Sector 9's Gate hovered like a wound in the sky—pulsing red, unstable, and seething with violent mana. It looked unnatural, like the world itself was rejecting its presence.
On the ground, chaos reigned. Hunters in armored gear barked commands and formed perimeters. Helicopters roared overhead, blaring evacuation orders.
> "Pull the last wave out!" a Hunter officer barked. "We lost comms with Squad Three! Reinforcements en route!"
None of them noticed the shadow that slipped through their formation.
No alarm sounded. No sensor tripped.
Because the one entering the Gate wasn't human.
He was a memory. A fragment. A ghost.
Rael's clone stepped into the Gate unnoticed.
---
> [Dungeon: Cracked Red Gate – Rank A]
[Clear Condition: Eliminate Dungeon Core]
The moment it arrived, the clone scanned its surroundings—crimson skies, floating black stone spires, and shattered ruins crawling with grotesque, fanged beasts. The air was thick with corrupted mana and ash.
Demonic hounds snarled and lunged.
The clone didn't flinch.
It moved like smoke.
A spear of black energy coalesced in its palm—unstable, writhing, whispering.
> [Skill: Phantom Lance – Activated]
The spear shot forward, tearing through three beasts in a single arc before exploding into dark flames. The remaining hounds hesitated.
Mistake.
In less than two minutes, twelve high-tier A-rank beasts lay in twitching pieces. Their blood stained the broken earth.
> [Progress: 47%]
---
Deep within the dungeon, something stirred.
A monstrous presence opened its molten eyes.
The Gate Boss—six-armed, obsidian-skinned, with flame leaking from its jaws—rose from its throne of bone.
> Dread Lord Zekrael.
Power Level: S-Rank Equivalent.
It roared. The air cracked. Cliffs split.
Outside, base monitors screamed.
> "Boss spawn detected! Massive energy spike!"
"That's… impossible! No one's inside!"
"All teams are accounted for! Who the hell is fighting in there?!"
No one answered.
Because no one knew.
No one… except a lone figure slouched in a shadowy apartment, eyes glowing faintly with reflected light.
---
Rael watched the chaos unfold through the clone's eyes. Sweat dripped from his brow, his breathing sharp. His hand clenched around the armrest.
> [Warning: Clone Power Usage Exceeding Threshold – 43% Soul Strain]
He felt it—that razor's edge between control and collapse. But something in him, long buried, refused to let go.
"I'm not letting you fall," he whispered.
He funneled more of his soul into the clone.
Pain. Splintering. The sensation of being split open.
And then—
> [Skill: Soul Severance – Activated]
[Cooldown: 96 Hours]
Time fractured. The clone stepped forward in eerie silence, sword drawn. One clean slash.
The world resumed.
The demon staggered—then collapsed, its six arms falling in six separate directions.
> [Boss Defeated]
[Dungeon Core Stabilizing…]
[Clear Rate: 100%]
[You Have Gained: Soul Crystal x3, Phantom Essence x1, Unknown Shard x1]
[Level Up: +4]
[Clone Sync: Complete]
[Returning Clone to Host…]
---
Rael gasped as the memories hit him—sight, sound, pain, and the weight of raw power.
He leaned back in his chair, eyes burning, hands trembling from strain and… something else.
Joy.
> [Clone 1 Recovered. Total Soul Clones Available: 1/9]
[System Note: First Solo Clear of a Red Gate Recorded. Name: Phantom – Status: Undocumented]
[Global Ranking Update: Error – Entry Rejected by System Protocols]
Rael chuckled under his breath.
"Even the system doesn't know what to do with me."
He flexed his fingers.
No more tremors.
Just strength.
> "The world abandoned me," he whispered, a cold grin curling on his lips. "Good. Now they won't see me coming."
The ghost had returned.
And no one even knew they were standing in his grave.
---
Meanwhile…
Lyra Fenhardt, chief of the Hunter Bureau's Gate Analysis Division, slammed her fist against her desk.
"You're telling me no one cleared it?! A full S-rank threat just evaporated?!"
Her aide winced. "N-No trace of mana signatures. The dungeon core was stabilized. Monsters eliminated. There's… nothing left."
She stared at the footage—only static. No entry logs. No exit timestamps. No footage from inside.
"Bullshit," she growled.
A flicker of unease settled in her gut. She'd faced monsters before—too many. She'd seen gods fall.
But this?
This was something else.
"…If someone's out there who can do that alone," she muttered, "I need to know who."
And how many more were like him.