"Status: 13% integrity. Mana at 42%... We don't have much time."
Gareth's voice cracked through the comms, panic laced in his tone. Blood spattered across his left cheek, his shield arm barely holding up against the relentless gnashing of a fangbeast.
"I know!" I shouted back, slicing down another charging lizard with my halberd. Its screech echoed through the cavern.
This wasn't supposed to happen. The dungeon was classified B-Rank—manageable, routine. But something changed the moment we entered the third layer. The atmosphere turned heavy. The monsters? Smarter. Stronger. Coordinated.
Almost as if something was watching us.
Now half our party was down, and the escape portal was cracking open our only ticket out.
But I couldn't move.
Not yet.
"Souta, the gate's open!" Freya cried, gripping my arm. "You have to go!"
My name's Souta Kael, twenty-one, formerly a C-rank hunter who recently scraped his way up to B-rank. Not special. Not remarkable. But dangerously curious.
And something deep in the dungeon... was calling me.
We limped toward the gate. Gareth was bleeding from his leg, Freya supporting him. Behind us, the stone chamber groaned, as if shifting. Mana pulsed beneath our feet. The gate flared brighter.
"I'll hold them back just go!" I shouted.
Freya turned. "What?! Are you insane?!"
"Probably." I grinned. "Just give me three minutes. I need to see what's deeper."
"You'll die!"
Maybe...
But that's the thing about curiosity. It burns louder than fear.
***
I descended alone.
The air grew colder. The torchlight dimmed. Runes crawled across the dungeon walls—ancient script humming with dark magic.
Then, I saw it.
A throne. Obsidian and bone.
And sitting on it
A demon.
No, not just a demon.
An S-Rank Monarch class.
Two horns curled from its skull. Crimson wings folded behind it like a cloak of death. Its eyes... were galaxies of hate.
So… a maggot crawls into the nest, it spoke, voice like rusted blades.
———~Ω~———
Name: Belrath, The Final Sin.
Level: ???
Threat Rating: S-Rank (Confirmed by System)
Win Probability: 0.000001%
—————————
I blinked. "…Cool."
I should run.
I didn't.
Instead I gripped my halberd tighter.
"Alright, Belrath," I whispered. "Let's dance."
FIGHT INITIATED
Belrath raised a claw. The space bent. I rolled sideways just in time as a spear of black lightning stabbed into the floor behind me. I launched forward, closing the distance.
WHAM!
My halberd struck his chest
Clang!
No damage. Not even a scratch.
Belrath smirked. Insects shouldn't dream.
He vanished.
A chill clawed my spine. Behind me!
I spun—too slow.
CRACK!
A fist like stone slammed into my ribs. Bones shattered. My body was sent flying like a ragdoll, smashing through a pillar.
I coughed blood. My arm twisted the wrong way. I couldn't breathe.
Still...
Still...
I stood up.
Belrath tilted his head. "Why?"
"Because…" I wheezed, "...I wanted to see what was at the end."
"Fool."
He opened his palm.
Hellflame Burst.
The fire was black. It consumed light itself.
It hit me square in the chest.
I screamed.
My flesh burned. My heart stopped.
Everything ended
***
[You died.]
[Unique Trait Activated: CURSED CURIOSITY]
[You have been selected for Rebirth.]
[Transferring Soul to: Alternate World – Nythra]
[Class Assigned: SSS-Rank — Hunter of the Boundless Path]
Darkness.
Then—air. Crisp and cold.
I opened my eyes.
Sky. Stars. A blood moon above.
I was lying in a field of silver grass, surrounded by ruins.
Alive.
Breathing.
And glowing.
"…What the hell…"
I sat up. My body was leaner. Stronger. My senses sharper than I ever remembered.
A screen blinked into view before me:
Welcome,
———~Ω~———
SYSTEM
Hunter of the Boundless Path.
You are no longer bound by limits.
Curiosity brought you here. Let it lead you to greater things...
~MISSIONS~
New Objective: Slay the Demon Lords of Nythra
System Binding: Complete.
—————————
I stood, heart pounding.
This world... it felt alive. Raw. And dangerous.
But I had no fear.
TO BE CONTINUED...