The Gate That Shouldn't Exist
Leon stepped through the crumbling threshold of the final chamber, his gun raised, undead close behind. The path narrowed into a black corridor, damp with slime that shimmered faintly like bloodied oil. His mana lantern flickered—not from exhaustion, but resistance. Like something didn't want light here.
His boots sank slightly into the floor. The walls pulsed. Not figuratively. They moved. Like lungs drawing breath. Like arteries carrying something alive.
His Sorcerer floated behind him, its burning eyes locked forward. His Warrior tensed, cleaver resting heavy in its grip.
Leon slowed.
The dungeon had gone silent.
Not quiet—silent.
No ambient echoes. No distant growls. No trickle of blood down the walls. Just an unnatural stillness that made his skin tighten.
Then, he heard it.
A whisper.
Not beside him. Inside him.
"He watches."
Leon spun, gun aimed behind him. Nothing.
The lantern dimmed further.
Ahead, the tunnel began to widen. But it wasn't a boss room. It was… wrong.
The air grew thicker. Not with mana.
With intent.
And then—
He saw it.
The Obsidian Seal
A massive obsidian gate rose from the chamber floor, etched in ancient runes that flickered between red and violet, pulsing erratically. The frame was cracked, scorched, as though something had been pounding from the other side.
The runes weren't cast by the system.
They were older.
The seal vibrated with every heartbeat Leon took.
He didn't need the system to confirm it.
This wasn't part of the dungeon.
This was buried beneath it.
A prison. A lock.
And it was failing.
The Whispering Herald
The runes on the gate sparked, flaring crimson—then died out.
The shadows twisted.
From the far side of the gate, a figure emerged—not fully real, not fully illusion. A tall silhouette wrapped in black flame, its face hidden, its body insubstantial. But its voice…
Its voice bled.
"The seal falters."
Leon raised his gun.
"And my king," the voice whispered, "has grown curious of your world."
His Sorcerer hissed, stepping forward. The figure didn't move. Didn't blink.
"Tell your kind: this is no longer a dungeon. This is a door."
Leon opened fire.
The bullet hit nothing.
The figure vanished.
System Error
The system chimed—but not in the usual clear blue.
The interface warped, bleeding crimson around the edges.
[Warning: Dungeon Core Instability Detected][Unauthorized Entity Detected: External Origin][Classification: Abyssal][System Lock Compromised][Forcible Breach Pending – Dungeon Rules Overwritten]
Leon stared at the flickering alerts, mind racing.
"This isn't a raid," he murmured. "It's an invasion."
The gate behind him groaned.
Escape and Omen
He didn't wait.
He turned.
"Sorcerer—cover the rear. Warrior, move."
They sprinted back through the winding corridors, past the pulsing walls and shifting shadows. The gate didn't explode. It breathed, as if exhaling something ancient.
A tremor rattled the dungeon walls. Dust poured from above.
He could feel it now—something pressing into the dungeon, not from the outside… but from another reality.
He reached the portal chamber.
The blue vortex shimmered—distorted. Its borders bled with red sparks, like the system was trying to resist the intrusion.
Behind him—
A voice, closer than ever:
"He comes."
Leon dove through the portal.
For a heartbeat—he felt cold fingers brush the edge of his coat.
Back on the Surface
He crashed onto the stone floor of the Association's outpost. His summons reappeared beside him, flickering, disoriented.
Around him—chaos.
Hunters shouted. Clerks scrambled for cover. Runes around the teleportation platform flickered violently.
A low rumble rolled beneath the earth.
Someone screamed.
Leon staggered to his feet, raising his weapon instinctively.
Then—the dungeon cracked.
A sound like tearing fabric exploded through the air. Red lightning burst from the portal behind him, and the entire dungeon gate detonated outward in a storm of black flame and molten rock.
And from within—
A shape stepped through.
The Dungeon Outbreak Begins
It wasn't a monster.
It wasn't a boss.
It was a soldier.
Clad in black armor etched with abyssal runes, a crimson greatsword dragging behind him, eyes glowing with ember-like intensity.
The mana pressure crushed the atmosphere. Two hunters collapsed instantly. A guild captain gasped for breath, falling to one knee.
[System Emergency Alert – Dungeon Outbreak Triggered][Entity Class: Abyssal Champion][Tier: ???][Warning: World-Class Threat – Evacuation Recommended]
Leon raised his gun, lips tight.
This wasn't a dungeon anymore.
This was a message.
And the Abyss had just spoken.