"W-We did it..."
John muttered, collapsing onto the ground.
"No... This is just the beginning."
Noah replied, stepping closer to the boy.
"What do you want to do?"
Ever since he'd met Noah, John had never realized just how intimidating he could be. Those dull, emotionless eyes, the ruthless way he fought—John had never seen this side of him before.
Slowly, Noah came even closer until he stood right in front of him, extending a fist.
"Come on, fist bump! You've earned it."
A bit taken aback, John raised his arm as well.
Thud
Their fists touched.
"Listen, John, how about helping me with this raid?"
"Sure. You can count on me."
John answered, getting back on his feet.
The two of them approached the main gate and pushed it open.
During the ten years of the first timeline, humanity encountered two distinct types of Dungeons. Different names were given to them based on their characteristics.
Dungeons were divided into two main categories: Internal Dungeons and External Dungeons. The distinction was simple: the first referred to Dungeons where monsters took control of territories on Earth, while the latter referred to instances where dimensional portals, later called Gates, led to another dimension.
The Columbia University Dungeon was part of the latter category.
Beyond the gate, a vast hall appeared before the two of them. Plain white walls stretched out on both sides, interrupted by a wide corridor running perpendicular to the room.
At the far end, in front of the stairs leading to the upper floors, a massive black hole filled the space.
"What the hell is that?"
John asked, bewildered.
"I don't know..."
Noah lied.
The two boys cautiously approached, stopping just a step away from the swirling void.
____________
YOU ARE ABOUT TO ENTER A DUNGEON!
____________
"Is this really a Dungeon entrance? I've never seen one like it!"
"Are you ready? Once we go in, we have no idea what awaits us. If you're not up for it, I'll understand."
Noah asked, ignoring John's doubts.
"Yeah, I'm ready."
"Okay."
Without another word, the two were swallowed by the void.
____________
For a split second, all they saw was absolute darkness. A strange sensation, as if they were being broken down and reassembled, washed over them.
Suddenly, a different place stood before them, nothing like the hall of Columbia University. A long stone corridor, dimly lit by torches on the walls, stretched out for what seemed like miles, interrupted periodically by various offshoots, branching out like the roots of a tree.
John quickly turned around.
"Shit... The passage is closing!"
With a burst of speed, the young man tried to reach the shrinking portal.
Snap
Without even looking back, Noah grabbed the boy's collar, holding him in place.
"If I were you, I wouldn't do that... What do you think would happen if it closed while you were still halfway through?"
"I... I hadn't thought about that..."
The thought of being sliced in half formed in John's mind. A chill ran down his spine.
Thank God he stopped me... though he could've been a bit gentler...
"Let's stay sharp... We don't know what's waiting for us."
The Columbia University Dungeon, or as they would call it in the future: The Graveyard.
Not even Noah knew what lurked inside. All he knew was that in the five years following its discovery, out of the sixty expeditions sent in, only one could be called a success, if you could even call it that.
Out of the fifty Hunters that participated in the last assault, only one survived.
"It took 60 expeditions to take them all down. Sixty! It would've been better to just leave that damned place alone!"
That's what the survivor had said. That's what John had said when he came out of that hell.
And now he had returned.
The two boys pressed on, navigating through the various corridors that branched out within what seemed like an endless maze.
"There's no one in here... How is that possible?"
"I don't know... and I don't sense anything either..."
It had been two hours since they had been transported into the Dungeon. In those two hours, nothing and no one had hindered them. Only endless walls, all looking the same, had accompanied them on their journey.
"That's it... I can't take this anymore! There's no way out of this place!"
"Exactly... There's no path. And if there's no path, what does that mean?"
"I don't know..."
"That we have to make one ourselves. We've turned left four times... that means right here should be..."
Noah focused his mana into his right fist before slamming it into the wall.
"...a room!"
Behind the wall, a vast hall adorned with large columns occupied an immense space.
At the far end of the hall, an empty throne loomed over them, looking down from above.
"Do you feel it too?"
"Yeah... Something's watching us."
The two boys moved forward into the room, step by step.
From behind the throne, an entity concealed by shadows emerged, stepping into the light of the torches on the walls.
A knight wielding a long spear. Its face hidden by a flat helmet, and an icon above its head.
___________
INVIDERE The Primordial Sin
___________
The being walked to the center of the room, then halted. Slowly, the knight's arm rose, pointing the spear at the two.
"I guess talking isn't necessary, then."
With his usual calm, Noah reached behind his back, pulling out his trusted scythe that seemed to materialize from a tear in space.
Noah planted his feet firmly on the ground, resting the scythe on his shoulder. A battle stance, designed to dispose of the enemy as efficiently as possible.
Beside him, John was also ready for battle.
Behind him, numerous small orbs spun clockwise, poised to strike the monster.
Zoom!
Without a moment's hesitation, the knight charged forward, brandishing its weapon, intent on ending the fight with a single blow.
Noah, who was in front of him, disappeared in an instant.
Whoosh
Invidere turned its head, trying to track the boy's movement. A sudden wind rose to its right.
The monster heard the sound of a blade slicing through the air and quickly lowered its head, narrowly avoiding the strike.
Whoom
Another sound reached the creature's ears.
Out of the corner of its eye, Invidere caught sight of a bright flash hurtling toward it at supersonic speed. Instinctively, the monster twisted its body, dodging the attack.
Pushing off the ground, the creature lunged forward, closing the distance between it and John.
The spear thrust forward, ready to impale the boy.
Tinggg
A metallic clang echoed through the empty hall.
Noah's scythe intercepted the weapon, halting it in its tracks.
With a flick of his wrist, the remaining spells John had prepared shot toward the monster, passing mere millimeters by Noah.
Boom!
An explosion erupted where the knight had stood, kicking up a cloud of smoke and debris.
"We got him."
"No... Not yet."
Amid the cloud, numerous glimmers appeared behind a dark silhouette.
The smoke slowly cleared, revealing the monster still standing. The helmet that had covered the creature's face had been blown off, landing a few steps away, exposing a familiar face.
Behind it, small orbs of pitch-black energy swirled, drawing a circle in the air.
The shocked eyes of the two boys locked onto the creature's face. White hair covered the monster's head, and two piercing blue eyes gleamed intensely.
"W-what... That's... me?!"
John exclaimed.