Floor 41
The deeper floors of the dungeon felt different. The walls were darker now, almost completely black, as if the shadows themselves had seeped into the stone. Strange veins of purple energy crawled across the ceiling like cracks in reality. Aragon walked slowly through the corridor. His hand rested on the hilt of Shadowfang. The sword felt alive.Every step he took echoed through the silent dungeon.
Then a low hiss echoed through the hallway.
A massive shape slid across the ground. A giant Shadow Serpent emerged from the darkness.
Its black scales reflected faint purple light. The creature raised its head high above Aragon, eyes glowing with predatory hunger.
An S-Rank monster...
The serpent lunged....
Aragon didn't move...
Shadowfang flashed once...
A streak of violet light cut through the air. The serpent's body split cleanly in half before it even reached him.
The massive corpse collapsed to the stone floor. For a moment, the dungeon was silent. Then the body dissolved into shadow mist. The energy flowed into Aragon like cold fire , He exhaled slowly.
"…Yeah!!!"
He looked down at the blade
"This sword is ridiculous"
Without another glance at the corpse, he continued deeper into the dungeon.
Marsh Town
Far above the dungeon…
Life continued as usual in Marsh Town.
Daren stood outside Aragon's small rented room. He knocked on the wooden door,
"Aragon?"
No answer,he knocked again still nothing. Daren scratched the back of his head,
"That's weird…"
He tried the handle,
Locked…..
"Huh…Guess he already left for work or something "
Daren shrugged
"That guy never stays still anyway."
He turned and walked back toward the guild street.
But he wasn't the only one watching.
Across the road, sitting quietly at a tea stall, a man lowered his hood slightly.
Sharp eyes followed Daren as he disappeared into the crowd.
The man quietly spoke to himself,
"So the target has disappeared…"
He took a slow sip of tea. A small emblem hidden beneath his sleeve revealed his allegiance.
An intelligence agent of the Brightshore Kingdom,
"The king will want to hear about this.."
Floor 48
The dungeon corridors twisted like a maze. Creatures attacked from the darkness,
Shadow wolves...
Shadow goblins....
Shadow beasts.....
But none of them lasted long. Shadowfang cut through them like paper. Every defeated monster dissolved into mist, strengthening Aragon further. Yet something about the dungeon bothered him.
The deeper he went…the more frequently he saw the same mark.
Carved into pillars, Scratched into walls. Even etched into broken statues,
M5, Aragon stopped beside one of the markings.
He ran his fingers across the ancient carving.
"…What were you?"
The stone, of course, did not answer.
Floor 50
A battle had just ended. The creature had been stronger than the previous ones some kind of armored shadow beast. Its body dissolved like the others. But this time something strange happened.
A section of the wall shifted. Stone scraped against stone. Aragon turned immediately,
"…A hidden door?"
Behind the wall was a small chamber.
Dust covered the floor as if no one had entered for centuries. In the center sat a single treasure chest. Aragon approached slowly. He opened it,
Inside rested a black ring.
The metal looked almost liquid, and faint shadow energy flowed along its surface Aragon picked it up.
The moment it touched his finger a surge of information entered his mind,
(Shadow Vault Ring…)
A rare artifact....
A storage item capable of holding an enormous amount of equipment with infinite space.
Aragon stared at it then he laughed quietly,
"Finally…."
He slipped the ring onto his finger.
For the first time since entering the dungeon, he actually had a place to store anything valuable he might find.
"That's going to make things easier."
Floor 59
The dungeon became far more dangerous. Shadow creatures attacked in groups now. A pack of massive Shadow Hounds nearly surrounded him in a ruined hall. After defeating them, Aragon discovered a finely crafted SS-Rank spear.
This time, instead of carrying it, he simply touched the weapon.
The spear disappeared into the storage space of the ring Aragon raised an eyebrow,
"…Okay…"
"That's convenient!"
Floor 63
Here the dungeon felt ancient.
Five broken statues stood along the chamber walls. Each pedestal carried the same mark,
M5
One statue still had part of its face intact. A warrior cloaked in shadows.
Aragon stared at it for a long moment.
"…Were you one of them?"
Something about the dungeon felt… watchful.
Floor 68
Winged shadow creatures attacked from above. Their claws were sharp enough to cut stone. After the battle, Aragon found a pair of SS-Rank gauntlets. They vanished into the ring.
Floor 70
The dungeon grew quiet again.
Too quiet. Aragon felt the pressure increasing. The deeper floors were approaching.
"Whatever lives below…"
He looked into the darkness.
"…must be strong."
Floor 78
A massive armored beast guarded the passage. The fight was brutal. But Shadowfang eventually pierced its chest. The shadow mist strengthened Aragon even further. He could feel the power building inside him.
Floor 80
The chamber was enormous. At its center stood a tall stone pillar.
Something hung upon it. A long black coat made of layered shadow metal.
It looked less like armor and more like the cloak of some ancient ruler.
Aragon approached carefully.
The moment he stepped close the armor reacted.
Dark energy spread across the chamber. The coat lifted from the pillar and wrapped around him like living darkness. Power flooded his body.
A whisper echoed through the room,
(Shadow Sovereign Armor)...
An SSS-Rank Artifact….Aragon looked down at the armor covering his body.
The dungeon had given him another weapon. Another piece of power,
Far below the dungeon…
Something ancient stirred….
And somewhere in the darkness…
Something was watching him grow stronger…..!!!!