Raven's POV
We had just passed through the city gate, riding on horseback, when the question came.
"How long until we reach the dungeon?" Elise asked, her voice steady but tense.
Sam didn't take her eyes off the road ahead. "Ten minutes. We'll be there soon."
Chris let out a low breath. "That's too close to the city. If we fail to close it today, it'll be a serious problem."
I listened to them in silence, the rhythmic sound of hooves against the dirt road filling the space between their words. The morning air was cool, carrying the faint scent of grass and earth—but beneath it lingered something heavier.
Mana.
Restless. Uneasy.
Ayla turned slightly in her saddle to look at me. "Are you okay?" she asked. "You've been quiet today."
I offered her a small smile. "I'm fine. Just thinking."
She raised an eyebrow. "About what?"
I kept my gaze forward. "About the dungeon we're about to enter. And what kind of monsters might be inside."
Ayla smiled, relaxed as always. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine. We'll clear it quickly and head back to the tavern to celebrate."
"I hope so," I replied softly.
I closed my eyes, letting the world narrow.
The sound of the others faded into the background as I focused inward—on the familiar current of power that flowed beneath everything. Mana pulsed around us like an invisible tide, threading through the ground, the air, the living beings nearby.
I reached for it carefully.
Morivain's voice echoed in my mind. "What are you doing?"
"I'm trying to absorb mana without touching it," I answered quietly. "From a distance."
Why? she asked.
"It'll be useful in combat," I replied. "If I want to stay hidden. If I can drain their magical energy from afar, weaken them before they even reach us… the others can finish them off more easily."
Morivain hummed thoughtfully. "That's a good idea. But if your team is close to the monsters, won't you risk draining their mana too?"
"I know," I said calmly. "I've thought about that. I'll find a solution later."
The mana resisted me at first—wild, unshaped—but little by little, it responded. Thin streams of energy brushed against my senses, faint but real.
For now, learning was enough.
Ahead of us, the road curved slightly.
And somewhere beyond that bend, the dungeon awaited.
I opened my eyes.
"Ten minutes," Sam had said.
That was more than enough time to prepare.
It didn't take long before we reached the forest.
The trees rose impossibly high, their thick green canopies woven so tightly together that sunlight barely managed to slip through. What little light remained was swallowed by shadows, leaving the forest in a perpetual twilight—cool, silent, and watching.
At its very center stood the red gate.
It burned in the darkness like an open wound, its crimson light pulsing faintly against the trunks of the surrounding trees. In a place where the sun could not reach, the gate shone like living fire.
We dismounted and approached slowly.
And that was when I felt it.
Nothing.
No pressure.
No surge of mana.
No warning instinct screaming at the back of my mind.
It was… quiet.
Too quiet.
I frowned, my hand tightening around the hilt of my sword as I spoke to Morivain through our mental link.
"This is strange ", I said. "I don't feel anything coming from the gate. No mana, no presence—nothing at all. It's as if it's completely empty."
Morivain was silent for a moment before answering. "Do you think the guild miscalculated the deadline? That the monsters may have already escaped?"
A chill crawled up my spine.
I don't think so, I replied, unease creeping into my thoughts. "If the monsters had already broken out, the gate would have vanished. It wouldn't still be here."
I glanced at the glowing red surface again, its light flickering softly, almost lazily.
"Something is wrong", I continued. "This dungeon doesn't feel natural. I don't like it."
Be careful, Morivain said quietly. If anything feels off, withdraw immediately. I have a bad feeling about this dungeon as well.
Ahead of us, Sam stopped and turned around, her expression serious.
"Is everyone ready?" she asked. "We're going in now."
One by one, the team answered, voices firm despite the tension.
"Ready."
I took a slow breath, letting my senses sharpen, my mana steady beneath my skin.
Whatever waited for us beyond that gate—
It was hiding itself.
And that, more than anything else, made it dangerous.
I stepped forward first.
The moment my hand touched the surface of the red gate, the air changed.
The forest went silent.
Not the natural silence of wind holding its breath—but an abrupt, unnatural void, as if sound itself had been torn away. The crimson light of the gate intensified, rippling like liquid fire,
The world collapsed.
The ground beneath my feet vanished.
I felt no sensation of falling, yet my stomach lurched violently as if gravity had twisted in on itself. Space stretched, folded, then shattered like glass. The trees, the gate, the forest—everything smeared into streaks of red and black, spiraling around us.
My body felt weightless, then unbearably heavy.
Mana surged chaotically, pressing against my skin, invading my lungs, crawling beneath my bones. I clenched my teeth, forcing my breathing steady as my senses screamed in protest.
This isn't a normal transition, Morivain's voice echoed in my mind, sharp with alarm.
I tried to respond—but my thoughts fractured.
For a split second, I was nowhere.
No up.
No down.
No time.
Then— , pain .
My feet slammed onto solid ground, my knees bending instinctively as I caught myself from falling forward. The air rushed violently back into my lungs, cold and metallic, carrying a scent of damp stone and old blood.
Around me, reality reassembled itself with a low, vibrating hum.
The space we stood in warped as if struggling to settle into shape—walls bending inward, shadows stretching too long, light pulsing unevenly like a dying heartbeat. The floor beneath us was stone, but it felt wrong, faintly warm, as if something beneath it was alive.
I straightened slowly, my hand already on my sword.
The others were there—Sam, Ayla, Daniel, Elise, Chris—each of them regaining balance, eyes wide, expressions tense.
But something was different, very different .
The dungeon was… quiet, not empty, watching.
The air was thick, heavy, as though mana itself had been compressed and left to rot. My skin prickled, every instinct screaming that this place was aware of us.
I closed my eyes briefly and reached out with my senses.
Nothing rushed toward us.
Nothing reacted.
It was as if the dungeon was holding its breath.
I opened my eyes slowly.
"This gate…" I murmured, my voice low. "It didn't just bring us here."
Sam glanced at me sharply. "What do you mean?"
I stared into the darkness ahead, where the corridor twisted unnaturally, bending out of sight.
"It feels like we were invited."
Somewhere deep within the dungeon, something shifted.
Not a sound.
Not a movement.
Just the unmistakable sensation—
That we had crossed a threshold we were never meant to return from.
The place we had arrived in was not merely a dungeon.
It was a vast, hollow abyss, stretching far beyond what the eye should have been able to comprehend. The ceiling loomed impossibly high above us, lost in layers of darkness, as if the space itself refused to reveal its limits. Massive stone pillars rose from the ground like the ribs of a dead god, cracked and warped, their surfaces etched with ancient, unreadable symbols that pulsed faintly with a sickly red glow.
The ground beneath our feet was uneven and damp, cold stone veined with something darker—almost like dried blood that had seeped deep into the rock over centuries. Each step echoed far too long, the sound bending and returning distorted, as if the dungeon was whispering our movements back to us.
There were no torches.
No visible light source.
Yet the space was dimly illuminated by a dull, unnatural glow that seeped from the walls themselves, like embers trapped beneath flesh. Shadows moved where nothing should have been moving, stretching and shrinking in ways that defied logic.
Worst of all—
The air felt alive.
It pressed against my skin, heavy and suffocating, thick with corrupted mana that crawled into my lungs with every breath. It tasted metallic, rotten, ancient. This was not the mana of beasts or monsters.
This was the mana of something old.
Sam turned slowly, scanning the surroundings, her hand tightening around her weapon as her gaze searched desperately for a door, a corridor—anything. But there was nothing. No visible exit. No passage.
Just endless stone and darkness.
"Where are we…?" Ayla whispered, her voice trembling as she looked around. "Why can't I see the gate we entered through?"
Chris swallowed hard. "This place… it's horrible."
"We need to leave," I said quietly.
Sam snapped her head toward me. "Raven, what's going on? What is this place? Where's the gate?"
I didn't answer immediately.
I closed my eyes, forcing myself to focus, extending my senses outward—searching, probing, trying to locate the familiar pull of a dungeon entrance.
Nothing.
No gate.
No boundary.
Just depth.
"We're in the middle of the dungeon," I said at last.
Elise's face drained of color. "That's impossible…"
I turned to Sam, my voice hardening. "Captain, we need to get out of here. Now."
She frowned, worry creeping into her expression. "Why are you so alarmed?"
"There's something wrong with this dungeon," I said, my eyes scanning the shadows again. "And if we don't leave immediately—"
Raven, Morivain's voice echoed sharply in my mind. Get out. There is something deeply wrong here.
Before I could say more—
It hit us.
A wave of mana so dense and oppressive that my stomach twisted violently. The air grew heavier by the second, pressing down on us like an invisible hand. It wasn't rushing.
It was approaching.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
From everywhere at once.
My breath caught as the sheer weight of it wrapped around us, sealing off every possible path of escape.
"Leave," I said sharply. "We leave right now."
Everyone felt it.
I could see it in their faces.
Elise and Daniel stood frozen, pale as death. Ayla gripped her sword so tightly her knuckles turned white, her eyes darting wildly through the darkness.
"What is this?" she whispered, her voice shaking. "This mana… it's evil."
Sam's voice trembled. "Where is it coming from?"
"There's no time," I shouted. "Move! Now!"
They hesitated—fear rooting them to the ground.
Anger flared in my chest. "Do you want to die here?" I snapped. "Move!"
Sam was the first to react. "Ayla, grab Elise—now!"
Ayla nodded sharply, grabbing Elise's trembling hand and pulling her forward. Daniel and Chris followed, their steps heavy, strained, as if the dungeon itself was resisting us.
We began to move—fast—toward the only direction that felt like an exit.
Behind us, the darkness shifted.
What will you do now? Morivain's voice echoed in my mind, sharp and urgent. You won't reach the gate in time. You're surrounded from every direction.
I clenched my teeth so hard my jaw ached.
If I were alone, I said bitterly, I could manage this. I could fight without hesitation, without restraint. But with them here…
How was I supposed to protect everyone without revealing what I truly was?
How could I fight at full strength and still pretend to be normal?
Before I could find an answer—
A massive wave of corrupted mana crashed into us.
It was heavy. Crushing. Vile.
The air thickened instantly, pressing down on our bodies like an invisible force. Everyone froze where they stood. Elise and Daniel collapsed to their knees, gasping as if the mana itself was stealing the air from their lungs. Chris began to tremble uncontrollably, his weapon rattling in his grip.
Sam and Ayla were barely standing, both gripping their swords with white knuckles, their bodies shaking under the pressure.
"What is this…?" Ayla whispered, her voice trembling violently. "This mana is too heavy… I feel like I'm going to lose consciousness."
Sam ground her teeth, forcing herself upright. "Don't lower your defenses," she ordered through strain. "Stay alert."
Then she looked at her team—really looked at them—and her expression cracked with guilt.
"I'm truly sorry for dragging you into this," she said, her voice steady despite the fear in her eyes. "But I swear… I'll get you out of here alive. Even if it costs me my life."
"No," I said firmly. "Don't stop now. The gate isn't far—"
I didn't finish.
Something shifted.
The air twisted, and my instincts screamed.
I drew my sword in a single smooth motion. "Daniel—activate your barrier. Now. Stand in front of Elise."
Daniel snapped into action despite his fear.
"Elise," I said, turning to her. She was pale, tears filling her eyes. "Stay in the center. Don't move."
She nodded shakily.
I turned back to the others. "Sam. Ayla. Chris. Something is coming. Be ready."
The darkness ahead rippled.
Five seconds .
That was all it took.
They emerged from the shadows.
A towering ghoul stepped forward first—unnaturally tall, its skin a sickly green, its mouth split wide to reveal rows of blade-like teeth that gleamed wetly in the dim light.
Beside it crawled something I had never seen before.
Its torso was small and malformed, with long legs. Its arms were grotesquely long, dragging along the ground. Where its face should have been was nothing but a massive, circular mouth—no eyes, no nose—only endless rows of knife-like teeth opening and closing slowly, as if tasting the air.
Then came the wolf.
Huge. Monstrous. All muscle and sinew, its presence alone radiating raw power. It was far larger and more imposing than the dungeon boss we had defeated the day before—stronger by far.
Around them, more shapes formed.
Hollowborn.
Dozens of them.
They poured out of the darkness like a living tide, surrounding us completely.
Sam's eyes widened in horror. Her hands trembled for the first time since we had entered the dungeon.
"This… this is impossible," she whispered. "I've never seen—or even heard of—so many different monsters existing in a single dungeon."
I tightened my grip on my sword.
This wasn't a dungeon meant to be cleared.
It was a grave, and if I hesitated now __, everyone here would die.
The first scream of steel against flesh shattered the silence.
They attacked all at once.
No warning. No hesitation.
The massive wolf lunged straight at Sam, its body a blur of muscle and killing intent. Its claws struck like falling blades, each swing heavy enough to shatter bone. Sam barely managed to raise her sword in time—the impact sent her skidding backward across the stone, her boots carving lines into the ground.
She gritted her teeth and pushed back, striking at the beast's flank.
Her blade barely cut skin.
The wolf snarled, crimson eyes blazing, and slammed into her again.
Too strong.
Far too strong.
To my left, Ayla and Chris fought side by side against the towering ghoul. The creature swung one massive arm, and the air itself screamed. Ayla parried, sparks exploding on impact, while Chris stabbed for its torso—
The ghoul didn't even flinch.
Its other hand came down like a hammer.
Chris was thrown hard against the ground, coughing blood. Ayla stepped in front of him instantly, blocking another strike with both hands on her sword, her arms shaking violently under the weight.
They weren't attacking.
They were surviving.
Behind them, Elise had collapsed completely.
She sat on the ground, arms wrapped tightly around her knees, rocking back and forth, tears streaming down her face.
"I don't want to die," she sobbed. "I don't want to die… I don't want to die…"
Daniel stood in front of her, his shield raised, mana pouring into it in desperate waves. Hollowborn slammed against the barrier again and again—twisted silhouettes of bone and shadow, shrieking as they clawed and bit.
Cracks began to spread across the shield.
Hairline fractures at first.
Then deeper.
It wouldn't last.
I turned just in time to face the Gallowspawn.
They came in a pack.
Short, malformed torsos dragged low to the ground, their arms and legs grotesquely long, bending at wrong angles. Their heads were little more than stretched mouths, teeth clicking eagerly as they moved.
They rushed me together.
I exhaled slowly.
Steel sang.
I stepped forward, slashing low—one arm severed. Spun—another throat split open. I ducked beneath snapping teeth and drove my blade upward, splitting a skull.
Blood sprayed hot against my face.
I moved without thinking.
Another lunged—dead. Another—dead.
They were fast.
But not fast enough.
For a moment, I believed I could handle this.
Then I looked back.
Sam staggered.
The wolf's claws tore into her shoulder, ripping armor and flesh alike. Blood poured freely as she cried out, yet she refused to fall, forcing herself upright, sword trembling in her grasp.
Daniel's shield shattered.
Not fully—but enough.
A piece broke away, and a Hollowborn slipped through, lunging—
Ayla screamed Chris's name as the ghoul backhanded her across the chest. She rolled hard, coughing, struggling to rise. Chris tried to stand, failed, and crawled toward her, blood dripping from his mouth.
They were losing.
All of them.
Morivain's voice cut through my thoughts, sharp with fear. " Raven your team is dying, do something now."
And heard Sam scream, not in pain, in terror .
The wolf's claws ripped into her back and side in a single, brutal strike. She collapsed instantly, her sword slipping from her fingers as she hit the ground hard, unmoving.
The wolf raised its claws high.
One final blow.
Sam looked up at it, eyes wide, body unable to move.
That was it, something inside me snapped, I was moving before my mind caught up .
The world slowed, I crossed the distance in a heartbeat, one clean motion .
My sword flashed ,The wolf's head separated from its body without resistance, spinning through the air before hitting the ground with a wet, hollow sound.
The body collapsed an instant later.
I didn't stop.
I pivoted, vanished—, reappeared behind the ghoul .
One strike, downward.
The blade split it from shoulder to waist, cleaving it cleanly in two. The halves fell apart before Ayla and Chris even realized it was dead.
I was already gone.
Daniel and Elise—
I reached them in a blink.
Every Hollowborn surrounding them died in the same second—heads severed, bodies reduced to nothing but collapsing shadows.
Five seconds, that was all it took .
Every remaining monster fell, silence crashed down over the dungeon, blood dripped from my blade .
My heart pounded violently in my chest, too fast , too clean , too much.
I stood there, breathing heavily, surrounded by corpses—realizing too late—
I had shown them everything.
Silence fell.
Not the calm kind—
but the suffocating silence that follows slaughter.
I walked forward slowly, my sword still in my hand.
Blood—red and black—coated the blade, dripping steadily, each drop striking the cold dungeon floor like falling dew in a dead land.
No one moved.
No one breathed properly.
Their eyes followed me as if I were no longer human.
I stopped in front of Sam.
She lay on the ground, blood pooling beneath her, her armor torn open, her breathing shallow and uneven. Her eyes were wide, fixed on me—not with fear, not with anger—
With shock.
The same expression mirrored on every face around us.
I knelt beside her.
Sam tried to speak, her lips trembling, but no sound came out. She had lost too much blood.
I smiled softly and leaned closer, lowering my voice to a whisper meant only for her.
"Don't worry," I said gently. "You'll be fine."
Her eyes trembled.
A single tear slipped down her cheek.
"I promise," I said. "I will get all of you out of here."
Before I could say anything more—
A sound rolled through the dungeon, heavy , countless , footsteps, Growls.
Breathing that did not belong to humans, they were coming , far more than before, stronger, closer
Ayla turned toward the darkness, blood running from countless wounds across her body. Her sword slipped from her weakened grip as despair overtook her face.
"We're going to die here," she whispered.
Chris lay motionless on the ground, unconscious.
Elise was still crying, curled into herself.
Daniel knelt on one knee, utterly exhausted, his broken shield it mana faded with the air .
The monsters emerged from every direction, shadows flooding toward us like a living tide.
Ayla collapsed to her knees, Defeated, Resigned .
Before they reached us—, I closed my eyes.
I reached deep within myself, searching for a power I had copied long ago and hoped never to use in front of anyone.
I raised my hand.
And activated it.
A dark, glass-like barrier erupted outward, forming a massive dome around us. It shimmered faintly, its surface smooth and unyielding.
The monsters slammed into it instantly.
Claws. Fangs. Bodies.
They struck with blind fury, again and again—but the barrier did not even tremble.
I was certain of that.
Daniel stared at the dome, his mouth slightly open.
"Raven…" he whispered. "What is this? What did you do? You too can use the shield ability.
Ayla slowly turned, looking at the barrier, then at me. Her eyes were wide, almost frightened.
"Raven… did you do this?"
I didn't look at her.
My gaze never left Sam, who was still bleeding heavily.
"That doesn't matter now," I said coldly. "You're all badly injured. Sam is losing blood. She needs healing—now."
I turned to Elise.
"Elise," I said firmly. "I need your help."
She didn't respond, she just kept crying.
"I don't want to die… I don't want to die…"
My voice rose.
"Elise. Sam will die here."
Still nothing.
I stood and walked to her, kneeling in front of her. I gently took her trembling hands in mine.
"Elise," I said softly, forcing a smile. "Look at me, Lift your head."
Slowly—very slowly—she did.
Tears streamed down her face.
"You're not going to die," I said calmly. "I promise you. I will get all of you out of here alive. But right now, I need your help."
She stared at me, searching my face.
"Is that… really true?" she whispered.
I wiped her tears away.
"I promise," I said again. "Do you trust me?"
She nodded weakly and stood, walking toward Sam.
One look at the wounds made her recoil.
"She's injured badly," Elise said in horror. "I'm not strong enough… I can't heal wounds like this."
Ayla snapped at her angrily, clutching her own bleeding side.
"What do you mean you can't? You're a healer!"
Elise shook her head, panic returning.
"I'm only D-rank! I can't heal injuries this severe!"
Sam's skin was pale now, her eyes still fixed on me—quiet, accepting, as if she already knew.
I stepped behind Elise and placed my hand gently on her back.
"Don't worry about that," I said calmly. "Just heal her. I'll help you."
Elise looked back at me, stunned—but she didn't ask questions.
She nodded.
She raised her hands over Sam's wounds, murmuring a soft incantation. A faint white light formed around her palms, but the wounds barely responded.
So I activated my ability.
Not to absorb.
But to give.
Crimson lines appeared along my arm, like glowing veins beneath my skin, extending slowly from my body into Elise's.
Mana flowed.
The light in Elise's hands flared—brighter, stronger.
Sam's wounds began to close rapidly.
Elise gasped.
"What… what is this?" she whispered. "What's happening?"
"Don't stop," I said quietly. "Not until she's fully healed."
Elise swallowed hard and nodded, focusing once more.
Outside the barrier, the monsters continued to scream and strike.
Sam's wounds began to close at an impossible speed.
Deep gashes sealed as if time itself were reversing, torn flesh knitting together smoothly—no scars, no marks, nothing left behind as proof that she had been moments away from death.
Elise stared at her own glowing hands, breath caught in her throat.
"This is… incredible," she whispered. "All of her wounds… they're completely gone."
Sam's breathing slowly steadied. Color returned to her face, warmth replacing the deathly pallor that had terrified us only moments ago.
Her eyelids fluttered.
Then, slowly, she opened her eyes.
I knelt in front of her and smiled gently.
"How do you feel now, Captain?" I asked.
Her voice was weak, but steady.
"Like I died… and came back to life all over again."
Elise swallowed hard, still shaken.
"You were about to die," she said quietly. "But thanks to Raven… we managed to save you."
Sam looked at me in silence, trying to push herself up. I immediately placed my hand on her shoulder.
"Don't get up yet," I said calmly. "Your wounds are healed, but you lost a lot of blood. You'll feel extremely weak despite that. Stay down for now. We'll help the others first—then we'll get out of here."
She studied my face for a moment, then nodded.
I stood and turned to Elise.
"We need to help the rest of the team," I said. "Let's start with Chris. He's in bad shape."
Elise swallowed, her hands still trembling—but there was something new in her eyes now.
Resolve.
"O-Okay," she said softly.
We moved to Chris, who lay unconscious on the ground. Elise raised her hand, white light blooming once more as she began to heal him. I stood behind her, my palm resting lightly against her back, feeding her just enough mana to strengthen the spell.
Slowly, Chris's chest rose more steadily.
His eyes opened.
Next was Ayla.
She had a deep wound in her side, blood staining her clothes, along with countless smaller injuries across her body. Elise worked on her as well, and again I supported the spell from behind.
Ayla watched me the entire time, her expression was unreadable.
Shock… disbelief… fear?
I didn't meet her eyes.
When the rest of the team was healed, I turned to Daniel.
He was slumped on the ground, utterly exhausted, his mana completely depleted.
I extended my hand toward him.
He stared at it, confused, then raised an eyebrow.
"What do you want?" he asked.
"Give me your hand," I said simply.
He hesitated, clearly unsure—but eventually reached out.
The moment our hands touched, crimson lines appeared along my arm, like glowing veins beneath my skin. They flowed from me into him, crawling beneath his skin like living threads.
Daniel's eyes widened.
I released his hand.
He stared at it in shock.
"What did you just do?" he asked. "What was that? And why do I feel like I've regained all my magical energy?"
I didn't answer and instead walked toward the barrier, where the monsters still raged, slamming themselves against it without pause.
Behind me, Daniel continued, his voice slower now.
"…I've felt this before," he said. "Back in the eastern dungeon. I suddenly felt strong again."
He went silent, then looked at me sharply.
"That was you, wasn't it?"
"I remember now. I felt the same thing after you grabbed my hand and helped me stand."
Everyone was staring at me now.
Daniel's voice lowered.
"What did you do to me, Raven?"
I turned back to face them.
My voice was calm. Too calm.
"Nothing," I said. "I just gave you a very small part of my mana so you could recover."
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Their gazes clung to me—some filled with awe, others with fear, uncertainty, or something dangerously close to suspicion.
I didn't blame them.
Chris staggered to his feet, eyes darting wildly as he took in the sight around us.
The monsters—dozens of them—were pressed against the dark glass-like barrier, howling, slamming their claws and bodies against it with desperate rage. Their blows echoed through the dungeon, yet the shield did not even tremble.
"What… what is this?" Chris whispered, disbelief thick in his voice.
"I was sure I was going to die here."
He stepped closer to the barrier and lifted his hand, curiosity overpowering fear.
I caught his wrist instantly.
"I wouldn't recommend touching it," I said calmly.
He looked at me, confused.
"Why?"
I didn't answer.
Ayla wiped blood from her mouth and looked around, panic seeping back into her eyes.
"So what now?" she asked. "How are we supposed to get out of here?"
Elise hugged her arms around herself, staring at the monsters in horror.
"Can we even escape?" she whispered. "There are so many of them… and each one feels as strong as the eastern dungeon boss we fought two days ago."
Daniel shook his head slowly.
"No," he said grimly. "They're much stronger than that."
Chris swallowed hard.
"Then… if these are this strong… how powerful is the boss of this dungeon?"
Sam's gaze settled on me.
"You're strangely calm," she said quietly. "Do you have a plan?"
I met her eyes.
"Yes," I replied. "But we need to wait a little."
Everyone stared at me, confused—but no one asked anything.
Minutes passed.
Then Ayla frowned.
"Is it just me," she said slowly, "or do the monsters seem… weaker just a little bit from before ?"
I drew my sword.
"You all stay here," I said. "Don't touch the shield. I'll finish this quickly."
I stepped forward—and passed through the barrier as if it were nothing more than water.
"Raven, wait!" Sam called out urgently. "That's dangerous!"
I didn't stop.
The moment the monsters noticed me outside the shield, they roared and charged all at once.
But I could feel it, they were slowly, heavier, weaker.
I looked at the rushing horde and whispered,
"Ten seconds. That's all I need."
I took a deep breath, tightened my grip on my sword—and vanished.
To the team behind me, all they could see was a streak of white light cutting through the darkness.
I moved like the wind, weaving between claws and fangs, my blade flashing as it tore through flesh and bone. Green blood, black ichor, and dark red sprayed into the air as monsters fell one after another—unable to even react.
Before ten seconds passed, the last ghoul collapsed to the cold stone floor.
Silence.
I wiped my blade clean and slid it back into its sheath.
"Let's move," I said.
No one answered.
They were staring at me—faces pale, eyes wide. Fear flickered behind their shock, but I ignored it.
Daniel finally spoke.
"How… did you do that?"
Elise's voice trembled.
"That speed… all we saw was a white beam moving through the darkness. How could you kill all of them alone?"
"They weren't that strong," I replied calmly.
Chris clenched his fists.
"What do you mean not strong?" he snapped.
"Ayla and I fought just one of them, and we couldn't even land a proper hit. All we could do was defend ourselves—and even that failed."
Sam remained seated, watching silently.
I exhaled and gestured toward the shield around us.
"You see this barrier?" I said.
"It doesn't just protect. It has another function."
They listened closely.
"Anything that touches it gets its magical energy drained—rapidly, in massive amounts. That energy reinforces the shield while weakening whatever it's draining."
Understanding slowly dawned.
"That's why killing them was easy," I continued.
"They were already severely weakened."
Their expressions were filled with doubt.
"If you don't believe me," I said, looking at Chris, "try touching the shield."
He hesitated, then stepped closer.
"But don't keep your hand there," I warned. "Pull it back immediately."
He placed his hand against the barrier—then yanked it away instantly.
"What the—" he gasped. "That feeling…"
Elise leaned forward.
"What happened?"
Chris stared at his hand.
"It felt like something was being forcibly pulled out of me."
"We're moving," I said sharply. "Now. We don't have time. Another large wave is coming."
They nodded at once.
"Chris, Ayla—help Sam walk," I ordered.
"Daniel, stay in front of Elise. Just in case."
Daniel nodded.
I raised my hand and dismissed the shield.
The dungeon groaned in response .
We walked for a long time without stopping.
No one spoke.
The dungeon swallowed every sound—our footsteps dull against the stone, our breathing shallow and controlled. Fear sat heavy in the air, thick enough to choke on. Chris and Ayla supported Sam from both sides, each holding one of her arms to help her walk. She was conscious now, but weak—every step clearly a struggle.
From time to time, a monster would emerge from the darkness ahead.
Each time, I moved first.
I dashed forward before it could even react, my blade flashing once—clean, precise, merciless. The creature would fall without a sound, never given the chance to scream or strike.
Sam broke the silence at last.
"Raven…" her voice was low, strained. "Do you know where the gate is?"
"Yes," I answered immediately, never taking my eyes off the path ahead. "It's not far. We're almost halfway there."
That seemed to ease them—just a little.
We exited a vast chamber and entered a narrow tunnel, its walls rough and damp. We walked until the passage suddenly opened—and we stepped into a massive circular hall.
It was dimly lit, the air colder here.
And doors.
Doors everywhere.
They lined the walls in endless rows. Doors on the ground. Doors carved into the walls. Doors embedded in pillars. Even the ceiling—there were entrances above us, dark openings staring down like empty eyes.
No matter where we looked, there were more.
"What… is this place?" Chris whispered.
"Why are there so many doors?" Elise asked, her voice trembling.
Ayla turned to me sharply.
"Raven—do you know which one leads to the gate?"
I closed my eyes.
I reached out with my senses, ignoring the fear, the exhaustion, the pressure of time. I searched for it—the unique pulse of the gate's magic, distant but unmistakable.
There.
I opened my eyes and pointed.
"That one."
Chris hesitated.
"Are you sure?" he asked anxiously. "There are so many entrances. If we choose wrong, we might go deeper into the dungeon."
"I'm sure," I said calmly.
"I can feel the gate's energy."
That was when it happened.
A sudden surge.
A massive fluctuation of hostile auras erupted—one after another—from every direction.
"—They're coming," Ayla breathed.
Before anyone could react, monsters began pouring out of the doors.
Dozens. Then more. Crawling, leaping, dragging themselves from the darkness.
"Run!" I shouted. "Now—toward that entrance!"
Everyone ran.
The moment the last of them passed through the doorway, I slammed my hand down and summoned the shield behind us. The barrier sealed the entrance just as claws and bodies collided with it from the other side.
I moved to the front.
Anything that appeared ahead of us—I killed instantly.
We walked. And walked.
The tunnel widened gradually, the oppressive darkness thinning. Dim light spilled from glowing crystals embedded in the walls, and then—
There it was.
The red gate.
It shimmered in the distance, glowing like a burning ember in the heart of the cavern.
Everyone exhaled at once.
"We're… we're getting out," Elise whispered.
"Finally," Chris muttered, his voice breaking with relief.
We moved faster.
Then—, a sound above is , a deep cracking rumble , I looked up , the wall to our right began to collapse.
"They're smart," I muttered. "Since they can't break the shield, they're tearing through the structure instead."
The team saw it—and panic took over.
"RUN!" Ayla screamed.
They sprinted toward the gate.
I drew my sword and turned back.
Ayla noticed.
"Raven!" she shouted. "What are you doing? Run with us!"
"We won't make it together," I said quickly. "These monsters are stronger and faster than the ones before. I'll hold them back. Cross the gate—I'll follow right after."
She frowned hard.
Then she turned and shouted,
"Daniel! Help Chris carry Sam!"
She pulled her sword free and ran back to me.
"I won't let you protect us alone," Ayla said firmly, taking her position beside me.
I smiled—just slightly.
The monsters were closing in fast.
Elise crossed the gate first.
Then Daniel.
Chris and Sam followed.
I looked at Ayla.
"Go. Now."
She nodded—and we ran, side by side, we reached the gate just in time.
"Let's go through together," Ayla said.
I nodded.
I raised my hand toward the gate—, pain exploded through me, a violent shock hurled me backward.
I crashed to the ground.
Ayla's hand passed through the gate without resistance.
She turned instantly.
"Raven? What happened? Why aren't you coming through?"
I stood and stepped forward again.
I touched the gate.
This time, the force was stronger—searing pain shot through my arm as the gate violently rejected me, throwing my hand back.
My brows knit together.
"The gate… won't let me pass," I said quietly.
Her eyes widened in terror.
"What do you mean it won't let you pass? Try again!"
I did.
I pushed with everything I had.
The gate responded by hurling me back even harder—I fell to the ground again.
Ayla ran to me, helping me up, her hands shaking.
"What do we do now?" she whispered desperately. "How will you get out?"
Then— , I heard them the monsters , they had arrived, I looked at ayla , fear clenched my chest , " I'm sorry, that will hurt a little.," I said softly with smile I took her hand.
She stared at me, confused, And before she could react— , I shoved her forward so hard, she crossed the gate safely, the red light swallowed her whole.
And I was left alone.