They all entered the room...
The room revealed behind the door was not part of a training facility. It looked more like something that had been deliberately abandoned.
It was cold—unnaturally cold. The walls were smooth but covered with a layer of ancient dust. The floor, despite the neglect, was cleaner than expected… in a way that was unsettling.
But the shock wasn't in the air… it was in what lay on either side of them.
Bodies.
More than twenty corpses arranged precisely. Some burned, some shriveled as if life had been drained from them instantly. But the strange thing: they weren't scattered like people who died in chaos—no, they were placed in two neat rows facing each other… as if they had been waiting.
Ena instinctively covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes widening with every corpse they passed.
Romo approached one of them, crouched down, and examined a metal plate attached to the burned chest.
He read the number softly: "084..."
Then moved to another beside the wall: "116..."
And to a third near the corner: "057... All of them are under 120."
Ena muttered as she looked at one of the metal tags: "Some are labeled 06… some 100… maybe they're team numbers? Expeditions?"
Levan said nothing. His eyes were locked on the wall opposite, where a single horizontal line was carved—and below it… emptiness.
No name. No number. No markings. Just a blank space… as if it was waiting for a new name.
At that moment, a faint electronic sound came from one of the corpses. The digital watch on its wrist lit up briefly… then went dark without warning.
...
Romo was still studying the numbers when he suddenly raised his head. "Levan ?????"
No response.
Ena immediately turned around, eyes scanning the room with rising worry:
"Where…??"
Then both of them turned at once toward the room's entrance.
Levan was standing there—completely still, like a statue. His eyes were wide open, not blinking, no movement in his chest. His right hand slowly lifted toward the old door, as if something unseen was calling him from behind it.
Romo rushed toward him, grabbed his shoulder:
"Levan??! Can you hear me?!"
He didn't move.
Ena whispered, her voice trembling, her eyes fixed on his face:
"Is he… hearing something we can't?"
Suddenly—
The ground beneath their feet shook slightly… then stopped.
Then a faint clicking sound came from the right side… among the corpses.
Ena turned quickly, her eyes widening: "Something's moving under the bodies!!"
Before she could finish, one of the corpses exploded upward, flung violently as if pushed from below.
And from beneath it… a creature emerged.
A mutated wolf—half of its body covered in pulsing flesh, the other half encased in dense black metal.
Its eyes glowed red, and a low mechanical hum came from its chest, as if something alive was turning inside.
It rose from beneath the corpses as if the place had been hiding it on purpose.
Ena gasped: "A creature… Class F…!"
Romo turned immediately, opened his palm, and activated his inclination—light blue sparks shot from his forearm.
He shouted; eyes locked on the beast tearing its way through the bodies: "Ena! We can't let it reach Levan! He's not moving!"
Without hesitation, he spun around sharply toward where he had left Levan.
What he saw made him freeze completely.
No one was there.
The spot where Levan had stood… was completely empty.
He blinked once.
Twice.
Then gasped in a low voice: "What…?!"
Levan… had vanished. "No trace… no heat… no pulse… nothing! He's completely gone!"
Romo screamed as he stepped toward the spot where Levan had vanished: "Levaaan!!"
But...
The Mutated Wolf didn't give him a chance.
It lunged suddenly from between the corpses, its body exploding with muscle, and its eyes burning with blood-red light.
Ena shouted quickly, raising her voice and pointing: "Romo!! Calm down! Focus! It's behind you!!"
Romo twisted to the side at the last second, his body reacting instinctively, then yelled: "Shoot it now!!"
Ena pulled the rifle from her bag—an energy rifle loaded with frozen water rounds.
She fired the first shot. It burst on the side of the beast, coating its shoulder in a layer of blue ice.
She shouted: "The water's freezing on him! His aura is weak!"
Romo charged forward, drew his sword—a lightweight carbon blade enhanced with inert material against energy—and slid through the rubble, slashing quickly at the Wolf's left arm joint.
The beast howled, but didn't fall.
Ena switched ammo. She fired a thermal shot—grade two heat round.
It exploded on the Wolf's back, igniting briefly and leaving a burning mark.
Romo shouted: "Keep it busy! I'll attack from behind!"
They coordinated.
Ena attacked from range, Romo struck from blind angles.
The beast began to slow down.
But… it still didn't fall.
Ena loaded a new round—an enhanced freezing bullet—and fired it at the Wolf right leg.
The leg froze instantly… but only for a few moments.
Romo shouted: "Now!!"
He leapt over a shattered box and brought his sword down hard on the Wolf's head.
A deep crack split through.
But the beast, even with the wound, lifted its metallic arm and struck Romo mid-air.
He crashed against the wall with a dull thud, groaning in pain.
Still, he got up slowly, panting, clutching his side.
Ena screamed: "Romoooo!!"
He replied with a strained voice:
"I'm fine… just… finish it!"
The Wolf turned toward Ena.
She glanced at her rifle—only one shot left: a guided thermal round.
She steadied her stance.
Pulled the trigger.
The shot pierced the beast's chest directly, exploded inside, and sent it stumbling backward onto its knees.
Romo shouted: "Ena! Final strike!"
They moved together—Romo's sword from behind, Ena's bullet from the front.
A final, monstrous scream… then silence.
...
The quite returned.
Heavy breathing. Sweat dripping. Hearts pounding.
But the space where Levan had been… was still empty.
Romo walked toward the door where Levan had vanished. He looked down, then at Ena, and said quietly: "He went in… and didn't come back."
Ena wiped her forehead with a trembling hand, staring into the emptiness. "Where did he go…? And why didn't we see anything?"
Then she whispered: "Maybe… this was never a test."
Romo looked at her, then said slowly: "Or maybe… everything's just starting."
-
Romo sat on the floor, groaning, his back hunched, one hand pressed tightly against his injured ribs.
He said between breaths: "I feel… like I'm going to pass out… everything's spinning…"
He almost collapsed sideways, and Ena quickly grabbed his shoulder. "Hold on, Romo. Don't lose consciousness now."
But his head tilted suddenly, and his eyes shut.
He was completely unconscious.
Ena gasped, then she heard it—
Footsteps.
Steady. Slow. Coming from the same door they had entered through.
Suddenly, she felt pressure.
A massive, choking aura swept through the room.
It felt like the air itself had been pressed down over her body.
She couldn't stand. Dropped to her knees.
Her hands trembled, sweat pouring down her forehead rapidly.
With difficulty, she pulled the sensor device from her side pouch. "Just let me… see who this is…"
Her fingers barely responded.
The screen finally turned on and began showing the initial readings:
F…
Then…
E…
Ena tried to lift her eyes toward the screen… but her body couldn't take it anymore.
Her eyes closed.
She collapsed next to Romo, the device still running.
The tiny camera on the device continued recording the screen:
D… C… B… A…
(Reading error)
(Warning: Level exceeds limit)
Then…
The device exploded.
Everything went dark.
Only the sound of footsteps remained… drawing closer.
Atop the southern wall of the district.
Niral stood alone, a small monitoring device by his side—linked to Ena's unit from Team 117.
He looked at the screen. His eyes passed over the indicators… everything was still.
He tapped the side button to refresh the data.
Same result.
He murmured quietly: "Strange… it's been three hours…
and I didn't sense that they encountered anything."
End of Chapter 16...
-------------
Field Note – Common Tier F Creatures Near the Wall
Although classified as Tier F—the lowest known threat level—these creatures are frequently spotted in regions surrounding the wall.They are among the most commonly encountered threats by trainees and patrol units during early-stage deployments.
Confirmed Creatures – Tier F:Mutated Wolf
Half-organic, half-metallic.
Often found buried beneath rubble or corpses.
Emits unstable energy from its chest.
Shows greater-than-average resistance to physical attacks.
Tends to charge directly and aggressively without warning.
Black Lizard
Long-bodied crawler with glowing lidless eyes.
Absorbs light, making it hard to detect in dark areas.
Emits high-frequency vibrations that may temporarily interfere with sensor readings.
-Swollen Flier
A flying creature with wide wings and a bloated body filled with volatile internal gas.
Upon death, it releases a dense smoke cloud that obstructs vision.
Emits a sharp whistle just before attacking—often considered a warning cue.
-Floating Eyes
Non-physical entities in the form of large, white, hovering eyes.
Do not attack directly, but emit neural waves that disrupt perception.
Cause sensory confusion, déjà vu, and mistaken enemy identification among team members.
Only two sightings have been officially recorded, both resulting in unexplained internal conflict.
No effective countermeasures have been identified.
-Whispering Hyena
Small, extremely fast creature that moves in an erratic zigzag pattern.
Emits faint whispers that disrupt concentration, especially in enclosed spaces.
Often accompanied by brief signal interference upon appearance.
Note:Although classified as Tier F, underestimating these creatures can result in serious injuries or field disorientation—especially if encountered in groups or within unstable environments.