Interesting Developments

Somewhere in the Frozen Wastes…

The clash of ice and steel rang through the silent tundra. A cloaked figure darted across the snow-covered battlefield, moving at speeds that defied the senses. His blade, wreathed in dark energy, lashed out against his opponent—

A figure cloaked in icy mist, the embodiment of winter itself.

The Ice Monarch.

A massive glacier formed out of thin air, attempting to trap the cloaked man, but with a single swing of his weapon, the ice shattered like fragile glass. Tch. The man clicked his tongue in irritation.

The Ice Monarch, a tall and regal being draped in a flowing blue robe, regarded him with cool amusement. "Your tenacity is admirable… but this is a waste of my time."

Without waiting for a response, the monarch vanished in a swirl of snow and frost.

The cloaked figure landed back on solid ground, scowling beneath his hood. "Running away, huh?" His grip on his blade tightened. "Damn coward."

As the chilling wind howled around him, the words of the Ice Monarch still lingered in his mind.

"The Greatest Fragment of Brilliant Light… on a strip of land in the East… Korea."

A foreboding sense of inevitability settled over him.

He turned away, retreating into the frozen shadows.

Inside the Red Gate

The final battle was over before it even began.

A towering beast, its form a grotesque fusion of reptilian features and molten rock, stood trembling before the two Hunters who had just annihilated its entire army.

The battlefield was a graveyard of its underlings—but not in the way one might expect.

The once-living creatures had been revived as Shadow Soldiers under Jinwoo's command, or worse… transformed into Po's Shadow-Light Dragons, monstrous beings radiating an eerie fusion of light and darkness.

The Boss could sense it.

It could feel despair settling into its very core.

It was already dead.

It let out a desperate, earth-shaking roar, charging forward, hoping—praying—that it could at least take one of them down with it.

Jinwoo sighed. "Po, you want to do the honors?"

Po rolled his shoulders, a grin playing on his lips. "Don't mind if I do."

Raising a single hand, Po clenched his fingers into a fist—

BOOM!

The Boss exploded.

Not from some grand finishing move or intricate attack—its body simply collapsed into nothingness, its existence erased.

Po dusted his hands off. "Man, I love this power."

The Dungeon collapsed soon after, the sky above shattering like fragile glass as the Red Gate was cleared. The two Hunters stood amidst the remains of their conquest.

Jinwoo stretched his arms. "Well, that's done. Now let's see if we got anything useful out of this…"

Po's gaze landed on the mysterious Key left behind by the Dungeon's Boss.

A familiar golden glow surrounded the item as he picked it up. His eyes narrowed as System text appeared in his vision, This key was like Jinwoo's. Jinwoo took his key out of the System storage space to compare, and realized that Po in fact had the same key.

[Item Information]

Name: Key to the Cartenon Temple

Level of Difficulty: ??

Type: Key

Description: A key that allows you to enter the Cartenon Temple. This item may be used at a designated Gate. The location of the Gate will be revealed after a certain period of time has passed.

Time Left: 417h, 6min, 50s.

Jinwoo's breath hitched.

This wasn't just any Dungeon. He knew exactly where this Key led.

The Double Dungeon.

The place where everything began for him.

Po peeked over his shoulder, reading the System's text. His grin widened. "Ohoho, this is interesting. Looks like the System itself is calling you back to where it all started." He gave Jinwoo a knowing look. "Maybe it's impressed. Or maybe it just wants to make sure you're ready for what's next."

Jinwoo clenched the Key in his hand, his gaze sharpening.

"Just you wait… I'll be coming for you real soon."

As he spoke those words, miles away, within the dark confines of the Cartenon Temple, something… stirred.

The massive stone statue that sat upon the throne, the one that had once torn Jinwoo's former raid party apart, grinned.

Its granite features twisted into a menacing, yet amused expression.

The System was waiting.

And so was He.

To Be Continued…