Chapter 54: Inside the Cursed Kingdom

The night was thick and oppressive, the kind of darkness that felt like it pressed in from all sides. Far ahead, a faint shimmer flickered through the gloom, torchlight swaying gently as a small group moved with purpose, cutting a path through the shadows.

Luke and Allison exchanged a glance. They had made it to a city.

But it wasn’t alive.

The buildings were broken shells of what they once were. Homes collapsed in on themselves, streets buried under layers of debris, alleyways swallowed by shadow. There was no movement, no sound, no sign of life. This wasn’t Earth. Not the Earth they knew. It was something older. Something left behind. A medieval ruin, long abandoned and steeped in the silence of a war no one remembered.

Then, without warning, an arrow sliced through the air and disappeared into a nearby alley. A sharp crack echoed through the empty streets.

Luke turned just in time to catch a glimpse of the impact. A monstrous creature writhed on the ground, its body a twisted blend of insect and something far more grotesque. Its limbs spasmed violently, then fell still.

A moment later, the church bells began to toll.

Dong. Dong. Louder. Faster.

The torch-bearing group stirred.

“It’s midnight!” someone shouted. “No more time, we have to move!”

More arrows flew through the air. One of the archers, a woman wrapped in a black cloak, bow nearly as tall as she was, stepped forward. She drew a single arrow and loosed it. Mid-flight, it split into six.

Another sharp impact followed. The beast dropped on the spot.

“Are you two just going to stand there and die?” she snapped, shooting a glance toward Luke and Allison.

Without waiting for an answer, she surged forward with practiced ease, her movements precise and sharp. The longbow in her hands moved effortlessly with her, as if weightless despite its size.

“I get it,” she said, closing the distance in a few swift strides. “You’ve been through hell down there.”

“That place was a damn tomb,” another voice muttered behind her.

She didn’t argue.

“But up here?” Her tone dropped, firm and steady. “It’s worse.”

She pointed toward the skyline, where the dark outline of ruined buildings met the sky.

“Every night, when the bells ring, they’re not just marking time.They’re warnings. Monsters begin to move. Sentinels. Kill on sight.”

She locked eyes with Luke.

“You’ve got two options. Come with us, we’re heading toward the other survivors. Or stay here and take your chances.”

She didn’t wait to see what they chose. She turned and ran.

Luke and Allison had plenty of questions, but it was clear from the way the survivors moved that they weren’t going to stick around to answer them. And right now, more than anything, the two of them needed information. They didn’t have a choice—they followed.

The group moved like they’d done this a hundred times. Over debris. Down broken ledges. Climbing where they had to, ducking low where they didn’t. Nothing wasted. Every movement calculated.

Ahead, one of them fired a grappling arrow across a crumbling rooftop. The rope snapped tight, pulling him upward with practiced speed.

“Anna! They’re on the move!” he shouted from above.

“We’ve got it handled,” she called back.

She nocked another arrow, this one with a sleek, metallic tip, and fired it into a nearby alley. A high-pitched ringing burst from the point of impact.

Luke stiffened.

A sonic lure.

It would drag everything nearby away from them. And fast.

“MOVE!” Anna shouted.

They dropped to the street below, landing in low rolls, never breaking pace.

Luke hit the ground running. Allison followed close behind.

They moved like professionals. Efficient. Synchronized. Battle-worn.

The group slowed near a rooftop edge. One of them raised a hand, silent signal.

Everyone crouched.

Luke felt a wave of relief at the sight of other people. But instincts kept him on edge. This wasn’t the time to feel safe.

One of the survivors held a strange lantern. He pressed a hand to its surface, and the glow faded to a faint, pulsing light.

“When midnight hits,” Anna whispered beside him, “they start to hunt.”

Luke narrowed his eyes. “Who’s ‘they’?”

“You’ll see.”

The city held its breath.

Then it came.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Clang. Clang. Clang.

Heavy metal footsteps echoed down the street, each step deep, deliberate, and loud enough to shake the stone beneath their feet. The ground trembled.

Then Luke saw it.

Emerging from the smoke and dust, a knight stepped into view.

No. Not just a knight.

A towering figure clad in solid armor, nearly three meters tall. Its spear was as thick as a tree trunk, gripped in one massive hand. The plating it wore was black as pitch, its weight pressing into the air with every step. A low hum followed it, pressure like gravity distorted by its presence.

Luke swallowed and activated Identify.

[???]

No level. No name. No data at all. He tried again. Still blank. Only one thing could cause that. So it was strong enough to block analysis. And probably smart enough to know it.

Beside him, Anna whispered, her voice barely audible over the wind. “It’s a Midnight Warden. They always come out around now.”

Luke felt a chill settle under his skin.

Midnight Warden?

That was the name of the tutorial.

Midnight Terror.

He watched as the Warden’s massive boots pounded the cobblestone, the impact echoing like a drumbeat of judgment fading into the dark. Every step made the air feel heavier, the tension unbearable. His instincts screamed at him—don’t move, don’t even blink. If that thing noticed them, if it struck even once, he’d be gone before he could react.

The giant turned a corner and vanished into the shadows. No one dared to breathe. Muscles stayed locked. Sweat clung to skin, cold as the night around them. Only when the silence truly returned did the group exhale.

“Seriously,” someone hissed, barely above a whisper. “If we linger, another one might show.”

Anna turned toward Luke and Allison. “You dropped into the worst possible place. This is a Wild Zone.”

Luke frowned, the term repeating in his mind.

Wild Zone.

Anna didn’t slow down. “We’re lucky, though. The Safe Zone isn’t far. But we need to move.”

There were no objections. The group moved as one, slipping through alleyways and across rubble-strewn paths like trained ghosts. Every movement was intentional, their pace steady and silent. The lantern in their lead cast only a faint glow, just enough to see where to step, nothing more. Whenever it grew too bright, the bearer shielded it with a hand. They couldn’t afford to be seen. Or heard.