Cold air rose from the staircase like the breath of something ancient. Aragon descended slowly, each step echoing through the darkness. The light from the entrance above had long disappeared, swallowed by the endless stone corridor beneath the earth.
The deeper he went, the colder the air became. The staircase finally ended.
Aragon stepped onto the first floor of the dungeon. The chamber was massive. Dark stone pillars rose toward a ceiling lost in shadows. The walls were carved with strange symbols that seemed older than any kingdom he had ever heard of. He walked closer to one of them , the symbol was simple yet unsettling. A single marking , M5, Aragon frowned.
The same mark appeared again… and again… carved across the walls and pillars as if whoever built this place wanted the world to remember it.
But remember what?
The dungeon was silent too silent. Then something moved in the darkness. A low growl echoed across the chamber. Two glowing eyes appeared,
Then four...
Then eight...
From the shadows emerged creatures shaped like wolves, but their bodies looked wrong. Their fur was made of drifting black smoke and their eyes burned with dim purple light,
Shadow Wolves…..
The creatures circled him slowly. Aragon tightened his grip on his sword.
The first wolf lunged ,steel flashed.
The blade cut cleanly through the creature's neck. But instead of blood, the monster collapsed into a cloud of black mist. Aragon expected a mana stone to fall to the ground.
Instead… The mist rushed toward him.
Before he could react, it was absorbed into his body. A strange warmth spread through his veins.
Aragon froze.
"…What was that?"
The dungeon remained silent.
But deep within his body, he felt something change,
Something… growing…..
Floor 6
Several hours later, Aragon reached another chamber. The dungeon had changed. The walls were darker here, almost black, and the air felt heavier as if the shadows themselves were alive.
Again, the symbols appeared,
M5…..
But now the markings were larger, carved into massive stone arches.
Something about them felt… powerful.
A sudden screech shattered the silence. Small figures jumped from the ruins around him. Creatures no taller than children with twisted limbs and hollow eyes.
Shadow Goblins…..
They attacked in a swarm Aragon moved quickly. Steel clashed against claws and jagged teeth.
One by one, the creatures fell. Each time a monster died, its body dissolved into black mist.
And each time… The mist flowed into Aragon.The warmth inside him grew stronger,
His body felt lighter…..
His movements faster...
The dungeon wasn't just a prison of monsters. It was feeding him power.
Floor 18
By the time Aragon reached the deeper floors, the dungeon had become far more dangerous. The corridors twisted like a labyrinth. Dark roots grew from the stone walls. The shadows moved even when nothing was there.
A massive creature emerged from the darkness. Its body resembled a wolf but stood nearly twice Aragon's height.
Its fangs were long as daggers.
Shadow Fang Wolf, The beast roared and charged.
The battle was brutal Aragon barely avoided its claws several times before finally striking its throat. The creature let out a final cry before dissolving into shadow.
The mist surged into him again.
This time the surge of power nearly made him fall to his knees. His breathing grew heavy. But his strength had clearly increased.
Aragon looked down at his hands.
"…This dungeon is changing me."
Floor 26
The dungeon grew darker with every floor. Some corridors had no light at all.
Yet Aragon could still see.
The shadows themselves seemed to guide him. Creatures grew stronger too.
Shadow beasts with jagged armor like skin. Winged creatures that glided silently through the air. But Aragon kept fighting and every battle made him stronger.
Floor 36
The deeper floors felt ancient.
Here, the M5 symbol appeared on massive stone doors and broken statues.
One statue still stood half intact.
A towering warrior cloaked in shadows.
Its pedestal carried the same mark,
M5…..
Aragon stared at it, Whoever these beings were… They had once ruled this place.
Floor 40
After hours of battle, Aragon finally entered a vast chamber.
The floor was covered in black stone. In the center stood a pedestal.
And resting upon it…
A sword...
Its blade was dark like night itself, with faint violet lines running across the metal.
The weapon seemed alive.
The moment Aragon stepped closer, the air trembled. He slowly lifted the sword. The moment his hand touched the hilt , Shadow energy erupted through the chamber.
Power flooded his body like a storm.
Aragon nearly collapsed as the weapon recognized its new master.
A whisper echoed faintly in the darkness,
(Shadowfang....)
A blade forged in the depths of the shadow realm, a weapon far beyond anything a normal adventurer could wield.
An SSS-Rank Sword, Aragon looked down at the weapon in his hand.
For the first time since entering the dungeon…
He smiled....
And far below the dungeon…
Something ancient had awakened…!