Keon sighed, rubbing his temples as yet another explosion sent tremors through the dungeon. The Dungeon Lord's booming laughter echoed through the chamber like thunder, clearly enjoying the chaos unfolding outside.
"Foolish mortals! Strike harder! Strike with all your might! It changes nothing!" the skeletal dragon bellowed, its glowing eyes practically dancing with amusement.
Keon, meanwhile, had officially reached his limit. He wasn't scared anymore—just incredibly done with everything.
23:33 remaining.
That's what his Rift Leap cooldown displayed when he checked his system panel. Almost a full day before he could escape again.
He let out another sigh, more dramatic this time. "Great. I get to spend the rest of the night listening to an undead dragon commentate a war like it's a damn sports match."
Another explosion. More rumbling. More rubble falling.
Keon slowly looked up at the ceiling. It's like trying to sleep in a house made entirely of fireworks, with a commentator who's way too invested.
He folded his arms, rocking back and forth on his heels. Should I just take a nap? No, another falling spike might stab me awake.
He side-eyed the Dungeon Lord, who was now chuckling darkly.
Should I start taking bets on whether they'll break in?
Another boom. More shaking. The Dungeon Lord let out something that sounded disturbingly close to an entertained sigh.
Keon nodded to himself. Alright. New plan. I am getting out of here.
---
The Brilliantly Stupid Idea
He spotted a large chunk of pointy rubble nearby. Perfect. Absolutely perfect.
Without hesitating, Keon stepped forward.
And kept stepping.
And walked straight into the jagged stone.
Of course, his body phased through it effortlessly, just as he expected. But this time, instead of just standing there like an idiot in the middle of the dungeon, he decided to push his luck.
He turned towards the dungeon walls, inhaled deeply, and kept walking.
One step.
Two steps.
Three steps.
And then—he was through.
Just like that, Keon left.
---
The Dungeon Lord's Reaction
For several minutes, the Dungeon Lord remained blissfully unaware, fully immersed in the spectacle outside.
Until, at last, something felt off.
A pause.
A moment of silence.
And then, the Dungeon Lord's glowing eyes flickered, scanning the chamber.
"…Contractor?"
Silence.
"…Hmph." The great dragon narrowed its gaze slightly. "So, he has left again. As expected."
Satisfied with its conclusion, the Dungeon Lord returned its attention to the ongoing battle, completely unaware that Keon had left in the stupidest way possible.
Keon trudged forward, his body phasing effortlessly through walls, debris, and the occasional ancient tapestry. He had lost count after the fiftieth wall, but his determination—or perhaps sheer stubbornness—kept him going. The distant booms and flashes of light guided him like a twisted breadcrumb trail.
"Just keep swimming... or phasing... or whatever," he muttered to himself, the absurdity of his situation not lost on him.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of playing ghost, Keon stepped through one last wall and was greeted by the cool embrace of the night air. He looked up, taking in the serene beauty of the moonlit sky.
"Ah, freedom at la—"
BOOOOM!
The sky erupted in a blinding explosion, lighting up the night as if someone had decided to set off a sun-sized firework. Keon's eyes widened, his mouth forming a perfect 'O' of surprise.
"Well, that's one way to brighten my night," he quipped, raising an eyebrow. "Who needs coffee when you've got spontaneous sky-splosions?"
He stood there, hands on his hips, shaking his head in disbelief. "Next time, I'll just take the stairs."
With a resigned sigh, Keon began to move away from the dungeon's vicinity, muttering under his breath about the universe's questionable sense of humor.
Keon strolled a little farther, the faint echo of explosions in the distance still rumbling like a bad stomach after cheap takeout. He sighed, his steps sluggish yet unyielding. The cool breeze of the outside world did little to soothe the exhaustion of his endless phasing spree.
"At least I finally got out of that damn place," he muttered. "One small step for Keon, one giant leap for—"
Before he could finish his sentence, the night was abruptly interrupted by a massive THUD. A giant skeleton head, grotesque and ancient, came crashing from above, landing squarely on him.
Or rather, it would have landed on him, had it not phased harmlessly through his intangible form.
Keon's legs buckled instinctively, and he hit the ground anyway, flailing like a turtle flipped onto its back. For a brief second, all he could do was stare up at the enormous, hollow eyes of the skeleton head glaring down at him.
"Ah yes, because the universe hasn't dropped enough on me today."
Keon groaned, picking himself up, brushing off invisible dust like it made any difference.
"I swear, if this is someone's idea of a cosmic piñata, I'm going to file a complaint with… whoever manages… skeleton heads?"
He froze mid-thought, staring blankly into the distance. Then, dramatically, he fell backward onto the ground again, limbs splayed like a defeated cartoon character.
"You win, universe. You win."
Keon brushed the dust off his coat and started walking again, mumbling to himself about how the dungeon's randomness seemed to be out for him. But his thoughts were interrupted when he heard the heavy clang of armored footsteps approaching.
He turned to see a knight clad in radiant white-gold armor. The man's entire presence screamed authority, his armor shimmering under the faint moonlight. The knight held a spear glowing faintly with energy, and his voice rang out, sharp and commanding:
"Traitor! Prepare to face judgment!"
Keon stopped in his tracks, blinking. "Huh? Traitor? You sure you've got the right guy? I think your GPS is broken, man."
The knight didn't answer. Instead, he lowered his spear and charged, his every step thunderous against the earth. Keon instinctively stepped back, eyes widening as the glowing spearhead came dangerously close.
But, as expected, the spear phased harmlessly through his chest.
The knight stopped in his tracks, stunned for a moment. He inspected his spear, as if the weapon itself had failed him, before locking his gaze back on Keon. "So, you think your trickery will save you?!"
Keon tilted his head. "Trickery? My guy, I'm just trying not to get stabbed. Is that so wrong?"
Ignoring him, the knight charged again, this time with even more force. Keon stepped to the side, and once again, the spear phased through him. He turned to the knight with a casual shrug. "Well, this is awkward. Should we talk this out, or are you just gonna keep doing this?"
The knight stopped and narrowed his eyes, gripping his spear tighter. "Your ability to evade my strikes is impressive, but it must have a limit."
Keon sighed, his shoulders sagging. "Yeah, yeah, I've heard that before. 'No ability is perfect, everything has a limit, blah blah blah.' Look, I appreciate the effort, but you're kinda wasting your time here."
The knight didn't budge. His gaze hardened as he resumed his slow, methodical approach, as if trying to study Keon's every move.
Keon, on the other hand, had reached the end of his patience. He raised his hands in a show of surrender. "Alright, you do you. Meanwhile, I'm gonna check my stats, because, you know, priorities."
With that, Keon opened his system panel, the glowing interface appearing in front of him. He scrolled through the familiar stats, muttering under his breath:
---
[System Panel]
Name: Keon
Title: Rift Walker
Strength: 22
Agility: 31
Vitality: 9
Mystic Affinity: 4
Abilities:
Rift Leap (Cooldown: 23:33:00)
Phasing State (Passive)
Missions (Pending):
Use Rift Leap 20 Times (Progress: 2/20)
---
Keon sighed, closing the panel. "Yep, still the same. No secret power-up, no hidden weapon, just good ol' invincibility. Guess I'll just keep walking."
The knight, clearly growing more frustrated by the second, raised his spear for another charge. Keon stepped to the side without much effort, shaking his head.
"You've got some real commitment, I'll give you that," Keon muttered, glancing at the path ahead. "But if it's all the same to you, I'll be going now. You keep stabbing the air, I'll keep… not dying. Cool?"
He turned and started walking again, the knight's shouts of frustration fading into the distance. Keon couldn't help but smirk. "Honestly, with everything that's happened today, this barely cracks my top five weirdest moments."