My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger-Chapter 281 / 282: Unknowable Horror / Strange Place

Sylvia was horrified—more than that, she was at a complete loss for what to do. Only moments ago, Damon had been standing there, vigilant as ever, leading their party through this cursed land.

Then, in an instant, he had convulsed, blood pouring from his body as if something had torn into his very essence.

The others had all frozen in shock, but now Damon lay motionless in a pool of his own blood. Worse still, before collapsing, he had pointed into the distance and managed to choke out a single, desperate command—run.

But run where? The panic clouded their thoughts. Had he meant for them to flee toward the direction he pointed or away from it?

They didn’t have to wait long for the answer.

A bloodcurdling screech echoed through the forest, a sound so unnatural and ear-splitting that their very souls recoiled.

Then, in the far distance, the trees began to fall—toppling one after another, giving way to some monstrous force that was rushing toward them with terrifying speed.

Evangeline gritted her teeth. She had no choice but to stop healing Damon—they had to move, now.

She threw a glance at Xander, careful not to say his name in this forsaken forest.

"Grab him—now!" she ordered before shifting her gaze to Leona. "Carry the axe!"

Without wasting another second, she turned and bolted, leading the desperate escape.

Xander slung the unconscious Damon over his back, his movements hurried but steady.

Leona gripped Damon’s axe tightly, her hands trembling as raw emotions surged through her—fear, desperation, and something else. Something that fueled her, making her stronger. With the power of her first-class advancement, she felt an unnatural surge in her speed.

They ran faster than any normal human should have been able to, covering vast distances in mere moments. But behind them, the monstrous presence loomed ever closer.

The earth trembled beneath their feet. The thunderous crash of falling trees and the deep, rumbling quakes drowned out even the forest’s eerie whispers.

Terror gripped their hearts.

Something was hunting them.

And it was closing in fast.

Evangeline turned to Sylvia, her voice urgent. "Number three… what do we do? Which direction do we go?"

Sylvia’s expression was eerily calm, though her face had gone pale, and blood trickled from her nose—the price she had paid for the knowledge granted by her skill.

The book in her hands glowed faintly, showing her a path forward. She had no idea where it led, only that it was their only chance to survive.

"Left… we need to go left," she whispered.

Evangeline nodded, gripping her rapier tightly. A soft light radiated from her body, her resolve firm. Damon was unconscious—he had kept them alive so far, and now it was up to her to carry them forward.

As she sprinted ahead, she leaped over a massive branch, only for a grotesque arm to lunge from the shadows, reaching for her. Without hesitation, she swung her sword, her light magic slicing through the limb.

"Stay close! We have to reach that place!" Sylvia called, running right behind her.

Xander surged forward, his expression grim, while Matia hovered beside him, her wings fluttering, hands clutching sharp icicles.

A piercing screech tore through the air, even closer than before.

Leona let out a pained cry as she stumbled, rolling onto her back, her ears bleeding.

"Le…. Number five!" Matia grabbed her arm, hoisting her up. She barely stopped herself from saying Leona’s name.

The beast-kin girl regained her balance, panting. Of all of them, she had the most sensitive ears—four in total, both human and beast—making the monstrous sound unbearable.

Ahead, twisted, malformed creatures emerged from the mist. Their elongated arms dragged against the earth, their gaping, bleeding mouths curled into laughter.

Sylvia’s grip on her book tightened. Her voice was sharp. "They’re in the same rank as us—blast them with magic!"

There was no hesitation. As terrifying as the creatures were, they unleashed a barrage of spells—light, storm, ice, and pure gravity. Magic erupted against the horrors, making them shriek in agony.

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The party didn’t slow down, pushing past as the creatures reeled. One raised its head to give chase—then stopped.

It sensed something.

Their original pursuer.

The malformed thing turned, and in the instant it locked eyes with the abyssal force that hunted them, its grotesque head bloated, its body convulsed—

And then it exploded in a rain of flesh and blood.

The true monster did not stop. Raising its dark, hulking head, it peered over the mist and rushed forward, vanishing into the direction they had fled.

They ran until they reached the shelter of massive, ancient trees—trunks wider than houses, roots twisting deep into the ground.

Without hesitation Sylvia led them inside one of the roots.

She clamped a hand over her mouth, barely daring to breathe.

They huddled beneath the thick roots of the ancient tree, trying to blend into the shadows.

Then—

A massive, hairy foot slammed into the earth. The sheer weight of it made the ground sink.

Xander trembled, cold sweat beading down his face.

The aura of the creature was suffocating—dense, ancient, and incomprehensible. It held no immediate killing intent, yet its malice was so deep, so twisted, that Matia felt as if she would go insane if she dared look upon its face.

Their hearts pounded violently in their chests. Slowly, they inched deeper into the tangled roots, pressing themselves into the darkness.

The ground beneath them was damp, covered in layers of mist and rotting leaves. Something slithered beneath their feet, but even that was nothing compared to the terror looming above them.

A strange, guttural sound rumbled from the beast.

"Hmmhhruu…"

Then, from above, slimy, writhing tentacles slithered downward, probing into the roots, reaching.

Searching.

Sylvia’s breath caught in her throat as one of the tendrils moved toward her. Every nerve in her body screamed at her to move, to run, to get away—

She wasn’t the only one.

The others, just as terrified, slowly edged deeper into the roots, their retreat silent but frantic.

Her heartbeat thundered in her ears. She was certain the creature could hear it.

The tentacles slithered further.

Then—

She couldn’t take it anymore.

She turned and fled.

The others followed. Panic overtook them as they scrambled backward, their feet slipping on the damp earth. They tripped over one another, desperate to escape, their breathing ragged and filled with terror.

Then—

The ground vanished beneath them.

They fell.

Darkness swallowed them whole, the wind roaring past their ears as they plummeted.

Then—impact.

They hit the ground hard. Groaning, they opened their eyes—

And found themselves staring in shock at a sight they never expected.

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[ made a mistake. So I guess everyone gets a bonus chapter today.]

Perhaps more shocking than what they expected to find inside the cursed and twisted Whispering Forest...

It was a complete subversion of expectations. Perhaps if it had been some grotesque interior of a living titan—walls made of organs, a floor of thick pulsing tissue—they wouldn’t have been so caught off guard.

But what they saw before them… was a warm hearth.

The heat that came from the gentle flames was pleasant. The place resembled the wooden interior of a cozy cottage, utterly at odds with the suffocating dread they’d just escaped.

There were furnishings—nice ones. A beautiful sets of armor and weapons rested neatly to the side, glowing softly with runes etched in intricate patterns.

The room was finely decorated, with elegant wooden tables, carved chairs, and woven rugs.

Far in the distance stood a massive furnace—so large it could’ve been its own room. Its vault-like doors gleamed darkly in the firelight.

It was the only object that didn’t match the aesthetic of the rest of the residence. That… and the strange cauldron beside it, filled with boiling, glowing green contents.

Old tomes lined the shelves. Vials of potions stood on racks. It looked more like the workshop of an eccentric alchemist than a shelter buried under the roots of an ancient forest.

For a moment, there was only silence.

The terrified group of teenagers slowly stood up, their bodies trembling. Eyes darted around the room, each of them still gripped by the lingering fear from their flight through the nightmarish woods.

They looked to each other—suspicion clear in their expressions.

Evangeline’s grip tightened around her sword, the rapier humming faintly with light magic as she took a cautious step forward.

In a normal situation, she might have called out to whomever owned this strange underground dwelling.

But this… this wasn’t a normal situation. Not after everything she’d seen. Not after what they had run from.

She turned to the others, raising a hand to silently signal them—stay sharp.

Her sword trembled slightly in her hand as she advanced across the room, passing advent doors and edging closer toward the glowing hearth. Her light footsteps made barely a sound against the wooden floor.

She glanced back at her party. Damon was still unconscious—his bloodied body motionless but breathing. His shadow on the ground twisted unnaturally, writhing in slow, spasmodic pulses, as though experiencing some silent torment beyond comprehension.

Her gaze shifted to the large rug beneath him—thick, soft, made from the fur of some unknown beast.

She turned to Sylvia.

"Is… this the safe place your skill showed you…?"

Sylvia bit her lip.

"My skill showed we had a chance here… It never said we’d be safe."

Her voice was low, uncertain. "It would be unwise to make my own interpretations…"

She paused, her eyes flicking to Damon’s unmoving form.

"At least, that’s what Number One told me."

She purposefully didn’t use his name. Only his number.

In the Whispering Forest, names were dangerous. Names gave power. So Damon had made the decision—he’d assigned them each a number.

Number One was Damon.

Number Two: Evangeline.

Number Three: Sylvia herself.

Number Four: Xander.

Number Five: Leona.

Number Six: Matia.

Those were the names they would use in this cursed forest. No titles. No classes. No real names. Only numbers. It was a measure of safety—an attempt to keep the forest from knowing them.

Evangeline looked up, as if she could peer past the wooden ceiling and see the cursed trees above—the shifting mist, the tangled branches… and the horror that had chased them here.

Even after advancing to First Class, they had run. Their new power didn’t make them warriors. It only meant they could run faster.

Not fight.

Not against that.

At least not against something more than a rank above them.

Leona looked at Damon worriedly as Xander laid him down on the rug.

Evangeline and Sylvia squatted next to him, placing their hands on his body. Golden and white light began to flow through him, searching for wounds unseen to the eye.

"Cough... cough..." Evangeline suddenly coughed, holding her nose as blood dripped from it.

Sylvia halted, her eyes widening in alarm. The others rushed toward Evangeline, but she raised a hand to stop them.

"I’m fine... it’s just my skill..." she gasped.

"Damon’s under some kind of mental contamination. It’s a curse of sorts. My Purge skill can cure him, but I’ll have to suffer some aftereffects..."

Xander bit his lip before nodding. This was necessary. They needed Damon up and moving.

Sylvia gritted her teeth. "My power is useless against this... In that case, I’ll heal you while you purify him."

Evangeline nodded, and the golden light spread further across Damon’s body.

Slowly, the color returned to his pale face, but Evangeline’s body trembled. She clenched her teeth as the side of her arm, just under her wrist, began to blacken from the backlash of her skill. The pain seared through her, but she endured it until she could bear no more.

With a sharp gasp, she collapsed to the side, drenched in sweat.

"I’m sorry... cough... cough... I’ve reached my limit..."

Sylvia bit her lip, then looked at Damon.

"It’s fine. Rest. You’ve gotten the worst of it out. We can heal him with time. Recover first—you are our party’s support, especially under these circumstances."

Evangeline nodded weakly and sat beside the still-unmoving Damon.

Leona, who had been on guard, gripping the gaunt axe tightly, finally voiced the question weighing on their minds.

"Where... are we, anyway?"

Before the others could respond, a distant cackling laughter pierced the air. It was high-pitched yet deep, an eerie shriek that sent shivers down their spines.

"Hheeeeeeeehhhjeheeeeeeheee..."

The laughter echoed closer, creeping toward the room they occupied. It was only then that they noticed a window they hadn’t seen before. Through the warped glass, a shadow loomed—hunched, with a long, grotesque nose.

They snapped to attention, gripping their weapons, their bodies tensed for battle.

Then... silence.

The laughter had vanished completely, replaced by the crackling of the warm hearth. The flickering flames cast twisting shadows across the walls, stretching unnervingly.

Slowly, from the inside, one of the doors creaked open.

Every head turned toward it, weapons raised, breath held.

But what they saw shocked them.

A woman stood in the doorway—a stunning figure with long black hair neatly tied in a bun. She wore a simple yet elegant long gown with an apron, and in her delicate hands, she held a broom. Everything about her exuded the warmth of a gentle housewife—or perhaps, a loving mother.

She blinked at them, her expression one of mild surprise. Then, she smiled—a warm, disarming, and kind smile.

"My, my... I have guests." Her voice was gentle, soothing in a way that felt almost surreal in the eerie setting.

She tilted her head slightly, her smile never faltering. "Hello, children."