how far he can go."
With a swift motion, the Titan raised his left hand, and a massive sledgehammer materialized with a crackling sound, shimmering into existence. He hefted it casually, eyes scanning the horizon.
In a heartbeat, the Titan took flight, trailing after Ren with a steady, deliberate pace, eager to see where his breaking point lay. His lips curled into a grin once more. "Let's see how long you can last, human.
As Ren pushed forward, his feet pounding the ground with the rhythm of desperation, the system suddenly blinked red, its warning flashing across his vision.
"Warning, warning: Titan humanoid-class detected nearby."
Ren's heart skipped a beat. His breath caught in his throat as he quickly checked the map. A massive red dot appeared behind him, far too close. He whipped his head around, and there it was—the Titan humanoid, towering and imposing, its crimson eyes gleaming with malicious intent flying a little bit behind, but ontop of him.
Frustration crept up inside him, his mind racing. "What the hell is all this? First beast-class monsters, now a Titan humanoid-class? That thing is practically invincible!" He clenched his fists, glaring at the system's warning. "Look, system, I just got here! I don't even know what the hell is going on, and you already want me dead?"
He shook his head, gritting his teeth. He couldn't waste time arguing with the damn system. His eyes flicked ahead, and his heart lifted when he saw a glowing light in the distance—that's the settlement. But as he sprinted closer, his heart sank. The seal was already up.
No… His pulse quickened, the realization crashing down on him like a wave. "It's locked. I'm so screwed…"