The dungeon stank of wet stone, iron, and something bitter, like meat left out to rot in summer heat. Ethan's sneakers slapped against the slick floor as he stumbled backward, barely dodging a crooked dagger aimed at his chest. The goblin's screech split his ears, too high-pitched, too hungry.
"God, you guys really need breath mints," Ethan muttered, shifting sideways. The dagger glanced past his ribs, cutting cloth instead of skin. He jammed the shard of broken rock he'd scavenged earlier into the creature's throat, twisting until it convulsed and dropped.
Its corpse twitched on the ground. The air shimmered faintly, as though invisible code ran beneath reality. The System pinged in his vision.
[Synchronization: 83%]
Ethan bent over, catching his breath, his heart hammering in his ears. Sweat stung his eyes, sliding down into his collar. His hands trembled—not from fear exactly, but from how close he'd been. Too close.
"This… isn't like sparring in the backyard," he muttered. "This is bleeding real."
The goblins didn't wait. Two more darted forward, eyes gleaming sickly yellow in the half-dark. Ethan forced himself upright, adjusting his grip on the rock shard. His brain screamed run, but he moved into them instead, a Stark grin curling his lips despite the adrenaline storm in his veins.
If I panic, I die. If I crack a joke, I might at least die funny.
The first goblin lunged, dagger overhead. Ethan ducked under the sloppy swing, slammed his shoulder into its ribs, and drove it into the wall. Bone snapped under impact. Before it could screech, Ethan shoved the shard up through its chin. Warm blood sprayed across his cheek.
The second slashed at him from behind. He twisted, too slow—steel kissed across his side. Pain exploded, white-hot. Ethan hissed through his teeth, stumbling.
"Okay," he groaned, pressing his palm to the shallow cut. "That one's gonna ruin this shirt. Do you little bastards even know how much dry cleaning costs in Manhattan?"
His laugh came out ragged, but it steadied his hands. He feinted left, baiting the goblin into overextending, then rammed his knee into its gut. As it folded, he ripped the dagger from its claw and buried it back into its chest.
[Synchronization: 92%]
The notification blinked. Ethan's lips quirked despite the ache in his side. Come on. Finish syncing already. I can't keep winning knife fights with glorified sewer gremlins.
The air grew colder. A pressure pushed against his chest, heavy, suffocating. Something in the stone around him groaned, like the dungeon itself had inhaled.
Then the System window filled his vision.
[System Synchronization Complete.][All restrictions lifted.][Skill: Arise unlocked.]
Ethan's breath hitched. His fingers twitched at his side. He'd waited for this moment—for the shadows to finally answer his call again. The memories of Jin-Woo surged up unbidden: armies of black soldiers kneeling in oceans of darkness.
But this wasn't that. Not yet.
The shadows at his feet flickered, stretched, then stilled.
"Figures," Ethan muttered. "Even my supernatural powers make me work for it."
The dungeon's silence shattered with a guttural roar. From deeper inside the chamber, a larger figure emerged, armor scraped together from bone and rusted steel. A goblin—but bulkier, taller, nearly Ethan's height. Its eyes glowed an unnatural red.
"Ah. Great. Mini-boss," Ethan said, dagger slick with blood in his hand. "And here I was hoping for a coffee break."
The armored goblin charged. Ethan leapt aside, barely avoiding a cleaver-like blade that slammed into the ground, sending chips of stone flying. The vibration rattled his teeth.
His mind raced. Too strong to brute force. Gotta be smarter.
The goblin swung again. Ethan ducked, letting the blade scrape sparks across the wall. He slashed the dagger across its thigh, drawing greenish blood. The thing bellowed, swatting him back with the flat of its blade. Pain flared across his ribs as he tumbled across the floor, skidding on damp stone.
Get up. Get up.
His body screamed to stay down, but he rolled as the cleaver came down again, cracking the ground where he'd been lying.
"This is—" He coughed blood, spat it out. "—exactly how Batman must feel every night. Except with less money and more stabbing."
The goblin pressed forward, relentless. Ethan's muscles trembled, his lungs burned, but he forced himself to keep moving. He baited the creature into overcommitting again, letting it swing wide. Then he darted in, stabbing deep into its armpit where the makeshift armor didn't cover.
The creature screeched, staggering back. Its blade clattered to the floor. Ethan ripped his dagger free and slashed again across its throat. Green blood sprayed across the stone.
The goblin champion gurgled, clutching its neck, and finally collapsed.
Ethan leaned on his knees, gasping for air. His body shook, not just from exhaustion but from adrenaline burning out of his veins.
Then the System whispered.
[Prove yourself worthy.][Use Skill: Arise.]
Ethan's eyes widened. He stumbled to the corpse, staring at its shadow sprawled across the floor. It wavered unnaturally, curling at the edges like smoke.
"Arise," Ethan whispered. His voice cracked, raw.
For a heartbeat, nothing happened. His stomach clenched. Don't fail me now—
The shadow rippled. From it, black mist poured upward, coalescing into a familiar silhouette. A knight clad in shadow-forged armor, tattered cape billowing in phantom wind. A greatsword shimmered in his hand, though smaller, less imposing than Ethan remembered.
The figure dropped to one knee before him.
"My liege," came the voice, deep and resonant, though strained, as if reborn through broken glass. "We meet again."
Ethan's throat tightened. He almost laughed, almost cried. "Igris… You stubborn son of a bitch. You came back."
The knight bowed lower. "At your command."
Ethan wiped blood from his lip, smirking despite the throbbing pain in his ribs. He turned as the dungeon floor trembled, more roars echoing from the darkness beyond.
"Well," he muttered, straightening. "Good timing. Because this fairy tale? About to get a lot uglier."
Status Window
Name: Ethan StarkLevel: 3Class: ??? (Pending)HP: 310/420MP: 90/120Fatigue: 72
Strength: 18 (+14) = 32Agility: 15 (+14) = 29Vitality: 14 (+14) = 28Intelligence: 21 (+14) = 35Sense: 16 (+14) = 30
Skills:
Passive:
Tenacity Lv.1
Unarmed Combat Basics Lv.2
Active:
Arise Lv.1 (Unlocked)
Shadow Storage:
Capacity: 2/5
Igris [Lv.1 | Rank: Knight] – Shadow Knight, reborn in weakened form, loyal to Ethan.