Ethan stalked around the massive throne room, scanning every inch of cold stone and dusty
tapestry. His boots echoed with each step.
He dragged his fingers along the cracked walls, rapped his knuckles on suspicious panels, even
poked around behind shattered columns and fallen banners.
"C'mon, it has to be here…" he muttered. "In the game, there was definitely a hidden passage
behind this damn throne."
But after nearly an hour of searching, his hair hanging limp with sweat and dust, he'd found
nothing.
Finally, Ethan flopped down right beside the Lich's monstrous obsidian throne.
"Fuck this…" he sighed. "I'm gonna sit here a second before I go insane."
He leaned his head back against the stone seat, rubbing his eyes. His entire body felt bruised and
drained after fighting the Dullahan and the Lich back-to-back.
He shifted his weight to get more comfortable—and suddenly felt something hard pressing into
his hip.
"…The hell?"
Ethan fumbled under his ass, fingers brushing across a small, metallic lump in the floor.
With a faint click, the section of stone beneath him abruptly gave way.
"Wha—HEY, SHIT—!"
The floor vanished, and Ethan dropped like a stone into darkness.
He tumbled down a short chute and landed hard on a mossy floor. Dust rose around him.
[System Notification]
[Congratulations! You are the first player to discover the Hidden Dungeon: Abyss of Undying
Oaths.]
[Reward: +20% Increased Chance of Successful Undead Summons.]
Ethan wheezed, rolling onto his back, staring at the glowing blue text above him.
He wiped blood off his lips and croaked:
"…Well. That's… one way to find it."
He slowly got up, blinking away the dazzle from his system window. He glanced around the
chamber, feeling the sharp chill that seemed to emanate from the black stone walls. Thick, curling
mist rose around ancient sarcophagi and braziers burning with pale violet flames. Faint whispers
echoed through the cavern, like countless voices trapped between worlds.
A second notification appeared.
[System Notice]
[Dungeon Requirements: Minimum Level 150+ Recommended.]
[Caution: Entering combat at a lower level may result in permanent character death.]
Ethan stared at it, his grey eyes widening.
"Level… one-fifty?" he blurted. "Are you fucking kidding me?!"
He scratched the back of his head, exasperated.
"No way I'm stepping into this right now. That's basically suicide."
He glanced at the swirling shadows and the coffin-like structures that seemed to twitch as if
something were trying to claw out.
"Yeah. No thanks," he muttered, shuddering. "Not today, Satan."
He quickly opened his system window and slammed the Leave Dungeon option. A white glow
enveloped him, and with a faint swoosh of magic, he was whisked out of the hidden dungeon.
A moment later, Ethan appeared back outside the ancient ruins of the Lich's throne room.
He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.
"Holy shit… talk about hidden endgame content."
Without wasting another minute, Ethan jogged out of the dungeon entirely. His boots echoed
against the stone passages as he retraced his way back toward daylight.
Outside, the twilight sky was painted in streaks of purple and red as the sun began to set behind
jagged mountains.
Ethan wiped sweat from his brow.
"All right. One problem at a time," he muttered. "Let's go back to the Dark Mage Tower and wrap
this up."
A few hours later, Ethan climbed the winding staircase of the Dark Mage Tower, feeling more tired
than he'd ever admit. His clothes were ragged. His hair was stiff with dried blood and dust.
Yet his eyes glittered with fierce triumph.
As he entered the obsidian chamber, the Tower Master was waiting for him.
She leaned lazily against her throne-like chair, a dark smile tugging at her lips. Her eyes
glimmered like twin amethysts under the glow of the enchanted torches.
"Well… well… look who decided to return," she purred. "I was starting to think the Lich might
have kept you as a decorative corpse."
Ethan cracked a grin, though his shoulders slumped.
"Sorry to disappoint you," he said. "The Lich's skull's currently dust on the dungeon floor."
She gave a single, slow clap, the sound echoing through the silent chamber.
"Good job, kid. I had a feeling you'd make it," she said. "Not many have the spine—or the
madness—to go toe-to-toe with a Lich."
She rose from her chair, her long, obsidian robes trailing across the floor. In her hands appeared a
small object, glimmering faintly purple.
"Your reward," she said.
She stepped forward and pinned a dark, rune-inscribed badge to Ethan's cloak.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
[You have obtained: Emblem of the Nightbound.]
[Status: Official Member of the Dark Mage Tower]
[Unlocks Dark Mage Skill Tree]
[Grants passive bonus: +10% Dark Magic Power]
Ethan looked down at the badge, breath catching in his chest. A surge of pride and disbelief
washed over him.
"So… I'm officially a dark mage now," he murmured.
The Tower Master gave him a wicked grin.
"Indeed," she said. "Welcome to the Tower, Ethan Graves. Remember… your path is yours to
carve, but betray the Tower—and there won't be a soul left in the Empire who'll find your corpse."
Ethan chuckled dryly, though a bead of sweat rolled down his temple.
"Good to know…" he said.
She tilted her head. "So… what will you do next, boy?"
Ethan clenched his fists and grinned, eyes alive with determination.
"I'm gonna get stronger," he said. "Strong enough to walk into that hidden dungeon without
dying. And maybe… figure out why the hell this world keeps changing from what I knew."
The Tower Master's eyes sparkled with intrigue.
"I look forward to watching you try," she said softly.
Ethan bowed slightly, turned, and began making his way out of the tower.
As the heavy doors closed behind him, he whispered under his breath:
"All right… onto the next step."