CHAPTER 51— The unexpected Encounter
"What do you mean?" Rowan asked, uneasiness slipping into his voice after hearing Ritvik's words.
Ritvik's expression remained stiff as his eyes slowly scanned the surroundings.
"I'm saying…" he spoke quietly, "we might not be alone in this dungeon."
A faint chill drifted through the cavern.
The blue mana crystals embedded in the walls flickered dimly, casting restless shadows around them.
Ritvik adjusted his glasses.
"Think about it. Ever since we entered this dungeon, we haven't seen a single monster. No matter how small a dungeon is, there should at least be something living inside it."
His voice lowered further.
"But there was nothing."
Rowan unconsciously swallowed.
Ritvik continued.
"And those battle marks on the walls… most of them were old. But some were fresh. Like they were made only two or three days ago."
A shiver crawled down Rowan's spine.
"Hey… Ritvik," Rowan muttered awkwardly, "you are seriously scaring me right now—"
"And then," Ritvik continued without stopping, "we suddenly fall into a hidden area filled with dozens of runes just lying around everywhere. Doesn't that feel suspicious to you?"
Rowan's face stiffened.
His mind immediately began creating horrifying images on its own.
Dark tunnels.
Ghosts.
Cursed dungeons.
Dead corpses wandering underground.
Sarina noticed his expression instantly.
"And also—"
SMACK!
She slapped the back of Ritvik's head.
"Ow!?"
"Shut up," Sarina said flatly. "You are scaring him."
Ritvik rubbed the back of his head with an offended look.
"But I'm just explaining logically—"
"What were we here for?" Sarina interrupted calmly.
"Huh?"
"For runes."
She gestured toward the glowing stones scattered around them.
"And we found them."
Her tone remained composed.
"So stop making up imaginary nonsense and let's leave already."
She turned around to walk away.
Rowan immediately felt relieved.
"Y-Yeah… let's just leave…"
Ritvik sighed dramatically.
"Fine…"
But then—
Step…
Step… Step… Step...
The sound of footsteps echoed from the dark passage ahead.
All three froze.
The atmosphere instantly became silent.
Ritvik's breathing halted.
Rowan's body stiffened.
Even Sarina slowly narrowed her eyes.
The footsteps continued.
Closer.
Step…
Step…
Then—
"Ugh… just how long is this passage anyway?"
A voice echoed through the tunnel.
Young.
Casual.
Like a teenager complaining.
Rowan blinked.
"Huh?"
"Are you sure we are even going the right way?"
"The map clearly shows this route."
"…"
"Bastard, you are holding the map upside down."
Several voices overlapped one after another.
All of them sounded around their age.
And soon—
Four figures emerged from the darkness of the passage.
"Who even gave this idiot Junim the map?"
"I think it was Seris' idea."
"Don't blame everything on me, Denin. He was the one begging to hold it."
"How was I supposed to understand this noodle-looking garbage?"
"Then you should've handed it to me earlier."
The four boys finally stepped fully into the crystal-lit chamber.
And Rowan finally saw them clearly.
For a moment—
His mind went blank.
They looked around his age.
Like students.
But their uniforms were completely different.
Long black coats draped over their bodies, layered with dark silver linings that resembled intertwined spell circuits. The fabric itself looked strangely smooth, almost reflective beneath the blue crystal light. Violet symbols were stitched near the collars and sleeves like marks of affiliation.
Their uniforms didn't resemble academy clothing.
They resembled military attire mixed with ceremonial robes.
The boy holding the map had messy dark-blue hair and narrow golden eyes filled with irritation. Another had short ash-gray hair with sharp fox-like features and a lazy expression. One of them was broad-shouldered with dark green hair tied loosely behind his head, while the last—
The one standing slightly ahead—
Had calm silver-black hair and deep crimson eyes that quietly scanned the surroundings with unnatural sharpness.
The four continued bickering among themselves completely casually.
"We had to take the long route because this idiot got us lost."
"How is that my fault?"
"You literally rotated the map sideways."
"Well maybe whoever drew this map should've drawn it properly."
"You are hopeless."
Rowan stared blankly at them.
His thoughts tangled together.
'Wait…'
'Are they students too?'
His eyes moved across their strange uniforms again.
'But then… why are their uniforms different from ours?
Huff… Huff…
Suddenly Rowan heard heavy breathing beside him.
Huff...
He turned sharply.
Ritvik was staring at the four figures with widened eyes.
His breathing had become uneven.
Almost panicked.
Even through his glasses Rowan could see the fear in his eyes.
'What happened to him…?' Rowan thought.
Then—
Ritvik unconsciously whispered.
"Dark mages…"
The words instantly froze the atmosphere.
Rowan's expression changed.
"…Dark mages."
The newspaper article flashed through his mind again.
The article accusing his brother of becoming one.
The books.
The warnings.
The terrifying stories.
Power-hungry heretics.
Forbidden magic users.
Enemies of the Mage Council.
But—
Rowan looked at the four boys again.
They looked normal.
Too normal.
They looked like ordinary students arguing over directions after getting lost.
Not monsters.
Not demons.
Not the horrifying figures described in stories.
'They look just like us… 'Rowan thought blankly.
His grip slowly tightened around the mysterious rune in his hand.
Confusion filled his mind.
He didn't know what he was supposed to feel right now.
Fear?
Curiosity?
Hatred?
Questions flooded endlessly inside him.
Meanwhile—
The four dark mages had also gone silent.
Their eyes were now fixed directly on Rowan's group.
The atmosphere became still.
Heavy.
Neither side moved.
Neither side spoke.
Only the faint glow of the crystals illuminated both groups inside the silent dungeon chamber.
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CHAPTER ENDS