Chapter 6 The One Who Should Not Return
The forest fell silent.
Even the whispers in the fog seemed to pause.
Arjun stood frozen for a moment, staring at the creature that had stepped out of the mist.
The Fog Stalker Commander.
It was much taller than the others, nearly three meters in height. Its body was wrapped in thick gray skin that looked almost like hardened bark. Long arms hung down past its knees, ending in claws that curved like knives.
But what made Arjun’s chest tighten was its face.
Unlike the other stalkers, this one had a face.
A human face.
Pale.
Smiling.
Too wide.
Kabir whispered beside him, his voice shaking.
“…Did that thing just talk?”
Meera’s grip tightened around her metal rod.
“Yes.”
Her eyes never left the creature.
“And that’s bad.”
The Commander tilted its head slowly, studying Arjun.
Its smile widened.
“You… are wrong.”
Its voice sounded like dozens of whispers layered together.
“You should not exist.”
Arjun felt a cold shiver run down his spine.
Because the creature wasn’t speaking randomly.
It was speaking directly to him.
Kabir glanced at Arjun.
“Why does it sound like it knows you?”
Arjun didn’t answer.
Because he didn’t know either.
The Commander took one slow step forward.
The fog around it seemed to follow, swirling like a living thing.
“You died,” it whispered.
“You returned.”
The words echoed inside Arjun’s mind.
His heart pounded.
How does it know that?
A new system message flashed in front of his eyes.
WARNING
YOUR EXISTENCE HAS BEEN DETECTED
Arjun clenched his fists.
The tower wasn’t supposed to know.
His ability was supposed to be hidden.
But somehow this creature had sensed it.
The Commander raised one claw slowly.
“Correction required.”
Then it moved.
Fast.
Far faster than the normal Fog Stalkers.
Its body blurred through the mist.
Arjun’s Predator Awareness skill screamed danger.
“Down!” he shouted.
All three of them dropped.
The Commander’s claw sliced through the air above their heads, carving a deep groove into the tree behind them.
Kabir stared in horror.
“…That thing almost cut my head off!”
The creature turned again, smiling wider.
“You resist correction.”
Meera stepped forward.
Her voice was calm, but firm.
“Focus.”
She pointed her weapon toward the monster.
“If we panic, we die.”
Kabir nodded quickly.
“Right. No panic.”
His hands were shaking.
The Commander lunged again.
Arjun sensed it before the attack came.
“Right side!”
Kabir jumped away just in time.
The claw slammed into the ground, sending dirt flying.
Meera struck immediately.
Her metal rod crashed into the creature’s arm.
But this time the result was different.
The weapon bounced off.
Like she had hit solid steel.
Her eyes widened.
“…Its armor is stronger.”
The Commander grabbed the rod suddenly.
Its grip tightened.
Crack.
The metal rod bent.
Meera’s eyes widened in shock.
She released the weapon instantly and jumped back.
Kabir swallowed hard.
“Okay… that’s a problem.”
Arjun’s mind raced.
This enemy was far stronger than the others.
And they had only one objective.
Survive.
He glanced at the system timer.
SURVIVAL TIME REMAINING
16:12
Sixteen minutes.
Too long.
They couldn’t fight this creature for that long.
The Commander slowly straightened.
“You struggle.”
It took another step forward.
“Yet the tower still observes.”
Arjun noticed something strange.
Every time the creature spoke about the tower…
The fog moved.
Like it was reacting.
An idea formed in his mind.
He turned toward Kabir.
“Throw your weapon.”
Kabir blinked.
“Throw it where?”
“Into the fog.”
Kabir looked confused but obeyed.
He hurled the broken stone into the mist.
Immediately—
A Fog Stalker lunged from the darkness.
Arjun’s eyes widened.
“They’re hiding in the fog.”
Meera understood instantly.
“The Commander controls them.”
Arjun nodded.
“If we remove the fog…”
Kabir’s eyes lit up.
“…the smaller ones can’t hide.”
The Commander tilted its head.
“You learn quickly.”
Its smile widened further.
“But too slowly.”
It raised both arms.
The fog thickened rapidly.
Within seconds, visibility dropped to only a few meters.
Shapes moved everywhere.
Kabir panicked.
“I can’t see anything!”
Arjun’s Predator Awareness skill activated again.
Multiple hostile presences surrounded them.
Ten.
Maybe more.
The Commander’s voice echoed through the mist.
“You cannot escape correction.”
The creatures attacked.
Claws sliced through the fog from every direction.
Arjun moved constantly.
Left.
Right.
Duck.
His instincts kept saving him.
But the attacks were increasing.
Meera fought fiercely beside him, striking at any shape that came too close.
Kabir stumbled backward, barely avoiding several claws.
“This is insane!”
Arjun realized something.
The Commander wasn’t attacking directly anymore.
It was letting the smaller creatures weaken them.
Smart.
Very smart.
Then suddenly—
Arjun felt something new.
A faint presence behind the Commander.
Deeper in the forest.
Stronger.
Watching.
The tower.
Arjun whispered under his breath.
“…You’re observing, aren’t you?”
The fog stirred again.
The Commander laughed softly.
“The tower is always watching.”
Arjun clenched his fists.
Fine.
If the tower wanted to watch…
Then it would watch this.
He stepped forward suddenly.
Directly toward the Commander.
Kabir shouted.
“Arjun what are you doing?!”
Meera’s eyes widened.
“You can’t fight that thing head-on!”
But Arjun had already moved.
The Commander raised its claws.
“Correction begins.”
It slashed downward.
Arjun’s instincts screamed danger.
But this time…
He didn’t dodge completely.
The claw sliced across his shoulder.
Pain exploded through his body.
Kabir screamed.
“Arjun!”
Blood dripped onto the forest floor.
But Arjun smiled slightly.
Because something important had just happened.
The Commander stepped closer.
“You fail.”
But Arjun whispered quietly.
“No.”
The system screen appeared.
CRITICAL DAMAGE RECEIVED
Another message followed.
KARMA SYSTEM RESPONSE
NEW ABILITY TRIGGERED
The Commander froze.
For the first time, its smile faltered.
Because Arjun’s wound was already healing.
Slowly.
But visibly.
The system message glowed brighter.
KARMA ADAPTATION UNLOCKED
YOU GROW STRONGER AFTER SURVIVING DEATH
Arjun looked directly at the creature.
“You said I shouldn’t exist.”
His voice was steady now.
“Too bad.”
He stepped forward again.
“Because I’m not dying today.”
The Commander’s expression twisted into something darker.
“Then we will correct you again.”
The fog surged violently.
More creatures rushed toward them.
But the system timer flashed in Arjun’s vision.
SURVIVAL TIME REMAINING
10:00
Ten minutes left.
The battle wasn’t over.
But Arjun finally understood something important.
The tower wasn’t just testing them.
It was studying him.
And the deeper he climbed…
The more dangerous that would become.
