Wonderful Insane World-Chapter 54: Nightmare Awakening

Dylan tried to scream, but barely a sound left his lips before a hand clamped firmly over his mouth. A brutal force slammed him back onto the ground. His head hit the stone hard, drawing a grimace of pain as a high-pitched ringing filled his ears.

He struggled, panic setting in, muscles tense, when he heard a whisper:

"Shhh..."

A soft yet firm voice, urging silence. He opened his eyes, confused, and recognized Élisa — shaved head, long ears twitching. She was straddling him, one hand still over his mouth, her gaze fixed on the entrance of the cave, her expression that of a hunter whose trap was about to fail.

Off to the side, Maggie was pressed against the wall. Her usually expressive face was locked in a concentration so intense it looked painful. Sweat slid down her temples, betraying the storm in her mind. She was murmuring soundlessly, as if praying... or pleading.

Dylan held his breath. He followed their gaze.

At the cave entrance, dimly lit by the pale morning glow, a gigantic silhouette stood still.

A broad back. Muscles like steel cables. Gray skin, covered in places by armor made from tanned leather and crudely riveted metal. A shoulder plate gleamed dully under the light.

The creature was... colossal. Its frame, its presence... Dylan felt a chill grip his gut.

His eyes widened. That thing was at least twice the size of the rank-three demon beast they’d barely managed to bring down together. And even then, it had nearly cost them their lives.

But this monster... it hadn’t noticed them.

Or worse.

It ignored them.

As if they were nothing but insects in its world.

A shiver ran down Dylan’s spine. He couldn’t look away.

And deep inside, a chilling question surfaced: What the hell was something like that doing here?

Fresh out of a nightmare, Dylan was greeted by the brutal reality of this cursed forest. No reprieve. Not even a second of peace. Just the sticky dread of a waking dream, trapped between the darkness of his sleep and the shadows of the cave.

He met Élisa’s eyes and gave a small nod. The young elf returned it with a just-as-subtle signal. She slowly removed her hand from his mouth, but the silence didn’t lift. The tension remained. Heavy. Oppressive. As if the air itself refused to flow.

Dylan sat up, moving with an instinctive caution. Every motion was calculated, quiet — like walking on glass. The creature at the entrance hadn’t moved, still facing away.

Honestly, it would’ve been the perfect chance to stab it in the back, but Dylan knew he wasn’t up to it.

Élisa gently grabbed his arm and pulled him into a dark crevice in the wall. Barely enough space for two, but perfect for hiding if the beast decided to look inside. They crouched there, pressed against the cold stone, their hearts pounding in unison beneath the suffocating silence.

Dylan risked another glance toward the entrance.

Just from its back, the way its muscles rolled under the skin with each subtle shift, he saw the terrible truth: this wasn’t just some massive brute. It was made for war — to crush, to survive. If it noticed them, even for a second, there would be no fight. Just their broken corpses left behind.

They could do nothing.

So they waited.

Trapped between stone and fear, not knowing if the monster would leave... or if it was already tracking their scent.

Outside, the wind howled through the dead trees, like it was whispering farewells.

Suddenly, the creature crouched rose to its full height.

Slowly.

Too slowly.

Like a titan waking — not rushed, but certain of its dominance. Dylan first saw its feet — massive, wide, filthy — clawed. Then its legs, carved like molten steel. Every muscle taut, ready to leap or crush.

It took a step.

The ground trembled.

Then another.

A deep vibration shook the cave walls. Dust fell from the ceiling in a silent rain. Maggie, still frozen against the wall, clasped her hands tight until her knuckles went white.

The creature walked on.

Its pace calm. Steady. It never turned. Never hesitated. As if it had never sensed them at all. Or worse... simply didn’t care.

The heavy sound of its steps faded into the distance.

And then... nothing.

Dylan finally exhaled, a hot breath escaping his lips like he’d been holding the universe in his lungs. His chest heaved with a nervous jolt.

Maggie moved at once. She crouched to pull on her still-damp boots from the day before, not caring about the mud or the rocks stuck to them. She tightened her jacket, buckled her harness, and grabbed her weapon like she expected someone to try and take it from her.

Dylan did the same. Silent. Movements sharp, focused. He didn’t need a word from Élisa to understand: that thing outside... wasn’t something you fought on a whim.

He’d never seen a monster like it, but his instincts didn’t lie — that was a high-rank creature. And not the kind you hunt with just three people in a cave.

"That was an orc."

Élisa’s voice sliced through the air like a cold blade.

Dylan and Maggie turned to her, stunned.

"An adult orc, to be precise," she added, her face blank, eyes wide with suppressed panic. She was shaking on the inside, barely holding it together.

She stepped back slightly, clutching her head with both hands.

"Stupid... I thought the young orc we encountered was just an anomaly... just a scout..." fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

She gritted her teeth, her gaze distant, as if retracing every step they’d taken since yesterday, and realizing each one had been tragically foolish.

Dylan stepped closer, senses still raw. His heart thudded in his chest like a war drum. He knew she was about to say something awful.

And she did.

"I think... we made a mistake coming here," she murmured hoarsely. "I found it strange we hadn’t come across a single first- or second-rank beast yesterday. I blamed the rain..."

A freezing shiver crawled up Dylan’s spine. His breath caught.

"You mean..."

He didn’t finish.

Élisa lowered her eyes, unable to meet his gaze. She nodded slowly.

"It’s been over thirty years since I last saw this... but I didn’t think this zone could’ve... evolved."

She clenched her fists, face twisted with tension. "This area... has become a red zone."

"A red zone?" Maggie asked, her voice firm, unwavering — but her eyes betrayed her.

Élisa looked at her, reluctantly.

"A zone mostly populated by third-rank demonic beasts... or worse."