The Rise of the Lost

"I'm in real danger now..."*

The thought echoed inside Kalm's mind as he slowly stepped back, eyes locked on the grotesque creature staring at him.

Its four blazing red eyes burned with a crazed light, as if they could pierce through his skin and glimpse his very soul.

A cold shiver ran down his spine, and fear—raw and real—settled deep in his chest.

The many legs of the monster struck the ground like war drums.

Then—

With terrifying speed, it lunged forward, jaws wide open, saliva dripping in sickening strands.

Its black, blade-like fangs glinted with the promise of death.

With all the agility he could muster—which, honestly, wasn't much—Kalm threw himself left, mimicking a movement he had once seen the Queen perform.

He barely dodged in time.

The creature, unable to turn at such velocity, shot past him, its massive head sweeping mere inches from Kalm's right side.

He scrambled to his feet, hands trembling as he touched his unharmed ribs.

A shaky breath escaped his lungs.

He looked back at the monster with wide, unsteady eyes.

His mind was racing, desperately trying to find a way out.

He'd survived once by sheer luck—

But luck was a fickle ally, one that rarely stuck around.

He needed a plan.

Fast.

But what could a powerless human possibly do against such a beast?

Even if it was smaller than the others, it was still far stronger than him.

At that moment, the creature reared up—

Its body stretched to over a meter and a half high—

Then slammed its head down toward him.

*Damn it!*

Kalm leapt backward in a long, clumsy jump.

The monster's head crashed into the ground where he'd stood, kicking up dust and pebbles.

A sharp sting on his cheek told him one of those pebbles had cut him.

A thin line of blood ran down his face, warm and uncomfortable.

Pain bloomed slowly alongside a growing sense of helplessness, mixed with bitterness and fear.

*"Damn it! Why's it so focused on me?! Isn't the Queen prettier—and tastier—than I am?!"*

His thoughts spiraled, breath growing shallow.

These monsters weren't intelligent.

They didn't think logically.

They were driven by primal instinct, madness, and an unnatural thirst for blood.

There was no prejudice in their hunt.

No preference in their kill.

*"Such an inspiring example of equality and fairness..."*

Kalm smirked darkly to himself as he prepared to dodge again.

The creature let out a low growl, its rage intensifying.

Its legs moved chaotically, uncoordinated—

Then it lunged.

Without thinking twice, Kalm ran.

His short legs carried him in a zigzag, trying to confuse the maddened creature.

But it only seemed to drive it faster.

The monster's head shot forward like a lance—

A hissing warning from the serpent gave him just enough time to jump sideways.

Even so, one of its curved fangs grazed his right side, slicing into him.

Kalm tumbled across the ground, pain exploding in his body.

*"Ah—! Damn, that hurts!"*

Clutching his head to fight the dizziness, he felt a burning sensation on his side.

Hot blood soaked through his clothes.

The wound wasn't deep or deadly—

But it hurt like hell, and it wasn't stopping.

Kalm stood, pressing a hand to the wound to slow the bleeding.

He prayed silently the monster's fangs weren't poisonous.

He wobbled slightly, but kept his eyes on the enemy.

He scanned the area—any object, anything he could use as a weapon.

His life now hung by a thread in this hopeless fight.

Even if the beast was slow or behaving strangely, trying to fight or flee unarmed was suicidal.

So he searched.

Then—

His eyes caught a glimmer of hope.

Near the cave wall, where the Queen had crushed one of the monsters earlier, lay two massive, black fangs—

Curved like scythes—

Next to the pulpy remains of the creature's body.

*"Now that... is a plan."*

The beast let out a shriek and turned toward him again.

Kalm stomped the ground and sprinted for the cave wall.

It was a distance of maybe two hundred meters, give or take.

For a healthy adult, it might take twenty, twenty-five seconds to reach it—

But Kalm was injured.

Untrained.

Barely holding together.

Still, he ran like his life depended on it—

Because it did.

Behind him, the monster charged, its many legs thundering across the cave floor, snarling and shrieking.

The sound crawled up Kalm's spine like icy fingers.

It lunged—

Fangs aimed to tear into his back—

Another hiss from the serpent—

Kalm threw himself to the side in a desperate dive.

The monster's fang sliced past his body, close enough to stir the air around his skin.

*"Damn it—! It's always *this* close—!"*

Through clenched teeth and muttered curses, Kalm kept running.

From what he could tell, the disgusting beast didn't have any ranged attacks.

Its behavior was odd—

As if something invisible was holding it back…

Or its mind was muddled.

And the serpent—its timely warnings were the only reason he was still alive.

By some miracle, Kalm made it closer.

He opened his eyes fully—

Just twenty meters away now.

The black fangs lay there, resting in a pool of foul blood.

*"Come on… just a bit more, Kalm… Just a little further…"*

*Kalm braced himself in his heart, trying not to focus on unnecessary thoughts...*

*Like the possibility that another creature could emerge at any moment...*

But his hopes shattered in an instant.

A Harshish's massive head slammed into the ground just a step away from him, the impact cracking the earth beneath his feet.

Kalm stumbled, barely staying upright.

Using its long, multi-legged body, the creature whipped its rear end toward Kalm's back—

There was no way to block it. No time to dodge.

And Kalm didn't even know how.

The blow struck him directly.

A crushing force exploded through his spine.

He let out a strangled cry as his bones screamed in agony.

The hit launched him several meters into the air—

Then he crashed face-first onto the ground, landing hard on his stomach.

*"Aaagh—damn it..."*

His body rolled several times before finally slamming into a rocky outcrop near the cave wall.

Kalm screamed, writhing in pain, trying to regain control.

He jerked his head up, gasping, just in time to see the Harshish shaking its head violently, trying to reorient itself.

He looked down at himself.

His spine, miraculously, seemed intact—maybe thanks to the Shadow Garments.

But the wound in his side had torn wide open again, and blood was flowing fast.

His legs and arms were mostly unharmed, scratched but functional.

His head was fine too, though spinning slightly.

*"Great… still alive."*

Kalm gave a bitter smirk, grabbing his knee tightly and pushing himself up to stand.

His body swayed, pain gnawing at every fiber.

It had barely been a full minute since the battle began—

And yet, he was already in a dire state.

On the losing side of the fight, without question.

But objectively speaking—

For a teenager with no training to even last this long against a Harshish?

It was nothing short of a miracle.

His black eyes shifted toward the cave wall.

Even as half his attention stayed on the beast, he saw them—

The black fangs.

Just a few meters away, lying in a pool of foul-smelling blood.

He crouched into a runner's stance, hand still pressing down on his wound.

Then—he bolted.

The creature's eyes flared.

It let out a furious roar and lunged forward again.

Kalm jumped, arm outstretched, teeth clenched.

He prayed with everything he had.

Time seemed to slow.

Adrenaline surged through his veins, flooding his body.

And in what felt like an eternity wrapped in a single heartbeat—

His fingers wrapped around one of the black fangs.

It was cold, sharp, and matte—no shine to it at all.

Blood still slicked its curved edge, which split into two near the tip.

He gripped it with his left hand, turned sharply, and faced the nightmare head-on.

Now—

Now that he held something that resembled a weapon—

Maybe, just maybe, he had a chance.

A small one.

Just enough time to stall… until the Queen dealt with the rest of the pack.

The Harshish roared like a charging war machine.

It slammed its head into Kalm's stomach, sending him flying backward—

Straight into the cave wall.

*"Agh—!"*

His ribs groaned.

Bones threatened to snap as his body was crushed against solid rock.

His insides twisted painfully, screaming from the impact of the monster's iron-hard head.

Kalm cried out.

A thin ribbon of crimson blood spilled from his lips.

The Harshish snarled low and pressed harder, trying to crush the small human body flat.

Kalm raised his left arm—

Still holding the black fang—

And with every ounce of strength he had left, he swung it toward the creature's head.

The impact rang out through the cavern.

Pain surged through Kalm's arm.

His whole body trembled—

The monster's carapace was too strong.

There wasn't even a scratch.

*"Y-You damn thing… why won't you just die?!"*

A weak point.

He needed a weak point.

Then he saw it.

The creature's eye glowed—

A single red orb, like a drop of blood in a pool of black.

Kalm ignored the unbearable pain.

He raised the fang again—

Teeth clenched hard—

And stabbed it straight into the eye.

The fang slid in with ease.

Blood burst from the wound, covering the beast's face—

And Kalm's hand.

The Harshish roared.

The sound nearly burst Kalm's eardrums.

Its crushing force loosened just a bit.

Kalm seized the chance.

He yanked the fang out and drove it back in—

Deeper.

More blood gushed from the creature's ruined eye.

It shrieked in pain.

*"How's that feel, you bug-eyed freak?!"*

Something strange and fierce stirred in Kalm's chest—

A spark of pride, of madness, of survival.

With his right hand, he grabbed the creature's face as hard as he could.

With his left, he pressed the fang deeper—

Trying to kill the thing once and for all.

The monster thrashed its head, wind whipping against Kalm's ears—

But he held on.

Pushed harder.

Without even realizing it—

He'd entered a contest of wills against the monster.

Either it would slam him into the wall again and end him—

A pitiful, tragic death...

Or—

He'd drive the fang deep enough into the creature's mind—

If it even had one—

And kill it.

But the struggle didn't last long.

With a violent jerk, the Harshish threw Kalm across the cave.

His body tumbled, blood smeared across his chest.

The beast let out another guttural roar.

Blood still poured from the eye Kalm had stabbed—

The fang still lodged deep inside.

It stared at him now with three burning red eyes.

This was it.

The end of the game.

The last of Kalm's luck had run out.

And as he stared into the void of those eyes—

His blood ran cold.