The wheels of the self-driving carriage hummed softly against the stone-paved road as Dominic leaned back into his seat. The canopy of the capital's outskirts gave way to the dense wilderness of the North Forest Road, where twilight beams pierced through the tangled branches above.
In his hand, Dominic rotated the dungeon core he had pulled from his inventory — a radiant sapphire orb, veins of blue light spiraling within like living lightning. Its glow painted his face in ethereal hues.
"Hey, System."
[Yes!]
"Why did this dungeon have a core, but the one hidden in the forest didn't?"
The voice of the System rang with that strange, neutral tone, but this time it carried a weight that made Dominic sit forward.
[Notice! The dungeon you just cleared was classified as a Monster-Type Dungeon. The forest anomaly, however, is not.]
Dominic frowned. "What are you saying?"
[There are two categories of S-Rank Dungeons in this world. Monster Dungeons, which generate cores, and Deity Dungeons.]
"…Deity dungeons?"
[Correct.]
The orb pulsed in his palm as though reacting to the words.
[Deity Dungeons are not born from corrupted land, but from captured gods. They contain a singular being — a deity bound and corrupted, a prisoner locked away by divine chains. These dungeons hold no cores because they are prisons, not ecosystems.]
Dominic's brow furrowed. "And the one in the forest is…?"
[A Corrupted Deity.]
The words felt like a blade against the air.
[Corrupted Deities are ascendants who were on the verge of transcendence, but succumbed to their own greed. They sought shortcuts to divinity and were lured by the whispers of the Fallen. When they fell, they became vessels of corruption — and the Heavens sealed them away in these dungeons.]
The orb in Dominic's hand seemed to flicker more violently, as if angered by the mention of Fallen Angels.
[This world currently houses twenty S-Rank dungeons. Eight of those are Deity-class prisons.]
Dominic leaned back, exhaling slowly. His golden eyes reflected the glow of the core.
"Eight gods locked away underground… and I'm supposed to fight them?"
[Affirmative.]
"…Damn."
For the first time in a while, Dominic felt a chill creep up his spine. He tightened his grip on the orb, muttering: "One dungeon nearly cracked my ribs. And that wasn't even a god."
The carriage slowed as it approached the iron gates of his estate mansion. Dominic tucked the orb back into his inventory and stepped out. The air was crisp, and the stone lions at the gate seemed to bow under the shimmer of dusk.
"So that's one less dungeon for the capital. Which means…" He swiped his hand in the air, summoning a holographic map. It expanded before him, a glowing web of dots spread across the empire and beyond. One dot pulsed brighter than the rest — at the heart of the sprawling green expanse to the north.
"The Elfen Forest."
He tapped the glowing dot, zooming in until a silver arrow marked its location. "System, how long if I take the carriage?"
[Estimated travel time: two to three hours.]
"And with my own speed?"
[Calculating… Ten minutes maximum.]
Dominic grinned. "Good. Guess I'll stretch my legs."
Capital – Royal Road
Meanwhile, in the capital, the King had already dispatched his strongest hound.
Riding at the head of six captains was Sir Smith — a towering knight clad in white-gold armor. His presence radiated like sunlight breaking through storm clouds, the aura of a man said to have once fought toe-to-toe with a dragon and lived.
"Sir Smith," one captain asked as their steeds galloped across the fields, "what is our true mission? To capture the boy, or…"
Smith's eyes narrowed under his helm. "The king gave his command. We bring Dominic Mendez back to the palace. Alive if possible."
"And if he resists?"
A long silence stretched before Smith answered, his golden aura crackling like fire.
"…Then we test the truth of the rumors. Whether he is merely a summoned brat with tricks… or something more."
The captains exchanged uneasy looks, but none dared question further. The hoofbeats of their chargers thundered across the earth, their destination clear: the Elfen Forest.
Dominic's Estate
Back at the mansion, Dominic had shed his battle-worn coat and slipped into something casual — a gray hoodie, dark joggers, and sleek black sneakers. The picture of a modern youth in a world of swords and sorcery.
He stepped out through his gates, rolling his shoulders. "Man, this feels good. Haven't worn normal clothes in ages."
Above the mansion, faint streaks of armored riders could already be seen approaching. Dominic tilted his head, clicking his tongue.
"System, once I'm out, seal the estate in a barrier. I don't have time to babysit guests."
[Confirmed.]
He smirked. "Good. Let's run."
The moment his foot hit the cobblestone road, the ground cracked beneath the force. A sonic boom rippled outward — yet it wasn't teleportation. Dominic simply moved too fast for mortal eyes to follow.
In seconds, the mansion vanished behind him. At the edge of the forest, he stopped briefly, turning to see the shimmering dome of a barrier rising over his estate. He grinned. "Perfect."
"System — make the map 3D. Give me a direct arrow to the dungeon."
A shimmering, translucent arrow appeared in the air before him, pointing deep into the Elfen Forest.
Dominic lowered his hood, eyes narrowing. "Alright then. Let's see how fast we can go."
With a burst of speed, he shot forward, tearing through the dense foliage. The trees blurred around him as his Agility stat carried him faster than any predator.
The Elfen Forest – World Tree
Minutes later, he skidded to a halt at the forest's entrance. Before him, towering in the distance, was the World Tree — a colossal trunk stretching into the heavens, its branches like a second sky. Wisps of green light drifted from its leaves, bathing the entire forest in an emerald glow.
Dominic let out a low whistle. "So that's the World Tree. Damn… the fantasy novels didn't lie. Seeing it in person? Breathtaking."
But he wasn't alone.
The System's interface flared briefly.
[Warning: Hidden presences detected.]
Dominic sighed, stretching his arms behind his head. "Figures. Can't get a warm welcome anywhere."
He raised his voice, casual but sharp.
"Listen up. I know you're hiding. I'll count to three. If you're still pointing arrows at me after that, I'll bust every last one of you out of your little hidey-holes."
His voice carried across the glade like thunder.
"One…"
A faint rustle in the leaves.
"Two…"
The creak of drawn bows.
"Three."
Silence.
Then, in the blink of an eye, Dominic vanished.
An elf hidden high in the branches, his bowstring drawn taut, blinked in confusion. He turned to whisper to his comrade — but froze.
A shadow loomed behind him.
"Hello…" Dominic's voice rasped, twisted into something playful yet terrifying. His face leaned close, contorted into a psycho clown grin, eyes wide with golden light. "…Motherf***er."
The elf dropped his bow, his scream caught in his throat.
The forest trembled.