Entering the dungeon
The wind howled through the ravine as dusk fell over the jagged mountains. Twisted, poisonous trees swayed with the breeze, their blackened branches reaching toward the darkening sky like skeletal fingers. A heavy miasma hung in the air—thick, cloying, almost sentient.
And there, nestled between two towering cliffs, stood an ancient gate carved from obsidian stone. Coiling serpents were etched into its surface, their eyes set with faded emeralds, and their mouths agape as if ready to devour any who dared enter. Runes—long lost to time—glowed faintly along its arch.
It was beautiful.
It was terrifying.
It was the Gate of Venom and Secrets.
Before it stood five figures.
One girl.
Four boys.
Each carried with them power, purpose… and wounds they didn't yet understand.
Jullian glanced up at the gate with a furrowed brow. "Hey Arthur… what if we get injured in there? We don't have a healer with us."
Nyssara, arms crossed and eyes gleaming with confidence, stepped forward. "Don't worry. I know how to cast healing magic. I'm not just a swordswoman."
Jullian looked mildly surprised. "You're… quite talented."
"I know," she replied with a smirk.
Saryn Halaric Bhumari checked the sleek black sidearm holstered at his hip. "Don't worry about long-range support," he said. "I'll cover us."
He flicked his wrist, and the mana gun spun smoothly into his hand, glowing faintly with embedded runes.
Nyx blinked. "You use a gun?"
Saryn nodded, loading the chamber with fluid precision. "Guns are useful… if you have the right kind of bullets."
Inside Arthur's mind, Elaris stirred.
"That's a Soul Weapon. Like your Ashbreaker. But its mechanism is unique—connected directly to his spatial ring. He stores custom-made bullets there. Different elements, effects, purposes."
Arthur narrowed his eyes slightly, intrigued.
Show me his status, he commanded silently.
A glowing screen materialized in his vision.
⸻
[Status — Saryn Halaric Bhumari]
Rank: Beginner Stage 2
Core: Crystal Core
Class: Martial Artist
Elemental Affinities: Vector(Locked)
Unique Skill:
→ Precise Calculation – Allows real-time combat calculations, predicts enemy weak points and optimal movement patterns. Warning: Using it more than 5 times in succession may cause mental collapse.
Legendary Skill: 1 (15% Mastery)
S-Rank Skills: 2 (45% Mastery)
A-Rank Skills: 8 (3 mastered, 5 at 70%)
Other Skills: Multiple (Fully Mastered)
Background: Crown Prince of the Bhumari Empire. Though heir by blood, his father rejects him. His political faction plots his death. Sought sanctuary in Erinoguard under the protection of the Dragon Emperor. Recently received an offer to become the personal disciple of the Fist Lord.
⸻
Arthur's eyes lingered on the screen.
"He's stronger than Jullian," he said mentally.
"Indeed," Elaris replied. "And if his rank ever matches yours… with that unique skill, he could fight you on equal terms. That's how dangerous his mind is."
Arthur nodded slowly.
He's valuable. And he knows what it's like to be discarded.
Just like Nyx.
Just like Jullian, beneath the smile.
Just like all of them.
They don't need blind loyalty… not yet.
He made his decision.
"Once they consume the divine essence," Arthur thought, "they'll advance to the Minor Stage. That's the first gift I'll give them."
"Are you sure?" Elaris asked. "You're giving up something priceless—something that could tip the balance of entire nations. Just like that?"
Arthur didn't hesitate.
"Yes. It's necessary. Loyalty earned through fear or desperation fades. But gifts? Trust? Power freely given… That breeds something more enduring."
He stepped forward, lifting his hand to the massive gate. His voice was calm. Controlled.
"From this point forward," Arthur said, "everything changes."
The runes flared to life as the gate slowly groaned open.
Behind him, the four others followed.
Jullian, gripping his blade with quiet resolve.
Nyssara, eyes sharp, heart steadied.
Saryn, calm as a silent gunshot waiting to be fired.
Nyx, standing straighter now—still cursed, but no longer shattered.
Arthur turned to Nyx.
"Nyx, come here."
Nyx frowned, confused, but approached. "What is it?"
Arthur stared at the ancient gate, his eyes unreadable. "You know the story behind this place?"
Nyx shook his head. "No. Why? What's the matter?"
Arthur exhaled, eyes still fixed on the gate. "It's important. It's about your father."
Nyx froze. "My… father?"
Arthur nodded. "Yes. This dungeon… was first discovered by him when he was a student here at Erinoguard."
Nyx's expression contorted in disbelief. "My father… was in Erinoguard? He was part of this academy?"
"He was one of the millions of geniuses selected during that era. He and his party were recruited by the Angel Guild. But later, the guild announced them as dead."
"That much I know," Nyx muttered, voice tight. "They said he died on a mission. That his body was never recovered."
Jullian stepped in, arms crossed. "Okay, but what does any of this have to do with us now?"
Arthur's gaze didn't waver. "Because your father left something here. A mechanism, bound by blood. This gate—" he gestured toward the ancient stone barrier, "—it only opens for an Akers. The blood of his blood."
Nyx stared, caught between anger and awe. "How do you know all this?"
"I can't tell you the exact reason," Arthur said calmly. "But just understand this—the one who told me… is someone far greater than you can imagine. A being even the heavens would kneel to."
Silence fell.
Then Arthur spoke again. "Drop your blood on the gate."
Nyx hesitated only a second, then nodded. He stepped forward, unsheathing a small knife from his belt. With a swift slice across his palm, crimson droplets spilled onto the cold stone.
The reaction was immediate.
The serpentine carvings along the gate began to shift—literally moving as though alive. The snakes slithered across the stone surface, eyes glowing with eerie green light, wrapping around each other until a new sigil emerged in their coils.
A pulse echoed from deep within.
The gate groaned, the sound ancient and otherworldly. Dust and poison mist rolled out as it slowly parted, revealing darkness beyond.
Then—
HISSSSSS—
A wave of vipers burst from the shadows—hundreds, perhaps thousands. Their eyes burned with venom. Their fangs glistened in the dark.
Arthur's expression didn't shift. "Saryn!"
"On it," Saryn replied without emotion.
He spun the chamber of his mana gun. Click. Click. Click. Then—
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Every shot split through a serpent's skull with surgical precision. One. Two. Five. Ten. They dropped like puppets with severed strings.
Saryn's calm, mechanical rhythm never faltered.
But Saryn wasn't alone.
"Move," Nyx muttered.
And then he vanished.
One second, he was beside Arthur. The next—he was among the vipers. His katana sang a deadly lullaby, carving arcs of silver light faster than the human eye could follow.
Flash. Flash. Flash.
Every strike decapitated. Every step was a blur. Within seconds, a mountain of serpent corpses lay at his feet.
A heavy silence fell once more.
Venom dripped to the stone, the only sound in the aftermath.
Arthur nodded. "Saryn, take rear. Nyssara in the middle. Jullian and Nyx—front guard. I'll move in the center."
"Understood," said Nyssara, stepping lightly forward. A faint glow of protective light shimmered on her palms.
Jullian tightened the grip on his spear. "This dungeon's starting strong."
"Too strong," Saryn muttered. "We're not dealing with some random ruin. This place was engineered."
Arthur didn't disagree.
He looked at Nyx. "Your father built more than traps. He left trials. That means you're not just here to survive… you're here to uncover a legacy."
Nyx looked away, hiding the storm of emotion in his eyes.
The group began to move.
Each step into the dungeon was like stepping into a buried memory—ancient stone, whispering trees, and shadows that watched.
And Arthur, walking in the eye of the storm, allowed a faint smirk to curl at his lips.
"Let's begin."