Extra Borne: Transmigrated Into A System Apocalypse Soulsborne Novel

The telecommunication device on Uvan's wrist blinked to life again, automatically connecting. A woman's voice filtered through, steady and laced with an edge of tension.

"Is this the leader of Team 5?" she asked.

"Yes, this is Uvan," he replied, his tone calm. "Is your team alright over there?"

"For now," she said. "We seem to be inside some kind of ancient graveyard or tomb... a place tied to this tower, though we can't be certain. There are carvings and remnants that suggest it was a burial site, but nothing definitive. Team 1 and my team's paths have converged, so we're working together here." She paused, her voice dropping slightly. "However, I've been trying to reach Team 4. Their line's been dead. Have you seen or heard from them?"

Uvan hesitated for a bit before answering. "No, we haven't had any contact with them either. I'll try to reach them when I can."

"Understood." Her tone was clipped as she added, "Stay safe." The connection cut off abruptly, leaving the faint hum of silence in its wake.

I'd been half-listening, my thoughts momentarily wandering. The way they communicated reminded me of my old life of phones, of social media, of simpler buy hard times. But I shoved the thought away. Those memories didn't matter now.

Uvan glanced at us. "Let's get moving," he said, his voice steady.

Without hesitation, we nodded and began to follow him, leaving the unsettling meaty hall behind.

The exit of the hall revealed a narrow staircase descending into the depths. Each step glistened with a wet, crimson sheen, like coagulated blood, and the stairs throbbed faintly beneath our feet. Each step felt alive, beating with a rhythmic pulse that mirrored a heartbeat.

The air grew heavier with each step we took, the faint scent of iron creeping in. The sound of our boots against the meaty surface echoed strangely, as though swallowed by the walls around us. Time seemed to stretch endlessly as we descended, step after step, into the unknown.

When the stairs finally ended, they opened into a colossal hall. Unlike the grotesque organic structures we had passed, this room was eerily pristine, almost regal. Red patterns like veins sprawled across the walls in intricate designs, glowing faintly as if alive. The floor was covered with a crimson carpet that stretched endlessly forward, soft underfoot but strangely warm, as though it, too, was pulsing with life.

I couldn't help but stare. The room was grand, almost absurdly so, as if it belonged to a noble or a king. Its vastness was suffocating, the silence pressing against my ears.

"This place…" Jess murmured, her voice breaking the stillness. "It feels more like a resting area than a battlefield."

Celia snorted softly. "Would you rest in a place like this?"

Jess smirked, a flicker of humor in her eyes. "Maybe."

The two chuckled lightly, the sound barely lifting the oppressive atmosphere. Uvan and I exchanged a glance, walking in silence behind them.

It was then Uvan spoke, his voice low enough that only I could hear. "Are you and Celia… related?"

I shook my head. "No. We grew up together. Just the two of us since we were kids."

He nodded thoughtfully. "That explains why you're so close."

Before he could say more, a deep, resonant Gong! shattered the silence. The sound reverberated through the hall, shaking the walls and floor.

We froze.

The silence that followed was suffocating, the air heavy with expectation. Instinctively, we drew our weapons. My hands clenched tightly around my bow as I scanned the room, the echoes of the gong still ringing in my ears.

Nothing moved. Nothing came.

But none of us lowered our guard.

Then, a screen materialized before my eyes, glowing faintly in the dim light:

[SUB-MISSION]

+

Survive 5 Waves.

Failure -- ???

+

[Wave 1 Has Begun.]

The moment the words faded, I felt it.

The Hall Moved.

And the ground beneath us lurched like a living beast awakening from a deep slumber. For a moment, I almost lost my footing, but I managed to steady myself, bracing against the shifting walls.

"Everyone, get ready!" Uvan barked, his voice cutting through the grinding groans of the moving structure.

The sound of rumbling began, low and distant, growing louder with every passing second. It was like the growl of an approaching storm, or the prelude to something far worse. The hall around us remained stable, but the noise intensified, vibrating through the air and rattling my bones.

I squinted into the distance, and then I saw it.

Hell.

From the far end of the hall, an army of decayed monstrosities surged forward. Their crimson flesh pulsed and oozed, their forms grotesque and malformed. Some crawled on the walls, their claws digging into the pulsating surface, while others skittered across the floor, their uneven gaits leaving smears of ichor in their wake. Above, winged creatures with skeletal frames and bat-like wings swooped down, their shrill cries piercing the heavy atmosphere.

Jess's sharp intake of breath caught my attention, and I glanced back. More monsters poured in from the direction we'd come, closing us in.

"We're cornered!" Jess shouted, her voice laced with urgency.

"Divide into two groups... both directions!" Uvan commanded, his sword already in hand.

Celia and I locked eyes. We both knew our task..... clear the way forward. Jess and Uvan would guard the rear, holding off the horde as they followed.

"Remember," Celia said, her voice calm but resolute. "Together. No matter what."

I nodded, the weight of her words settling in my chest.

The monsters charged.

I stretched my bowstring, my fingers steady despite the chaos around us. A translucent arrow of energy materialized, glowing faintly with a pale blue light. I pulled the string back further, feeling the tension build as the energy coalesced. The air around the arrow warped, a vortex of energy swirling violently as I aimed at the horde ahead.

With a deep breath, I released the string.

The arrow streaked forward, leaving a trail of light in its wake. It struck the center of the advancing horde, detonating with a deafening BOOM. The explosion shook the ground, sending a shockwave through the hall and obliterating dozens of the creatures in a brilliant flash of light and sound.

Celia didn't hesitate. She surged forward, her sword blazing with an icy blue glow that trailed frost as she moved. Her strikes were precise and deadly, each swing carving through the grotesque forms of the monsters. Their bodies crumbled into pools of steaming ichor as she pressed on, cutting down everything in her path.

Above her, one of the winged creatures swooped down, its skeletal claws outstretched. I nocked another arrow and fired, the projectile piercing its chest mid-dive. The creature let out a guttural screech before crashing into the ground, its limbs twitching as it dissolved into sludge.

More monsters poured in, their guttural cries and clawed steps echoing through the hall. But Celia and I didn't stop. We charged forward, a relentless tide against the endless swarm.

Behind us, Uvan and Jess held their ground. Jess moved like a shadow, her daggers flashing as she darted between the monsters, her strikes quick and lethal. Uvan was a wall of strength, his sword cleaving through the horde with practiced precision.

"Keep moving!" Uvan shouted, his voice carrying over the cacophony of battle.

We pushed forward, step by step, the floor slick with the black ichor of the fallen monsters. The hall seemed to stretch endlessly, the pulsating walls and crimson patterns distorting my sense of space.

The battle raged on, but then.... abruptly.... the creatures stopped.

Their movements ceased as if controlled by an unseen force. The silence that followed was deafening, broken only by the faint sound of our labored breaths.

"What… why did they stop?" Jess murmured, her voice wary.

Ahead of us, the air shimmered. A dense, oppressive energy filled the hall, pressing against my chest like a physical weight. From the shadows, something massive began to emerge.

A system notification appeared before my eyes, its glowing letters sharp against the dim light of the hall:

[SYSTEM]

+

Defeat the Boss of Wave 1

DAKARNOS

+

I tightened my grip on my bow, my mind racing.

This wasn't going to be easy.