Apocalypse Baby-Chapter 102: Grim Crossing
A group of twelve players huddled at the base of a foreboding mountain, snow drifting steadily around them.
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The icy breeze cut through their clothes, making even their strongest members shiver.
Ahead of them loomed a towering armored statue, its massive axe planted firmly in the ground. Frost clung to the edges of its armor, and pressure radiated from it.
"Are we... supposed to fight that?" one male player stammered, his voice shaking almost as much as his knees.
The immense presence of the statue seemed to bear down on them, sapping their courage.
From within the group, a figure in gleaming armor stepped forward.
A cape flared behind him, rippling dramatically in the wind as if it had a life of its own.
His stride was deliberate, every step crunching against the snow with quiet confidence.
"No," the armored figure said firmly. "We donā€™t fight it."
He stopped, turning to face the others.
"We just have to walk between its legs. If we have enough Nightmare Points, itā€™ll let us through. If not..." His gaze darkened, and his voice dropped ominously.
"...then you die."
The group exchanged uneasy glances, some clutching their weapons tightly, others taking a step back.
The tension in the air was suffocating.
Ezekiel, the leader of the group, stood unmoving, his face calm yet unreadable.
Ezekiel had spent five harrowing days in this nightmare, searching for and gathering enough Nightmare Points to face the trial.
Along the way, heā€™d recruited these playersā€”others trapped in this hellish realmā€”to form a team to complete the trial.
Now, the time had come to end it once and for all, before his own clock ran out.
"Everyone has enough points, right?"
Ezekiel asked firmly, his sharp gaze scanning the group.
A chorus of nods followed.
The icy wind howled around them, the snow crunching beneath their boots as they approached the towering statue.
The closer they got, the heavier the air seemed to grow, like an invisible force pressing down on them.
Suddenly, the statueā€™s eyes glinted red, piercing through the gloom like twin embers.
Everyone froze.
Their breaths hitched, hearts pounding in their chests like war drums.
The statueā€™s gaze moved, its eyes darting about as if studying them, calculating.
The group stood rooted to the spot, weapons trembling in their hands, expecting an attack.
But the statue remained motionless, its massive axe still resting in the ground.
Ezekiel didnā€™t falter.
With steady determination, he stepped forward, his boots crunching against the snow. "Letā€™s go," he said, his voice calm but commanding.
He was the first to pass beneath the massive legs of the statue.
The rest of the group hesitated, hearts hammering as they exchanged uncertain glances. Then, one by one, they followed, their steps slow and cautious.
As the first player crossed the invisible threshold behind the statue, a notification appeared before their eyes.
[1000 Nightmare Points have been deducted to enter the trial.]
Another player followed.
[1000 Nightmare Points have been deducted to enter the trial.]
"Fuck, thatā€™s all the points I have!" a player with twin blade named Bart shouted, his voice trembling with frustration and fear.
"Maybe if youā€™d spent more time hunting and less time running, you wouldnā€™t be broke," another player snapped, smirking despite the tension.
"Enough," Ezekiel barked, cutting through their bickering. "We donā€™t have time for petty arguments."
"NO! No...wait...I didnā€™t know!"
The panicked voice pierced the conversation, and everyoneā€™s heads snapped around.
One of the female players stood frozen, her eyes wide with terror as the towering statueā€™s axe began to rise.
Her hands shot up in a desperate plea.
"Please, no! I had enough points! I swear I did!"
Ezekiel frowned, his jaw tightening as he watched the scene unfold.
"I thought I told you," he said in a low growl, his voice filled with restrained anger.
The woman shook her head frantically, her voice breaking.
"It is! I swear I had enough! But two...two points just disappeared! I donā€™t know howā€”it wasnā€™t my fault! Please, believe me!"
Ezekielā€™s frown deepened. There was nothing he could do. The statue was too strong for them to take down.
He turned away, his face grim.
"Ezekiel, no...donā€™t leave me! Help...help me!" she screamed, her voice cracking as panic overtook her.
The group watched, frozen in horror, as the statueā€™s massive axe came crashing down.
BOOM!
The ground shook as the statueā€™s axe slammed into the female player, silencing her cries instantly. Blood and snow sprayed outward, and the group recoiled, their faces pale and their breaths shallow.
No one moved.
The sight of her lifeless body beneath the statueā€™s axe burned into their memories.
The statue slowly returned to its original position, the massive axe sliding back into place with an ominous groan of stone grinding against stone.
Freya, another female player, broke the suffocating silence.
Her voice trembled, barely louder than a whisper. "Why...why did it do that? She told me she had enough points."
"Maybe she didnā€™t check her points properly," someone said hesitantly.
Freya shook her head, her eyes still fixed on the spot where the statue had struck.
"Why wouldnā€™t she check? In this situation, itā€™s life or death."
Ezekiel gritted his teeth, his frustration spilling into his voice.
"This is why I told all of you to make sure your points were nothing less than a thousand before we begin. Iā€™ve repeated it again and again!"
A smug laugh cut through the tense atmosphere, drawing everyoneā€™s attention to a young man at the back of the group.
He leaned casually against a jagged boulder, a grin plastered on his face that didnā€™t match the dire situation.
"Well," he said, his tone dripping with mockery, "it seemed like she had her ears plugged. Or maybe you just werenā€™t loud enough, fearless leader."
The group turned on him, their eyes filled with thinly veiled hostility.
Ezekielā€™s glare darkened, but he kept his composure.
He studied the young manā€”cocky, unbothered, and radiating confidence. He was their newest recruit, someone who had only joined the group a day ago.
Yet, in that short time, he had managed to accumulate over a thousand Nightmare Pointsā€”a feat that had taken the others days, of grueling effort.
Ezekiel knew this teen wasnā€™t ordinary.
His speed, his ruthlessness, and his ability to adapt to the Nightmare world were far beyond average.
That was why Ezekiel had invited him to join the group.
But the others didnā€™t share Ezekielā€™s sentiments.
They werenā€™t fans of his methodsā€”the violence, the recklessness.
It was already hard enough surviving in this hellish world without someone making enemies everywhere they went.
And now, after watching one of their own die, thanks in part to the tension the new recruit brought, resentment bubbled just beneath the surface.
Ezekiel sighed deeply, his breath fogging in the cold air.
His voice was steady but carried a cold edge as he addressed the group.
"She shouldā€™ve kept checking her Nightmare Points, but she didnā€™t. Her death is on her. We keep moving."
The weight of his words settled over the group like a heavy blanket, but no one dared argue.
With grim expression, they followed Ezekiel into the dark entrance of the mountain.
As they crossed the threshold, their system notifications chimed simultaneously.
[Welcome to the first floor of the Nightmare Trial.]
[Objective: Pass the first of five trials.]
[Rewards:]
- 2,000 Nightmare Points
- 20 Upgrade Stones
Suddenly, the dim chamber they entered burst into life.
Bright lightning streaked across the walls, illuminating ancient carvings etched into the stone.
With a loud whoosh, torches mounted along the walls flared to life, their flames crackling and dancing in the cold air.
The room was enormous, the ceiling towering so high above that it disappeared into shadows.
At the far end, somethingā€”or someoneā€”sat motionless.
The group froze, their breaths hitching as they took in the sight.
At the end of the room, illuminated by the flickering torchlight, was a furry creature, its back turned to them.
It looked like an orangutan and it sat in a lotus position, its massive frame strangely serene, but the blood-red aura radiating from its body sent a clear message that this was no ordinary beast.
Ezekiel narrowed his eyes, studying the creature.
The creature didnā€™t move, didnā€™t even acknowledge their presence.
Yet the oppressive energy it exuded made it clear that it was far from friendly.
