The voice came again.
"Help! Please—I can't—"
It cracked, thin as brittle glass. Kael's footsteps echoed down the jagged hall, the crystals reflecting his silhouette in warped fragments. He felt like he was walking inside a broken mirror.
[ Advisory: High probability of bait. Low probability of survivor. ]
Kael's lip curled. "And the chance of me turning back?"
"Zero."
He smirked. "Then keep your probabilities."
The Codex chuckled faintly in his mind, like static with humor.
He followed the sound until the tunnel split. The right path was quiet, too quiet. The left path hummed, a vibration running through the crystal veins. From there, he spotted it—light glinting off something metal wedged between crystal growths.
And then he saw the boy.
Pinned beneath a fallen shard, no older than sixteen, face pale but stubbornly awake. His armor was cheap, cracked in three places, and his spear lay just out of reach.
When Kael's shadow crossed his vision, the boy's eyes widened. "You—hey—please—help me out!"
Kael crouched just far enough away to watch him squirm. "You're not dead yet. That's impressive."
"Not funny," the boy rasped.
[ Scan Result: Human. Low combat ability. Moderate willpower. Potential survival candidate. ]
Kael rolled his shoulders. "Codex says you're human. Which is disappointing. I was hoping for treasure."
The boy's lips twitched like he wanted to argue but didn't have the strength.
Kael sighed and set his satchel down. He braced against the shard, muscles burning, ash leaking off his skin where the strain threatened to tear him apart. With a final grunt, the crystal lifted just enough for the boy to drag himself free.
He collapsed, gasping, then looked up with something like gratitude. "You didn't have to do that."
"No," Kael said flatly, "I didn't."
The Codex chimed in his head. [ New Quest Branch: Ally Acquired? Decision Pending. ]
They didn't linger. The dungeon air was thickening; the crystals pulsed faster, like veins carrying blood.
The boy introduced himself between staggered breaths. "Eren. From the East Barricade. I… thought I could clear this dungeon for a few cores. First solo run."
Kael snorted. "And you ended up as wall art."
Eren flushed. "I can fight. Just—bad luck."
[ Analysis: Luck not primary factor. Inexperience evident. Confidence misguided. ]
"Codex agrees with me," Kael said aloud.
"Codex?"
"My system."
Eren blinked. "Your system talks?"
Kael smirked. "Louder than you."
They pressed deeper, Kael moving like shadow, Eren limping but determined. When another beast skittered from the ceiling—a crystal-backed wolf with glass fangs—Kael was already in motion. He let Ash Phase split his body, flame and smoke dancing as he slipped through its jaws and drove Fire Spark straight into its eye. The beast convulsed and collapsed, leaving behind another glowing core.
Eren stared, wide-eyed. "You… you fused Basic skills into that?"
Kael pocketed the core. "Something like that."
The Codex hummed smugly in his mind. [ Clarification: Proprietary Fusion Protocol. Not replicable by ordinary systems. ]
"Yeah," Kael said, almost grinning, "I'm special."
"By the way what's your name ?" Eren Said
"Kael... Kael Kane" said Kael with a smirk that showed confidence and reliability.
By the time they reached the dungeon's heart, the crystals had grown enormous, arching into a jagged cathedral of light. At its center pulsed a core bigger than a man's chest, guarded by something worse than the beasts so far.
A spider, but taller than Kael, its legs like stained glass lances, its eyes burning molten white.
Eren whispered, "Glass Widow…" His hands shook. "We're dead."
Kael's fire burned hotter in his chest. He felt the ash leaking from his veins, the Codex thrumming like a drumbeat.
"No," Kael said, eyes narrowing. "We're going to eat."
The spider screeched, and the dungeon came alive with shards raining from the ceiling.