"Of course, I brought it."
The terrifying-looking mummy then stood upright inside its glass coffin. The eyes that had been wide open were now shut. The rest of the mummies followed its movements, like soldiers obeying the command of their commander.
Now they truly looked like mummies—500 of them—but strangely, none leaned against the upright coffins. Zhen sensed something was wrong with the sudden silence. For now, he decided to take the initiative. His sharp eyes scanned the surroundings, but all he saw were walls covered in symbols of animals and plants, and a few blazing torches for lighting.
Then, glancing to the left behind him, Zhen finally noticed the anomaly. A torch with three small green crystal chalices attached to its diameter using a golden frame.
The chalices were filled with a blood-red liquid, making him swallow hard. A high-pitched scream suddenly echoed through the chamber, brushing past his left ear and slipping out through his right. A chill crept down his spine. Zhen walked back to his previous position, facing the glass coffin, just to be sure.
"What do you want me to do with these three ghost flower petals?"
A dry, raspy voice suddenly responded from inside the glass coffin.
"Burn them over the serpent torch... let the scent seep into every coffin."
Zhen turned toward the strange torch he had been suspicious of earlier. Upon closer inspection, the golden frame around the torch was shaped like a serpent's head, its mouth gaping upward to hold the three green crystal chalices filled with blood. The flames danced, releasing a sharp metallic stench.
Slowly, he took out the three ghost flower petals. Zhen approached the serpent torch and held one petal to the fire. The burning released a bloody scent, thick smoke swirling together, triggering his stomach to lurch.
'Dammit!'
The first petal had now burned to ashes. Cracking sounds echoed around the glass coffins. Strangely, the mummies began darting their eyes left and right at an unnatural speed.
Thinking this was just another bizarre ritual, Zhen went on to burn the second petal—this time intentionally dropping it into the flames. A foul odor mixed with a sickly-sweet scent stung his nose.
'Ah, this scent is even sharper.'
Suddenly, all 500 mummies tilted their heads back in unison. Slowly, their heads turned toward him—and with a sickening plop, their eyeballs dropped out of their sockets and caught fire.
"Now pour the blood in the chalice! Extinguish the flame! Pour the blood into the fire!!"
Zhen hesitated. Looking closer, he noticed the serpent torch was encased in strange metalwork. It felt suspicious.
'If I extinguish this torch, I might die along with these mummies.'
The flame twisted like a writhing tongue, now burning bright green, its heat lashing at his skin as if trying to peel it off.
"Hurry!!! Put out the fire!!" the mummy screamed.
Zhen grabbed the chalice and, with trembling hands, began pouring the blood over the fire. At that moment, the glass of all the coffins cracked in unison—shattering into a thousand shards.
"We're back… We're back!!!"
The mummies burst out of their broken coffins, bumping into each other, screaming in chaos.
Zhen stepped back slowly, stunned by the madness unfolding around him. He realized the mummies hadn't felt freedom in centuries.
Shards of glass flew everywhere. The mummies stepped out, their bandaged feet touching the cold floor of the tunnel—only to melt like wax upon contact.
"Feed me your ghost petals…!"
"We need to eat…"
"He's the human who carries the ghost petals!"
Zhen quickened his retreat as all the mummies began to sway violently, moving toward him with frenzy.
His eyes landed on the wall symbols—they were now glowing red. Black liquid seeped from the cracks, tracing twisted images: a horned goat's head, a coiling serpent, a giant figure with torn wings. Whispering voices hissed in Zhen's ears—some echoing straight into his mind:
"You must bring us home..."
"Burn it all..."
Zhen held his breath, just as a new voice whispered one final command:
"Leave now... the hour of death is almost over..."
A horrifying scream once again pierced the air, flooding the tunnel with echoes of terror.
'I have to get out of here. I can't lose control—not of the system, not of myself!'
This ritual had clearly turned into a summoning—one meant to awaken a being from the underworld: the leader of the mummies.
"Don't leave us…"
Without hesitation, he dashed away from the area, leaving the mummies behind as he hurried through another corridor. He glanced left and right, realizing the terrifying voices had faded into the distance. A breath of relief escaped his lips.
Up ahead, the torchlight appeared dimmer than before. His steps led him into a narrower passage, silently praying no more mummies lurked ahead.
'Damn it! I dropped my map back in that damned mummy chamber!'
Zhen strained his memory, forcing himself to recall the route on the map. He remembered only one key detail: the upside-down dragon symbol etched into an arch—his marker for the exit.
The tunnel sloped downward more steeply now. He ran his fingers along the wall, searching for the dragon symbol. When he finally pressed it, nothing happened. No response. Zhen collapsed onto the floor, his shoulders heaving. Each breath scorched his lungs as his hand clutched the remaining ghost flower petals.
'Looks like I didn't manage to burn them all.'
With a clenched fist, he tossed the petals aside, wiping sweat and blood from his forehead. The mummies' voices had completely vanished… yet somehow, he still hadn't escaped the tunnel.
Zhen finally rose to his feet and began walking again—only to trip over a chunk of stone, sending him crashing to the ground.
"Ugh! Stupid damn rock…!"
But before he could even push himself up, a section of the stone wall shifted slowly—then slid open completely. Zhen didn't waste another second. He scrambled to his feet and rushed out.
'Did I miss the deadline?'
Zhen focused on the system embedded in his mind.
[Hellhunt System has passed the Death Hour.]
[The Hunt has resumed.]
Zhen clenched his jaw as the system's voice echoed in his head.
[Hellhunt System Activated.]
[Target: Gorf Monster]
[Threat Level: X]
[Location: Burdon]
[Reward:]
• 100.000 Goldi
Zhen shut his eyes for a moment, barely holding back a desperate laugh.
"The target is confirmed, but the mission itself vanished! Am I supposed to guess what I'm supposed to kill now?!"
[The system does not care.]
[Use tactics.]
[Happy hunting.]