Chapter 4 – Collapse
The tunnel was quiet. Too quiet.
After the Rift Gnawers, the inner corridors were empty. Only the red crystal veins pulsed faintly along the walls, casting long, trembling shadows over the jagged stone floor.
"Strange," Rylan muttered, eyes sweeping the dim passage ahead. "Usually, there's more activity this deep."
I stayed close behind him, katana sheathed, muscles coiled tight. My arms still throbbed from the last fight, legs trembling with adrenaline, but my body moved automatically, following the team's rhythm.
Tessa bounced on her toes beside me, twin daggers catching the faint light. "Maybe we cleared the smaller mobs already? Could be a quiet gate day?"
"Quiet doesn't feel right," Mira said, voice tense, gripping her staff. Her blue mana rings shimmered faintly in the dim light. "The mana… it's stagnant. Like the dungeon's life has stopped."
Aric was silent, as usual. I caught his gaze for a brief moment. Cold. Empty. But aware — of everything. Every shadow, every jagged rock. It felt like he could see the dungeon itself, and us moving through it.
Meryll led the front, her steps deliberate, precise. Jorn followed immediately, shield raised, alert, anticipating strikes that weren't there.
Ten minutes. Fifteen.
Still nothing.
The silence pressed down on me like a physical weight. It wasn't peaceful. It wasn't safe. Every breath I took sounded deafening. My chest tightened. The dungeon itself felt… watchful.
"Too quiet," Jorn muttered, low, almost a whisper. "Something's wrong."
Then we saw it — the inner chamber.
The space opened wide before us, cavernous and cruelly still. The first thing that hit me was the smell.
Death.
The floor was littered with corpses. Rift Gnawers, some mid-sized, some large, sprawled in grotesque positions. Their lifeless eyes reflected the dim red crystal glow. And at the center… the remains of a Gate Warden. Torn apart, broken, silent.
Meryll froze, sharp eyes scanning every corner, hands tightening on her blade. "Dead… all of them. Two hours, maybe more."
Rylan's jaw clenched. "Auto-cleared… the gate must've. That explains the silence."
I stepped forward cautiously, katana drawn. My hands shook, not from fear, but from the weight of what I was seeing. These weren't digital enemies. Not pages in a novel. They had lived, fought, breathed… and now they were gone.
My chest tightened. If the gate collapses after two and a half hours…
Mira's eyes widened. "We've already… passed two. We need to move. Now."
---
Panic snapped into motion.
"Move!" Meryll's voice cut through the dread like steel. Jorn slammed his shield to the floor and sprinted toward the exit. Rylan followed, spear spinning defensively, knocking loose rocks aside. Tessa bolted, twin daggers flashing as she weaved between falling debris.
I ran. Every step burned, lungs screaming, adrenaline surging. Each footfall felt like a gamble — one misstep, one falling shard, one collapse, and it was over.
Then it began.
The walls shuddered. Loose stones rained to the floor. Dust choked the air, and cracks spread like spiderwebs across the cavern ceiling.
"Gate's collapsing!" Rylan shouted over the roar of falling stone.
I skidded sideways, katana slicing through falling rubble, heart hammering. Mira's voice rang out behind me, chanting healing wards, but even her magic couldn't hold back the collapse.
Aric moved ahead silently, ghostlike. I followed, dodging shards that could have cut me in half. A slab of stone dropped two meters ahead — I leaped, scraping my forearm painfully. Pain flared, but I didn't care. I had to keep moving.
The ceiling groaned. A massive crystal chunk plummeted toward Jorn. He slammed his shield upward, but the impact threw him sideways. He rolled, grunting as a rib cracked.
Tessa screamed as a beam smashed near her leg. She twisted, rolling under it, dagger slicing through jagged stones that could have severed her limb.
Then… my arm.
A chunk of falling rock slammed into me. Pain exploded through my shoulder, down my arm. The katana slipped from my grasp. I screamed, collapsing to my knees. My right arm dangled at an unnatural angle — bone shattered, useless. Blood pooled around me.
Coughing, choking, panic clawing at my chest, I thought, I can't die here. Not like this.
Mira dashed back, staff glowing, hands weaving rapid wards. Healing light sealed the wounds, but my arm… the damage was irreparable. My weapon useless.
Adrenaline surged. Pain was background noise. I will not die. Not here. Not now.
The cavern trembled violently. Dust, shards, crystal rained around us. Every path was death.
Rylan grabbed me by the shoulder. "Come on, rookie! You're not staying here!"
We ran. Sliding under slabs, leaping over chasms, dodging shards sharp enough to cut bone.
"Exit ahead!" Meryll's voice pierced the chaos. Calm, sharp, cutting through fear.
Tessa screamed as debris pinned her ankle. Jorn grunted, pulling her along, blood trickling from a cut on his forehead. Aric moved ahead silently, his gaze finding safe paths, silent signals guiding us.
I dragged myself forward, one arm useless, vision blurred, chest burning.
The cavern roared. The walls trembled. Every step could be the last.
---
The exit glimmered faintly.
Then the floor beneath Rylan collapsed. He screamed as he fell into a fissure. I lunged instinctively, gripping his arm, but gravity won. He was gone with a curse that echoed in my ears.
Tessa screamed beside me, but debris rained down faster than I could react. Mira was struck by a falling slab. Staff shattered. She cast a ward with her last strength — barely surviving.
Jorn turned back to shield Tessa, but a massive rock slammed into him. Blood poured from his side. He grunted, struggling to push forward.
Meryll moved like a storm, deflecting debris, but the ceiling above her cracked ominously. I caught the rare flicker of fear in her eyes.
And then… we made it.
The exit.
I dragged myself forward, arm useless, breathing ragged, pain burning through every nerve. Behind us, the ceiling collapsed with a deafening roar. Rocks fell in endless torrents. Dust blinded me.
Then… white light.
Blinding. Pure. Overwhelming.
Everything stopped.
System: …
I didn't see the rest.
---
Finally, I opened my eyes.
But why?
I was in my room. Familiar, yet wrong. My arm, crushed just moments ago, was intact. The bruises from weapon training… gone.
Something felt off.
I grabbed my mobile from the desk.
Huh… the date is 8 August.
The day I reincarnated was 28 August.
Wait… was it all a dream?
"System!" I shouted.
The response was instant.
System
Name: Nyx Arden
Race: ???
Echo: ???
Echo Capacity: Apex
Rank: C+ (30/15,000)
I froze.
So… it wasn't a dream?
A strange weight settled in my chest. Confusion, disbelief, and a flicker of fear mixed with excitement.
Whatever just happened… had real consequences. And it was only the beginning.
---