The Outerverse bounty boards glowed with her kill feed. Every mercenary, hunter, and rogue crew worth their salt knew one name: Rose-Metal. Every name whispered across dimensions carried fear now.
She didn't care.
The next dungeon wasn't small. Not even close. It sprawled like a collapsing city floating over a void, streets broken, cracked, and suspended by magic and malice. Shadows clung to the edges, crawling like living smoke. She stepped through the portal like she owned it, boots clanging on broken asphalt, the hum of her cannon-leg vibrating with deadly anticipation.
Hunters were here. She could feel them, lingering, calculating, and desperate.
The First Challenge
They came in a wave, not fodder, not random mercs. Nutasi and Shinzoo were here with a rogue crew—three others, twisted hybrids of vampire, demon, and tech-warlock. All of them fully aware that Rose-Metal had already cleared every dungeon solo.
"You think you can waltz in and take the core without consequences?" Nutasi's violet chains rattled like serpents. Eyes narrowed, she flexed her claws, the dark energy coiling.
Rose-Metal's lips twisted into a grin, sharp and cruel. "Cute. Ten seconds to step aside before I turn you all into permanent XP."
Shinzoo cracked his knuckles. "I like her attitude. I'm going to enjoy this."
And with that, the hunters lunged. Energy bolts, shadow spikes, and flaming chains ripped toward her. Rose-Metal didn't flinch. She didn't dodge—they bounced harmlessly off her rose-metal plating.
Her cannon-leg spun, bullets tearing through a demon's shoulder, obsidian shard slicing through Shinzoo's flank. The crew didn't even reach her before the first body hit the ground.
[Kill Registered. Level +2]
Her amber eyes flicked, deadless, amused. "Pathetic."
Chaos Unleashed
Nutasi screamed, chains lashing out, but Rose-Metal had already activated Abyssal Surge. Shadows of the dungeon twisted to her will, claws and shards materializing from thin air. She tore through attackers with surgical precision, each strike leveling her further, each kill feeding her limitless stamina and magic.
The dungeon recognized her power. Walls shifted, corridors twisting, creatures adapting—but none survived her.
One hunter, a vampire marksman, fired a barrage of silver bullets. Rose-Metal spun, cannon-leg spinning, deflecting the shots. A casual swipe of her blade shredded the vampire mid-air. Blood mixed with neon dust as she landed, grinning.
[Kill Registered. Level +3]
[Level Up. Reflex +2, Strength +1, Magic Power +3]
The rogue crew screamed in unison as their companions fell.
"Anyone else?" she taunted, licking blood off her knuckles. "No? Thought so."
Dungeon Core Approaches
Beyond the carnage, the dungeon core pulsed, a black orb filled with imprisoned screams and raw power. Every hunter alive wanted it, but none were left standing. Her rose-metal veins throbbed with anticipation.
She stepped closer, and the core reacted, energy slamming into her like a tidal wave. Amber eyes glowed brighter. Her cannon-leg fired uncontrollably, each shot slicing through the illusions and traps the dungeon sent at her.
[Kill Registered. Level +10 — Core Minions]
[Dungeon Core Cleared. Level +20]
Her laughter rang hollow and sharp, cutting across the void. The dungeon shivered beneath her dominance. Her plating shimmered, rose-metal glinting in the dark light, veins pulsating, aura radiating danger.
Reinforcements Arrive
Then they came—the hunters who had been tracking her for weeks. Thousands of miles away, they were already entering portals into the dungeon. Nutasi and Shinzoo, barely wounded, regrouped with reinforcements: a half-demon brute, a shadow witch, and a cybernetic assassin.
Rose-Metal paused mid-step, amber eyes flicking to them. Deadless, cruel, amused. "Finally… someone worth my time."
The shadow witch fired chains of violet energy, but Rose-Metal rolled, bullets flying from her cannon-leg in response, tearing the chains apart mid-flight.
The half-demon brute charged, claws molten-hot, smashing the floor, shattering corridors. Rose-Metal leapt, flipping through the air, blade slashing, cannon firing—leveling with every swing.
[Kill Registered. Level +5]
[Kill Registered. Level +5]
She moved like a hurricane, unstoppable. Limbs blurred, bullets slicing shadows in half, shards tearing through armor and bone alike. Her laughter, cruel and sharp, echoed across the dungeon.
Cliffhanger Ending
The last of the reinforcements fell, screaming, their magic and technology useless against her rose-metal might. Amber eyes scanned the darkness.
"The real fun begins," she whispered.
Somewhere, far beyond the dungeon, the multiverse watched. Rankings updated, bounties surged, and rumors of a zombie warlock queen rippling through dimensions sent hunters scrambling.
Rose-Metal stepped toward the glowing core. Her cannon-leg hummed. Her obsidian blade shimmered. Veins of rose-metal pulsed crimson.
"Level up. Kill. Repeat. Destroy anything that disrespects me."
The dungeon trembled. The Outerverse would remember her name.
Level: 100+
Infinite progression unlocked.