The morning sky was overcast as a cool wind swept over Star Academy. Inside the mission hall, the atmosphere was tense. Dozens of cadets moved around with purpose—but only three stood in front of a glowing dungeon portal, suited up and ready.
Yujin, Kain Vagor, and Taro Blaze.
Their objective: a B-rank dungeon beneath a ruined underground city once inhabited by a now-extinct mana species. On paper, it was a safe expedition—a warm-up before the chaos of second semester.
But Yujin's instincts were sharp, and they screamed one thing:
Something was wrong.
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The portal shimmered, and the trio stepped through.
A wave of ancient cold hit them immediately. They arrived in a massive cavern lit by glowing green moss. Crumbled towers and broken statues surrounded them—remnants of a forgotten civilization. The mana here was thick, heavy… and twisted.
"Creepy," Taro muttered, cracking his knuckles. His tall figure looked even bulkier in reinforced armor. "Smells like mold and death."
"Be ready," Yujin said, scanning the surroundings with his awakened eye. He spotted faint red threads—signs of lurking mana beasts. "We're being watched."
The moment he spoke, the silence shattered.
CRRAAAAAH!
A horde of skeletal lizardmen charged from the shadows, eyes glowing purple, claws outstretched.
Kain was already in motion.
He dashed forward with the Phantom Blade in hand. A wave of cold-blue mana erupted with every swing, freezing enemies mid-attack. His footwork was flawless—elegant and precise. Every movement flowed like water.
One lizard leapt from above.
Kain spun and cleaved it in half with a crescent slash. "Too slow."
Behind him, Taro roared, lifting a massive stone slab from the ground and hurling it like a missile. It crushed three enemies in a single blow. He followed up by charging headfirst into the fray, fists covered in glowing bronze gauntlets.
With every punch, bones shattered. One unlucky beast flew into a wall, splattering like jelly.
Yujin stood behind them, both Demon Howl pistols drawn. His movements were calm, eyes sharp.
BANG. BANG. BANG.
Three demons fell, each shot targeting a weak point he could now clearly see. His bullets left fiery trails that melted bone and mana alike. When a larger beast approached from the side, he dual-fired—one to the chest, one to the eye. It dropped instantly.
But they kept coming.
Dozens, maybe more.
"Too many," Kain growled, breathing heavy.
"Don't hold back," Yujin said. "Taro—go wild."
Taro's grin widened. "Now you're talking."
He stomped the ground, creating a shockwave that shattered the floor beneath the enemies. Then he leapt up and slammed down with both fists—crushing everything below like a collapsing ceiling.
Yujin boosted off a wall, twirling midair, and fired six shots in a chain. Each one hit its mark. Enemies collapsed like puppets cut from their strings.
Even so, something felt off.
As the last of the wave fell, a pulse of dark energy surged through the ruins. The walls cracked. The air distorted. A strange hum filled the space.
Kain gripped his sword tighter. "Did the dungeon just… shift?"
Yujin's eye lit up. He turned toward a ruined temple in the distance. "There's a rift forming. This isn't normal."
A red crack glowed in the air above the temple. Mana spiraled violently from it.
"A Dungeon Break," Yujin muttered. "It's starting."
Taro blinked. "Break? That's bad, right?"
"It means the dungeon is trying to expand into the real world," Yujin explained. "If we don't stop it now, the academy… the whole island could be overrun."
Kain stepped forward. "Then we destroy the core."
The three looked at each other. No hesitation. Just resolve.
But before they could move, the ground erupted.
A massive beast, twice the size of Taro, crawled out from beneath the stone. Its body was stitched from bone and fire, and its head was crowned with a shattered helmet.
"A mini-boss," Yujin said grimly.
The beast roared—and charged.
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To be continued