Not my mother’s hatred, nor the kicks from the other children, nor the slap from my boss in the restaurant… none of it had prepared me for this kind of fear. It was a pure, primal fear that bypassed the mind and attacked the body directly. I felt the blood drain from my limbs, an icy cold spreading through my veins. My muscles froze, petrified in place, refusing to obey my mind's screams of "Run!". I couldn't even scream.
Then, amidst that paralyzing terror, I felt a humiliating warmth spread across my lower abdomen, followed by the stinging cold of wet cloth against my skin. A wave of burning shame washed over me, a shame so potent it nearly eclipsed the fear itself. I had pissed myself. Before this stone nightmare, I had reverted to a terrified, helpless child.
While I was lost in my own paralysis, 404 took a step forward, tilted his head with cold curiosity, and said in his calm, indifferent voice that pierced the silence of my horror, "This entity is emitting low-frequency vibrations. Does it pose a threat to the continuation of the mission?"
Before I could process the question, or even comprehend 404’s staggering indifference, the stone beast charged.
I saw only a flash of movement. In a split second, 404's steel-like arm wrapped around me, and I was violently snatched from the ground. 404 broke into a run in the opposite direction, and the experience was chaotic and terrifying. The world became a blur of motion, and the sound of wind whistling in my ears was mixed with the heavy thud of the monster's footsteps behind us. It wasn't a graceful escape; it was brutal. My shoulder slammed into a stone wall and I cried out in pain, and my head nearly collided with a low-hanging pillar.
"You fool! Watch out! You're going to kill me yourself!" I screamed, my voice a mix of pain and fury.
But 404 continued running with the same blind force. It was then, in the midst of this chaos, that I realized the horrifying truth: 404 was an expert at saving himself, but he had no idea how to protect the fragile other body he was carrying. He wasn't calculating distances for my sake, not slowing down at turns. He was just immense power without precise guidance.
This realization was like a splash of cold water. My fear turned into a rage born of desperation. If I remained a silent passenger, 404 would kill me by accident before the monster ever reached us.
"Stop running like that!" I yelled, with real command for the first time. "There's a turn coming up! Left! No, wait, right! Right, you idiot!"
To my astonishment, 404 responded instantly. He changed direction sharply, and we barely avoided a collision. I felt a strange jolt of control, a feeling that, with my voice, I could direct this storm.
My mind began to work at a feverish pace. I was no longer thinking like a victim, but like a commander. I scanned the blurry city around me, searching for an exit, a trap, anything.
"That old stone bridge over the chasm!" I shouted, pointing to a fragile structure spanning a deep abyss on the horizon. "Head for it! The goal is to make it follow us onto it!"
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Having now received a clear objective, 404's running style changed. It became directed, purposeful, hurtling toward the bridge. We became a strange, frenzied partnership: me screaming precise directions ("Right! Jump now! Duck!") and 404 executing them with mechanical precision.
We reached the beginning of the bridge. "Cross! As fast as you can!" I yelled. 404 shot across the ancient stones, which began to crack and groan under his feet. Behind us, the sound of the monster grew closer. We crossed in the nick of time. When the massive stone beast's feet landed in the middle of the bridge, the old structure could no longer bear the weight. With a deafening crack, the bridge collapsed, sending the monstrous creature plunging into the deep chasm. The echo of its impact reverberated from the depths, and then an absolute silence fell.
404 set me down on the ground. I collapsed to my knees, panting violently, the adrenaline draining from my body to be replaced by absolute exhaustion, cold, and hunger. I looked at my trembling hands, then at the abyss that had swallowed the monster.
"How… how did I do that? I'm not a leader… I'm just a..."
A fleeting image flashed through my mind. I saw myself as a child in the alleys of Chang'an, running from three older boys. I hadn't run randomly; I had run toward a narrow alley I knew they couldn't all fit through, forcing them to break apart and crash into each other.
It's the same trick... the same dirty game of survival.
I looked at 404, who didn't come directly toward me. Instead, he walked calmly to the edge of the chasm and looked down for a few seconds, as if recording data or confirming the result of the "experiment." Then, with the same coldness, he turned and assumed a guard posture. I smiled a bitter smile to myself and whispered, "It seems my life spent dealing with idiots has finally paid off."
I expected 404 to leave me now that the immediate danger was gone. I closed my eyes for a moment, surrendering to exhaustion. But when I opened them, 404 was still there. He hadn't moved. Instead, he sat down on the ground a few meters away from me, facing the darkness, in a silent guard-posture.
He didn't do it out of friendship or concern. He did it because his logic dictated that he protect the vital asset for his mission. But for me, someone who had never been protected by anyone in my life, that simple, reliable act was the most powerful message of security I had ever received. And for the first time in a long, long time, I felt I could close my eyes without fear of being left alone.
[From the Files of the Explorer: Dream - Log #01]
Entity: I have named it "Jalmoud" (Boulder), for obvious reasons.
Origin: Magical Beast Type (per Murim classification): The Wedge Rank (per Murim classification): Rank 4 - Danger General Description and Behavior: A massive creature composed of smooth river stones bound together by a network of ancient roots, giving it a deceptively natural appearance. It possesses no discernible face, but two circular orifices on its front radiate a deep red light. Logical analysis suggests these are merely vents for bio-thermal energy, but it is impossible to ignore the feeling that they are demonic eyes staring into the void of your soul. Its initial nature is surprisingly calm and placid, closer to a giant, stupid pet than a monster. However, this initial assessment is false and dangerous. When provoked or its territory is breached, it becomes an instinctive force of destruction, justifying its high classification. The placid behavior may simply be a state of dormancy for a creature that does not need to hunt for survival. Known Abilities:
- Immense Physical Strength: Capable of shattering rock and withstanding violent impacts with no noticeable effect.
- Exceptional Durability: Its rocky skin acts as a near-impenetrable natural armor.
- Post-Mortem Decay: Upon taking fatal damage, the vital force binding it dissipates, and it dissolves into a pile of ordinary stones. Useless even in death.