Kaelen sat on the broken ridge of the Northern Breach, the cold wind carrying the metallic scent of mana-burnt earth. All around him, dozens of corpses of corrupted beasts shimmered before dissolving into particles of light—each one releasing rewards that flowed into his body like soft, warm threads. His vision trembled for a moment as the system chimed inside his head:
[You have received:
• Shard of Monster Essence ×17
• Sub-Ability: Razor Pulse (Tier 1)
• Circuit Compensation: +3%]
He exhaled slowly. His whole body trembled—not from fear, but from the aftershocks of the battle.
"Kaelen!"
A streak of white-gold descended from the sky like a falling comet. Tessandra landed hard enough to split the dirt beneath her feet. Her expression was an uncharacteristic mixture of anger and fear.
She grabbed his shoulders.
"You're alive. Thank the Ancients—Kaelen, what happened? The moment I sensed the mana signature shift to sovereign-tier, the link cut. You should've been dead."
Kaelen forced a grin, though his whole arm was still shaking.
"I almost was. But I adapted… barely."
Her eyes narrowed as she scanned the battlefield. "You fought a sovereign-ranked dungeon lord alone?"
Kaelen shrugged. "I didn't have a choice."
Tessandra looked like she wanted to hit him and hug him at the same time.
Before she could, several shadows landed around them—fast, heavy, disciplined.
High-rankers.
Their cloaks bore the sigils of Kael'Ar's great orders:
—The Titanward Legion.
—Veilweavers of the Seventh Strand.
—Three Swords of the Azure Hall.
Their leader, a tall man with braids of crystalline bone woven into his hair, exhaled sharply.
"So the rumors were true…" He eyed Kaelen with a mixture of disbelief and respect. "A novice killed a sovereign dungeon lord?"
Kaelen waved a hand. "Can we not… announce it like that?"
Tessandra smirked. "Too late."
One of the high-rankers knelt beside the giant corpse imprint left by the dungeon lord's fall. He touched the soil, squinting.
"This… shouldn't be possible. A dungeon outbreak reaching sovereign-tier requires a circuit density nearing planar-level. Someone—or something—pushed it to evolve."
Kaelen gulped. "That explains… the whole nearly-dying thing."
The high-ranker straightened. "Where's the core?"
Kaelen opened his palm. Three items floated above it, glowing softly:
• Circuit Energy Enhancement (High-Grade)
• Stamina Recovery Capsule (Advanced)
• Ability Crystal – (Chrono Rend) (Tier 3)
A ripple of murmurs passed among the beasts.
Tessandra whistled. "Chrono Rend? That's… actually broken."
Kaelen shrugged modestly. "I earned it."
She flicked his forehead. "And nearly died earning it."
He didn't argue.
Because it was true.
He replayed it—the moment his lungs collapsed, the second where his bones cracked, the exact heartbeat where his vision dimmed and the only thing he had left was will.
And then it happened—
the second stage of both his Chrono Circuit and Gravity Circuit had awakened, slamming open like ancient doors:
• Chrono Circuit — Stage II Unlocked: Time Stop (120 seconds)
• Gravity Circuit — Stage II Unlocked: Local Gravity Manipulation
They saved his life.
Barely.
Tessandra sighed. "We're going home. Before something else tries to kill you."
But before they could leave—
The Sky Trembled.
A deafening hum spread through the heavens, shaking the clouds apart. Everyone froze.
Then—
something formed.
Not on the ground.
Not below.
Beside Sky Island.
In the air.
A dungeon.
A floating spire of obsidian-silver, twisting like it was alive, appeared right beside the domain of the High Humans—so close the mana storms rippled against the island's barrier.
A high-ranker whispered, pale, "That… that's not sovereign-tier."
Another muttered, "It's above it… exceeds the threshold…"
Tessandra's expression went rigid.
"That dungeon… is nearly at our level."
The air grew thin. Kaelen felt his circuits pulse in instinctive fear.
Far above, on Sky Island, ancient beings of impossible age stepped toward the phenomenon—some with solar auras, some with wings woven from ether, some whose mere presence bent the clouds.
They all stared at the dungeon.
And for the first time in centuries—
they looked afraid.
Tessandra grabbed Kaelen.
"Move. We're leaving. NOW."
At Hoshigawa -
Hoshigawa glowed warmly under the lantern lights, its wooden beams painted with soft gold from the hearth. The restaurant was large—large enough to house traveling adventurers, wandering scholars, and tonight… four exhausted kids who had survived a nightmare.
Arata guided them upstairs with a gentle smile, his voice warm but tired.
"Come on, little warriors. Rooms are ready."
Asar tried to look tough, but the moment they stepped onto the second floor, he yawned so wide his eyes watered.
Mitsuki stayed close behind him, clinging to her tiny satchel.
Nax marched with pride, pretending he wasn't limping.
And Rei… Rei looked around with quiet awe, absorbing every detail of the place like it was a sanctuary.
Arata opened the sliding door to the family suite—a cozy room with futons laid out neatly, soft blankets folded at the edges.
"Settle in. You're safe here."
Mitsuki tugged on his sleeve. "Uncle Arata… can we have a story?"
Rei nodded. "Just one… please."
Arata chuckled softly. "Alright. One story before bed."
The lantern dimmed, its flame flickering gently as he sat cross-legged in the center of the room. The four kids gathered around him, blankets wrapped around their shoulders.
"Long ago," Arata began, voice lowering into a storyteller's rhythm,
"a dungeon appeared beside the island of the High Humans. Not on land… not in the sea… but in the sky itself. Hung there like a wound cut straight into the heavens."
Nax's eyes widened. "Beside Sky Island…? That's real?"
Asar swallowed hard. "That… that really happened?"
Arata didn't confirm.
He didn't deny.
He simply kept telling the story.
"The High Humans believed they were untouchable. Their floating citadels, their ancient guardians, their storm barriers… they thought nothing could shake them."
His voice grew quieter.
"But then came the dungeon. A dungeon not bound to rank… one that grew beyond sovereign-tier. A dungeon born from a source even the High Humans feared."
Mitsuki's blanket rose up to her eyes. "What did they do?"
Arata smiled faintly—though it wasn't a comforting smile.
"They prepared for battle. The kind of battle that makes even the sky hold its breath."
Rei whispered, "Uncle Arata… how do you know this story?"
Arata gently tapped her forehead.
"Because history repeats itself, little stars."
The children didn't understand the weight of those words.
Arata wasn't telling a bedtime story.
He was telling the future.
How the coming battle on Sky Island would unfold.
And the sky outside Hoshigawa rumbled—like it, too, knew what was coming.