I surrendered to the light enveloping my entire body. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself in a completely unfamiliar space.
[You have reached the fourth floor.]
I quickly analyzed my surroundings. It appeared to be a control room. On the left side walls, I counted exactly forty-eight small semi-transparent rectangular screens, each projecting moving images of different sections of what seemed to be an extensive labyrinth.
At the back of the room, I spotted a solitary door. I raised my gaze to the ceiling, where thick wires ran across the entire length of the room, along with six ropes distributed uniformly. However, what really caught my attention and froze my blood weren't these architectural details.
—What the hell? —I cursed for the first time, unable to contain my surprise.
The most spine-chilling thing about that room were the two dead men hanging from those ropes. The room seemed specifically designed to encourage suicide, as if it were telling us: This is an alternative to what awaits you.
—...What is this room? Why are those corpses hanging from those ropes? —KathyIn's voice trembled slightly as she brought her hand to her mouth, her pretty face visibly paling.
We turned simultaneously and approached the screens, looking for answers in those flickering images.
—There are many screens in this place. What are they showing? —She asked, her eyes fixed on those luminous rectangles, as if trying to decipher anything.
—They show the place where we must go. —I responded in a monotone voice, bringing a hand to my waist for greater comfort, while methodically analyzing each of the images.
—It's like... a network. —Her voice faltered. The screens showed dozens of different dark corridors, all with a disturbing similarity that made it impossible to distinguish one from another.
—Hey! Over there! —KathyIn exclaimed suddenly, raising her hand and pointing with her index finger at one of the screens—. There's someone in that place.
I followed the direction indicated by her finger. Indeed, on that screen you could see a frightened, trembling man. He was sweating profusely and obviously exhausted. The look of horror in his eyes made me frown deeply.
What was he so afraid of?
What was that man facing?
—He seems scared of seeing something. What could be there...? —KathyIn murmured, giving voice to my own thoughts.
—Silence. —I raised my hand to quiet her while focusing all my attention on that screen.
The man ran hurriedly, but soon staggered and fell to the ground, as if his legs could no longer support the weight of his own body and the terror that flooded him.
—I think he has a wound on his leg. Shouldn't we help him? —Her voice interrupted my thoughts.
—What do you mean by helping him? —I replied, without taking my eyes off the screen.
The man looked ahead and quickly tried to get up, terror giving him strength to continue forward.
—If we do things hastily, all we'll get is death.
The man ran again, this time with more desperation.
—But... —KathyIn couldn't finish her sentence.
On the screen, just a few seconds later, something appeared that made me tremble involuntarily. A cold sweat ran down my forehead as I observed that aberrant creature.
The mutant had great similarities to spiders, but it was far from being one. I was sure that a common spider wasn't that big or intimidating. This beast looked like an armored battle machine, created with the sole purpose of killing living beings, of exterminating any form of life that crossed its path.
The creature towered over its peers, measuring almost three meters in height and five in length. It had six rear legs thicker than a human's legs, covered in silk and rough hairs. Its exoskeleton was formed by thick scales with elongated and pointed shapes arranged in longitudinal rows, with serrated spikes growing from its thick carapace and extending along a long coiled tail. Its bestial torso had two muscular arms ending in powerful pincers that seemed capable of cutting steel as if it were butter. Its head was elongated and narrowed, similar to that of a reptile, but with three red eyes on each side that glowed with primeval malice. The abomination was equipped with long sharp curved teeth that it displayed while opening its mouth threateningly. A sinister aura covered its body like a cloak of darkness.
It was a grade C creature. In simple terms, a mutant of the third evolution, an entity that had already formed a stellar core, like the centipede that had killed my mother... The core was the reason for its strength and the basis of its immense power. Faced with such killing machines, it made perfect sense for that man to flee so terrified.
It was just one mutant, but it instilled more terror than an entire army of armed goblins. This was not something we could face at this moment, regardless of the circumstances or the strategy we employed.
The man continued fleeing while looking back, aware of the death on his heels. Suddenly, his frightened look transformed into absolute terror when one of the mutant's thick pincers fell on him, smashing his body against the hard ground and opening a huge hole in his back. A rain of blood colored the reptile's legs along with the unfortunate man's clothes.
The mutant grabbed one of his legs with its mouth and began to chew it while lifting him as if he were a simple rag. Blood spread like water, forming crimson puddles on the floor, while the man screamed and writhed in pain. The abomination was eating him alive.
Suddenly, a spear appeared in the hands of the agonizing man. With what little strength he had left, he repeatedly stabbed the spear into the reptile-spider's face, but his desperate attacks seemed to cause no damage. The creature moved slightly and, surprisingly, the man managed to hit one of the mutant's eyes.
I narrowed my eyes. I knew it was a futile effort; the level of that man was at most similar to mine, insufficient to defeat such a creature.
The spear was forcefully embedded in the eye, but far from freeing the man, it only enraged the beast more. Unfortunately, the mutant still had what little remained of the unfortunate man's leg in its mouth, so it finished chewing it with renewed fury. Blood spread all over the monster, the floor, and finished soaking the man's clothes when he screamed with shattering force. Seconds later, he lay dead in the monster's mouth while bleeding terribly, flooding the floor.
Damn it!
I silently cursed my luck. I had gone from one hell to a much worse one, from one nightmare level to an even more terrifying one.