The letter didn't leave Tia's mind all night.
By morning, he was already outside.
The air felt different today. Every step he took felt heavier than the last.
He checked the folded letter in his pocket again.
The instructions were simple.
A place.
A time.
And one warning.
Slowly, the buildings vanished behind him.
The street became silent.
Few people.
Few cars.
Until finally, he stopped.
Tia clenched his fist slightly.
"So this is the place…"
In front of him stood a massive structure.
A white gate.
One that refused to crumble.
Gates usually disappeared after being cleared.
Yet this one remained.
Unmoved.
Maybe the dungeon boss hasn't been killed yet.
Tia stepped closer.
A man stood near the entrance, waiting.
He looked to be in his forties, dressed in a black long coat laced with silver silk inside, a plain blue shirt, and dark brown pants. His black hair was neatly combed, and his brown eyes carried a calm, unreadable expression.
The man gave a small nod.
"Welcome."
"I'm Kun Yeon Lee, your guide for today's raid."
His gaze shifted to Tia.
"You received the letter, right? Where is it?"
Tia nodded and handed it to him.
Mr. Lee looked through it quickly before slipping it into his coat.
"Good."
He gestured toward the gate.
"Let me explain the rules."
He raised a finger.
"First—I'll only enter the dungeon after two hours. If you show no sign of coming out by then, I'll assume something went wrong, and this raid will end."
Another finger.
"Second—don't collect any gems or crystals inside."
"But—"
"Third—do not use any artifacts."
Tia frowned slightly.
"Why?"
It's not like I have an artifact… but the crystals…
Mr. Lee looked back at the gate.
"This dungeon has been raided many times."
"So many awakeners come here in search of treasures… secret passages… even the final boss."
He shook his head.
"But nothing."
"It's classified as a low-rank gate, and according to the records, the boss has already been killed."
Tia blinked.
"Then why hasn't it disappeared?"
Mr. Lee sighed softly.
"That's the strange part."
"No one knows."
For a moment, the two of them stared at the silent white gate.
And here I thought I was the one killing the boss.
This is strange. I've never heard of a situation like this, even in my previous life.
Tia rubbed the back of his neck.
So all I need to do… is make the gate disappear and I pass, right?
Sounds simple enough.
Mr. Lee suddenly held out two objects.
A short knife.
And a pen.
Tia looked confused but accepted them.
"What are these for?"
"Dungeons are unpredictable," Mr. Lee replied calmly.
He pointed at the pen.
"Click the top if you're in danger. It sends a signal."
"I'll come immediately."
Tia examined it briefly before nodding.
"Thank you."
"I'll use it well."
Mr. Lee gave a faint smile.
"Good."
Tia took a slow breath and turned toward the gate.
He could still walk away.
Return home.
Live the quiet, ordinary life he once had.
But the path he had chosen…
was one of no return once started.
He stepped forward.
And walked through the gate.
A strange feeling lingered in his chest.
Inside, the dungeon was dim, yet bright enough to see thanks to the crystals embedded in the thick walls.
The air felt cold.
Still.
Tia… remember your mission.
Crumble the gate.
Nothing else. Nothing more.
"Yaaawn…"
Tia stretched his arms slightly.
"What Mr. Lee said was true… this place is empty."
Not a single monster.
Not even a corpse.
He had been walking for nearly thirty minutes, yet nothing had appeared.
Tia sighed and continued deeper into the passage.
The crystal lights on the walls became fewer and fewer.
The path gradually opened up.
Tia slowed his steps.
Before him stood a large circular chamber.
The tunnel ended there.
"This must be the end of the dungeon…" he muttered.
The walls were lined with dull crystals, and the ground was covered with old battle marks.
But the room was empty.
No monsters.
No boss.
Nothing.
Then suddenly—
Drip.
Tia froze.
A drop of water echoed somewhere in the dungeon.
Another.
Drip.
Then another.
The sound came from behind him.
Am I imagining things?
I swear I heard nothing when I walked past there.
Tia slowly tightened his grip on the knife Mr. Lee had given him.
His heartbeat quickened.
Where there is water, there is life.
Could it be that there really is a hidden boss?
Slowly, he moved forward, following the sound.
Then he stopped.
Before him was another passage.
His eyes widened.
But I just passed here moments ago.
What's happening?
What should I do?
Should I go…? But what if there really is a monster down there?
Tia's hand trembled slightly.
"Pkh."
He let out a breath.
Calm down, Tia.
Remember this dungeon has been raided so many times.
Remember your mission.
Maybe I'm the one who didn't see this path.
Then he moved forward.
The passage was filled with more crystals than the previous one.
Outside the Gate
One hour had passed.
Mr. Lee checked the time again.
"He should be out by now…"
No signal.
No movement.
Something was wrong.
Mr. Lee stepped toward the gate.
"I'm going in."
The moment he tried to pass through—
BOOM!
An invisible force slammed into him.
He was thrown backward, crashing hard onto the ground.
"Ugh—!"
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Mr. Lee stared at the gate in shock.
"…What?"
He tried again.
The same force pushed him away.
"This is bad…"
He quickly pulled out his communicator.
"Guide 103 reporting. Emergency."
"White Gate – Zone B."
"I cannot enter the gate."
Control Room / Lab
Miles away, inside a monitoring facility, alarms suddenly began flashing.
Large screens covered the walls.
Data streams flickered across them.
"Sir!" someone shouted from the control desk.
"The white gate—it's responding!"
A man in a lab coat looked up sharply.
"The one that was cleared again recently?"
"Yes."
"The one classified as inactive."
Another technician spoke nervously.
"Sir… the energy output is increasing!"
The man's expression darkened.
"Call the commander. This is an emergency."
"Yes, sir!"
"We have to try to neutralize that gate before something bad happens."
"…Someone is still in there."
Back in the Dungeon
Tia stretched his sore legs.
"Maybe coming here wasn't such a bad idea…"
But his feet hurt badly.
He had been walking for nearly an hour without rest.
"I just want to finish this and go home."
A sigh escaped him.
"I didn't even tell Mom I was coming here…"
He checked the time.
"Forty minutes left."
Then—
Tatatatata…
Tia froze.
"…Huh?"
A strange sound echoed from the passage ahead.
"Is something moving?"
He slowly stepped forward.
Then he saw it.
Tia's eyes widened.
"Wha—?!"
"A… A monster?!"
The creature turned its head.
Its glowing eyes locked onto him.
"Ah—!"
Tia immediately turned to the passage beside him and ran.
The monster roared
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Heavy footsteps crashed behind him.
"Damn it!"
His heart pounded wildly.
He ran deeper into the passage before spotting a narrow corner.
And quickly slipped behind it.
"Huff… huff…"
"What the hell was that…"
There wasn't supposed to be a monster.
He slowly peeked out.
The creature was pacing nearby.
A low-level beast…
His gaze drifted to the pen Mr. Lee had given him.
I could call for help…
"No."
He shook his head.
"You don't have the strength to fight that thing."
"You'll just die."
But another thought followed.
What if…
What if I awaken again?
What if I kill it?
I want to prove I'm not weak.
How will I ever grow…
if I'm scared of a low-level monster?
Tia slowly stepped out.
Knife in hand.
"Hey!"
He shouted.
"Over here!"
The monster noticed him.
And charged.
Fast.
ROARR!
Tia stood his ground.
Heart pounding.
Legs trembling.
It's now or never.
"You either kill it…"
"Or face the consequences."
His grip tightened around the knife.
"I can do this."
"I can do this".
He inhaled sharply.
"…Even if hope is just a luxurious lie."
I want it right now.
The monster lunged.
Its claws tore through the air.
Straight for Tia's throat.