A crimson moon hangs over the shattered skyline of Valorwind City, casting long shadows across the once-bustling streets. Screams echo. Buildings burn. Monsters from the Dungeon spill into the city like an unstoppable tide.
Rengoku Hayate walks through the chaos with calm, measured steps — his long red hair drifting in the smoky wind.
This battle is not the beginning.
It is the consequence.
As he watches adventurers struggle, memories flood back.
— The dark dungeon where he was abandoned.— The moment the System awakened in his dying body.— The march through the 100 Floors of despair.— The divine secrets he uncovered.— And now…the city under attack just as he arrives to exact revenge.
Hayate's lips curl slightly.
"Fate has timing."
Reunion With a Former Classmate (Public Encounter)
Through the dust and flames, a group of armored adventurers approaches.
At their center stands someone Hayate instantly recognizes.
Ishida Ren— former classmate— self-proclaimed "hero"— one of the loudest voices demanding Hayate be thrown into the dungeon.
Ren's shining armor is marked with gilded runes. His party follows him like angels protecting their chosen savior. Citizens cheer at the sight of him.
"Ren! The savior is here!"
"We're saved now!"
Ren lifts his sword with theatrical confidence.
Then he sees Hayate.
His smile freezes.
His grip tightens.
"…you're supposed to be dead."
Hayate's red eyes narrow in amusement.
"I was."
Whispers ripple through Ren's party.
Shock spreads across the crowd.
Ren takes a shaky step back.
"You… you're nothing but a Level 1 reject! How—"
Hayate lifts a hand.
The air cracks, as if the world itself hesitates.
"Are you sure you want to finish that sentence?"
Ren's mouth snaps shut.
The crowd senses the tension.
The battlefield goes eerily silent.
Public Humiliation Begins (Psychological "Revenge")
Ren, panicked, tries to regain control.
He points his sword at Hayate dramatically.
"E-Enough! This imposter is dangerous! Citizens, stand back!"
But the people don't step back.
They stare at Hayate — the calm, confident young man radiating a pressure Ren has never possessed.
"Imposter?"
Hayate tilts his head.
"You threw me into a dungeon and left me to die. I didn't even get the courtesy of a goodbye."
Snickers echo.
Even Ren's own healer hides a smile.
Hayate steps closer.
Ren steps back.
"Tell them, Ren."
Hayate's voice softens but carries deadly weight.
"Tell them how you abandoned your classmates. How you lied about me to make yourself look stronger."
Ren trembles.
Sweat drips.
The crowd murmurs:
"Is this true?"
"Hero Ren?"
"That doesn't sound like a hero at all…"
Ren's face reddens.
"Shut up! Shut up!" he screams, veins bulging.
"He should have died! He was USELESS!"
The crowd recoils.
Some mothers pull their children away.
Adventurers exchange disgusted looks.
Hayate smiles.
"Perfect. You dug your own grave."
The Battle Begins (Monsters + Duel Overlap)
A monstrous shriek interrupts them.
From the east gates, a wave of Dungeon Beasts bursts into the city — serpents with stone scales, winged beasts coated in shadow, minotaurs wielding infernal axes.
Chaos erupts.
Ren points at Hayate.
"This is all your doing! You summoned the monsters!"
Hayate bursts out laughing — cold and sharp.
"Ren… even you don't believe that."
The ground shakes.
A colossal Abyssal Chimera King approaches, roaring flames into the sky.
Hayate's expression shifts into one of mild annoyance.
"I wanted to kill Ren first.
"He tightens his grip on his blade.
"But a warm-up is nice."
He dashes forward.
Hayate vs. Monsters (Power Display)
Hayate leaps into the air as the Chimera King swipes.
He invokes:
[Skill: Devouring Star Art – Crimson Orbit]
A ring of red celestial fire spins around him.
He slices downward — one strike — and the Chimera King splits cleanly into two molten halves.
Shock ripples through the battlefield.
Ren stares, numb with terror.
"That… that shouldn't be possible… He was Level 1…!"
Hayate walks through fire and dust, unharmed.
Behind him, every monster he cut begins dissolving into motes of light, absorbed by the crimson aura around him.
[System: Energy absorbed. Stat enhancement complete.]
The crowd watches with reverence.
Just one person fights the horde, the sky turning red with the light of his power.
Ren's Desperate Attack (The Duel)
Seeing his fame slipping away, Ren finally snaps.
"IF YOU STEAL MY SPOTLIGHT— I'LL KILL YOU!"
He charges Hayate with a heroic battle cry.
Hayate doesn't move.
Ren swings.
Hayate stops the sword with two fingers.
Metal.
Stops.
Dead.
Gasps explode across the battlefield.
Hayate looks at Ren like he's observing a bug.
"This sword is pretty," he says.
"Would be a shame if the wielder stayed trash."
He flicks his fingers.
The sword shatters into glowing fragments.
Ren's knees buckle as he falls back.
Hayate grabs him by the collar and lifts him effortlessly.
"This is for throwing me into the dungeon."
He punches Ren's stomach — gentle, almost playful.
Ren flies back into a crumbling building, smashing through stone.
Citizens cheer.
Adventurers applaud.
The humiliation is complete.
Ren's Party Attempts Revenge (Party Elimination)
Ren's party rushes in:— dual-blade warrior— ice mage— healer priestess— shield tank
They attack together.
Hayate closes his eyes.
"Boring."
[Skill: Void Step]
He moves.
One breath later, all four lie defeated on the cracked ground, their weapons broken, their armor crushed, their pride shattered.
He didn't kill them.
He didn't need to.
Humiliation was enough.
Monsters Overwhelm City (Rising Tension)
The dungeon beasts roar again — more pouring out of the cracks. The air fills with the scent of blood and smoke.
A warrior shouts:
"We're losing ground!"
"More are coming!"
Hayate gazes toward the distant dungeon tower — an ancient monolith of stone and pulsing red veins.
The 1-100 Floor Dungeon.
The same one he barely survived the first time.
Hayate raises his hand.
The sky rumbles.
"Then I'll end it.
From the core."
The System pulses behind him:
[Main Quest Updated: The Demon Dungeon – 100 Floor Conquest (Core Suppression)]
The crowd watches in awe as he walks toward the dungeon — steps steady, hair flowing like burning threads of fate.
Ren and his party lie broken behind him.
The city trembles.
Monsters surge.
And Hayate…is finally ready to begin his true revenge.