"This is no ordinary monster; it's a false-ranking creature at best," said a frightened hunter, desperately trying to track the creature's movement in the chaos. "How can we fight what we can't even see? It's clear it’s been holding back."

"Hold your ground! We’ll survive this," Hina snapped, her voice unwavering. Though some of the hunters were clearly terrified, others fought to mask their fear.

Joseph and Hina stood back-to-back, eyes darting around, desperately trying to pinpoint the monster's movements.

"Damn it... This is bad," Hina thought, her thoughts racing. "I never expected it to be this tough. But I can’t afford to show even the slightest fear—if I do, we’re all doomed."

"If I had my XPT with me, I’d flush this thing out in no time. But if I rush in blindly now, I might put their lives at risk," Joseph's mind whirred. "These hunters—none of them stand a chance. Hina might hold her ground, but that's not enough. I'm the only one here who can recover from even lethal damage."

He clenched his fists. "I have to come up with a plan. Fast. If only Yoshi and Lyra were here, they'd take care of this easily..."

Suddenly, Joseph’s mind clicked, and the answer to the monster’s riddle came to him in a flash. "Time!" he yelled, his voice cutting through the tension. Repeating the riddle in his head, he followed with an explanation: "Time is intangible, yet it shapes everything we see. It’s both a force of the past and future, ever-moving and ever-present, and it influences the present without being physically grasped. It’s everything and nothing at once."

The monster paused, as if considering the answer, before finally growling, "Approved."

It then spun around them with a sinister laugh, its tail scraping against the ground, sending sparks flying. "Riddle me this: What is found that was never missing?" The creature circled them like a predator. "And what is missing that was never found?"

"Damn it, is this even possible?" one hunter thought desperately. As the others scrambled to solve the riddle, the air grew thick with tension.

Joseph, keeping a cool head, barked at them, "Focus! Stay sharp. Don’t rush to conclusions." He turned his gaze back to the creature. "We need to think this through. One wrong answer, and we’re all dead."

The monster’s voice grew deeper, more menacing. "Delay your answer, and you will pay the price." Its mouth flared open, flames licking the air in preparation for another strike.

A hunter, trembling with fear, shouted an answer too hastily. Instantly, the monster’s white flame erupted, engulfing the unfortunate soul. The hunter's body melted away in a scream, leaving nothing behind but ash and charred bones.

With the countdown beginning, the monster unleashed hell upon them. Its poisonous tail tore through one hunter’s chest, ripping him apart. It clamped down with its massive jaws, half of another hunter’s body disappearing into its maw. The creature’s wings sliced through their defenses with ease, cutting through flesh like paper. The floor was slick with blood, and the stench of death filled the air.

In mere moments, the group’s numbers had dwindled to four: Joseph, Hina, and two remaining hunters. The lair was now a massacre.

Joseph’s mind raced. "I need to solve this riddle... before it’s too late."

As the monster counted down, about to strike again, Joseph had an epiphany. "What is found that was never missing?" he muttered to himself. Then, his voice rang out, steady and confident: "Purpose."

The monster, pausing mid-attack, listened intently.

"And what is missing that was never found?" Joseph continued. "Meaning."

Joseph’s voice rang with authority. "The answer is ‘purpose’ or ‘meaning.’ We all search for them, sometimes finding them, but they were never truly ‘missing.’ They’re intrinsic to us, even if we don’t always recognize it."

Joseph stepped forward, his gaze never leaving the creature. "What is found that was never missing? That refers to things like truth, purpose, or identity. These are things we ‘find’ in life, yet they were never truly ‘missing’—we just had to discover them."

"And what is missing that was never found?" he added. "That could be peace, contentment, or meaning. Things we search for, but can never truly grasp, no matter how hard we try."

The monster froze, its blazing mouth snapping shut. It looked at Joseph, considering his words, before lowering its head in approval. "Correct."

The monster, seemingly satisfied, let out a low growl of approval and hovered above them. "Very well. You’ve earned my next riddle."

It began circling Joseph, its enormous wings flapping, its lips dripping with the blood of its fallen prey. "Consider this a courtesy. Now, for my riddle."

"Here’s one," the monster’s voice boomed, deep and rumbling like the sound of an earthquake. "I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with the wind. What am I?"

The group was on the verge of collapse, the air thick with tension. Hina’s mind raced. The question was different from the others—more abstract, more cryptic. But she refused to let panic cloud her judgment. She forced herself to focus, drawing upon the teachings and experiences of her past. The answer had to be something simple, something fundamental.

The monster reminded them of the countdown, its voice dripping with malice as it descended upon them. Its massive form blurred through the air, attacking with vicious speed as the remaining group scrambled to defend themselves. They parried its deadly claws, dodged its venomous tail, and tried to avoid the fiery blasts from its mouth—each move calculated to buy them just a few precious seconds.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

But amidst the chaos, they also had another goal: to seize the monster’s treasure of knowledge. It was a difficult task now, with their numbers dwindling and the creature's relentless attacks leaving no room for error. The riddle still haunted their minds, its answer just out of reach as they fought for their lives. Every movement was a delicate balance of offense and defense, all while their minds raced to solve the puzzle before the countdown reached its deadly conclusion.

***

The monster's rampage was swift and unforgiving. Its movements were a blur, as though the very air itself bent to its will. Each strike was precise and deadly, leaving no room for escape. The ground trembled beneath its colossal feet as it obliterated one hunter with brutal force, its tail leaving a path of fire and destruction in its wake. Its wings, razor-sharp and relentless, sliced through the flesh and bone of another, cutting her down without mercy. Its claws, like knives forged in hell, raked through the body of the unfortunate soul who dared challenge it. The air was thick with the stench of blood and burning flesh, mingling with the screams of the dying and the sickening crunch of shattered bones.

Joseph and Hina, now the only survivors, stood barely upright, their bodies battered and spirits crushed. Desperation clung to them like a second skin. Their comrades lay slain, their numbers decimated, and time was quickly running out.

"Focus!" Joseph's voice, raw and hoarse, cut through the chaos. He held his ground beside Hina, forcing himself to steady his breath. "We still have a chance if we solve this riddle, but we need to think clearly."

Hina nodded, her gaze hardening with resolve. "We can't let their deaths be in vain," she murmured, gripping her weapon tighter as they prepared for the next confrontation.

Hina's face was grim, her body covered in cuts and bruises, but her eyes burned with determination. "We don’t have much time," she muttered under her breath, trying to keep her focus despite the chaos around her.

The monster, with his terrifying, multifaceted form, hovered just out of their reach, eyes glowing with amusement as he toyed with them. His voice boomed through the lair, mocking their struggle.

"Time is running out," he sneered, his tail flicking dangerously behind him. "Your second trial has become a game of life and death, and you are losing."

Joseph could feel the pressure mounting. The riddle was maddening. I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with the wind. What am I? The questions twisted in his mind like an impossible knot, but there had to be an answer. There always is, he thought, narrowing his eyes. He couldn’t let fear take hold—he had to trust in his instincts.

As the monster’s laughter reverberated through the chamber, Joseph’s thoughts began to sharpen. He muttered the riddle under his breath, turning the words over in his mind. It felt maddening, like a puzzle with no solution, until suddenly—**it clicked**.

Before he could speak, Hina, her eyes narrowed in concentration, voiced the answer, her voice steady with newfound clarity. "An echo," she whispered, more to herself than anyone else.

The monster’s head tilted slightly, as though considering her answer. Then, without warning, he let out a deep, resonant laugh that echoed through the cavern like a thunderclap.

"Correct," he rumbled, a trace of grudging respect in his voice. "You’ve done it."

Joseph exhaled, a surge of relief flooding him—but there was no time for celebration. The monster's grin stretched wider, his next words dripping with cold malice.

"Well done. But let’s see if you can answer the final riddle. If you do, you will live. If you fail... you die."

With that, the monster’s wings flared, their vast span casting ominous shadows across the walls. He began to circle them, like a predator savoring the moment before the kill. Joseph and Hina, battered and barely standing, found themselves gripped by a new wave of fear—now knowing that the true trial was just beginning.

"I am the gap within echoes, the stillness in movement. Unseen by the eye, untouched by the hand. I hold meaning in emptiness, strength in restraint. Though ever-present, the foolish rush past me unknowing."

The monster's voice was thick with malice. "Prove your answer, and you live. Fail, and you die."

With that, it launched itself into the air, the countdown ticking down, its form now a deadly blur as it prepared to attack once more.

As the monster circled them, it regarded Joseph and Hina with a dark, almost appreciative gaze, sensing they were the last survivors of their group. It seemed to savor the moment, as if the final challenge was not just a test, but a hunt. Then, without warning, it attacked.

Joseph and Hina fought back with all their remaining strength, combining their efforts to ward off the monster’s relentless onslaught. But it was too fast, too powerful. The monster’s wings sliced through the air like blades, and in a cruel flash, Joseph’s left arm was severed. As the blood poured from his wound, he began to regenerate, his arm slowly growing back with painful slowness.

"If I had my powers... I would have ended this long ago," Joseph muttered to himself, taking cover and skillfully dodging the monster's fiery breath. His body screamed for relief, but there was no time.

Hina, after a desperate moment of thought, blurted out an answer to the riddle—but it was unsatisfactory. The monster was merciless, and she barely escaped its furious strike with her life intact.

"Stillness. That’s the answer to the riddle!" Hina shouted, her voice full of urgency as she narrowly avoided death.

The monster, enraged, charged again, its fury building as the countdown reached its final moments. Joseph and Hina were now the only ones left standing, and Joseph’s arm was fully regenerated.

An idea struck Joseph, a memory of the riddle, Hina’s answer, and the monster’s hint. He turned to Hina, his voice firm despite the chaos around them.

"Be still. Don’t move. Don't make a sound."

At first, Hina hesitated, convinced that Joseph’s plan was madness. But in that moment, the pieces began to fall into place. She trusted him, even if his idea seemed insane. She nodded and obeyed, freezing in place, her breath shallow.

As the monster charged toward them with the speed of a predator, its wings slicing through the air like a storm, it suddenly stopped. The fury in its eyes deepened as it circled them, its gaze fixed on Joseph and Hina. The air was thick with anticipation, and the silence between them was palpable.

"How did you figure it out?" Hina asked, her voice barely a whisper, but filled with awe.

"Silence and stillness were the answers," Joseph replied, his eyes locked on the monster. "But they had to be proven, not just spoken."

Hina nodded, a quiet respect blooming between them. She had placed her trust—and her life—in Joseph’s hands, and now she understood why.

The monster, its wings still and its presence towering, seemed to recognize their determination. It descended toward them, the ground trembling beneath its weight. As it neared, the monster released a powerful gust of wind from its wings that threatened to drain them of what little stamina they had left. Yet, they stood firm, their resolve unshaken. The monster paused, sniffing the air around them as it circled once more, its eyes gleaming with a dark, knowing recognition.

There was a brief silence, a heartbeat of time where nothing moved, nothing was said.

The monster's voice broke the stillness.

"Approved," it rumbled, its tone deep and ominous. "That concludes my riddle. You both passed."

Joseph and Hina exchanged a look of quiet triumph, their bodies battered, their spirits worn, but they had survived.