> "Even monsters cry when they remember they were once human."
---
Night in the Cradle wasn't darkness—it was suffocation.
The sky didn't turn black. It peeled back like skin, revealing a churning abyss of nerves and tendrils. Moonlight came in pulses, like a heartbeat, every glow revealing movement that wasn't there before.
Lian and his squad waited in silence.
The cave walls breathed.
> System Alert: Mutated Wanderer Squad Approaching – ETA: 18 minutes
Threat Level: High (Tier 3 Entities Detected)
Lian's hands tightened around his makeshift weapon—a halberd formed from fused cycle parts and reinforced with System Metal. He wasn't the same boy who once complained about having a cycle. Now, it was a weapon of survival.
Astra stood at the mouth of the cave. Silent. Cold. Calculating.
Boom was sharpening his knuckles with slow, careful movements, skin already bruised from overuse.
Jayce... had finally stopped smiling.
He crouched low, fiddling with two small canisters.
> "Smile bombs—type two. They don't just disorient. They humiliate."
Melia sat in the shadows. She hadn't spoken since the last battle. Her prayer beads now clicked with unnatural rhythm.
---
Memory Echo – Pre-battle Reflection
Lian's system flashed again.
> Rot Level: 6.8%
New Symptom: Auditory hallucinations may occur.
He could swear he heard his mother's voice.
> "Don't be afraid of the dark, baby. The dark is afraid of you."
He almost cried.
---
Tactical Setup
Lian made the call.
> "Astra and Boom—take the front. Hold position. We funnel them in."
> "Jayce—flank and blind them at my signal."
> "Melia—barrier only if one of us falls. Otherwise conserve that soul energy."
> "We don't break. We don't retreat. We kill them."
> "For coin, for survival, for our damned pride."
A low growl echoed from the edge of the cave.
The mutated squad had arrived.
---
Combat Initiated:
> Mutated Wanderer Squad
Exo-Spike Warrior [Tank]
Bloodling Sniper [Ranged Mutator]
Screamer Twins [Status Inflicters]
Soul-Drainer Priest [Support/Corruption Amplifier]
Round 1: Shock and Gore
The Screamer Twins came first, scuttling on all fours with mouths where their eyes should be.
Jayce threw both canisters.
> BOOM.
HAHAAAAHAHAHHAAAA!
(distorted clown laughter)
The twins screamed. Real, agonizing screams. Their bodies convulsed under the humiliating psychic burst.
Boom slammed into one, punching straight through its head. The other lunged at Astra—only for her to twist her body unnaturally and sever it at the waist with a shard of pure timeline.
> "One down."
But then—
Round 2: The Price of Pressure
The Bloodling Sniper fired a corrupted bolt.
It hit Jayce.
> [Critical Corruption Strike – Coin Talent Temporarily Disabled – Pain Loop Initiated]
Jayce collapsed, spasming. His screen flashed red.
Lian dove forward and hurled his halberd at the sniper. It struck the creature's jaw, severing its head—but not before the damage was done.
> Jayce: Health 34/120
Rot: 12.2%
Boom roared and went berserk.
> [Berserker Boost – Duration: 40 seconds]
He slammed the Exo-Spike Warrior into the wall, but the tank's body was coated in rotating barbs. Boom's arms bled instantly.
Then the Soul-Drainer Priest began chanting.
Melia screamed.
> "NO!"
The rot inside her flared. She clutched her temple, muttering prayers—but it was too late.
> [Melia has gained Corruption Trait: Whisper of Decay]
Chance of acting against team: 5% during battles
Lian struck down the Soul-Drainer with everything he had, his halberd splitting it from jaw to groin. It didn't even bleed—it spilled smoke.
---
Aftermath: Coin or Compassion
The Wanderers were dead.
> System Update:
Enemies Eliminated: 5
Coin Earned: 850
Special Loot: [Soul-Tether Shard], [Bloated Healing Root], [Rot-Suppressant Injection x1]
They had one item that could suppress someone's rot for the next week.
Everyone looked at Jayce. His rot was nearing 15%.
But Melia was at 14.6%, and her trait could turn her against them.
Astra didn't hesitate.
> "We save Melia. Jayce's mind is strong. He can fight it longer."
Lian stared at her. So did Boom.
Jayce said nothing. He looked... tired.
Then he smiled, cracked-lipped.
> "She's right. Give it to her. I'll keep smiling."
Lian injected the suppressant into Melia.
Jayce slumped against the wall, bleeding, hallucinating, but still laughing weakly.
> "Next world, I want it to be full of cake. Just once."
---
End of Chapter 63