DUNGEON SLAVE – CHAPTER 04: FEAST OF NARVANA
Narvana had not seen a night like this in years.
The air shimmered with floating lanterns; laughter echoed through the stone streets. Long tables were stretched across the plaza, covered with roast meats, sweet rolls, and overflowing cups of amber mead.Female Hunters, officials, and townsfolk alike gathered to celebrate the impossible Axcel Haven, the so-called "Dungeon Slave," had returned alive from the Gate of Ruin.
And not just alive victorious.
Music thundered from every corner. Drums, flutes, the rhythmic clapping of hands. Sparks from bonfires whirled skyward like tiny fire spirits.
Axcel sat near the center, a plate stacked high in front of him. He tore into a roasted beast leg with a hunger that stunned everyone nearby.
"Slow down,!" a female hunter laughed from across the table. "You're eating like the dungeon's still chasing you!"
Axcel swallowed hard, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "You try fighting a spider the size of a house and not come back starving."
The table burst into laughter. Even Helena, seated a few places away, smirked behind her cup.
Someone shoved another plate toward him spiced rice, grilled mana fish, and a mountain of bread. "Eat, slave! You earned it!"
He didn't argue. He devoured everything within reach. Between bites, people kept asking him questions.
"What did it look like?" "Is it true the Queen screamed before it died?" "how big is your...?"
Helena raised an eyebrow. "You make it sound like he did all the work," she said with mock irritation.
Axcel grinned, mouth half full. "I did most of it. You just kept me from dying too soon."
A roar of laughter followed. Someone began chanting his name "Ax-cel! Ax-cel!" and before long, half the plaza joined in. He tried to wave them off, embarrassed, but the grin on his face betrayed how much he enjoyed it.
Then came the games.
Female Hunters set up mana rings and began tossing glowing stones through them, betting who could hit the center.The crowd booed and cheered as chairs splintered and mugs toppled.
When someone dragged Axcel over to participate, he groaned. "Can't I at least digest first?"
"Not a chance, slave!" shouted a burly jacked woman twice his size. "Prove you're not just good with swords!"
The table shook as they locked hands. Axcel's grin faded into determination. The lady's arm bulged, muscles straining but Axcel's mana pulsed faintly through his skin, strengthening his grip. The big lady's eyes widened just as Axcel slammed his hand down.
The crowd exploded in cheers. A mug of mead was shoved into his hand, and he raised it in victory.
Helena shook her head, smiling. "You're going to regret this when you can't move tomorrow."
"Worth it," he replied, taking another long drink.
Hours passed. Music gave way to slower melodies, and the bonfires dimmed to embers. The people of Narvana danced, laughed, and toasted until the night blurred into warmth and color.
But at the far edge of the plaza, away from the noise, two women stood watching in quiet thought.
Hebana leaned against a pillar, her expression unreadable. "He changed something," she murmured. "That dungeon wasn't supposed to behave that way."
Helena's silver eyes turned toward her. "You mean when the Queen attacked me?"
"Yes." Hebana folded her arms, the jeweled sigils on her gloves faintly glowing. "The Seven Dungeons were designed not to attack us. Their aggression is scripted by the system itself. Yet what happened inside… broke every rule."
Helena frowned. "I thought it was a malfunction."
"A malfunction doesn't adapt to your presence. That thing targeted you like it knew who you were."
Silence settled between them, broken only by distant laughter.
Hebana's gaze drifted to the sky, where the stars above Narvana still pulsed faintly with mana. "If the system's integrity is failing… then none of us are safe. Not even those who command it."
Helena hesitated. "You think the gates themselves are"
"Evolving," Hebana finished quietly. "Or worse… remembering."
The two women stood there for a long moment, the chill of realization creeping between them.
Then Hebana sighed and straightened. "Don't tell Axcel yet. Let him enjoy the illusion of peace, at least for tonight."
Helena nodded, though her eyes lingered on him across the plaza laughing with women all around him, surrounded by light, completely unaware that the world beneath his feet was shifting.
It was long past midnight when the celebration finally ended. Lanterns floated skyward like spirits departing a battlefield. The streets grew silent except for the whisper of wind through the stone alleys.
Axcel sat in the public bathhouse, steam curling lazily through the air. The water glowed faintly from the residual mana infused in it a Narvana tradition for cleansing after dungeon raids. He leaned back, letting the heat soak through his sore muscles.
"Finally…" he murmured. "A night without someone trying to eat me."
He closed his eyes, half asleep.
Then clack.
A sound echoed softly. Footsteps. Whispering.
He opened one eye. Through the steam, faint silhouettes moved near the edge of the bath small, hesitant shapes. He blinked. Was he imagining this?
The whispering grew clearer.
"Is that really him?" "I told you, it's Axcel Haven! The Dungeon Slave himself!" "He's… actually kinda cute up close…"
He froze, staring toward the mist. Three young women stood just outside the curtain, peeking through the gap. One nearly tripped over the other, stifling a giggle.
Axcel's mind went blank for a moment. Then, in the most deadpan voice imaginable, he said, "You know, you could just join me instead of spying."
There was a beat of silence.
Then the trio squeaked in unison and vanished like startled cats, their footsteps echoing down the corridor.
Axcel sighed, dragging a wet hand over his face. "Right. Smooth, Haven. Real smooth."
He leaned back again, water rippling around him, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Still… they're not wrong. This city has some dangerous beauties."
He sank deeper into the water, the warmth wrapping around him as fatigue began to fade. The air outside the bathhouse was cold and clean, a reminder that dawn wasn't far away.
Axcel walked out of the bathhouse with his hair damp, a towel slung over his shoulders, and the faintest grin still on his lips.
"That's definitely going to be a memory I'll take to my grave," he muttered to himself. "Assuming I don't actually die again."
The cool night air felt crisp against his skin. The faint hum of mana flowing through the city was almost melodic each stone, lantern, and banner vibrated with a subtle magical life. It was strange, but in a way, comforting. The world he had been forced into felt more alive than the one he'd left behind.
Still… he wasn't the kind of person who could sleep after a night like that.
So he wandered toward the empty plaza. The festival tables were half-cleared, bonfires dying into glowing coals. He stepped into the open square and exhaled slowly. "Might as well make the most of this new power."
He clenched his hand, summoning the faint blue light of his mana. The glow pulsed between his fingers like a heartbeat.
"Full Count," he whispered.
The system responded instantly.
[Skill Activated: FULL COUNT]
[All Physical Attributes Enhanced x2 for 60 seconds]
Wind whipped around him as energy surged through his body. The ground cracked slightly under his foot when he took a step forward.
He slashed through the air with his hand, forming a trail of black and blue light shaped like a sword arc. The energy split a nearby training post cleanly in two, leaving the wood smoldering with faint runes.
"Still not bad," he said, flexing his arm. "I can control the output better now. No more accidents… hopefully."
He focused again, running short bursts of mana through his limbs each movement smoother, faster, more precise. The hum of his energy echoed faintly against the stone walls. He didn't even realize someone was watching until a voice spoke behind him.
"You should get some rest."
He turned instantly, mana flaring. "Hebana?"
The Archmage stood just beyond the torchlight, her crimson cloak fluttering slightly in the breeze. Her silver-gold eyes shimmered faintly, reflecting the dying embers from the plaza. "You've improved already," she said, stepping closer. "But overusing your energy this soon after battle will drain your core."
Axcel let the mana fade from his hands. "Couldn't sleep."
"I figured." Her tone softened a little. "You're still human, Axcel. You've fought, bled, and feasted in the same day. Most men would've collapsed hours ago."
He smirked. "Guess I'm not most men."
"That much is certain," she said with a half-smile. Then her gaze darkened slightly. "But you need to understand tonight's peace won't last. The next trial begins soon."
"The next dungeon?" Axcel asked, frowning. "Already?"
Hebana nodded. "The Red Veil. It manifests east of Narvana. A labyrinth drowned in blood mana the second of the Seven."
"Sounds… friendly," he said, rolling his shoulders.
"You joke now," she said, "but the Red Veil doesn't tolerate arrogance. You'll see soon enough." She turned to leave, her cloak swirling like liquid shadow. "Rest while you can, Dungeon Slave. Tomorrow, the next battle begins."
Axcel watched her disappear into the misted streets, the faint trace of her mana lingering in the air.
He exhaled, rubbing his neck. "Dungeon Slave, huh? Guess I'm really stuck with that name."
The night breeze ruffled his hair. The city around him was silent again, save for the faint hum of mana in the stones. He looked toward the eastern horizon where the sky shimmered faintly red a sign, perhaps, of what awaited him.
He tightened his grip on his sword hilt, the glow of blue energy reflecting faintly in his dark eyes.
"Fine," he murmured. "If this world wants to chain me… I'll break every damn dungeon that stands in my way."
And as the first rays of dawn began to edge across the horizon, Narvana's chosen "Dungeon Slave" stood ready unaware that his next step would bring him closer not only to power but to truths buried deep within the heart of the Fractured Realms.
TO BE CONTINUED...