Ethan couldn't tell how much time had passed since he'd crossed the portal.
Inside this place, the sky never changed. Always the same sickly red, the same black clouds swirling like smoke, the same stench of scorched iron in the air. It was like being trapped inside a painting that refused to age.
The dungeon didn't follow the flow of time from the real world—he knew that much. But whether it had been hours, days… or weeks, he couldn't say.
The cycle was always the same:
Advance.
Fight until his muscles burned.
Listen to the heavy silence when the Reapers stopped coming.
Use the pause to rest, eat a little, sometimes sleep.
Then start again.
Now, he stood before what looked like the final gate. A black stone arch, studded with symbols that pulsed slowly in crimson and violet, like a heart on the verge of bursting. From beyond, came the low, distant sound of something breathing—slow, deep… and menacing.
But Ethan wasn't in a hurry.
A few meters from the gate, he'd set up a small improvised camp. A chunk of concrete served as a bench, while a controlled fire crackled beside him, heating an open can over a dented pot. It was the last decent meal in his supplies.
As he chewed slowly, he opened the System panel.
🌀 [SHADOW ADAPTATION SYSTEM — ACTIVE]
· Level: 17
· (Daily missions completed: 32 consecutive days)
· Species: Human
· Class: None
Attributes:
• Strength: 40
• Constitution: 40
• Agility: 50
• Intellect: 20
• Perception: 40
Physical Condition: Stable
HP: 400 / 400
MP: 200
Fatigue: 15 / 100
✨ Available Points: 0
Next Level Bonus: New skill unlocked at Level 20
Skills:
[Ruler's Authority] — Manipulate physical objects without contact, with a range of up to 20 meters and strength proportional to the Intellect attribute.
[Shadow Regeneration interrupted: passive will reactivate once the user enters suspension mode. Recommended: sleep.]
He closed the interface with a quiet sigh.
He was stronger. Far stronger than when he'd first arrived here.
His attributes had grown faster than ever, and the new skill
—Ruler's Authority—opened possibilities he'd never imagined before.
But when his eyes drifted to his armor, he saw the cost.
The left shoulder plate was gone.
The right leg had been without armor since the last fight.
The helmet's visor was so scratched he almost preferred fighting without it.
It was as if every battle tore away a piece of him—not just of the armor, but of the strength that kept him standing.
The supply kit was nearly empty.
Two energy bars.
A canteen and a half of water.
A few clean bandages for makeshift dressing.
If the Boss didn't fall soon… there might be nothing left to keep him going.
He leaned back against the slab of concrete, closing his eyes for a few seconds.
And inevitably, his mind wandered far from here.
To the living room of the penthouse, where his mother, Elena, would sit with a cup of tea, always asking if he'd been eating well.
To the laugh of his little sister, whom he hadn't seen since before coming to Gotham.
To Nate—probably still buried under ValeTech paperwork, pretending not to worry but worrying all the same.
A knot tightened in his throat.
Had it been the right choice to come here?
The dungeon hadn't given him a single item so far.
The experience gain was good—but nothing compared to facing enemies in the real world.
Still… here he could fight without holding back.
Without the fear of killing.
It was freedom.
Freedom with a steep price.
He opened his eyes, staring at the gate.
His shadow danced in the firelight, seeming larger than the man himself.
"One more step and this ends…" he murmured to himself. "Then I go home. Spend a few days with my family. Far from Gotham. Far from all of this."
He wanted to hear his mother's voice without rushing.
To see his sister come back from school.
To tease Nate—just to see that grumpy reaction.
But before that…
There was something behind that gate that needed to die.