Min-ho walked home, his mind caught on the memory of the white dungeon. I've never heard of a place like that… not a single mention on the internet either.
The questions gnawed at him. Why had it appeared in his room? Why had it vanished without warning?
By the time he reached home, his mother was still out working. He slipped into his room, shutting the door behind him.
Sitting down, he replayed every detail. The white void. The silence. The endless emptiness. His mind circled back to one thing the moment it appeared. He had been meditating, filled with nothing but the will to become stronger.
Was that it?
Taking a steady breath, Min-ho closed his eyes and focused. His mind sharpened, his determination hardened.
And then…
The dungeon gate shimmered into existence before him once again.
Min-ho's eyes widened in shock.
It actually worked…
Without hesitation, he stepped through the gate and found himself once again surrounded by endless white. He walked, searching, but nothing appeared—no monsters, no landmarks, only silence.
His thoughts spun.
If time really moves differently here… then I'll grow older while barely any time passes outside.
He clenched his fists, still unsure.
Why does it open when I meditate? Is it my will to become strong? Or something else?
Confusion weighed on him, but one thing was clear this "white dungeon" was no ordinary place.
Min-ho sat cross-legged, eyes closed, trying to calm his mind.
If this place reacts to me… then maybe meditation will show me something.
Minutes passed in silence, until a memory rose—clear and sharp.
Years ago, when he was still a boy, a dungeon break had torn through his city. Goblins. He still remembered their twisted faces, their screams. And worse—the Goblin King that had led them.
The moment he thought of it, the white space rippled.
And then… a goblin appeared. Its shrill growl echoed unnaturally in the emptiness.
Behind it, towering and grim, a Goblin King emerged.
Min-ho's body stiffened. His heart pounded so fast it hurt.
The fear that gripped him now was even worse than when he first faced the Red Tiger. His hands shook. His breath caught.
The goblin screeched and lunged. Instinct saved him—Min-ho rolled aside just in time.
Too close…!
He twisted and kicked, his heel slamming into the goblin's face. The monster staggered back, dazed.
Min-ho charged, fists clenched. With no weapon, he could only rely on his bare hands. Punch after punch landed until the goblin collapsed, its body fading into nothingness.
Panting, Min-ho stared at his bloodied knuckles.
"I… I killed it."
But then his gaze shifted.
The Goblin King still stood there, silent and watching, its eyes glowing faintly in the endless white.