Shock and CEO tore down the narrow corridor, hearing the Mayor’s slow, taunting footsteps echo from above.
His laughter sent chills through their spines, a twisted reminder that he was only toying with them.
“COME ON…!” Shock hissed, practically throwing himself forward.
He was mainly saying that to CEO, though, as he was the one holding the key.
Shock would have been much faster, but the businessman wouldn’t give the key.
They had one mission now—get the basement door open and figure out an exit plan.
In front of them, the door leading to the basement loomed, a promise of escape that was already starting to slip through their fingers.
They fumbled with the key, hands slick from the adrenaline.
The Mayor’s laughter grew louder.
“Shit… hurry,” CEO muttered.
Finally, with a loud click, the door swung open.
[You have opened the basement.]
[The exit key is placed beyond the “Basement Demon.” You can choose to fight it or try to take the key and run.]
[Note: Opening the manor door without killing the Basement Demon will unleash it on Termina.]
Shock glanced at CEO, his brow furrowing. “Doesn’t matter. There’s already like five of those level 600 monsters roaming around out there. What’s one more?”
Nice thinking, Shock, release something else in addition to Father Hugo, the Altered Ones and Eternal Regret.
8 participants left, and at this point, already 5 level 600 monsters were on the move.
But of course, releasing one more wouldn’t make a difference anyway, right?
They dashed down the stone steps, the basement spreading out beneath them, wider than they’d expected, dimly lit and filled with a sour, decaying stench.
Flickering lights cast shadows against the walls, twisting into shapes that seemed to move of their own accord.
Groans and shuffles echoed, and figures lurked in every corner—a hellish greeting party.
They tore through the darkness, ducking and weaving past smaller monsters prowling the basement.
These creatures were low-level, practically irrelevant to them, but a distraction they couldn’t afford.
A quick flash of CEO’s beams sliced through their ranks, leaving nothing but twitching limbs and the scent of scorched flesh.
And then they saw it: the Basement Demon, a shadowed silhouette that lingered in the farthest reaches of the darkness.
Its figure was massive, a monstrosity barely visible except for the faint glimmer of light against its grotesque, unblinking eyes.
And at the very back of the room, almost taunting them, hung the exit key on the wall.
Right before they could reach the key was a massive hallway of darkness: the territory of the demon.
“That’s our way out,” Shock muttered.
But first, they need to go through the darkness ahead, the face of the basement demon visible beyond, seemingly waiting for them.
They could also hear the footsteps of the mayor getting closer.
Shock groaned as he suddenly dashed toward the darkness, but then was immediately stopped by dozens of hands coming out of the walls, blocking him.
“AH, FUCK!” Shock swore, his blade flashing as he slashed through the hands.
But he wasn’t fast enough; some of the claws dug into his skin, raking down his arms, leaving trails of blood as he pushed on.
After a few seconds, his fingers finally closed around the key.
He turned back, only to see the Basement Demon shift, pulling itself out of the shadows.
Its body was a twisted blend of scales, claws, and muscle, a hulking beast seemingly patched together from nightmares.
It roared, the sound like shattering glass and grinding metal, reverberating through the entire basement.
“Oh, shit,” CEO muttered, firing off a beam that blasted part of the creature’s hide, though it seemed barely fazed.
Shock was forced to use [Lightning Flash] again to dash from the end of the basement all the way back to CEO.
But now, he couldn’t be as fast as before.
They sprinted, the Basement Demon hot on their trail, claws slashing through the air.
It was fast, faster than they’d anticipated, and every time they glanced back, it seemed even closer, its eyes locked on them with a gleeful, malicious hunger.
And then, up ahead, stood the Mayor, still calm, still composed, like he was watching a particularly amusing play unfold.
His expression was unreadable, though a glint of satisfaction crossed his eyes as he saw them struggling.
“Oh, seems like you unleashed ‘it,'” he chuckled. “Well, good luck with that.”
He even bowed, stepping to the side.
Shock blinked, barely processing what just happened. “Uh… what?”
The Mayor smiled, “I just received some rather interesting news. So, for now, I think I’ll sit back and enjoy watching all of you scramble. Do your best to survive.”
“AH, FUCK, I DON’T CARE!” Shock shouted.
The basement demon’s guttural snarl echoed from behind, making him practically dive up the stairs, the key clutched tight in his hand as they finally burst out of the basement and up toward the manor’s entrance.
They skidded to a halt, throwing the door open just as the creature’s claws scraped against the steps behind them.
With a last glance back at the Mayor, they bolted through, leaving him standing in the hallway, his expression a mix of curiosity and amusement.
They left the Manor, but as they did, a message appeared.
[You have unleashed the “Basement Demon” on Termina.]
[Pray for your survival.]
The more time they spent doing random shit, and the more they unleashed these monsters, the harder it would become.
And then, just as they caught their breath outside the manor’s gate, another notification rang out.
[Global Announcement]
Across Termina, every player paused, their attention turning to the floating panels in front of them.
Stark and Sora, sitting on the square near the Hollow Tower, looked up, squinting at the message.
Lilith and Clever both opened an eye, glancing up from their places of rest.
In the museum, Artist, who had finally managed to steal the coveted [Power Ruby], froze mid-movement.
Every single player was glued to the screen, bracing themselves for what might come.
It wasn’t another death notification, though.
It was worse.
[Global Announcement: All elite monsters have now been unleashed and are roaming Termina. Encountering one is nearly guaranteed death.]
[Have fun, participants!]
Shock and CEO exchanged a grim look as the announcement ended.
They were neck-deep in a trial that was now spiraling out of control.
[The Basement Demon, Father Hugo, the Altered Ones (Heartless and Tormented), Eternal Regret and the Mayor.]
[They are all out there now, stalking Termina, each one more bloodthirsty than the last (except the Mayor for now).]
“Well,” Shock exhaled, trying to catch his breath. “That’s… not good.”
“No kidding.” CEO ran a hand over his face, his usual stoic expression slipping as he stared at the sprawling town before them. “This whole place is about to turn into a war zone.”
And somewhere out there, Stark, Sora, Artist, Lilith, Clever—everyone was now on a collision course with these monsters.
One slip-up, one wrong turn, and any of them could find themselves staring down one of these elite monsters, facing a near-certain death.
Shock shook his head. “I’m out of here, didn’t plan to be buddy-buddy with you anyway, you fucking maniac.”
Shock ran away, and CEO just shrugged.
“Neither did I.”
They both ran as they didn’t want to meet with the [Basement Demon].
