Opening – Hunting the Signal
The countdown burned red in Rain's vision.01:59:42The shard's trail flickered like static in the air, barely visible — a thin silver thread weaving through the storm-drenched city.
Each step sent shockwaves of pain through his legs. The Energy Debt from using Purification Palm earlier hadn't faded, and every movement bled his stamina faster than normal.
The System chimed in:
[Warning: Energy Recovery Disabled until Vitality Debt is Repaid]
Rain gritted his teeth. Two hours to track something while half-dead. Perfect.
The First Gate
The signal led him into Sector 7, a collapsed district where the streets bent at impossible angles, like a broken game map rendered in reality.
At the sector's heart stood a massive archway, black as obsidian, inscribed with shimmering runes.
A notification blinked:
[Spatial Gate – Shard Signal Detected Beyond]Entry Cost: 20% Vitality or Equivalent Ether Stones.
Rain had neither spare vitality nor Ether Stones. Which meant…
The Gate began to hum — reacting not to him, but to something approaching fast from behind.
The Hunters
Through the haze, silhouettes emerged — three figures in cloaks marked with a winged insignia. Their voices carried even over the storm.
"Target confirmed. Sky Keeper order: retrieve the shard signal before contamination."
The Sky Keepers. The ones the girl had warned him about.
Rain's instincts screamed — not just to hide, but that these weren't normal humans. Their presence bled pressure into the air, making it hard to breathe.
Forced Entry
With no time left, Rain slammed his palm into the Gate's runes. Pain tore through him as it drank his vitality.
[20% Vitality Consumed – Entry Authorized]
The world fractured like shattered glass. The Gate swallowed him whole just as a Keeper's hand almost closed around his shoulder.
Dungeon World – The Hollow Spire
Rain landed hard on metallic flooring. Above him, a tower of steel and bone spiraled endlessly into the clouds.
The System's voice was urgent now:
[Dungeon Instance: Hollow Spire – Difficulty: Unrated]Objective: Locate the Shard Signal. Timer continues inside.
Somewhere deep in the spire, the signal pulsed stronger. But in the darkness below, something moved — its footsteps echoing like a predator that already knew his name.
Cliffhanger – The First Hunt
The timer read 01:53:09.The sound of metal scraping on metal drew closer from the stairwell.And then… a voice, low and cold, whispered through the dark:
"The Sky Keepers aren't your only hunters, Rain."