A chorus of unnatural screeches erupted around Karl and Celeste.The noise came from everywhere—rooftops, windows, and the very shadows themselves.The city, once eerily silent, now pulsed with movement.Dark shapes slithered through the dim glow of the streetlamps, their outlines flickering like ghosts.
Then, the system notifications appeared.
[Level 23 Hollow Striders]
Humanoid figures with elongated limbs emerged from the gloom, their bodies moving with disturbing, jerky motions.Their hollow eye sockets seemed to drink in the light, as if their very existence drained the energy around them.
[Level 24 Screeching Banshees]
Unlike the Striders, the second type of monster was airborne—small, bat-like creatures with grotesquely oversized mouths lined with rows of needle-like teeth.Their wings flapped in rapid, erratic beats, and their empty white eyes locked onto Karl and Celeste with unmistakable hunger.
