The air reeked of wet stone and blood.
Kael Vorrin stepped through the crumbling archway of Hollow Deep, his boots grinding against the ancient bones half-buried in the dungeon's threshold. Torchlight from behind him flickered one last time before the oppressive dark swallowed it whole.
He didn't flinch. He'd been here before. Not this dungeon, no—but this feeling.
That silence. That cold breath on your neck. That sense you were walking into a throat that would never spit you back out.
[Initializing System…]
[Welcome, Kael Vorrin. Reaper Class recognized. Soul Link: STABLE.]
[Dungeon Signature: Type II (Awakened). Threat Level: Inaccurately Labeled – C. Estimated Rank: A.]
[Objectives Updated: "Survive."]
He didn't speak. The voice was in his head—synthetic, feminine, cold. It had no name, not yet. He didn't want to give it one. Doing that made it feel real, like a person.
Instead, he pulled his hood lower and checked the black twin daggers strapped to his thighs. Still warm from last night's sharpening.
He took one step forward. Then another.
The dungeon shifted.
Not metaphorically—physically. The walls creaked like they were breathing, adjusting. As if his presence triggered the place to change shape. He felt the corridor stretch.
[Warning: Awakened Dungeon is observing you.]
[Minor instability detected. Pattern shifting initiated.]
Kael's lips curled into a humorless grin.
"Good. Makes this interesting."
⸻
10 Minutes In
The first monsters were low-tier: Mawrats, bloated sewer-dwellers with bone-lined teeth and patchy fur. He dispatched them without hesitation.
Dagger flash.
Twist.
Neck snap.
He didn't waste energy. Every strike was surgical. Not flashy, not beautiful. Efficient.
[3 Enemies Eliminated. Initiating Soul Absorption.]
[Grave Marks: +3]
[Temporary Buff Gained: +4 AGI / +2 STR (Duration: 90 seconds)]
The black tattoos on his forearms pulsed faintly.
He sprinted forward with unnatural speed, trailing the scent of rust and rot through the tunnels. He passed what looked like a rotting altar, surrounded by eyeless skulls and thorny roots. Something moved behind the altar—he turned to look—
[Trap Detected: Hexed Idol. Cursed Fog Imminent.]
He didn't stop running.
⸻
25 Minutes In
Kael crouched beside a collapsed stone wall, overlooking a wide chamber lit by flickering blue crystals. At the far end, a monstrous Hollow Guardian lumbered in slow circles, dragging a jagged club made from fused femurs.
Six corpses lay around it—fresh. One still twitched.
[New Enemy Identified: Hollow Guardian – Type: Elite. Threat Level: High.]
[Execution Threshold: 15% HP.]
He frowned.
This wasn't a boss room, but that thing was acting like a mini-boss. Maybe worse.
"Same layout, different trap. Let's test its memory."
He reached into his belt and pulled out a Rune Fragment—a little gift from Thorne—then tossed it like a skipping stone into the chamber.
The Guardian roared, charging the sound.
Kael moved.
Shadowstep.
Harvest Step.
Slash the knee.
[Critical Strike: -783 HP]
[Grave Mark Applied.]
He dove back behind the wall as the Guardian swatted wildly, but he'd already vanished again, flitting from shadow to shadow.
[Buff Extended: Kill Chain Reached. Harvest Step Range Increased.]
[Reaper's Insight: Weak Point Located – Vertebrae Cluster, Upper Spine.]
He leapt.
The moment the Guardian raised its club, Kael slammed both daggers into its upper back and twisted with all his strength.
[Soul Cleave Triggered.]
[Enemy Eliminated.]
The Guardian let out a final gasp and exploded into ash, leaving behind a pulsing shard of something that didn't look natural.
[You have acquired: Abyssal Core Fragment.]
[This item is not supposed to exist in a Type II Dungeon.]
Kael narrowed his eyes.
"You're evolving faster than you should."
The dungeon didn't answer.
⸻
40 Minutes In
He was deep enough now that the air grew thick, like the walls were watching him breathe.
[Environmental Analysis: Reality Distortion Detected. Dungeon Core—Fragmented. Symptoms match early-stage Living Dungeon.]
There it was again. That term.
Living Dungeon.
He had only heard it once before—from a dying man who couldn't finish his sentence.
[Soul Threshold Reached.]
Would you like to unlock a new skill?]
He blinked. That was… new.
"Define parameters."
[Available Skill – "Black Call"]
Description: Summons echoes of slain souls to aid you in combat. Echoes gain partial strength and memories of their former selves.]
Warning: Using this skill increases soul burden. Sanity degradation possible.
Proceed? [Y/N]
Kael hesitated.
He wasn't big on companions. But echoes? Shadows of the dead?
He clicked [Y].
[Skill Acquired: Black Call.]
[You may summon up to 2 echoes per dungeon floor.]
[Current Echoes: Mawrat Scavenger, Hollow Guardian.]
He clenched his fists as dark mist seeped from the cracks in the walls, coalescing into two vague shapes behind him—one low to the ground and twitching, the other towering and hollow-eyed, dragging a ghostly club.
They stood silent. Waiting for his command.
⸻
60 Minutes In
Kael reached the bottom of the dungeon's true heart. No torches. Just pulsing veins in the walls and a floor made of faces—hundreds of stone faces, all screaming silently in agony.
Something big waited ahead.
[Unregistered Entity Detected.]
[WARNING: Threat Level exceeds S-Rank parameters.]
[Dungeon is attempting to bond with foreign intelligence. Corruption Level: 47%.]
The air was alive. Hungry. The system's voice wavered slightly, for the first time.
[…Do not die, Kael.]
He raised his daggers.
"Not today."