The deeper Luis ventured into the enchanted forest, the stranger the air became.
At first, it was just a breeze—cool and damp. Then it thickened. Like walking through mist. Then syrup. Then weight.
Luis clutched his chest. "What the hell is this? I—I can't breathe…"
Each breath felt like inhaling smoke, his lungs burning with every gasp. The forest around him blurred at the edges, colors bleeding together like a watercolor under rain.
Zyx's tone sharpened with unease. "Wait. I know this… this pressure… If I'm not wrong, this is a psychic field. A high-tier one."
Luis fell to his knees, vision spinning. "Psychic field?"
Zyx growled. "Silver-class. It's a Spectral Demon. Luis, run!"
That word cut through the fog in his mind. Luis's instincts kicked in, and he sprinted through the forest with everything he had. His lungs burned, eyes watered, muscles screamed.
Branches whipped past. Vines clawed at his limbs.
Then—
A hum. Low and melodic.
A glowing spectral hand the size of a truck burst from the earth, wrapping around his legs like a vice.
"What the hell is this?!" Luis screamed as he was yanked off his feet and dragged violently across the forest floor, deeper into the madness.
Zyx stuttered, panicked. "It's—it's the Spectral Demon! Level 14. Silver Class. RUN!"
But Luis didn't run. He was airborne.
The hand flung him like a ragdoll into a thick tree. The impact cracked bark and bone alike. He hit the ground hard, vision fading.
"Luis! Wake up!" Zyx screamed, floating frantically above him. "Come on, wake up you idiot!"
Luis blinked through the fog. Another hand lashed toward him—he rolled aside just in time, dirt erupting where he'd been.
His hands fumbled for his backpack, pulling out a bubbling potion wrapped in a faded cloth.
Zyx's eyes widened. "Pim's vial! From the Agmorant fight!"
Luis downed it in one gulp.
His chest ignited.
It felt like swallowing liquid fire. He doubled over in pain, teeth grinding as the potion burned through whatever illusions had clouded him. Slowly, the air cleared. His head stopped spinning.
"God—what the hell was in that?" he gasped.
Zyx didn't answer. "No time. I know how to beat it."
Luis staggered upright, watching the trees twitch unnaturally.
Zyx continued. "Its weakness is its pulsing heart. It's not inside its body. It's hidden somewhere nearby. But it can't stray far from it."
Luis gritted his teeth. "So I have to fight and play hide and seek?"
The demon reappeared without warning.
Ten ghostly arms erupted from the earth, reaching toward him with sickening squelches.
Zyx screamed, "Above you!"
Luis looked up just in time—the demon descended like a thundercloud, claws raised. He braced for impact.
"I can't dodge—"
His hand flew to his skill tab.
"Fortress's Heart, now!"
A golden shimmer pulsed over his armor as Fortress's Heart activated—its area buff granting +25% Defense and Resistance to all allies within a 50-meter radius. The monster struck.
BOOM.
Dust and debris exploded outward. Luis was buried beneath rubble, pain lancing through his limbs. His health bar inched down—60%, 45%, 30%...
He gasped, still alive—but barely. The demon vanished into mist again.
Luis crawled from the debris, adrenaline overriding pain. His legs pushed him into a dead sprint.
No direction.
Just motion.
He zigzagged through the forest, searching, hoping.
"Zyx! What does the heart look like?!"
"Bright gold! Like a lantern—but it won't appear until you're within five feet!"
Luis skidded to a stop. "So basically invisible?!"
Zyx smiled. "Yep."
"That's your big plan?!"
"With pride!"
The forest warped again—the demon reappeared, this time erupting from the ground with ten more hands. Its eyes glowed like burning coals.
"NOW!" Zyx shouted. "Use the Boots of the Iron Guardian!"
Luis activated his Boots of the Iron Guardian—jumping higher than any normal Host could. He soared above the writhing arms as they crashed together beneath him.
Then—
A flicker.
Just for a moment, he saw it.
A strange distortion in the air. Like blinking heat waves.
"There!" he roared.
He landed, sprinting toward the distortion.
But the demon moved faster.
It appeared in front of him, claws drawn.
Luis raised his scrap hammer—parried the strike.
Wind Snap triggered.
Wind Dancer activated.
Speed surged through his body.
Momentum gathered—he jumped, flipping over the demon's colossal form.
And then—
He saw it.
Floating in mid-air like a sacred relic was the Pulsing Heart—golden, glowing, throbbing with raw power.
Luis screamed.
He brought the hammer down with everything he had.
CRACK.
The heart shattered.
A shockwave erupted, flinging Luis backward. The demon shrieked—its form unraveling, arms crumbling into ash, face dissolving into smoke.
The psychic pressure lifted.
Luis lay there, breathing hard, chest heaving.
Zyx floated above him, wide-eyed. "Okay. Okay. That… was actually terrifying."
Luis coughed. "I don't think I'm walking out of here alive…"
Zyx gave a tired grin. "Maybe not. But you looked like a damn hero doing it."
[+15,000 Soul Essence Gained]
LEVEL UP: 5
New Ability Unlocked: Mind Construct
Allow temporary creation of psychic tools, platforms, or structures.
Duration: 10 seconds
Cooldown: 2 minutes
Luis sat up, exhausted but smiling. "Okay… maybe we don't die today."
Zyx smirked. "We live to be stupid another day."
And deeper into the forest, the path still waited.