Chad Grace stepped through the second gate.
He immediately tightened his grip around his sword.
He expected monsters.
More powerful ones.
Perhaps a group of them would charge at him the moment he entered.
But nothing happened.
Silence.
Chad slowly opened his eyes.
His expression changed.
"What…?"
Instead of monsters attacking him, he found himself standing inside a strange, enormous chamber.
Iron cages filled the area.
Not one.
Not ten.
Hundreds.
They were scattered throughout the dungeon, some lined against the walls and others placed in rows across the dark ground.
Chad stared at them.
Are these cages for high-rank monsters?
He cautiously walked forward.
Then—
"Cough…"
Chad stopped.
His eyes widened.
It was the sound of a baby.
A weak cough.
He immediately turned toward the nearest cage.
"What the…?"
He approached it.
Inside were humans.
Dozens of them.
There were more than thirty people squeezed into the small cage. They were dressed in torn rags. Their faces were pale, their bodies thin, and they looked severely weakened by hunger and dehydration.
Some could barely lift their heads.
Chad's expression completely changed.
"What happened here?"
He looked around.
Then he noticed several plates placed near the cages.
There was uncooked flesh on them.
Chad's eyes narrowed.
They're feeding them this?
He stepped closer.
The prisoners immediately moved backward in fear.
Some pressed themselves against the cage.
Chad stopped.
He slowly placed his sword on the ground.
Then he removed his dagger and placed it beside the sword.
He raised both hands slightly, showing them that he wasn't there to hurt them.
"Calm down."
The prisoners continued staring at him.
Chad crouched down.
"Do you speak English?"
A young woman near the front of the cage hesitated.
Then she slowly nodded.
"Yes… but my English isn't fluent."
Chad's expression softened.
"That's fine."
He looked at the people around her.
"How long have you been here?"
The woman lowered her head.
"I… I don't know."
"You don't know?"
She shook her head.
"I stopped counting a long time ago. The last thing I remember clearly was my village being attacked."
Chad paused.
"What was the name of your village?"
The woman answered quietly.
"Eldermere."
Chad's eyes widened.
"Eldermere?"
"Yes."
He stared at her.
That can't be right.
He knew the name.
Eldermere was a village in the Valtheris Kingdom.
But the attack on Eldermere had happened almost a century ago.
Chad looked at the prisoners again.
They were young.
Too young.
None of them looked anywhere close to a hundred years old.
Yet the woman had just told him that she remembered being captured during that attack.
They've been here for almost a hundred years…
Chad's hands slowly tightened.
Then why haven't they aged?
He looked around at the endless cages.
There had to be more people.
Many more.
His eyes scanned the walls, searching for a mechanism.
A lock.
A lever.
Anything.
But he couldn't see a way to open all of them.
Chad looked back at the woman.
"Stay calm."
The woman looked at him.
"I'll come back for you."
"You… will?"
"Yes."
Chad stood.
"I need to find out what's deeper inside this dungeon. Once I figure out how to release these cages, I'll come back."
The woman slowly nodded.
For the first time, there was a small amount of hope in her eyes.
Chad picked up his sword and dagger.
He secured them again.
His expression became cold.
Whatever these monsters are doing…
I'm going to get to the bottom of it.
And they're going to pay.
Chad turned and ran deeper into the dungeon.
He continued through the enormous tunnel.
The deeper he went, the stranger the environment became.
Eventually, the tunnel opened into a massive field.
Chad stepped outside.
He stopped.
The landscape looked nothing like the world he knew.
The ground was cracked and dry.
The sky was covered by dark clouds.
There was no peaceful atmosphere.
No sign of ordinary life.
It felt as though this place had been created for monsters.
Then Chad noticed something in the distance.
A massive palace.
But it wasn't a human palace.
Its architecture was strange, monstrous, and intimidating.
Chad stared at it.
So that's where they're hiding.
He took one step forward.
WHOOSH!
Two enormous arrows flew past him.
Chad's eyes widened.
He immediately ducked.
One arrow passed dangerously close to his body.
The other grazed his face.
A small cut appeared on his cheek.
Chad touched it.
He looked at the blood on his fingers.
"…You bastard."
He immediately drew his sword.
Several monsters stood in the distance, controlling enormous bows.
Chad rushed toward them.
But before he could reach them—
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Six more arrows flew toward him.
Five arrived almost simultaneously.
Chad swung his sword.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
He parried five of them.
The sixth came from another angle.
Chad twisted his body.
The arrow crashed into the ground behind him.
He landed safely.
Now he could see them clearly.
There were dozens of the ranged monsters.
And behind them were much larger monsters carrying enormous spiked clubs.
The infantry monsters roared and charged.
Chad sighed.
"This is going to be annoying."
The monsters rushed him.
Chad moved.
His sword flashed repeatedly.
One monster fell.
Then another.
Then another.
But the ranged monsters continued firing.
Every time Chad fought the infantry monsters, massive arrows came flying toward him.
He couldn't keep this up.
"I'll have to use magic."
Chad stopped.
He exhaled.
The monsters charged toward him.
"Dark Flames."
A dark flame suddenly appeared around his sword.
WHOOSH!
Chad swung.
Dark flames tore through the charging infantry monsters.
Their bodies were sliced apart before the flames consumed what remained.
Within seconds, the entire group was reduced to ashes.
Chad looked toward the ranged monsters.
His physical and spiritual energy surged.
He disappeared.
BOOM!
He appeared among them.
One slash cut through several bows and bodies.
Chad snapped his fingers.
Dark flames engulfed the monsters.
Their bodies burned and slowly turned to dust.
He continued moving.
More monsters fell.
Then Chad suddenly noticed something in the distance.
Several monsters were gathering energy around a massive cannon.
Their combined energy was enormous.
Chad's expression changed.
The cannon fired.
BOOOOOOM!
A tremendous energy blast tore toward him.
Chad raised his sword.
CRASH!
The blast struck his blade.
The force sent him sliding backward.
His feet dug into the ground.
His uniform began tearing from the pressure.
His cape was already burning.
Chad gritted his teeth.
This energy…
Then he realized something.
Behind him was the tunnel leading back to the prisoners.
If this blast sends me there…
His eyes widened.
They'll be caught in the explosion.
"No."
Chad suddenly teleported away from the blast.
He appeared at a safe distance.
He gripped his sword with both hands.
Dark flames began covering the blade.
He raised it above his head.
"Dark Flame Magic…"
The flames intensified.
"Burning Moon."
The energy blast reached him.
Chad swung downward.
SHRRRAAAK!
The enormous blast split into two.
One half passed on his left.
The other passed on his right.
Both missed him by inches.
Chad lowered his sword.
"Burn."
Dark flames erupted over both halves.
The energy was consumed.
Then it disappeared.
Silence returned.
Chad looked toward the remaining monsters.
He didn't move.
He simply stared at them.
One monster suddenly caught fire.
Then another.
Then another.
Soon, every remaining monster was engulfed in Chad's dark flames.
Their bodies burned until they became ash.
Chad finally exhaled.
He dropped to one knee.
His breathing was heavy.
He reached into his belongings and pulled out the last bottle of energy reviver.
He stared at it for a moment.
Then he opened it.
"This is the last one."
He drank the final gulp.
The energy slowly spread through his exhausted body.
Chad closed his eyes.
But even as his strength began returning, his thoughts remained on the prisoners.
Almost a hundred years…
He opened his eyes.
Then looked toward the monstrous palace in the distance.
Whatever was happening inside this dungeon—
Chad was going to find out.