The day of the VR Dungeon Trial had arrived.
Students gathered outside the laboratory.
Groups formed naturally—friends talking, some laughing to hide their nerves, others standing quietly, lost in thought.
Excitement and tension mixed in the air.
For many, this was their first real test.
Chrono stood among them.
On the outside, he looked calm.
Composed.
Like nothing bothered him.
But inside—
It was different.
A faint unease lingered.
'The dungeon trial…'
He tried to recall it.
From the novel.
From the original story.
But—
Nothing came.
No scenes.
No details.
Just… blank.
His brows furrowed slightly.
'That doesn't make sense.'
He remembered other events.
Clear enough.
But this—
This part—
Was missing.
Like it had been erased.
Chrono exhaled slowly, steadying himself.
'…Whatever happens, I deal with it then.'
His eyes lifted toward the laboratory doors.
Students were beginning to move.
The trial was about to begin.
Not far from him—
The so-called protagonist group stood together.
Leon Ardent.
Liam Veridian.
Nia Veridian.
Lia Heartly.
Rina Emberheart.
Carl Vane.
Nia was the first to speak, her tone light as ever.
"So, Leon~"
"Who are your teammates?"
Leon glanced at her.
"Mhm?"
He pulled up his list and showed it.
"Lia and two others. Both within the top 50."
Nia leaned in slightly.
"Oooh… not bad."
A faint smile played on her lips.
"Balanced."
—
She turned her attention to Liam.
"And you?"
Liam spoke his voice calm.
"…I had a replacement."
That caught their attention.
"Originally, it was Vayne Desmund and two others."
A pause.
"But we got a notice this morning."
"She won't be participating."
Nia's eyes flickered.
"…Oh?"
Liam continued.
"They swapped her out for a second-year."
"Someone from the bottom rank."
A brief silence followed.
Rina clicked her tongue.
"Tch. What a waste."
Lia blinked in confusion.
"W-wait… Vayne just dropped out like that?"
No one answered.
But a few of them—
Seemed to be thinking the same thing.
'That's… strange.'
Nia's smile faded slightly.
Just for a moment.
Then Leon looked toward Rina and Carl.
"And you guys?"
Rina scoffed.
"Don't remind me."
Her eyes shifted.
Landing directly on Chrono in the distance.
"He's in my team."
The others followed her gaze.
Leon's eyes narrowed slightly.
Liam blinked.
Lia tilted her head.
Slowly.
"…Chrono?"
__
Soon, everyone had entered their pods.
The laboratory dimmed as systems activated one by one. A low hum filled the room, steady and mechanical.
Chrono lay inside his pod, staring up at the glass above him.
The system began initializing.
A faint glow spread across the surface.
Then—
Something flickered.
Not part of the interface.
Not normal.
A brief line of distorted text.
Glitching.
Breaking.
Chrono's eyes narrowed.
"Wha—"
Darkness took him.
He opened his eyes.
A cave.
Dark—yet softly illuminated by amethyst crystals embedded in the walls. Their violet glow spread across the cavern, giving it an almost surreal beauty.
For a moment, it didn't feel like a dungeon at all.
Chrono pushed himself up.
His senses sharpened immediately.
Then he noticed them.
Rina. Nia. Carl.
Already awake.
Rina looked around, clearly impressed.
"…Damn."
Nia's gaze lingered on the crystals, a faint smile forming.
"It's actually beautiful…"
Even Carl seemed slightly caught off guard, eyes scanning the surroundings in quiet curiosity.
Chrono glanced around once.
Quick.
Evaluating.
Then his gaze shifted toward the passage leading deeper into the cave.
"Let's move."
His voice cut through the moment.
Grounding.
The others followed his line of sight.
The cave opened into a single hallway ahead.
Dim.
Silent.
Waiting.
And without wasting time—
They began moving forward.
___
Rina suddenly stopped.
Chrono noticed it immediately.
"What happened?"
She didn't move.
Her gaze fixed ahead, narrowed.
"…Something's wrong."
Chrono stepped forward slightly.
"What do you mea—"
A burst of fire shot past him.
Rina had already moved.
A fireball roared down the hallway, illuminating everything in a sudden flash of orange light.
For a split second—
Nothing.
Then—
Their eyes lifted.
And froze.
The ceiling.
Covered.
Dozens—
No—
Hundreds of small, grotesque creatures clung to the surface. Their bodies were twisted, thin, their limbs hooked unnaturally into the stone. Pale skin stretched over sharp frames, mouths slightly open as if caught mid-breath.
They weren't moving.
Sleeping.
"…What the hell are those…"
Nia's voice dropped, all playfulness gone.
Carl's grip tightened slightly.
Even Rina didn't speak this time.
Chrono had already unsheathed his sword.
The faint sound of metal sliding echoed softly.
"…Congrats."
His voice was low.
Calm.
"…You've met your first void-born."
The word itself felt wrong.
Like it didn't belong in this world.
Chrono's eyes stayed locked on the ceiling.
"They haven't noticed us yet."
A pause.
Then—
"Get into position."
No one argued this time.
The beauty of the cave—
Gone.
Replaced by something far more real.
Danger.
And above them—
The creatures remained still.
For now.