The wraiths were fast, their claws were sharp, and the three of them together were a vicious cloud of attacks that threatened to kill or maim Jinyoung at every step.

  But this was the fourth time he had faced them, and he would not be cowed.

  Jinyoung [charged] and felt the mana course through his body. It was a strange sensation, feeling so empowered but feeling the gnawing hole in his body.

  I’m low on mana.

  There was no way to be certain how little mana he had left, but Jinyoung was certain it wouldn’t be enough to defeat one wraith, much less three.

  He peered at the three hooded apparitions before him. “Good thing I don’t have to beat the three of you,” he smirked.

  When the first one moved to attack, Jinyoung had already raised the swords to deflect. A broken bastard sword was next to useless for attacking, but using it to deflect meant he could spread the impact of a blow across two weapons instead of one.

  And it worked surprisingly well. The first attack came in high and Jinyoung was able to easily redirect the wraith’s attack so it mostly swung harmlessly by. Under normal circumstances, he would’ve followed up with a counter attack, but that would’ve dissipated the effects of the [charge].

  “I’m gonna need that to survive this.”

  The next wraith came in just as quickly, too quick for Jinyoung to parry or deflect the blow so he simply ducked low and stepped past the wraith.

  “Too easy,” he announced.

  The third wraith reared back and Jinyoung brought the two swords up to defend.

  He realized his mistake too late. Instead of readying an attack, the wraith was drawing in mana.

  The blast of frigid air hit him full on. Without a shield or physical obstruction to hide behind, he took the full force of the attack and found himself lifted off his feet.

  Idiot.

  His body was so numb by the time he hit the ground that he barely felt the impact.

  He had just enough time to take in a breath before [scan] sent alarms ringing in his vision. Usually, [scan] gave him a faint glow to warn him of an impending attack. Now, it was almost as if the System were trying to blind him.

  Without any clue of what direction the attack was coming from, Jinyoung used [dash] to move as far away from his current position as possible.

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  Half-numb and still dazed from the wraith’s area attack, he stumbled to his feet just in time to see all four wraiths pull their claws out of the cold floor. Bits of plaster and cement crumbled onto the floor and Jinyoung couldn’t help but imagine what such an attack would’ve done to his very frail human body.

  This isn’t going to work, he thought.

  The laborator space was too wide for him to fight three opponents in. It was only a matter of time they surrounded him and overpowered him or he simply ran out of mana.

  The corridor.

  Quickly, Jinyoung jumped over the dividing wall leading to the control room and ran into the long hallway leading back to the silo beyond.

  Here the battle was much easier to handle. The wraiths had to take turns attacking Jinyoung who could dodge and parry attacks more easily.

  The swords were holding up well and he found dual-wielding to be an easier experience than he’d expected.

  “I might have to try this again sometime,” he said aloud.

  A wraith dragged a claw along the ground before launching an uppercut at Jinyoung. He dodged the attack but was showered with debris after.

  “If I get out of here, that is.”

  The wraiths weren’t able to surround him, but they did a fine job of launching a relentless stream of attacks, one after another. Even with [charge], Jinyoung could feel his muscles beginning to ache under the strain.

  [Timer 02:02]

  Hana, you out there?

  Jinyoung stepped back and let an attack whiz by his face. He only needed to hold out for two more minutes, then the shield would deactivate and he could destroy the Cradle for once and for all.

  I guess you don’t want to talk to me. Maybe I deserve that. No, I’m sure I deserve that. But I wanted to let you know I’m sorry. Not just because I wasn’t there for you all those years, but for the way I’ve been acting since I got back.

  Jinyoung raised his swords to deflect another blow and jumped back to create some distance. There wasn’t much time left, but every second the wraiths were pushing him further and further from the control room. By this point, even if he ran full tilt to the Cradle, he wouldn’t make it in time.

  I do care, Hana. And if I ever gave you the impression I didn’t, I’m sorry. I should’ve tried harder.

  [Timer 00:42]

  There wasn’t any time left. One of the wraiths swung wide and left itself completely open. Jinyoung spun around and swung both swords into the wraith hitting with a [charge] and knocking it backwards into the other two, creating a small pile up.

  It didn’t matter, [dash] carried him past the monsters. Another [dash] pushed him further and yet another brought him into the control room.

  A wave of dizziness hit Jinyoung and he stumbled over his feet. It wasn’t mana sickness, but he was close. He clambered over the dividing wall and moved quickly to the Cradle. Behind him, he could hear the sounds of the monsters approaching, but [scan] didn’t alert him of any attack directed his way.

  “Small miracles,” Jinyoung said with a smile.

  [Timer 00:00]

  …inyoung… it and… out …ere!

  It was impossible to tell who was speaking to him. It could’ve been Willow or Hana, but it didn’t matter. He didn’t have nearly enough mana to make it out of here.

  Jinyoung foundered his way to the Cradle on unsteady legs and lifted the two swords above his head. The Cradle glowed weakly for a second before the light blinked out. Around him, he felt the room slowly start to rumble and the steady sound of the generators become punctuated with screeches.

  He gave one last glance at Seunghyo’s body and whispered a small prayer.

  “I’m sorry, Hana.”

  Jinyoung brought down the two swords with all the strength he had in his arms and reduced the Cradle to a pile sparkling rubble.

  The gate which shone like a small sun and flashed chaotically above the Cradle blinked once or twice before growing dark and collapsing in on itself.

  QUEST: CRADLE of Ice (UNIQUE)

  Destroy the research drive

  Destroy SIN

  Destroy the CRADLE and close the GATE

  Current Progress: Complete