The Last Nightmare

The dungeon stretched endlessly before them, a labyrinth of cold stone and eerie silence. The flickering glow of their torches barely illuminated the path ahead, leaving the shadows thick and impenetrable. Every sound, from the drip of water to the faint scrape of boots against rock, felt unnaturally loud.

Nate adjusted his grip on his sword, his mind heavy with thoughts. He had never been in a place like this before—somewhere so detached from reality that it felt like another world entirely.

Then something clicked in his mind.

"…Wait." His voice cut through the quiet. "How long have we been in here?"

Kai glanced at him with a raised brow. "What do you mean?"

Nate frowned. "I don't know. It just feels like… we should have been in here longer."

Darius let out a short chuckle. "What, getting hungry already?"

Nate shook his head. "No, that's the thing. I should be hungry, right? But I'm not."

That was when Kai's expression changed, realization flickering in his eyes. "Oh. Right. You don't know about that yet."

Nate stiffened. "Know about what?"

Kai exhaled. " The flow of time isn't the same as the outside world. "

"It's different depending on the dungeon, but this one? Time runs slower. About three times slower than the outside world."

Nate's heart stopped.

"Three times…" His voice barely came out.

The weight of that revelation crashed over him like a tidal wave.

One week.

That was all the time he had before his mother's condition became irreversible.

Or at least, that was what he thought.

If Kai was right—if time here was three times slower—then in the outside world, only a third of the time had passed.

That meant he had three weeks.

It should have been a relief.

It wasn't.

His mother was still dying. His family was still struggling. And even with more time, what difference did it make if he wasn't strong enough to get what he needed?

I have to get stronger.I have to get the money.

Faster.

Before it's too late.

He clenched his fists, forcing the panic down. This wasn't the time to break. He had to focus.

Kai glanced at him but didn't say anything. Maybe he saw the tension in Nate's posture, or maybe he just didn't feel like prying. Either way, he let it drop.

And just in time.

Because that was when they saw them.

---

A low, guttural growl echoed through the cavern.

Nate's stomach twisted as his gaze locked onto five figures lurking in the shadows.

Scavengers.

They were grotesque—like a twisted fusion of a hyena and a reptile. Their fur was patchy and mangy, with exposed, scaly flesh underneath. Their jaws hung unnaturally wide, filled with jagged, uneven teeth that looked like they could tear through flesh in seconds. Their long, bony fingers ended in razor-sharp claws, digging into the dirt like they were waiting to pounce.

Their eyes.

Sunken. Hollow. But eerily aware.

They moved in jerky, unpredictable motions, their heads snapping from side to side as if they could hear the silence itself.

Scavengers weren't just monsters.

They were pack hunters.

Nate swallowed hard. If they were spotted, it wouldn't just be one scavenger attacking.

All five would descend on them at once.

Kai motioned for everyone to stay low. "We take them one at a time. I'll draw one toward us, and we'll kill it before the others notice."

Darius grinned. "Nice and clean. I like it."

Elena, standing toward the back, tightened her grip on her staff. "I'll support from here. Try not to get torn apart, alright?"

Kai smirked before stepping forward.

With a deliberate motion, he scraped his dagger against the stone wall.

The sound was just loud enough to be unnatural.

One of the scavengers froze.

Its head snapped toward them.

For a moment, silence.

Then it lunged.

This time Nate can clearly see the movement of the scavanger before it attacks them.

Kai sidestepped at the last second, redirecting its charge toward the group.

Darius didn't hesitate. He swung his axe in a wide arc, forcing the creature to stumble.

Nate also attacks it.

His sword lashed forward, cutting deep across the scavenger's throat.

Black blood splattered across the floor as the creature gurgled, its body twitching violently.

For a moment, Nate thought they had done it.

Then the scavenger screamed.

A horrid, ear-splitting wail that ripped through the cavern.

The other four scavengers froze.

Then, all at once, their heads snapped toward them.

A sickening feeling washed over Nate.

Then the silence shattered as the remaining scavengers lunged.

---

"Shit—" Kai barely had time to react before the first one crashed into him, knocking him off balance.

The second slashed at Darius, who barely managed to raise his axe in time.

The third and fourth went for Nate.

His heart pounded as he twisted away from the first attack, barely dodging the swipe of claws.

The second scavenger was faster.

The scavenger's mouth split open, revealing rows of needle-like teeth.

It lunged forward—

A sharp pain tore through Nate's arm as teeth sank into flesh.

He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to react.

With all the strength he could muster, he slammed his sword forward, stabbing through the creature's gut.

The scavenger let out a sickly wheeze as it staggered back, black blood pooling beneath it.

But Nate didn't have time to recover.

Because the second one was already moving.

It lunged straight for his throat—

Then a bolt of light shot past his shoulder.

The scavenger let out a guttural cry as the energy struck it, sending it reeling.

Nate turned to see Elena standing at a distance, her staff still glowing.

"Keep your guard up!" she called.

Nate barely had time to nod before the scavenger recovered, eyes burning with rage.

It lunged again.

Nate didn't hesitate.

He twisted his sword, angling it just right—

And drove it straight into the creature's skull.

The scavenger gave one last shuddering breath before going still.

Nate exhaled shakily.

But it wasn't over yet.

Kai was still pinned beneath his scavenger, struggling against the claws digging into his chest.

Elena fired another blast of light, forcing the creature to hesitate—just long enough for Kai to slam his dagger into its throat.

The scavenger thrashed, then fell limp.

Darius had finished his fight, but not without injury. A deep gash ran along his arm, blood dripping down his fingers.

The last scavenger lay dead at Nate's feet.

And just like that, the fight was over.

For a moment, all he could hear was his own heartbeat.

His body still trembled, his breath still uneven.

But he was alive.

"This is a little better than my previous fight with the scavanger....,I am getting stronger."Nate thinking about it as he tries to stand up.

Kai groaned as he pushed himself up. "That could've gone better."

Darius smirked, rolling his shoulder. "That was fun."

Elena sighed, lowering her staff. "I wouldn't call that fun."

Nate didn't say anything.

He was still thinking about fight, about the time. About his mother.

And about how he wasn't strong enough.

Not yet.

But he would be.

No matter what it took.

He would be.