The morning sun broke over Amorak, glinting off the cobblestones and rooftops of the bustling city. Kaelen adjusted his simple adventurer garb, hair tousled, eyes glowing faintly with a spark of excitement and anticipation. Today wasn't just another training session. Today, Tessandra Liones — his mentor, a being of immense power and clandestine influence — would lead him into her domain: an Abysmal-level dungeon hidden beneath the outskirts of her territory.
He arrived at her fortified underground arena first, expecting the usual preliminary sparring. Tessandra, poised as ever, stood with her arms crossed, eyes scanning him critically.
"Kaelen," she said, voice smooth, commanding, "today is no mere practice. I will guide you into one of my controlled dungeons. Your skills will be tested, but failure will not be fatal… as long as you follow my instructions."
Kaelen's pulse quickened. The aura of danger in her words thrilled him. He nodded, confidence settling over him like a second skin. "Understood. I'm ready."
With a subtle flick of her hand, the ground beneath them shifted. Walls of shadow and steel emerged as a portal opened — a circular gateway pulsating with dark energy. The dungeon's entrance beckoned like a maw of living darkness, whispering promises of challenge and death.
Kaelen's POV:
The moment I stepped through, the temperature dropped sharply. The air hummed with latent energy, thick and heavy, like the breath of a beast just out of sight. My gravity circuits flared instinctively, grounding me, while chrono circuits sharpened my perception — every fraction of a second elongated, allowing me to see the dungeon's faint, shifting energy patterns.
"This is… Abysmal level," Tessandra's voice echoed in my ears, amplified slightly by some subtle magic of hers. "The monsters here are my responsibility. I control their thresholds, their growth, and their aggression. Nothing will escape the rules I've set."
Even so, the first creature emerged — a grotesque amalgamation of sinew, bone, and shadow, its claws like jagged shards of black crystal. My stomach tightened, but the thrill was undeniable.
I leapt forward, manipulating gravity to bend my trajectory mid-air, striking precisely at the creature's weak points. My chrono circuit allowed me to anticipate its movements, each attack calculated. But even with all my intellect, the monster adapted almost too quickly. Tessandra's training had prepared me for calculation, but this was raw, instinctual experience.
I gritted my teeth, dodging a flurry of claw strikes, feeling the air ripple as the monster tried to crush me. I countered, each movement a blend of gravity-assisted force and chrono-accelerated timing, my circuits singing with energy. I blocked, twisted, and struck — but each victory was temporary. Every monster here seemed designed to push me to the edge of instinct, forcing adaptation, not just brute strength.
Tessandra watched silently, her figure illuminated by faint ambient light. Her expression was serene, almost bored, yet every now and then a faint flicker of interest crossed her sharp eyes. She wasn't just observing — she was measuring, judging, shaping.
The dungeon twisted further, corridors bending unnaturally, corridors that seemed impossible by logic alone. Shadows moved independently, whispering, testing the limits of my perception. I realized quickly: she had built this dungeon not only as a test of power but as a masterclass in adaptability.
Even as I fought, the lessons became clear: instinct is important, but so is composure. Fear clouds judgment. Aggression alone is weakness. And beyond the monsters, beyond the dungeons, the world itself bends around those who understand control.
Meanwhile, back in his quiet chair at Hoshigawa, Arata observed the subtle tremors of energy emanating from Tessandra's domain. His golden aura flickered faintly around him, a ripple that only someone of his perception could detect.
"Tessandra Liones," he murmured, swirling the tea in his cup. "Even here… she manipulates more than her own dungeons. She is subtly orchestrating the flow of the Era of Dungeons. She guides the growth, the pacing, the challenges… all of it carefully calibrated."
His gaze lingered on the horizon, eyes narrowing as he contemplated the hidden threads of influence. "Every dungeon she controls, every Abysmal or higher-level zone, is under her watchful eye. She ensures balance, tests the heroes, and directs the flow of power without anyone noticing. And Kaelen… he's at the center of it now, unknowingly stepping into a carefully designed web of growth and challenge."
Arata's voice dropped to a whisper, almost lost to the quiet murmur of the restaurant. "By the time he understands… the Era of Dungeons will be more than just chaos. It will be a crucible, and Tessandra is the unseen master forging its fires."
Outside, in the heart of Tessandra's dungeon, Kaelen continued to fight, unaware that every strike, every dodge, every careful thought, was being observed — and that his growth was being subtly guided by a hand he could neither see nor fully understand.
The era was unfolding, and both mentor and student were pivotal pieces in the vast,