Leon stepped through the massive stone door, gun raised, his undead following closely behind. The passage ahead was suffocatingly dark, the walls damp with an unnatural slime that glowed faintly in the dim light of his mana lantern. Every step echoed, swallowed by the oppressive silence of the dungeon's depths.
Something was wrong.
The air itself felt… heavy. Not just with mana, but with something more sinister. A presence.
His fingers tightened around his gun. He had fought undead, demons, and abominations made of flesh, but this was different. This wasn't just a dungeon boss. This was something aware.
His sorcerer hovered beside him, its skeletal hands pulsing with necrotic energy. The warrior moved ahead, blade drawn, scanning the path like a silent guardian.
Then—
A whisper.
Right behind him.
Leon whirled around, gun aimed, but there was nothing. Just cold stone walls and the flickering glow of his lantern.
Then, another whisper. This time ahead.
His sorcerer hissed, the sound sharp and unnatural. The warrior tensed, its head snapping toward the darkness.
Leon exhaled. Not an illusion. Something was here. Watching.
He took another step forward, boots scraping against the damp ground. The tunnel twisted and turned, leading him deeper, the air growing colder with each step.
Then—a flicker of movement.
At the edge of his vision, a shape. Shifting. Blending into the shadows.
Leon fired. The gunshot roared through the tunnel, the mana-infused bullet slamming into the darkness.
For a split second, something flashed. A shape—a figure cloaked in writhing shadows.
And then, it spoke.
"Be ready to face despair… my king will kill you all."
Leon's breath stalled. His grip on the gun tightened. The voice was deep, hollow, echoing from everywhere at once.
His warrior lunged, blade slashing through the darkness—but hit nothing. The figure had already vanished.
Leon took a slow step back. His mind raced. My king?
This wasn't just a dungeon boss. This was bigger. Someone—or something—was behind all of this.
His sorcerer raised a skeletal hand. A faint green flame flickered in the void. For a moment, the shadows seemed to retreat—revealing what lay ahead.
Leon's stomach clenched.
At the end of the tunnel stood a massive obsidian gate, ancient runes glowing across its surface. It wasn't just a door. It was a seal.
And something on the other side was trying to break free.
The runes flickered, shifting between stable and unstable. The energy was failing—whatever was imprisoned inside was close to escaping.
Leon inhaled sharply. He knew one thing for certain.
This wasn't the final boss. This was the warning.
A distant rumbling shook the chamber, dust falling from the ceiling. The seal trembled, pulses of red light crackling through the ancient markings.
Leon's mind snapped into focus. No time to hesitate.
He turned to his summons. "We're not sticking around to find out what's behind that door."
His warrior gave a silent nod. His sorcerer simply watched.
Leon took off, moving fast, retracing his steps. His boots pounded against the stone, heartbeat hammering in his ears. Whatever that thing was, it wasn't meant to be released.
As he ran, he checked his system notifications. The dungeon should've been cleared after the Flesh Golem. But instead, all he got was:
[Warning: Unstable Sealing Magic Detected]
[Dungeon Status: Anomaly Detected]
That was not normal.
Another whisper slithered through the tunnel, closer now, almost mocking.
Leon didn't stop. He kept moving.
Then, just as he turned a corner, he saw it—the exit portal. A swirling mass of blue energy, hovering just a few feet ahead. He pushed himself faster, lungs burning, every instinct screaming at him to get out now.
But then—
A presence. Right behind him.
He didn't have to turn to know something was there. He could feel it. A void of mana, cold and suffocating, reaching for him.
Leon lunged forward, diving into the portal.
For a split second, he felt a hand graze his shoulder.
Then—light.
The world snapped back.
Leon hit the ground hard, rolling onto solid stone. His breath was ragged, his gun still raised, finger twitching on the trigger. His summons materialized beside him, their forms flickering slightly from the teleportation.
Slowly, he looked up.
The dungeon was behind him. The towering gate, the shifting shadows—all gone.
He was back in the Hunter Association's outpost.
A group of clerks and adventurers stared at him, confused at his sudden entrance. Someone in a guild uniform stepped forward, frowning. "Hey—what the hell happened in there?"
Leon didn't answer immediately. His mind was still in that tunnel, standing before that obsidian gate, hearing that voice.
My king will kill you all.
He exhaled, shaking off the chill still crawling up his spine.
Then, slowly, he stood.
"This dungeon wasn't just a B-Rank," he muttered, eyes dark. "Something's coming."
And he was going to find out what.