The sky rippled like liquid glass.
A vast, unblinking eye opened above the clouds—no iris, no pupil, just an endless void staring back.His breath caught. His body refused to move.
[WARNING: Rule #1 Violated – "Do Not Look at the Sky"][Mental Contamination: +12%][Instability Level: Minor]
A pressure surged into his mind—voices, symbols, images that made no sense. Screams in reverse. A burning forest. A spiral staircase made of bone.
[Status Effect: "Echo Madness" – Duration: 5 minutes]
He collapsed to one knee, gripping his head.A low growl echoed behind him.
The Hunters had arrived.
Three humanoid figures stepped into view, faces stitched shut, limbs too long, weapons made of rusted scrap. Their movements were slow—but deliberate.They could smell weakness.
His cooldown: 0:29 remaining.
Think! Focus! Don't let the madness in.
He forced his eyes downward, using the shard to steady himself.
Then, a memory—a flash from earlier:
["Even trash can save your life."]
He scanned the ground. Rubble. Broken glass. A snapped pipe—
He grabbed it, wedged the Frost Shard inside the pipe like a makeshift spear.
Just as the first Hunter lunged.
"Freeze!"
Time stopped again.
Three seconds.
He dashed past the first one—slashing its Achilles tendon as it floated mid-lunge. Spun behind the second—drove the spear into its spine.The third... was reaching for his face.
3... 2... 1...
Time resumed.
All three screamed.
The first collapsed. The second twisted violently, sparks of frost spreading across its back. The third swung wildly, but missed—he was already moving.
He finished the fight in instinct.
And then—silence.
[Enemies defeated: x3 – Class D][+60 EXP][Survival Progress: 4/100][Skill Usage: Efficient – Bonus EXP: +10]
He dropped to the ground, panting.
The sky had returned to normal. The eye… gone.
But the warning still rang in his ears.
Don't look at the sky.
Not just a rule. A commandment.
And something was keeping score.
Far away, in a place beyond time, someone laughed again.