The silence that followed the final sm of the obsidian door was almost as deafening as the screams that had preceded it. Nine figures stood in the sickly greenish light of the cavern, panting, trembling, covered in cold sweat despite the stagnant air.

  The spongy ground beneath their feet suddenly felt unstable. The twisted, glistening trees seemed more menacing, their bare branches like skeletal fingers pointing at them. The image of Takeshi, his horrified face, and that impossible neck coiling around his throat, was seared behind their eyelids.

  Dead. So quickly. So... easily.The thought was an ice shard in Renji's mind. The reality of their situation crashed down on them with the weight of a tombstone. This wasn't a game you could quit. It was a death trap.

  Daichi was sobbing openly, slumped against a tree trunk, his face buried in his hands. Misaki had tears in her eyes, but she was trying to stay strong, checking on Aiko who was still grimacing as she held the wrist she'd sprained in the earlier fall. Kenta stared at the bck door with impotent fury, his fists clenched white-knuckled. Goro stood protectively in front of Misaki and Aiko, his usually gruff face marked by a new, dark tension. Haru had reverted to being a silent shadow, his sharp eyes nervously scanning the surroundings. Yuki, however, seemed strangely calm, almost detached, observing the scene with an intensity that made Renji uneasy. Junichi, the cynical veteran, had a closed-off expression, but the tightness around his eyes betrayed his own shock.

  “The door...”Murmured Aiko, her voice hoarse. She pointed a trembling hand towards the glowing inscription.

  All eyes turned to the obsidian surface. The text still floated there, but it had changed.

  BOSS DOOR - FLOOR 1Guardian: Rokurokubi, the Smiling NightmareRecommended Level: 5Attempts Remaining: 2 / 3

  A collective shiver ran through the group. The thought of going back in there voluntarily was unthinkable for now.

  “We... we need to know who’s who.”Decred Goro, his deep voice breaking the tense silence. He straightened up, trying to impose some sembnce of order.“If we’re going to... survive... we need to at least know our names.”

  No one argued. It was an obvious necessity in the face of the terrifying anonymity of their situation.

  Junichi spoke first, his tone dry and direct.“Junichi Ishikawa. 48. I was... I am an accountant. Not much use here, I suppose.”

  “Goro Honda, 28.”The big man followed up.“Former bouncer. I can take a hit, and I can dish one out.”

  “Misaki Sato... 24. I have some first aid knowledge.”Said the young woman, her voice soft but clear.

  “Aiko Fujimoto, 21. History student, specializing in folklore...”She gave a bitter smile.“Ironic, isn’t it?”

  “Kenta Suda! 20! Student. I’m pretty athletic!”Kenta threw in, trying to regain some of his confidence, though his voice trembled slightly.

  “Haru Tanaka. 19. I... I’m quiet.”Murmured the silent observer, avoiding eye contact.

  “Daichi Nakamura. 19...”The young man briefly lifted his head, his face ravaged by fear.“I... I don’t know how to do anything...”He started sobbing again.

  “Yuki Mori. 17.”Said the enigmatic girl, her expression still unreadable. She added nothing else.

  All eyes turned to Renji.“Renji Takahara. 22. University student.”He didn’t eborate on his skills. He preferred to observe for now.

  Nine. There were nine survivors. Nine strangers bound by a shared nightmare.

  “Right.”Junichi resumed, naturally taking charge in the face of general indecision.“That door...”He pointed to the obsidian.“We can’t go back in there.”

  A murmur of agreement went through the group. No one wanted to argue with the obvious.

  “But we can’t stay here.”He continued, scanning the unsettling cavern.“This pce isn’t safe. There are those two other paths.”He indicated the trails leading into the phosphorescent forest to the left and right of the boss door.

  “An exit?”Kenta asked with a flicker of desperate hope.“Maybe they lead somewhere else? Away from... that?”He shivered, thinking of the Rokurokubi.

  “It’s our only option for now.”Junichi confirmed.“Staying here is waiting for something else to find us. Trying the door is suicide. We have to move. We have to explore one of these paths.”

  An escape... or just another trap?Renji thought. But Junichi was right. Standing still was dangerous.

  “Which one? Left or right?”Goro asked.

  A brief silence fell. No one had a logical argument. Fear dictated the need to choose, any choice, but to choose quickly.

  “Let’s vote.”Aiko suggested.“Quickest way. Raise your hand for the left path.”

  A few hands went up hesitantly. Renji quickly counted. Four, including Aiko herself.

  “And for the right?”

  The other five hands went up, including Renji’s. The decision was made, however arbitrary.

  “Okay. We take the right path.”Junichi announced.“Stay together. Keep quiet. And keep your eyes open. We don’t know what’s waiting for us.”

  The group formed up hesitantly, casting one st horrified gnce at the obsidian door before turning towards the right-hand path. It snaked between the glistening trees, quickly disappearing into the greenish gloom and deep shadows.

  As they cautiously stepped onto the right path, Kenta, now walking point, stumbled over something half-buried in the dead leaves.

  “What the...?”He bent down and picked the object up. It was a stick. Not just a broken branch, but a piece of worked wood, crudely shaped, but clearly intended as a weapon.

  With palpable apprehension, they took their first careful steps onto the spongy ground, heading into the unknown of the underground forest, leaving behind the scene of their first failure and the silent promise of the nightmare still waiting behind the sealed door.