The morning no longer felt the same.
It wasn't quiet.
It wasn't chaotic either.
It was something in between.
A tension that lingered in the air was subtle, but impossible to ignore.
Ethan stood on the balcony, his gaze resting on the streets below.
People were moving. Shops were open.
Vehicles passed like any other day.
Normal. On the surface.
But underneath
Everything had changed.
Groups had started forming.
Small ones.
Three… five… sometimes more.
No one wanted to be alone anymore.
Voices were lower. Movements more careful.
Eyes constantly shifting.
Watching. Measuring.
Ethan observed quietly.
"…Fear has settled in," he thought.
Not panic. Not yet. But fear was there.
And fear
Would change people faster than anything else.
Inside the house, the television continued playing.
News reports. Casualties.
Dungeons appearing across the country.
Survivors speaking. Some trembling.
Some pretend to be brave.
Ethan had already seen enough.
He turned away.
Krishara stood near the doorway.
"You're going out?" she asked softly.
Ethan nodded once.
"I'll stay close."
Nethan immediately stood up.
"I'll come too."
"No."
The answer came instantly.
Calm. Firm.
Nethan paused, slightly surprised.
Ethan looked at him.
"Not yet."
The boy hesitated.
Then slowly nodded.
Krishara studied Ethan's face for a moment.
"…Be careful."
Ethan didn't reply.
He simply turned
And left.
The streets felt different up close.
Not empty. But not normal either.
People gathered near corners.
Near open spaces.
Near anything that looked unusual.
Dungeons.
Everyone was looking for them.
Or avoiding them.
Some whispered. Some argued. Some planned.
But no one truly understood.
Ethan walked through them quietly.
Unnoticed.
Blending in without effort.
"…They're already competing," he thought.
No rules. No system. No structure.
But the intention was there.
Power. Survival. Advantage.
And dungeons
Were the only path forward.
Ethan continued walking.
Then
He felt it. A distortion.
Stronger than before.
More unstable.
His steps slowed slightly.
Ahead, between two narrow buildings, space trembled faintly.
Like heat distortion.
But darker. He focused.
[E-RANK DUNGEON DETECTED]
Ethan's eyes sharpened slightly.
"…Another one."
Voices came from nearby.
A group. Five people.
Standing just a few meters away from the entrance.
Tense. Arguing.
"This is our chance!"
"You don't know what's inside!"
"It's just E-rank!"
"Just? People are dying!"
"We can't sit around forever!"
Their voices overlapped.
Fear is hidden behind urgency.
Desperation disguised as confidence.
Ethan stopped at a distance.
Watching. Analyzing.
"…No coordination," he thought.
"…No leader."
"…No understanding."
One of them stepped forward.
A man in his late twenties.
Trying to sound confident.
"We go in together. Stay close. Attack together. We'll be fine."
Simple. Too simple.
But the others nodded.
Because they wanted to believe it.
Because doing something felt safer than doing nothing.
One by one
They stepped forward.
And entered. Silence followed.
Ethan didn't move.
He waited. Seconds passed.
Ten.Twenty.
Then
A scream. Sharp. Raw.
It tore through the air.
Then another. And another.
Chaos.
Ethan stepped closer.
Just enough.
And looked inside.
The dungeon was wrong.
The ground was broken.
Uneven.
Cracked stone stretched in every direction.
The air felt heavy.
Distorted.
Like, space itself wasn't stable.
The creatures
Were worse. Tall. Twisted.
Their limbs bent unnaturally.
Movements jagged.
Unpredictable.
One of the group was already on the ground.
His leg
Gone. Completely torn apart.
Blood spread rapidly beneath him.
He screamed. Loud. Desperate. Uncontrolled.
Another member grabbed him.
Trying to drag him back.
"Move! MOVE!"
But the injured man couldn't.
His hands clawed at the ground.
Panic overtook him.
"I can't—I can't—!"
A creature lunged. Too fast.
Its arm warped mid-motion.
Extending.
Reaching further than it should.
It struck. The man dragging him froze.
For just a second. The attack hit.
His body jerked violently
Then collapsed. Lifeless.
"…What is that?!" someone shouted.
Panic exploded.
The group scattered.
No formation. No coordination. Just instinct.
One of them turned
And ran. Straight into another creature.
It appeared behind him.
Without warning. No sound. No delay.
Its arm pierced through his chest.
Clean. Effortless.
His body lifted slightly
Then dropped. Dead.
Another voice shouted.
"Stay together! STAY TOGETHER!"
But it was already too late.
Fear had taken over.
One of them froze. Just for a moment.
Eyes wide. Breathing uneven.
That moment
Was enough. The creature reached him.
Its limbs twisted around his body
And tightened.
A sickening crack echoed.
Bones shattered.
The scream that followed
Didn't last long.
Ethan watched. Still. Silent.
"…Predictable," he thought.
Inside, two remained.
One tried to drag the injured man again.
Hands shaking. Desperate.
"Get up! Please!"
The injured man grabbed his arm.
"…Don't leave me…"
The creature moved. Closer. Faster.
The one helping
Hesitated.
Fear overtook him.
His grip loosened.
Then
He let go. And ran.
The injured man's hand fell.
Empty.
A second later
The creature reached him.
The scream cut off instantly.
Outside
Footsteps.
The last survivor burst out of the dungeon.
He stumbled forward
And collapsed onto the ground.
Breathing heavily. Shaking uncontrollably.
His eyes were wide.
Unfocused.
"…They're dead…"
His voice cracked.
"…They're all dead…"
People nearby gathered.
Slowly. Carefully.
Keeping distance.
"…What happened?"
"It was E-rank, right?"
"You said it was safe!"
"I didn't know!"
"You got them killed!"
"I didn't—!"
Voices rose.
Blame spread instantly.
Fear turning into anger.
Distrust forming.
People stepped back from each other.
Watching. Judging.
Ethan remained where he was.
Observing. Calm.
"They didn't die because they were weak," he thought.
"They died because they didn't understand."
A brief pause.
Then something shifted.
Subtle. But real.
Ethan's gaze moved.
Across the street.
A man stood there.
Still. Unlike the others.
No panic. No reaction. Just observation.
His eyes
Sharp. Focused.
For a brief moment
They met Ethan's.
Silence.
Then Ethan looked away.
Naturally.
As if nothing had happened.
And turned. Walking. Unhurried.
Blending into the moving crowd.
Behind him
The man didn't move.
"…Interesting," he murmured softly.
Not fear. Not confusion. Recognition.
Something was different.
Ethan continued walking.
The noise faded behind him.
The screams. The arguments. The fear.
All of it became distant.
Irrelevant.
Because what he needed
Was already clear.
The system wasn't just testing strength.
It was exposing people.
Their fear. Their ignorance. Their limits.
Ethan's gaze remained steady.
Cold. Focused.
Because now
The truth had revealed itself.
Not through the system.
Not through skills.
But through reality.
"…The real danger…"
He stepped forward.
Disappearing into the flow of people.
"…isn't the monsters."
End of Chapter 10