Dawn cracked over City Norn, thin rays of gold bleeding between towering arc-buildings. The streets were quiet—too quiet for a morning when Drax Magna felt the air tug at him, humming faintly with essence. He stepped out of his house, adjusting the collar of his blue-and-white coat.
Today, he intended to enter a dungeon.
Just another step in his path toward absolute dominion.
His mother was asleep. Mira and Ellis/Orion slept peacefully too.
Drax closed the door behind him quietly.
A faint ripple crawled up his spine.
"...A portal nearby," he muttered.
He followed the pull through the morning haze until he reached an abandoned industrial lot—forgotten metal beams, half-collapsed walls, and in the center:
A gate.
Not just any gate—one that bled shadows like ink.
The sign next to it showed its registered rank:
> A-RANK DIMENSIONAL BREACH
ID: 48-13A, Property of: Not Listed
That was strange.
A-rank dungeons always had an owner or a guild claiming rights.
Drax frowned.
"...Someone bought this gate," he whispered, scanning the information imprint. "But they didn't register their name."
Only one type of person would do that.
Someone trying to hide something.
He placed a hand against the gate's edge—and the shadows recoiled like it recognized him.
A malicious grin tugged at the corner of his lips.
"It reacts to me? Interesting."
Without hesitation, he stepped in.
The world snapped like cracking glass—and the blue morning light vanished.
OUTSIDE THE GATE — FIVE MINUTES LATER
Three armored hunters approached the lot, escorting a tall, broad-shouldered man with ash-black hair and eyes like green ice.
Adam Veyr.
S-Rank awakener. Guild vice-captain. Executioner of dozens of rogue hunters.
And older brother of Kane Veyr—
The man Drax murdered.
He didn't mourn. He hated.
He intended to erase Drax from existence.
One of his subordinates asked,
"Sir, is… this the place? You're sure the kid will show?"
Adam clicked his tongue.
"Drax Magna killed my little brother," he growled. "If he wants more power, he'll come to dungeons like this. And this one—"
He placed a hand on the gate.
It pulsed violently and turned black instantly.
The hunters stepped back in fear.
Shadow swallowed the metal frame, symbols twisting into the impossible.
> ABYSSAL RANK DETECTED
ACCESS DENIED.
Adam froze.
"...What?"
He tried again, pressing more essence into the gate.
It rejected him again—harder.
One of his hunters sputtered,
"S-sir, this is impossible… Abyssal rank? Only a Monarch-class inner world could—"
Adam snarled.
"Who went inside?"
The security guard, trembling, raised a hand.
"S-sir… one boy entered about ten minutes ago… his ID said…"
"Say it," Adam hissed.
"...Drax Magna."
Silence.
Cold and suffocating.
Adam's jaw clenched so hard it cracked.
"That runt… again?" His voice trembled—not with fear, but hatred. "Is he mocking me? Entering a gate I bought?!"
The blackened gate continued humming, extending no welcome.
His hunters stepped back, exchanging fearful glances.
Adam Veyr was not just furious—
He was terrified.
Only one explanation existed for a gate to evolve into Abyssal Rank.
Someone inside possessed an inner world powerful enough to warp the dungeon itself.
Someone not human anymore.
Someone like—
"…Is that why he survived Kane?" Adam whispered. "Is that why his bounty isn't enough? Damn it…"
He slammed his fist into the concrete—shattering it.
"Prepare yourselves. The moment that portal opens, we jump him. I don't care if we have to tear out his inner world piece by piece…"
He glared at the gate, eyes burning.
"…Drax Magna will tell me what happened to my brother in that abyssal dungeon."
Behind him, lightning cracked in the sky.
The air grew colder.
Inside, the Abyss stirred.
And Drax Magna walked deeper into the darkness.
Unaware.
Unconcerned.
Unchallenged.