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CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE DEFEATED A BOSS WITHOUT ANY HELP!
YOU CAN NOW EXIT THE AREA.
THE MINI-MAP IS NOW AVAILABLE!
YOU CAN NOW COMMUNICATE WITH THE OUTSIDE THROUGH OUR APP!
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"Alright, let's move."
Noah said, his tone flat as he passed by the others, scythe resting casually against his shoulder. He made his way toward the stairs without looking back. Kevin and Isabel followed, glancing at each other, unsure of how to respond to Noah's demeanor.
"Isn't anyone going to comment on the fact that he just took down that thing without breaking a sweat?" John asked, incredulous, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Yeah... did you see how effortlessly Noah handled it?" Kevin replied, admiration lacing his voice.
"He practically danced around it!"
"It really really impressive, wasn't it?" Isabel interjected, eyebrow raised. Never in her life had she seen someone move like Noah had just done.
"Lets move." Noah said, barely breaking stride. "We have bigger concerns ahead."
As they approached the exit, the lobby was alive with survivors, each face a blend of relief and anxiety.
One of the boys, his hand trembling violently, finally gathered enough courage to push the heavy door open. It creaked loudly, the sound echoing through the quiet, as if the world outside held its breath. When the door swung wide, the sight that met them was beyond anything they had imagined. The sky, once familiar, was now an oppressive sheet of dark gray, swirling ominously like a storm that would never break. It cast a cold, unnatural light over the ruins of what had once been their town.
Buildings that had stood tall only hours before were now reduced to skeletal remains, their twisted frames jutting into the air like broken bones. Windows were shattered, their jagged edges reflecting the dull light as if they were mocking the idea of safety they once provided. Entire streets were buried beneath heaps of rubble—fallen bricks, crumpled cars, and scattered debris created an uneven landscape of destruction. Trees, once lining the streets, were either uprooted or split in half, their branches clawing at the sky as if begging for mercy.
The air was thick with dust, making it hard to breathe, and an eerie silence hung over everything. Occasionally, a faint groan would rise from the distance as another section of a collapsing building gave way. The acrid smell of smoke and burning lingered, mixing with the sickly scent of decay. What few signs of life remained were distant, ghostly figures—people stumbling through the wreckage, covered in grime, their faces hollow with shock and despair. Some called out names, their voices hoarse and panicked, but the only response was the howl of the wind threading through the ruins.
For a moment, the group of students was frozen in place, unable to fully comprehend the devastation in front of them. The town they had known all their lives was gone, replaced by this wasteland, a twisted reflection of what had been.
John's voice trembled. "Is this… our town?"
Most of the kids instinctively reached for their phones, fingers fumbling as they dialed family numbers.
The silence that followed was oppressive. Very few received a response.
Kevin stared out at the devastation, unsure of what to say. "So... do we go home?"
Noah's gaze hardened, a bitter smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Home? There's nothing left for any of us there."
The others looked at him, shocked by his bluntness, but they couldn't deny the truth in his words. Noah's eyes turned toward the horizon, distant and calculating, as if his mind was already working through the next steps.
"What are you going to do, Noah?" Isabel asked softly, her voice steady but laced with concern.
Noah met her gaze, cold and unreadable. "I'm going to keep moving forward. I have things to take care of. What you choose to do is up to you."
John furrowed his brow. "What does that mean? You're just going to leave? After everything we've been through?"
"I'm not asking you to follow me," Noah said evenly. "But if you do, you need to be ready. Things are only going to get worse from here. I can't afford to drag anyone along who isn't prepared for what's coming."
Kevin looked torn. "What are you saying, Noah? You want us to... what? Just join you?"
"I'm giving you a choice," Noah replied, his voice firm. "Join me, and I'll make sure we survive this. But you have to be willing to do whatever it takes."
Isabel's eyes widened. "You mean... like how you've been acting? Cold, emotionless? Is that really what survival means to you?"
Noah turned toward her, his gaze unflinching. "It's not about what I want, Isabel. It's about what needs to be done. You've seen what's out there. Sentimentality won't keep us alive."
John shook his head, taking a step back. "I'm not like you, Noah. I'm not ready to... to become that. To become a killer."
Kevin sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Man, I don't know. I just don't know if I can do this. This... world. It's messed up, and I'm not sure I can live like that."
Noah remained silent for a moment, his expression unreadable. Then, he spoke with chilling calm. "I understand. But think about this: you don't have much time to make that choice. In ten days, we'll meet again here. You'll need to decide by then."
"Ten days?" Isabel echoed, frowning. "What's happening in ten days?"
Noah's gaze darkened, his voice lowering. "In ten days, the real chaos begins. The world you know will be gone, and if you're not ready, you'll die. It's that simple."
Kevin and John exchanged uneasy glances, while Isabel stared at Noah, her mind racing.
"I'll be here," Noah said, turning away from them. "If you're ready to follow me, you'll find me here. But don't come unless you're willing to accept what that means."
Without waiting for a response, Noah stepped into the ruins, his scythe still resting on his shoulder. His skeletal servant followed close behind, the two of them disappearing into the wreckage.
The silence that followed was suffocating. John was the first to speak, his voice low and uncertain. "He's... he's serious, isn't he?"
"Yeah," Kevin muttered. "He is."
Isabel watched Noah's figure fade into the distance, her mind grappling with the choice he had laid before them. She had always known Noah was different, but this? This was something else entirely.
"Noah... that guy is strange, it's almost as if he always lived like this..." she said, almost to herself.
Kevin nodded, his expression grim. "We've got ten days to figure out if we can handle following him. Otherwise..."
He didn't finish the sentence, but the implication was clear. In ten days, they would have to decide: follow Noah into the abyss, or take their chances alone.
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I guess it doesn't make sense to go home…
Noah thought, the memory crashing over him like a wave. He recalled the first time he had experienced this chaos, rushing home only to find his parents sprawled lifeless in a pool of blood.
With that image still lingering in his head, he stepped into the rubble, his loyal skeleton gliding silently behind him.
"Let's pick up the pace. We have somewhere to go."
Noah said, looking at his only companion.
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At the entrance of the subway station at City Hall—the starting point for line 6—Noah inhaled deeply, the air thick with tension. An eerie stillness settled around him. Just as he reached the stairs, a glaring red message appeared before his eyes.
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WARNING! YOU ARE ABOUT TO ENTER A DUNGEON!
ONCE YOU ENTER, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO EXIT UNTIL YOU HAVE DEFEATED THE BOSS!
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"Of course," Noah muttered, voice laced with sarcasm. He began his descent, each footstep echoing ominously in the silence.
Tack
Tack
Tack
Once he reached the bottom of the stairs, he found himself in a grand hall, adorned with a magnificent Romanesque vault. Numerous decorations adorned the platform, from glimmering bronze chandeliers to stained glass skylights casting a muted glow, and glazed ceramics that spoke of a long-forgotten history. It was a beautiful but haunting sight, almost mocking in its contrast to the chaos above.
Before him, a single balloon track stretched into the consuming darkness.
I hate this place...
Noah thought, a cold determination settling in his gut.
Last time, those bastards nearly ended me. I despise them when they're small; I can only imagine what they'll be like when they're as big as freaking horses!
The memories surged forward, flooding his mind with images of the last time he had faced this dungeon's horrors.
*Squick-squick*
*Squick-squick*
*Squick-squick*
I hate them with all my heart, damn it!
Noah clenched his fists, the sound of the rats echoing like a death knell in the back of his mind.
With a final glance at the now-distant light of the exit, Noah focused his thoughts and activated his status display.
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Status.
Name: Noah Gallagher
Gender: Male
Level: 9
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Jobs:
First Job: Reincarnation of Thanatos
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Titles:
Loser - certainly unlucky in the game; hopefully, not so in love. Seems necessary to ease things for you. All acquired EXP will be doubled.
Second Time's Always Better - one who has tried their luck once already knows the way. Information about the game world will be presented to the player. To activate, infuse mana into the eyes.
Second Time Ranker - one who has dominated a run. The last survivor. Skills consume half MP.
First Kill - the first human to kill an invader. +4 to all stats.
One Against All - When you are the only player in a fight against multiple opponents, all stats receive a +2 boost.
Lonely Slaughterer - A lone warrior who spills blood on the battlefield, sparing no one. Strength (+2)
Solo Slayer - When you are the only player in a fight against multiple opponents, all stats receive a +4 boost.
Fear - by using your magic power, you can release an aura that afflicts enemies with the fear status. The higher your intelligence stat, the greater its effect.
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Stats:
Strength: 20 (+4) (+2)
Agility: 33 (+4)
Intelligence: 44 (+4)
Stamina: 34 (+4)
Magic Power: 44 (+4)
Skills:
CORPSE RESURRECTION (Great Commander) LV. 1 - the power to revive and dominate the dead.
With each level, the number of slaves under your control will increase.
The servants can learn from their master.
Number of slaves: 1/10
Proficiency = 98%
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One more level until I receive a job-related skill...
"Lets go."
Noah said, his voice a low whisper, resolute as he turned to his skeleton companion.
The two jumped down from the platform and began heading into the darkness until it swallowed them.
As they rounded the first bend, two tracks continued under a vaulted ceiling. On either side, the space widened a few meters. Noah concentrated his mana into his eyes, and the world became clear to him. The floor was nearly invisible beneath a blanket of hundreds of bones. Hidden in the alcoves of the tunnel, hundreds of rats the size of horses moved over each other, devouring one another in a grotesque display.
Sensing a different smell, all the rats turned in unison, revealing their jaws, beady eyes glinting with malevolence as they swarmed toward him.
Gripping his weapon tightly, Noah lowered his head.
"Fear!" he shouted, releasing his mana. A dark aura enveloped him, wrapping him in its chilling embrace. To him, it felt as if death itself had descended upon Earth. Smoke began to escape Noah's mouth due to the extreme concentration of energy in the atmosphere. Tiny purple lightning bolts flickered within the cloud, and for a fraction of a second, death appeared on the ground: the interplay of light and shadow formed a skeleton within his aura.
The group of rats hesitated for a split second, just enough time for Noah to make his move. With calculated speed, he dashed among the beasts, cleaving everything in his path. Beside him, the goblin skeleton mirrored his movements with eerie precision, dodging enemies and delivering fatal blows.
So it's mimicking my fighting style, huh?
Noah noted coldly, a smirk barely grazing his lips.
Noah blocked a rat with the hilt of his weapon, then retaliated with a powerful kick.
The monster's skull imploded upon impact. Using the scythe as a pole, he thrust himself forward, landing right in the eye of the storm.
Hundreds of rats descended upon him in an instant, and as their beady eyes locked onto him, Noah's resolve only hardened.
Let's see how they fare against the Reincarnation of Thanatos...