The classroom didn't disappear.
Instead…
It became darker.
The air grew heavier, like something invisible was pressing down on Kael's chest.
The boy in front of him…
Was still crying.
Tears fell slowly onto the dusty classroom floor.
"Rohan died…"
The boy's voice trembled.
"Mom died…"
His shoulders shook.
"Everyone died…"
The boy slowly looked up.
Eyes filled with pain.
"...Why?"
"Why didn't you do anything?"
The words echoed unnaturally.
As if multiple voices were speaking at once.
The classroom began to distort.
The windows darkened.
Outside—
There was no sky.
Only endless darkness.
The blackboard behind the boy suddenly changed.
The chalk began writing on its own.
Scratch…
Scratch…
Scratch…
Kael's eyes shifted.
The word slowly formed.
"MURDERER"
Then another.
"MURDERER"
Then—
"MURDERER"
Every blackboard.
Every wall.
Every surface.
The word surrounded him.
The classroom began to feel suffocating.
Kael tightened his grip on his dagger.
His expression didn't change.
But inside—
He understood.
"This dungeon…"
He thought calmly.
"...is feeding on my guilt."
It wasn't trying to kill him.
It was trying to break him.
The boy slowly stood up.
His body trembling.
"You said…"
The boy whispered.
"...you would save everyone."
"You promised…"
The boy's voice cracked.
"But they died."
"You let them die."
Kael remained silent.
Because…
It wasn't wrong.
Timeline after timeline.
Failure after failure.
He had watched people die.
Over and over again.
The boy's body began to change.
His eyes turned black.
Pitch black.
His mouth widened unnaturally.
His fingers stretched.
Turning into claws.
"You aren't a hero…"
The boy's voice distorted.
"You are…"
The boy screamed.
"...a coward!"
The boy lunged forward.
SCREEEECH!
Claws aimed directly for Kael's throat.
No hesitation.
No mercy.
But—
Kael didn't move.
He stepped forward.
And stabbed.
THUCK.
The dagger pierced the boy's chest.
Clean.
Direct.
No hesitation.
The boy froze.
His claw stopped inches from Kael's neck.
Shock filled his dark eyes.
"T…You…"
The boy whispered weakly.
"...you're killing… yourself?"
Kael's golden eyes glowed faintly.
Cold.
Emotionless.
"The Kael who cried…"
His voice was calm.
"...died 99 timelines ago."
The boy trembled.
Kael twisted the dagger.
Crack—
The classroom began to fracture.
Glass-like cracks spread across reality.
The walls shattered.
The desks dissolved.
The boy's body broke into fragments.
Kael pulled the dagger out.
"Only I remain now."
SHATTER.
Reality broke completely.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Then—
The illusion vanished.
Kael opened his eyes.
And found himself somewhere else.
Not the subway.
Not the classroom.
A server room.
Wires covered the walls.
Massive black pillars stretched upward.
Screens flickered everywhere.
The air hummed with electricity.
This…
Was the dungeon's core.
And in the center—
Something floated.
A massive creature made of wires and broken screens.
Its shape resembled an angel.
But its wings were broken.
Distorted.
Glitching.
[The Corrupted Administrator — Rank B+]
Red eyes formed on its screens.
It spoke.
Mechanical.
Cold.
[Subject 100 refuses to submit]
[Initiating Purge Protocol]
The air suddenly grew heavier.
VOOOOOM
Gravity increased.
Kael dropped to one knee.
The floor cracked beneath him.
[Gravity increased by 500%]
Kael gritted his teeth.
"...Damn."
"E-rank body…"
"This is going to hurt."
Then—
The boss raised its wings.
Laser beams fired.
PEW
PEW
PEW
Kael rolled sideways.
Barely dodging.
The laser hit the ground.
The metal melted instantly.
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"If I get hit once…"
"...I'm dead."
The real fight had begun.
The pressure kept increasing.
Kael's body felt like it was being crushed under a mountain.
Every movement became slow.
Heavy.
Painful.
The Corrupted Administrator hovered above him, its broken wings flickering like unstable data streams. Wires extended from its body, twitching like living snakes.
[Purging Subject 100]
The mechanical voice echoed through the server room.
More lasers fired.
PEW!
PEW!
PEW!
Kael forced his body to roll sideways.
Each movement felt like dragging chains.
A laser struck the ground beside him.
The metal floor melted instantly.
Heat brushed his face.
Kael exhaled slowly.
"Yeah…"
He muttered.
"Brute force isn't happening."
This wasn't a monster.
This was a system entity.
Meaning—
It followed rules.
And anything that followed rules…
Could be broken.
Kael's eyes sharpened.
"Then I'll crash you."
He slowly reached into his inventory.
And pulled out—
The rusted key.
Key of the Backrooms.
The Corrupted Administrator detected movement.
[Unauthorized item detected]
The boss raised its arm.
Gravity intensified again.
Kael dropped flat to the ground.
His bones creaked.
Pain shot through his body.
"Urgh…"
But—
Kael smiled.
"Caught you."
He activated Shadow Cloak.
Darkness spread across his body.
Instead of turning invisible—
Kael's body flattened.
Merged with the ground.
Like a shadow.
The gravity stopped affecting him.
Kael slid forward.
Fast.
Like liquid darkness.
The boss reacted.
[Target lost]
Kael reached directly beneath the floating core.
Then—
He emerged.
Jumped upward.
Grabbed onto the central cabinet.
"Found you."
The boss tried to react.
Too late.
Kael raised the rusted key.
And stabbed it into a glowing port.
KACHA-CHUNK
The entire server room froze.
Screens flickered violently.
Then—
Blue screens appeared everywhere.
[Unauthorized Access Detected]
[System Overload]
The boss began shaking violently.
[E…Err…Error…]
Kael jumped backward.
Landing safely.
He raised his hand.
Finger gun.
"Boom."
The boss exploded.
KABOOOOOM
Wires flew everywhere.
Screens shattered.
The core collapsed.
Silence followed.
Smoke filled the room.
Then—
System notification appeared.
[Dungeon Cleared]
[Level Up]
[Level Up]
[Level Up]
Kael's level rose rapidly.
Level 15.
Kael exhaled slowly.
"...That was close."
Then—
Something floated in the air.
A golden memory chip.
Glowing faintly.
[Gods' Fragment — Data]
Kael reached forward.
The moment he touched it—
Images flooded his mind.
Fast.
Distorted.
Humans growing in farms.
Gods drinking wine made from souls.
Names listed.
Vikram.
Elara.
Status:
Puppet.
Kael's eyes widened.
Then—
He snapped back.
Sweat covered his face.
"So…"
He whispered quietly.
"We're not warriors…"
"We're livestock."
His expression hardened.
He placed the chip into his pocket.
But—
He didn't relax.
Because he already made a decision.
Elara wouldn't get the full truth.
Only half.
Leverage.
Power.
Kael turned.
A portal appeared.
The exit.
He walked toward it.
The dungeon…
Was finally over.
Kael stepped through the exit portal.
Light flashed.
Then—
He returned to the abandoned subway station.
The silence felt different now.
The glitching was gone.
The broken signs had stabilized.
The air no longer smelled like static.
The dungeon…
Was truly cleared.
Kael exhaled slowly.
His body finally relaxed.
The fight had drained him more than expected.
Five hours.
That's how long he had been inside.
But outside—
The sky had already brightened.
Morning light filtered through the broken station entrance.
Kael stepped forward.
And then—
He stopped.
Someone was already there.
Standing near the entrance.
Silver hair.
Cold blue eyes.
Elara.
Behind her stood several black-suited guards.
All armed.
All watching him carefully.
Elara crossed her arms.
"You took your time."
Her voice calm.
"I assumed you died."
Kael cracked his neck slowly.
"Sorry to disappoint."
He walked forward casually.
"I'm harder to kill than I look."
Elara observed him carefully.
Scanning.
Analyzing.
She noticed the blood.
The torn clothes.
The calm expression.
He wasn't lying.
He had actually cleared it.
"Five hours…"
She muttered quietly.
"That wasn't an F-rank dungeon."
Kael gave a faint smile.
"You already knew that."
Elara stepped closer.
Her hand extended.
"Data."
No hesitation.
Straight to business.
Kael reached into his pocket.
But—
Not for the original.
He pulled out a copied drive.
A modified one.
Edited.
Filtered.
Only partial truth.
He handed it over.
"This should help."
Elara took it.
Her eyes glowed faintly as she scanned it.
Seconds passed.
Then—
She smiled.
A rare expression.
"Interesting…"
"A trial dungeon."
"So the gates aren't random."
She looked at Kael again.
"You did well."
Kael shrugged.
"Just doing my job."
Elara nodded slightly.
"Our deal is complete."
"Tomorrow… you'll get access to the National Hunter Vault."
That alone…
Was worth more than money.
Kael nodded calmly.
Elara turned to leave.
Then—
She stopped.
Without turning around—
"And Kael…"
Her voice grew colder.
"You're not ordinary."
"From now on… you're under my watch."
Then she walked away.
Her guards followed.
Silence returned.
Kael watched her disappear.
Then—
He pulled out the real chip.
The golden fragment.
He studied it carefully.
"Puppet…"
He muttered quietly.
A faint smirk appeared.
"You think you're watching me…"
His eyes darkened.
"...but I'm watching you."
He placed the chip back into his pocket.
Then—
His phone buzzed.
Breaking news notification.
Kael opened it.
Headline:
"Breaking News: S-Rank Hero Vikram Announces Raid on Red Gate"
Kael's eyes sharpened.
Red Gate.
He remembered that.
Very clearly.
Because—
That gate…
Was where Vikram died.
Timeline 27.
Timeline 48.
Timeline 66.
Every time—
Vikram failed.
Kael smiled faintly.
"Vikram…"
He muttered quietly.
"Your death…"
"...will be the beginning of my rise."
The wind blew softly across the abandoned station.
Kael walked away.
The game had just entered its next phase.
And this time—
He was already ten moves ahead.
Chapter 6 End.