NOVEL NEXT Chapter 8: Inside the Core
Chapter 8: Inside the Core
Will found himself once again teetering on the edge of darkness. His body was burning, his pain so intense it nearly consumed him whole. Each pulse of agony pushed him deeper into the haze. Maybe once he got rid of the Soul Core/s, however many there were—he could finally escape this nightmare.
But standing up proved almost impossible. His left shoulder was dislocated, his legs trembling like jelly from the strain of holding him up. Every inch of his body was in shambles.
"At least I can heal myself," he thought bitterly. He could use Divine Soul, a trusty ability that let him patch up his wounds. But when Will summoned his runes, hoping for the familiar warm pulse of healing, nothing happened. A cold sweat dripped down his forehead. "Why... can't I heal myself?" He summoned his runes check if there was something wrong with him, he needed to know the reason why he can't use his attributes.
As he opened the runes, his eyes convulsed, his breath also quickened as panic set in. "What... the hell?"
Name: William Hernandez
True Name: ---
Soul Core: Dormant Memories: ---
Echoes: ---
Attributes: ---
Aspect: [Lost Soul]
Aspect Description: A soul adrift in the endless void, untethered and directionless. Haunted by memories of a forgotten past, forever searching for a purpose or a place to belong.
His jaw clenched. That giant must be preventing him from using his attributes, blocking him from further destruction inside of it, 'is this some sort of innate ability of the giant? But, how can it be so strong? Is the Giant an Ascended?' Will recuperated his wounds as he thought of various possibilities.
But the more he thought about it, the more he came to realize how unfair it was for the spell to give him a First Nightmare like this.
His attributes were missing, completely gone. He gritted his teeth, fury boiling in his veins. Everything he had planned—every safeguard, every logical possibilities he accounted for—it was all in vain. "Damn it! This wasn't supposed to happen, not like this. This didn't even happen in the novel."
He'd thought sticking to the novel's plot would give him a clear path home, a way to navigate this chaotic world. But his presence here, along with his friends, must have disrupted the spell's operation. The story had changed, warping itself into something more dangerous, more unpredictable.
Will glanced down at his runes again. His last name, 'Hernandez', was written there, plain as day.
"That's not right. People in this world didn't have last names. Why's mine showing up?" He shook off the thought. There was no time to dwell on strange details.
The land around him continued to shift and change like a living organism. The core of the giant, this bizarre place he was trapped in, wasn't actively harming him, but it was in complete disarray. "Where's the Soul Core?" he muttered, pushing forward.
"I think I recovered enough, If my legs can move then I can walk. If my arms can still move, I can still fight. No matter what, I'll fucking do whatever it takes to conquer the nightmare."
….
He'd been walking for what felt like an eternity, his legs numb, his body bruised and battered. "How much longer do I have to keep walking?"
His heart pounded in his chest, each step heavier than the last, but Will couldn't afford to give up. "I have to get back home," he reminded himself. No matter what stood in his way, he needed to keep moving. He needed to survive.
Eventually, his legs gave out. He collapsed to the ground, face turned to the side, staring blankly at the shifting landmass next to him. The ground flowed like water beneath him, and he was helplessly swept along with its current. Every nerve in his body screamed in pain, and his mind drifted in a haze of uncertainty.
Has it been days? Weeks? Time didn't exist here, it seemed. It was always high noon.
'High noon…'
He squinted up at the sun, its blinding light shined upon the land, the sun was so big. It was as if he could reach it.
Will then remembered something in the novel— "I remembered somewhere in the novel that a soul core can be whatever form it can be. But, I think most common form of a soul core is a Sun…"
He couldn't stare at the sun for long without hurting his eyes, so he checked his runes once more.
Still nothing. No power, no attributes. "I'm running out of ideas," he muttered to himself. His stomach growled, and his throat was parched. He hadn't eaten or had water in what felt like forever. He lay flat on the ground, letting the relentless heat of the sun slowly roast him alive.
After a long, miserable pause, he forced himself to stand. "I'm going to destroy that damn sun," he declared. His determination reignited. "I don't care if it's insane." The idea was ludicrous, but he was desperate. If the sun really was connected to the giant's core, then maybe—just maybe—destroying it could free him from this place.
His resolve firm, Will sprinted across the unstable land, shouting like a madman. The ground beneath him quaked, and suddenly, a horde of nightmare insects appeared from the ground, as if sensing an anomalous movement from above. The Nightmare Creatures were the size of raccoons, skittering towards him with ferocious speed.
"Come at me, you freaks!" Will roared, picking up a rock and hurling it at one of the creatures.
Plack!
The rock bounced off harmlessly at the carapace insect. Will's eyes widened in horror as he realized his mistake. "Shit... what was I thinking!?"
Panic took over, and he turned to run. The fear was overwhelming, driving him to move despite his injuries. His mind was in chaos. "I can't think straight! I can't fucking fight a horde of them!"
The swarm chased him relentlessly, closing in fast. Just as Will began to lose hope, he spotted a nightmare creature in the distance—a grotesque fusion of a lion's body and a bird's head, like a mutilated griffin.
He had no choice.
He was trapped.
So, he called after it.
"Hey you fucking ugly beast!" Will shouted at the beast, waving his arms to get its attention. "Come and get me!"
The griffin let out a piercing screech, enraged by his taunt, and charged. Its massive claws dug into the ground as it barreled toward him, aiming for his head. Will's heart raced.
'This is it. Now or never.'
As the griffin lunged, jaws wide open, Will threw himself to the ground, sliding under the beast in a desperate move, narrowly escaping death.
The griffin crashed into the horde of carapace insects, its claws slicing through them as it fought for survival. The nightmare creatures crawled all over the mutilated beast, tearing at its flesh with vicious intensity. The griffin roared in desperation, flapping its damaged wings in a futile attempt to shake them off.
Blood oozed from the deep gashes as the creatures gnawed and burrowed into its skin.
With a final, desperate effort, the griffin launched itself into the air. It rose briefly before descending at terrifying speed, the force of its impact causing a deafening sonic boom that obliterated the insects beneath it. The air was filled with the sound of crushed exoskeletons and the sickening splatter of insect blood. However, victory came at a cost.
The griffin lay broken and battered, its once-proud form reduced to a barely recognizable wreck. Its beak was cracked and chipped, its claws shattered, and its wings hung limply by its sides, tattered and useless. The savage assault had left it critically wounded, its breathing ragged and uneven.
It collapsed onto the shifting ground, gasping for air. Will watched from a distance, his expression dark. He knew what he had to do. This was his chance.
With a heavy heart but a cold resolve, Will approached the creature. Its once-majestic eyes now flickered with pain, dimming as its life force slowly ebbed away. Will bent down, picking up a sharp stone from the ground. His fingers tightened around it.
He looked at its eyes, the griffin was almost dead, its dying breath resounded through Will's ear. It looked at Will, it was beging him to spare itself.
Will clenched his teeth, he was determined to do whatever it takes to get off here, even if its doing something like this was not something to be cared about. It was between a predator and its prey.
"Sorry," he muttered, his voice harsh. "It's either you or me."
He kicked the griffin's side, forcing it to roll over and exposing its vulnerable chest. The griffin groaned weakly, unable to fight back. Without hesitation, Will raised the sharp stone high above his head. With all the strength he could muster, he plunged it into the creature's heart.
The griffin let out a final, agonizing scream, its body convulsing violently. The sound was so loud that Will's ears began to bleed, the high-pitched cry cutting through him like a blade. Blood gushed from the wound, splattering over Will, soaking him in the creature's warm, sticky lifeblood.
He grimaced as the taste of blood filled his senses. "Tastes fucking terrible," he muttered under his breath, wiping the blood from his face.
Suddenly, a notification flashed before his eyes:
[You have slain an Awakened Monster, Mutilated Griffin...]
[You have received a Memory...]
[You have received an Echo: Proudful Griffin...]
Will's bloodstained face broke into a grin as he read the notifications. His heart raced with a mixture of relief and triumph. The nightmare wasn't over yet, but this—this was a sign. His chances of escaping were finally within reach.
"Yes," he whispered to himself, his voice filled with anticipation. "Finally."
Will stood alone in the vast emptiness of the sky, his gaze fixed on the runes floating before him. With a simple thought, the runes shimmered and shifted, revealing the items he had recently acquired.
Name: William Hernandez
True Name: ---
Soul Core: Dormant
Memories: [Plagued Ravager]
Echoes: [Proudful Griffin]
Attributes: ---
Aspect: [Lost Soul]
Aspect Description: A soul adrift in the endless void, untethered and directionless. Haunted by memories of a forgotten past, forever searching for a purpose or a place to belong.
A smile crept across his face. There was something comforting about seeing the power he held within his grasp. His eyes locked onto one of the echoes— the [Proudful Griffin].
Echo: [Proudful Griffin]
Echo Type: Monster
Echo Core: Awakened
Echo Attributes: [Flight], [Sharp Talons]
Echo Description: A mutated Griffin that was devoured by a parasite, turning into a Nightmare Creature.
The description filled him with a dark sense of satisfaction. He could feel the raw, predatory energy coursing through the echo. Flying towards the sun to destroy it suddenly seemed not only possible but inevitable.
His gaze shifted next to his Memories, where the weapon he had claimed awaited him.
Memory: [Plagued Ravager]
Memory Rank: Awakened
Memory Enchantments: [Berserker]
Description: A battle axe that deals devastating damage to enemies. Its power increases with the wielder's motivative drive.
William clenched his fists. The words "motivational drive" echoed in his mind. The axe's power would grow the stronger his will to destroy became. "I can definitely use this to destroy that artificial sun ," he muttered to himself, "and dang, a two for one deal too. Ain't that a one in a million chances."
A confident gleam in his eyes and a smile spread across his face. Without a moment's hesitation, he summoned the [Proudful Griffin].
The monstrous creature materialized before him, its wings stretching wide, talon claws gleaming under the artificial light, but there was no time to admire its form.
William leaped onto its back, gripping the thick, feathered neck. "Fly me towards the sun," he commanded, his voice firm and unyielding. "We're going to destroy it."
The Griffin let out a deafening screech, and without delay, it shot toward the sky with subsonic speed, leaving a trail of disturbed air in its wake. The ground became a blur beneath them, the sky darkening as they ascended.
William took out the [Plagued Ravager] from his rune inventory, feeling its weight in his hands. The energy thrumming through the axe was intoxicating. As they neared the blinding sphere of light, he began swinging it, each motion deliberate, building momentum. His grip tightened as he prepared for the final strike.
The artificial sun loomed closer, its heat oppressive. William could feel its fiery energy pushing against him, but his resolve was unshaken. With a roar of defiance, he swung the battle axe with all his might. "Break!" he screamed, the force of the strike sending a shockwave through the air.
A deafening crack rang out as the axe connected with the sun's core. It began to shatter, cracks of like spider-webbing across its surface. The core of the artificial sun crumbled into pieces, hot fragments scattering in every direction.
A rush of scorching heat surged toward William, but the [Proudful Griffin] deftly maneuvered around the danger, evading the deadly hot gushes with ease.
He clung tightly to the echo's back, eyes narrowed against the intensity of the light.
Then, a notification appeared before his eyes, glowing in the now darkened sky.
[You have destroyed a core...]
[6/7 cores remain.]
William's brow furrowed in thought, and then it hit him. "The giant is a Titan?!" The realization left him stunned. His mind raced, piecing together the significance of the cores.
Before he could fully process it, a beam of light shot down from the heavens, engulfing him. He felt a sudden pull, as if being ripped from reality itself. In the blink of an eye, William vanished, teleported to an unknown location.