The Dungeon Gate loomed overhead, a jagged violet wound torn into the fabric of the morning sky. It hovered twenty meters above the cracked asphalt of a ruined parking lot, a swirling vortex of dark light that made the air shimmer with the scent of ozone and decay. Kai Draven stared up at it, his fingers tightening around the hilt of a dagger that had seen better decades.
"Move it, E-rank. You're blocking the view."
The shove came from behind, nearly knocking Kai off his feet. He didn't argue; he simply stepped aside, his gaze dropping to the pavement. Five hunters marched past him, their polished plate armor gleaming in the sun. They carried enchanted claymores and gleaming staves, walking with the heavy, rhythmic stride of people who knew the world belonged to them.
Kai looked down at his own reflection in a stagnant puddle. He wore a cracked leather jacket, second-hand boots with thinning soles, and a basic steel dagger he'd bought at a pawn shop. He didn't look like a savior of humanity. He looked like a scavenger.
"Why do they even allow the 'bottom-feeders' in raids?" one of the hunters muttered, loud enough for Kai to hear.
"Because someone has to carry the crystals," another replied. "Every circus needs a pack mule."
Laughter rippled through the group. Kai remained silent. Ever since the Awakening ten years ago, the world had been rewritten by a simple, brutal logic: those with power, and those without. Kai belonged firmly to the latter. As an E-rank, he was barely a step above the un-awakened—just strong enough to be useful, but weak enough to be disposable.
"Alright, listen up!"
The crowd went quiet as Ronan Blake stepped forward. A C-rank hunter with a massive greatsword strapped to his back, Ronan was the undisputed leader of this raid.
"This is a confirmed E-rank dungeon," Ronan announced, his voice booming. "Low risk, high volume. We clear the ghouls, harvest the mana crystals, and we're home by dinner. Understood?"
A chorus of affirmations followed. Ronan's eyes scanned the crowd, pausing briefly on Kai with a look of pure indifference.
"You," Ronan said, pointing at Kai. "Stay at the rear with the supply packs. If a monster so much as looks at you, run toward the front. I don't want you bleeding on the loot."
"Understood," Kai said quietly.
He didn't care about the insults. He only cared about the payout. His sister's hospital room was expensive, and the machines keeping her stable didn't care about his pride.
The transition was instantaneous. Crossing the threshold of a Gate always felt like being pulled through a needle. One moment, Kai was in the humid morning air; the next, he was standing in a vast, subterranean cathedral of blue-glowing stone. The air was frigid, tasting of damp earth and ancient rot.
"Spread out!" Ronan ordered.
The hunters moved in a disciplined wedge. Kai trailed behind, the heavy supply pack groaning against his shoulders. For twenty minutes, the only sound was the drip of water and the metallic clink of gear.
Then, a high-pitched screech tore through the silence.
"Ghouls! Six o'clock!"
Creatures with skin like wet parchment and claws like obsidian knives lunged from the shadows. The battle was a blur of efficiency. Fireballs illuminated the cavern in brief, violent flashes; steel met bone with a sickening crunch. Ronan led the charge, his greatsword cleaving through the monsters as if they were made of paper.
Kai watched from the periphery, his hand on his dagger, heart hammering against his ribs. This was the dance he knew—the powerful fought, and he survived the leftovers.
But as the battle dragged on, the air grew heavier.
"There are too many!" a mage shouted, her hands glowing with fading embers. "This was supposed to be a small nest!"
"Keep swinging!" Ronan roared, though even he looked strained.
Kai retreated a step, his instincts screaming. He looked down the long, winding tunnel ahead. According to the scout reports, the boss chamber should have been right here. Instead, the cavern stretched into an abyss that felt… hungry.
The ground began to tremble. A low, guttural vibration shook the very marrow of Kai's bones.
Thump. Thump.
It wasn't a ghoul. It was something that made the ghouls look like insects. From the darkness emerged a nightmare: a creature the size of a siege engine, covered in bone-white plating with eyes that burned like dying stars.
"A Blood-Tusk Behemoth?" Ronan's face went pale. "That's… that's at least a B-rank boss. This isn't an E-rank dungeon. It's a Red Gate!"
The realization hit like a physical blow. A Red Gate meant the rank had been miscalculated—it was a death trap.
"RETREAT!" Ronan yelled.
The formation shattered. The hunters, so confident moments ago, turned and fled in a blind panic. The Behemoth lunged, its massive claw sweeping through the air and turning the rear-guard hunter into a red mist.
Kai ran. His lungs burned, his boots slipping on the wet stone. He followed Ronan toward the narrow crevice they had entered through. It was the only way out.
Halfway through the corridor, Ronan stopped. He looked at the closing stone portcullis of the inner sanctum, then back at the monster closing the distance, and finally at Kai.
"You're the weakest," Ronan whispered, his eyes cold and devoid of any humanity. "Make yourself useful one last time."
Before Kai could react, Ronan's hand shot out, shoving Kai's chest with the force of a C-rank's strength. Kai flew backward, crashing into the dirt.
"Ronan, wait!" Kai gasped, scrambling to get up.
But the other hunters were already past the threshold. Ronan didn't look back as he pulled the lever to seal the emergency gate.
"Someone has to be the bait," Ronan's voice echoed through the closing gap. "Die well, E-rank."
SLAM.
The stone gate sealed with finality. Kai was alone.
Behind him, the Behemoth let out a roar that shattered the nearby crystals. Kai stood slowly, drawing his chipped dagger. It was a pathetic sight. He was a man holding a toothpick against a mountain.
"So this is it," Kai whispered, a bitter laugh escaping his throat. "Ten years of struggling... just to be a distraction."
The monster lunged. Kai didn't even have time to scream before the creature's massive claw slammed into his torso, throwing him against the cavern wall like a ragdoll.
Bone snapped. Internal organs ruptured. Kai slumped to the ground, blood pooling in his vision. The world began to fade into a cold, dark gray. He closed his eyes, waiting for the final blow.
Then, a sound—not from the cavern, but from inside his own skull.
[Warning: Host life signs reaching critical threshold.]
[Analyzing soul compatibility...]
[Criteria met. Hidden System 'Abyss' detected.]
Kai's eyes snapped open. Floating in the air before him was a screen of obsidian-colored light.
[Initializing Abyss Devourer System...]
[Host: Kai Draven (Level 1)]
[Unique Skill Unlocked: Abyss Devour (Rank: ???)]
The Behemoth loomed over him, its maw dripping with acidic saliva, preparing to finish its meal.
[First Command Available: Consume the strength of those who cast you aside.]
[Do you wish to Devour?]
Through the haze of pain and the metallic taste of blood, Kai felt a new sensation—a cold, ravenous hunger that originated from the center of his soul. He looked at the monster, then at the sealed gate where his "allies" had betrayed him.
He reached out a blood-stained hand and gripped the monster's leg.
"Yes," Kai hissed. "Devour."
[Skill Activated.]
The darkness didn't just swallow the room; it swallowed the world.