The world fractured when the Gates first tore open, spewing forth dungeons that had, until then, been whispered myths. Now, they manifested on Earth, silent invaders that plunged humanity into a crisis of unprecedented scale. The cries for help echoed unanswered, yet from the despair, something profound stirred within humanity. A latent power, a spark of awakening, ignited in certain individuals, transforming them into "Awakened"—the harbingers of victory and the fragile hope for peace.
Amidst this global upheaval, a solitary figure made his way towards a newly-formed dungeon. For him, it was merely another task, a mundane clearing of what he presumed to be a weak, inconsequential threat. He was a hunter by necessity, not by choice, and his path was often walked alone.
"Agh… since I don't have a party, I might be alone, but I'm not that weak…" he muttered to himself, the words more a reassurance than a statement of fact.
He breached the dungeon's threshold without hesitation, his gaze sweeping the shadowy corridors. A frown creased his brow; skepticism began to gnaw at him. An eerie silence permeated the air—no growls, no scuttling, no monstrous forms lurking in the periphery. Not a single monster greeted his intrusion. His guard, initially high, slowly tightened as he approached a colossal door, its surface pulsating with an unnatural energy, clearly marking it as the entrance to a boss monster's lair. He paused, a sense of foreboding settling deep in his gut.
"This… this isn't a normal dungeon,"he breathed, the words barely a whisper. "I haven't seen a single monster…"
A chilling realization dawned: this dungeon wasn't merely vacant, it had been cleared. Someone had passed through before him, leaving a trail of unsettling quiet in their wake. As he pushed open the massive door, the truth of his premonition slammed into him. There, in the cavernous chamber beyond, a colossal monster stood waiting, its gaze fixed, its presence radiating an overwhelming power that promised a fight for survival.
"W… what… the…"
Before he could finish the choked exclamation, a monstrous claw lashed out, seizing him. He was dragged forward, his vision blurring, as the terrifying form of a Goat-like creature loomed over him. The true nightmare of this "weak" dungeon had just begun.
The monster, a hulking Goat-like beast adorned with formidable horns and a visage of pure terror, snatched him up. He was a mere toy in its grasp, hurled against the nearest wall with bone-jarring force. As his body rebounded, a familiar system prompt blared into existence before his eyes: "Identifying…" His heart sank, a cold dread seizing him as he finally registered the creature's formidable rank.
"L… Level SS Rank!?" The words escaped him in a gasp, laced with a fear that threatened to paralyze him. How could a mere F-rank like him possibly hope to defeat such a being? The monster coiled, preparing for another devastating strike. Instinct, honed by countless skirmishes, took over. He dodged, a desperate blur of motion, but the rapid evasion drained the last vestiges of his stamina.
"Damnit… why at all times… This is bad luck!". he cursed, frustration and despair warring within him. This was beyond mere misfortune; it was a cruel twist of fate.
Summoning a fierce determination, he decided to fight. This was serious. This bad luck fueled his resolve. He activated his often "useless" abilities, throwing everything he had against the terrifying foe. But the system, a cruel mirror of his deteriorating state, flashed a warning: his mana was critically low. Distracted by the stark reality of his dwindling resources, he failed to notice the monster's next attack. It struck, a blow that ripped through him.
The pain was excruciating, stealing his breath and clouding his vision. He couldn't move, couldn't think, but a primal urge to survive surged through him. There was only one option left, a desperate gamble: his most powerful technique, an attack known only as "The King's Last Attack." He needed time, just a precious few moments, for his mana to regenerate enough to unleash it. He dodged, weaved, and parried, sacrificing his body to buy every precious second, enduring the monster's relentless assault.
He made the ultimate choice to sacrifice himself, to channel every ounce of remaining power. His mana level hit 50%. For a fleeting second, he questioned if this was the right decision, if he truly had enough to activate his ultimate power. But he had no other choice. He unleashed it. A sudden, blinding burst of light erupted from him, a beam that shot forth, brilliant enough to make him feel as though heaven itself was descending. And then, the system, as if mocking his final struggle, confirmed it: He had defeated Homoroke, the boss of this dungeon.
"What kind of name is that?" he muttered, the victory feeling distant, unreal.
The light enveloped him, blinding him completely. He felt a profound sense of darkness, a heavy, suffocating feeling. Then, a strange noise, oddly familiar, reached his ears, like the gentle hum of a house. He opened his eyes, and instead of the familiar, bloodied dungeon floor, he found himself back in his past, in a place he recognized, from before he was Awakened.
"What the hell… is this my afterlife or what…" he wondered, utterly bewildered.
To be continued..