Paralyzed Demon - Shadow Slave

He had reached the first week of spring. The ice around him had melted, and trees damaged and broken by the cold were beginning to grow again. The number of creatures in the forest was also rising. Giant butterfly-like beings, massive serpents, strange mole-like creatures that lived underground, and many more had appeared with the season.

During his first week in spring, Morpheus had been in several fights. He had lost his sword, but that didn't stop him. He was using his own body as a blade.

Now, sitting at his camp, he examined the items he had gathered. He had 70 Awakened Creature Soul Cores and 3 Demon Soul Cores. He wondered why he hadn't absorbed them earlier.

Winter must have drained me, he thought and began consuming the cores.

Each one gave him a little more energy, a little more strength.

"This feeling… it's addicting," Morpheus muttered with a grin.

He had wanted to rest a bit after winter, and since it was still early spring, he assumed he wouldn't encounter too many monsters. So, he decided to camp for a few days.

At night, he slept in a hammock tied to a tree, waiting for awakened creatures to get caught in the traps he had set. These few days were necessary for his sanity.

One of the awakened creatures that fell into his traps granted him a sword memory. It wasn't as special as his previous weapon, but as long as he had something he could call a sword, he was satisfied.

Its name matched its appearance—[Ordinary Sword].

After a few practice swings, he packed up his camp and continued on his journey.

The further he traveled, the more frequent the monster encounters became. He even faced another demon—an underground-dwelling, mole-like creature.

But this fight was far easier than his previous demon battle. The mole was blind and relied on scent to locate its prey.

By the time it had detected Morpheus, he had already cut it down.

[You have slain an Awakened Demon: Corrupted Mole][You have received a memory: Nose of Mole]

When he saw the creature's name, his skin crawled.

"Corrupted."

His heartbeat quickened as he checked its rank again.

Awakened.

He let out a breath. He couldn't handle a Corrupted creature. Not yet. But why did the Nightmare assign the same name as the rank? Why would the Nightmare do that? he wondered, but no answer came to him.

Examining the Nose of Mole memory, he saw that it was a tool—allowing him to pick up the scents of nearby creatures and locate them.

"This will be useful," he thought. It would help him avoid unnecessary fights.

After absorbing the creature's soul cores, he activated the memory and used it as he traveled.

But this advantage would only last until the second month of spring.

After that, the memory would be useless. There was no place without Nightmare creatures. There was no escaping battle.

On top of that, the monsters here were stronger than before. There were barely any creatures that moved in packs anymore, and the few that did were much smaller in number. That worked in his favor.

But just as he was about to stop using the memory, he picked up a scent.

A strong one.

His instincts screamed at him.

RUN.

As he turned to leave, he felt it—the creature was approaching.

"If I can sense it… then something stronger than me can definitely sense me too," Morpheus muttered, breaking into a sprint.

But whatever was behind him was closing in.

"Shit," he cursed, sweat forming on his brow.

He heard the sound of hooves.

"There's no escape. I won't get away unless I kill it."

He leaped onto a tree and tensed, waiting for the creature to approach. Calling his sword to his hand, he took a deep breath.

It didn't keep him waiting for long.

It was fast.

A horse-like beast.

Its entire body was pure white, covered in green vine-like patterns—or perhaps actual vines. Drool dripped from its mouth, and wherever it touched the ground, the earth sizzled and corroded.

Morpheus's eyes widened.

"I AM DEAD."

This was a Fallen Demon.

Morpheus tightened his grip on his sword, his breath shallow.

A Fallen Demon.

Of all things, a Fallen Demon.

It wasn't just some ordinary Awakened or even a standard Demon. This was on a completely different level. The air around it felt heavy, as if the world itself was rejecting its existence.

The Nightmare had thrown countless monsters at him, but this… this was something else.

Morpheus knew he had two choices: run or fight.

But running was pointless. It was faster. If it wanted him dead, it would catch him.

That left only one option.

Morpheus steadied his breathing. He had fought creatures far stronger than himself before. And he had survived every single time.

"I just have to cut it down before it kills me, right? After all, I am Sword Demon. If I can't do it, who can?." he said with a fake smile.

The Fallen Demon charged.

Its speed was terrifying. One moment, it was several meters away. The next, it was right in front of him.

Morpheus barely managed to leap to the side, landing on the forest floor and rolling to his feet. He looked up just in time to see the tree he had been standing on melt away, its bark hissing and disintegrating as the demon's saliva splattered onto it.

"That could have been me," he thought, gritting his teeth.

He didn't hesitate. The moment he landed, he counterattacked.

Dashing forward, he swung his sword at the Fallen Demon's legs, aiming to cripple it.

But the instant his blade made contact, the vines on its body shifted.

They moved like living tendrils—fast, precise, and deadly.

Before he could react, they lashed out, coiling around his arm like iron chains.

And then—they pulled.