Challenger Of The Underworld

Chapter Six: The Inferno Within

Elijah couldn’t believe what he was seeing. For a moment, he wondered if this was real—or just a nightmare he desperately wanted to wake up from. He squinted, trying to focus, hoping clarity would make sense of it all, but the sight before him only grew stranger.

A group of people were approaching from the distance. They weren’t running. They weren’t even hurrying. In fact, “walking” didn’t quite describe it—they moved like mindless puppets, every step perfectly synchronized, as if they all shared a single mind.

“Do you think they’re survivors? Like us?” Rean’s voice broke the silence.

Elijah glanced at her before answering. “We’d better find out.” Without another word, he started toward the door.

Rean was still standing by the counter. “Wait—!” She hurried after him, catching up just as he stepped outside.

The street was eerily quiet. The people kept coming, their ages varying from teens to the elderly—but there were no children among them. From far away, they looked almost normal. But something was off. Too off.

Their steps made no sound. Not a shuffle. Not a heel strike. And every one of them moved their right leg at the same time, then their left—like they were part of a single, mechanical march.

Rean felt an unexpected wave of relief at the sight of other humans. She didn’t know whether to cry, smile, or just breathe easier knowing it wasn’t just her and Elijah anymore. Sure, she didn’t exactly prefer his company, but she’d take him over being alone in this nightmare.

Elijah wanted to feel the same. Part of him did. But something deep in his gut twisted with unease. He knew better than to ignore that feeling—yet he did, stepping forward again.

“Seriously?” Rean muttered, chasing after him.

“You know I really hate it when you just leave without saying anything,” she said, slightly breathless.

“Well, princess,” Elijah replied without looking at her, “you’d better keep up.”

They closed the distance—but not enough. The people still seemed strangely far away, no matter how close Elijah and Rean got. Their feet were moving, but it was like they were walking in place.

“Is it just me, or are they keeping their distance?” Rean frowned.

“Maybe they don’t know us,” Elijah guessed. “Or maybe they think we’re part of the invasion.”

“I don’t think that’s it,” Rean said slowly.

“What do you mean?”

“Because of that.” She pointed past the crowd.

Elijah finally tore his gaze away to see where she was pointing. Behind the people, a swirling portal glowed—storm-blue at first, releasing more figures identical to the ones already there.

“They all look exactly alike,” Rean whispered, inching closer to him.

A sharp ding rang out in Elijah’s ears. For the first time, the system’s message came with a sound.

[ FIRST LEVEL: LEVEL ONE ]

[ SURVIVE AGAINST THE ARMY ]

Elijah’s eyes widened. “What?” The word slipped out loud enough for Rean to hear.

“I’m sorry?” she asked, stepping back, thinking he was talking to her.

“No, not you,” he muttered.

At first, the portal seemed harmless—until the blue swirled violently into a stormy purple. Lightning flashed inside it, jagged and furious. One by one, new figures stepped through—perfect duplicates of the first, but wrong. Horribly wrong.

Their skin peeled away in strips. Some ripped it from their own flesh. Others melted, their features sagging and dripping like wax.

Elijah’s senses sharpened in an instant. He could hear every sickening tear of flesh, every wet drip as skin sloughed off. Rean, still in the dark, only saw the strange color shift and felt dread curling in her stomach.

“What are they doing?” she asked.

The humanlike crowd had stopped moving altogether. They stood perfectly still—no blinking, no breathing, no sign of life at all.

A faint cracking sound broke the silence. Elijah glanced at Rean, who was gripping his arm tightly.

“Do you hear that?” he asked.

“Hear what? Elijah, is something out there?” Her voice trembled.

Another notification flashed in front of Elijah’s eyes.

[ LEVEL ONE THREAT: THE ARMY HAS NOW SPOTTED THE PLAYER. THEIR MAIN GOAL IS TO KILL THE PLAYER. ]

[ LEVEL ONE QUEST: SURVIVE AGAINST THE ARMY ]

[ WARNING: IF THE PLAYER IS KILLED BY THE ARMY, IT’S GAME OVER ]

[ FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION ]

This was different. More urgent. More dangerous.

[ LOCATION: THE TOWN’S RUINS ]

He didn’t understand—until the world around them began to change.

The diner’s walls cracked and rotted, as if it had been abandoned for centuries. Other buildings followed, crumbling into decay. The blood splattered on the pavement turned dark and flaky, the air heavy with the stench of mold.

Above them, dark clouds boiled together, deepening into a blood-red sky streaked with lightning.

And then the final horror revealed itself—the “normal” people began to split open. From their mouths, their stomachs, their very skin, the monsters emerged—humanoid shapes twisted into grotesque forms.

Another message burned in Elijah’s vision.

[ WARNING: THE ARMY IS ABOUT TO ATTACK ]

The growl that followed was low, guttural, and hungry. The army had found them. And now, it was coming.

Elijah’s mind spun. This wasn’t just some weird alien invasion anymore—this was something far bigger, far darker—something completely out of his depth.

And now, it wasn’t just his life on the line. Rean was here too—again—and that meant, whether he liked it or not, he was responsible for keeping her safe.

“What… what are we going to do?” Rean’s voice shook, her hands trembling.

“We run,” Elijah said without hesitation.

It sounded like the smartest choice—until it didn’t.

Because, right then, another message blinked into existence before his eyes.

[ WARNING: IF PLAYER RUNS AWAY AND ABANDONS QUEST, DISQUALIFICATION WILL OCCUR. PENALTY: DEATH. ]

Elijah froze, his breath catching in his throat. His eyes widened as the words seared into his mind, heavy and absolute.