Abyssborn Journey

Astrea blinked, disoriented by the sudden shift in scenery. The dark, mossy dungeon walls were gone, replaced by the sterile hallways of what appeared to be a modern office building. Flickering fluorescent lights cast unsettling shadows on the cracked tiles and bloodstained walls. The faint sound of groaning echoed in the distance, sending a chill down his spine.

"What the hell is this place?" Astrea muttered, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly.

The system's voice chimed in, cold and indifferent as ever.

[Survive to the exit]

[Objective: Kill the Mid Boss to unlock the last phase]

[Time Limit: 120 minutes]

[Failure will result in punishment]

Astrea clenched his jaw. "I'm really starting to hate you," he growled under his breath.

The system offered no reply.

As Astrea cautiously advanced through the eerily silent building, he kept his movements quiet and deliberate. Each step was measured, his eyes scanning for anything out of the ordinary. But the unsettling groans grew louder, and soon, he found the source.

A pack of zombies shuffled aimlessly in the next room, their decayed bodies twitching unnaturally. They weren't the sluggish zombies he'd fought earlier; they moved with a sense of purpose, like predators lying in wait.

Astrea narrowed his eyes. "These aren't normal. They're faster... smarter."

Then he saw them-figures lurking among the horde that sent a shiver down his spine.

One crouched low to the ground, its muscles coiled like a spring, ready to leap. Another had a bloated, grotesque body, oozing foul liquid from its pores. One scuttled unnaturally on all fours, its head twitching as it let out an eerie giggle.

"They're like something out of Left 4 Dead," Astrea muttered, recognizing the twisted variations of the familiar game's infected.

The system dinged again, its voice cutting through the tension.

[Warning: Special Infected Detected]

[Host's Task: Utilize abilities strategically to neutralize threats]

"Yeah, thanks for the advice," Astrea muttered sarcastically. "Because I wouldn't have figured that out on my own."

He crouched low, activating Abysswalker to blend into the shadows. His armor shimmered faintly, cloaking him in darkness as he moved silently past the first few zombies.

The first challenge was avoiding detection. The bloated one-likely the equivalent of a Boomer-shuffled dangerously close, its grotesque body threatening to burst at any moment. Astrea slipped past, his heart pounding.

The illusion of stealth was shattered when one of the faster infected-a Hunter-suddenly leapt at him, claws outstretched.

"Damn it!" Astrea cursed, rolling to the side just in time. The Hunter landed with a screech, its claws raking against the floor where he'd been standing moments before.

The noise alerted the rest of the horde.

The building came alive with movement as the zombies charged toward him. Spitters spewed acidic bile across the floor, forcing Astrea to dodge frantically. A Smoker's tongue lashed out, narrowly missing his leg as it tried to ensnare him.

"No time to think-move!" Astrea yelled, activating Sprint (Level 1) to increase his speed. He darted down the hallway, avoiding the acidic pools and grasping hands of the undead.

As the horde closed in, Astrea gritted his teeth and skidded to a stop. "No more running," he growled, igniting Fire Trailblazer.

The fiery blade roared to life, illuminating the dim corridor as he slashed through the first wave of zombies. The fire seared flesh and bone, the stench of burning decay filling the air.

The Boomer, waddling toward him, exploded in a burst of foul-smelling bile as Astrea struck it down. The explosion sent him stumbling back, momentarily blinded by the sticky residue.

"Disgusting!" he spat, wiping the bile from his face just in time to see a Spitter readying its attack.

Astrea acted quickly, throwing his sword with precision. The fiery blade pierced the Spitter's chest, silencing it before it could unleash its corrosive acid.

The Mid Boss Revealed

The system chimed again.

[Warning: Mid Boss approaching]

Astrea froze, his senses on high alert. A deep, guttural roar echoed through the building, shaking the very walls. The remaining zombies scattered as a massive figure emerged from the shadows.

It was unlike anything Astrea had seen before-an amalgamation of all the special infected. Its bloated body oozed acid like a Spitter, its clawed hands twitched with the deadly precision of a Hunter, and its grotesque head twisted unnaturally as it let out a bone-chilling laugh.

"Of course," Astrea muttered, gripping his sword tightly. "Why settle for one nightmare when you can have them all in one package?"

The creature lunged at him with terrifying speed, its claws swiping dangerously close. Astrea leapt back, activating Sprint to evade its attack.

"This is going to be a long fight," he muttered, raising his sword as flames danced along its blade. "But I'm not going down that easily."

The battle had only just begun.

•

Astrea pressed his back against the cold wall, sweat dripping down his face as he tried to catch his breath. His heart pounded in his chest, the adrenaline from barely surviving the horde still coursing through him.

"I underestimated this place," he muttered, glaring at the system interface hovering in front of him. "This isn't just a game. These things are out to kill me."

He peeked out from his hiding spot, scanning the dark corridor for any signs of movement. The horde had thinned, but the oppressive tension remained. He knew the Mid Boss was lurking nearby.

A sudden sound broke the silence-a soft, mournful cry echoing down the hallway. Astrea froze, his body tensing as the sound sent chills down his spine.

"A woman?" he whispered, frowning.

He crept forward cautiously, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword. The cries grew louder, drawing him closer to their source. Rounding a corner, he saw her-a woman with long, white hair, sitting on the ground with her back to him. Her frail frame shook as she sobbed into her hands.

Something about her felt... wrong.

"I don't know why, but I've got a bad vibe about this," Astrea muttered under his breath.

He took another cautious step forward, but his boot landed on a loose piece of debris. The sharp crunch echoed through the hallway like a gunshot.

The woman's sobbing stopped abruptly. Slowly, she turned her head to look at him, her pale face illuminated by the faint light. Her eyes were hollow, her lips curled into a grotesque snarl.

Astrea's instincts screamed at him to run.

With an ear-piercing scream, the woman leapt to her feet and charged at him with unnatural speed.

"Oh, fuck! It's a Witch!" Astrea yelled, scrambling to ready his sword.

The woman's claws slashed through the air, narrowly missing his face as he stumbled back. He swung his fiery blade, the flames roaring to life as it connected with her torso.

The Witch shrieked in agony but didn't stop. She lunged at him again, her claws raking across his armor, leaving deep gouges.

Astrea gritted his teeth, pushing through the pain. "Crazy shit! Oh... Jesus!"

With a roar, he drove his sword through her chest, the flames engulfing her body. The Witch let out one final, bloodcurdling scream before collapsing to the ground in a heap.

Astrea staggered back, panting heavily. "That... was insane," he muttered, wiping the sweat from his brow. "What kind of sick world is this?"

The ground trembled beneath his feet. A deep, guttural roar echoed through the building, louder and closer than before.

Astrea's eyes darted toward the far end of the corridor. The shadows shifted as a massive figure emerged, its grotesque form illuminated by the flickering lights.

The Mid Boss had arrived.

"Of course," Astrea groaned, gripping his sword tightly. "Just when I thought things couldn't get worse."

Astrea's hands trembled, but he forced himself to steady his grip. "Time to see what this ability can really do."

He activated Reinhard's Divine Blessing.

A golden aura enveloped him, its warmth flooding his body and dulling the ache of his previous injuries. His senses sharpened, his strength surged, and his fear melted away.

"Alright," he said, a determined grin spreading across his face. "Let's see how strong this ability really is."

The Mid Boss charged, its monstrous form barreling toward him like a freight train. Astrea planted his feet, his sword igniting with divine fire as he prepared to face the beast head-on.

To be continued.