[Gotham – Two Weeks Later]
Time had slipped through his fingers.
Since arriving in Gotham, Ethan had split his days between ValeTech meetings and nightly patrols through the city's zones. The routine was harsh but disciplined. He followed a strict protocol: only moving into action when the radio confirmed Batman's presence in another part of the city. Outside of that, he intervened only in cases of absolute emergency.
He had never killed anyone. Ethan was following the Bat's moral code, hoping it would keep him out of conflict with the Batfamily and other heroes.
But the rule restrained him — his daily reward progression was slow, exhausting, almost frustrating.
Finally, he had reached Level 10.
And with it, something changed.
Upon leveling up, the System unlocked a new feature:
🌀 [Shadow Inventory – Active]
Ethan instinctively raised his palm, holding his helmet, and in the same instant, the inventory swallowed it — storing it almost instantly.
"This will save me a lot of time…"
But that wasn't all.
Inside the inventory… a new item appeared in his interface.
A golden key, wreathed in violet particles, floated in the center of the screen.
Special Item:Rift Key
Allows access to a dungeon within the multiverse, connected to other worlds that coexist with the fabric of reality.
Ethan thought about that digital key for days.
Waiting. Calculating. Planning.
He wanted to fulfill his company obligations first.
Make sure his absence wouldn't leave loose ends.
And most importantly — protect his family from unnecessary worry.
On that gray morning, he finally made his decision.
[Later – Vale Tower, Family Penthouse]
Ethan had prepared everything.
That morning, he'd called his mother, his voice calm and sincere. He told her he was taking a few days off to go hiking in the mountains far from Gotham — far from buildings, cars, and crowds. Reconnecting with nature, he said, was something he'd always wanted to do but never had the courage for.
Elena found it strange, but she accepted it. Ethan had been so responsible in recent weeks that she didn't press further.
He needed that trust.
After that, he went to find Abel.
The butler was in the kitchen, as always, with his impeccable composure.
"Abel," Ethan said, adjusting his shoes, "I'll be away for a few days. I've wrapped up everything with the branch office. Need to clear my head a bit. Too much city air gets suffocating, you know?"
Abel arched an eyebrow but nodded slightly.
"Any particular destination, young master?"
"Somewhere remote, near the Brookpine range. I'm going hiking and camping for a few days. I've already spoken to my mother about it. You can let the company know I'll be unavailable until Monday."
The butler studied him for a moment. His eyes carried far too much experience to make quick judgments.
"As you wish, young master Ethan," Abel replied with a small bow. "I'll record your absence as personal leave."
Ethan gave a brief smile in thanks.
He trusted Abel — but not enough to tell him what was coming next.
[Later – Vale Tower Building, Underground Garage]
The backpack was packed, ready to be stored in the inventory.
Not just clothes, but essentials.
Using the newly unlocked Shadow Inventory, Ethan stored energy bars, water, packs of dehydrated food, a few tools, and spare clothes.
In the underground garage, he chose one of the fleet's cars — discreet, fast, with no active tracking.
When he turned the key, he took a deep breath.
On the seat beside him rested the high-frequency radio tuned to Gotham's police band.
But this time… he wouldn't be using it.
This time, there would be no patrols.
No thieves. No screams. No sirens.
A dungeon was waiting for him.
The trail toward the Brookpine mountains seemed ordinary enough. Thick trees, oppressive silence, a wet dirt road winding between moss-covered rocks. Ethan drove unhurried, the overcast sky reflecting on the windshield. The police radio was off. For the first time in weeks, he wasn't a vigilante.
hours later
He parked in a discreet spot, near an abandoned lookout point.
The air here was heavier, colder than expected.
The kind of place where the world seemed to waver between the real and the unreal.
And then… he summoned it.
The Key.
Red lightning crackled within it, energy pulsing like it was guiding him.
Ethan took a deep breath, stored his backpack in the inventory, eyes fixed on the system screen — then, one after another, summoned his plated armor. He didn't know if he'd be facing men or monsters, but this protection was better than none.
🗝 Use Rift Key?
Warning: The Multiversal Dungeon is an interdimensional space. Time flow may differ from the real world. Ensure you are prepared.
He confirmed.
The key spun in the air, shattering into streams of red and purple energy, merging into a liquid mirror before him — lightning flared, a blue flash tore the air open, and a pulsing circle formed.
Ethan hesitated for only a second.
Then stepped forward.
The impact was instant.
The ground was littered with abandoned cars, shattered streets, and fire spewing from fissures. Towering stone walls were carved with inscriptions he couldn't read. Red lightning slashed across the sky above a ruined city, as if hell itself had erupted in the middle of a gothic metropolis.
In the distance, bells tolled — vibrating through the air.
The system flashed.
Rift Dungeon – Floor 1 – Initial Sector DMC (Devil May Cry)
Type: Infernal Hunt
Objective: Eliminate all enemies and defeat the Boss.
Reward: ???
Recommended Level: 12+
"So this is what Ashborn meant about all fiction…" Ethan muttered, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
He took three steps forward… and the shadows began to move.
From the cracked walls and shattered buildings, the first enemies emerged — hooded, pale, skeletal. Demons wielding massive scythes, their bodies the very embodiment of Death given form.
"Reapers… I remember you from the games," he said, his voice edged with hesitation.
They moved in blurs — faster than anything Ethan had faced before. Their speed made the mutant moth insects seem sluggish.
Ethan darted sideways just as one scythe carved through the space he'd been standing in. The impact tore a deep gash into the ground, sending chunks of debris flying.
Without pause, he twisted midair, landed light on his feet, then burst forward — his boots ripping the earth as he accelerated with amplified force.
The second demon intercepted, swinging a lateral cut — but Ethan ducked low, sliding forward, asphalt screaming beneath his armored boots until he closed the gap.
BOOM!
His fist drove into the demon's gut with every ounce of stored power from the past weeks. The creature was hurled seven meters backward, smashing into a wall and vanishing instantly, as if made of sand.
XP gained: 100 points
"What…?"
It wasn't what he'd expected. The creatures were far stronger than the mutant moths — yet gave not even a tenth of the XP.
But this wasn't the time to think. The rest were closing in.
A metallic scrape echoed behind him.
Five more Reapers materialized from the shadows — two emerging from inside charred cars, three leaping from broken rooftops like predators descending on prey.
Ethan didn't wait.
He ripped a steel bar jutting from a wrecked car and hurled it like a spear.
WHOOSH! CRACK!
The shaft punched through the skull of the first demon midair, pinning it to a wall. It writhed before crumbling to dust.
Two Reapers attacked in sync, one from each side. Ethan bent his knees and launched into a full sprint, the asphalt cracking under his start.
VUUUUSH!
Their scythes cut only empty air.
He vaulted over them, twisting midair before coming down like a missile on the left one — the impact smashing its shoulder and sending it flying into a nearby building.
No time for the second. As it raised its scythe for a strike, Ethan unleashed a barrage of punches into its midsection, driving it backward into a neon sign. Sparks burst as the creature was electrocuted, then dissolved into dust.
The third and fourth Reaper were already on him.
The first brought its blade down with brutal force. Ethan crossed his reinforced forearms and blocked — the sheer impact sliding him back, cracking the asphalt beneath his feet. The steel plates were holding… barely.
"Damn… can't block that directly again…"
Exploding into a diagonal dash, he baited the fourth Reaper into swinging wide. The blade cut empty space. Ethan slammed his boot into its knee, toppling it sideways, then finished with a spinning punch that shattered its skull into a cloud of shadows.
The last one tried to retreat.
Ethan didn't let it.
He sprinted, ran up the wall of a building for four steps, then launched himself like a living arrow — coming down with a flaming fist into the demon's chest.
BOOM!
The body burst into a shower of ash and cinders.
Silence.
Ethan straightened slowly, breathing hard, his fist still clenched as the system chimed:
[EXP +600]
LEVEL UP!
[Current Level: 11]
[Dungeon Progress: 6% Complete]
Again… only 100 XP per kill.
There was only one conclusion — killing in his own world gave far more experience than the dungeon. The advantage here was that he didn't have to hold back… and the number of enemies seemed to be increasing.
And that was exactly what happened.
Ethan barely had time to catch his breath.
The sound came first — claws scraping stone, steel grinding against concrete, glass shattering, bodies moving at impossible speed.
More Reapers.
This time… not five.
Ten.
They emerged like a tidal wave of living shadow, leaping from rooftops, crawling out of fissures in the buildings, dragging scythes across the ground as they advanced in formation — circling him like starving wolves.
"You bastards…" he growled with a sharp grin. "So you're just gonna keep upping your numbers, huh?"
The first came like a bullet, spinning its scythe overhead. Ethan ducked, swept low, and cut its legs out from under it — but another was already on top of him.
WHAM!
He twisted just in time to avoid the blade, but the scythe's shaft smashed into his flank. The armor took most of the hit, but the pain rattled his ribs.
Before he could recover, two more flanked him. One thrust the scythe's handle like a spear, stabbing him in the back, while the other launched into the air, both boots slamming into his chest with bone-cracking force.
CRASH!
He flew backward, smashing through the windshield of an overturned car. Glass exploded around him, mixing with the metallic hiss of the creatures closing in.
Ethan coughed, gasping for breath, rising from the wreck. His visor was cracked, the right shoulder plate of his armor split open, exposing the black shirt beneath.
"Shit…" he spat blood. "Now you're coming at me for real."
A Reaper descended from above. Ethan saw it coming.
He sprang from the wreckage, caught the demon midair by the throat, and spun — using the creature's body as a shield just as another swung its scythe toward him.
CLANK!
The blade tore clean through the demon's torso, which dissolved into black smoke.
Landing hard, Ethan rolled aside, narrowly avoiding another slash from behind. He flipped backward over the attacker, landing behind it.
POW! POW! POW!
Three rapid punches — the Reaper crumbled into dust.
But the swarm didn't stop. They didn't hesitate.
And now… neither did he.
BOOM!
He launched himself forward, using the demons themselves as stepping stones. His boot crushed the shoulder of one as he vaulted, twisting midair — both feet slamming into another's face, snapping its neck before it burst into cinders.
He spun, his heel catching the jaw of the next one in a sharp roundhouse. Its head twisted nearly 180 degrees before exploding into ash.
Behind him, a scythe sliced through the air.
He turned at the last second — the blade grazing his ribs, cutting through part of his armor. A thin line of blood trickled down his side, the sting sharp… but ignored.
Ethan closed in on the attacker, gripped the scythe's shaft with both hands, and with a guttural roar, hurled the demon into a burning car — the twisted metal impaling it before the flames consumed it whole.
Another charged straight at him. A mistake. It didn't even have time to react before Ethan's hand clamped over its skull and slammed it into the asphalt in one brutal motion.
SPLAT!
Silence… for less than ten seconds.
Another ten shapes emerged down the ruined street, their silhouettes pacing like predators in the dark, closing in once again.
Ethan wiped the blood and sweat from his face… then started running straight toward them.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
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