Preparing for the Hunt
(Samuel's POV)
I looked at Henry, hands in my pockets, as we stood near the old ruins where our first dungeon raid would begin tonight. The energy in the air was thick, almost humming with anticipation.
"So, till tonight… what should we do?" I asked, tilting my head.
Henry crossed his arms, his golden eyes scanning the area before settling back on me.
"Let's meditate and perfect our techniques."
I raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? Meditation?"
Henry smirked. "You say that like you didn't almost blow yourself up last time you used Breath of Destruction without full control."
I scoffed. "That was one time."
"And I still felt the shockwave in another country."
I clicked my tongue in annoyance, but he wasn't wrong. My power had evolved past normal limits after merging with Samuel Gebb, and while that gave me insane potential, it also meant I needed absolute mastery over my abilities.
"Fine," I muttered. "We'll meditate. But only if you admit that you still need to perfect your Celestial Blink because last time, you almost teleported into a damn volcano."
Henry rolled his eyes. "That was intentional."
"Sure it was."
We both smirked, but there was an unspoken agreement.
Before we stepped into that dungeon tonight, we needed to be at our absolute best.
No distractions. No recklessness. Just pure, focused refinement of our skills.
I cracked my neck and exhaled.
"Alright then. Let's get to work."
Henry and I made our way to a secluded part of the ruins, a place away from the prying eyes of civilians. The air was thick with old energy, remnants of something ancient buried beneath this city. It was the perfect place to focus.
We sat down, crossing our legs as we began to meditate, channeling our energy inward.
I closed my eyes, taking slow, deep breaths.
The moment I did, I felt it—the raw, untamed power coursing through my body. Ever since I merged with the original Samuel Gebb, I had felt limitless, as if my very existence was meant to shatter barriers.
But with limitless power came instability.
I clenched my fists, focusing on control.
Breath of Destruction, Void Step, Tyrant's Dominion—each ability was a weapon, but a weapon without precision was nothing more than chaos.
The world around me faded as I focused on perfecting my techniques.
On the other side, I could feel Henry's energy shifting as well. Celestial Blink, Heaven's Verdict, Sword of the First Dawn—he was refining his own abilities, sharpening his edge before the battle ahead.
Hours passed.
The sun began to set, and when I finally opened my eyes, I felt… sharper. More refined.
Henry exhaled and smirked.
"Feeling better?"
I cracked my knuckles, a small grin forming. "Like I just evolved again."
Henry chuckled, standing up and stretching. "Good. Because it's almost time."
I glanced toward the ruins, where the sealed dungeon waited for us.
The real challenge was about to begin.
Just as I stood up, a sudden notification popped up in my vision.
----
[SYSTEM ALERT!]
⚠ URGENT NOTICE ⚠
A High-Rank Dungeon Anomaly has been detected near your location.
Dungeon: The Forgotten Abyss
Rank: ???
Threat Level: UNSTABLE
Special Condition: Dungeon Core Missing
Recommended Action: Extreme Caution. Enter at Your Own Risk.
----
I frowned, my smirk fading as I read through the alert.
"A dungeon core… missing?" I muttered. That was bad news. A dungeon without a core meant one of two things—either the boss had absorbed it, making them ridiculously powerful… or something even worse had escaped.
Henry's system notification must have popped up as well because his face turned serious.
"Well… that's new."
I glanced at him.
"We still going in?"
Henry let out a low chuckle, stretching his neck.
"Wouldn't be us if we backed down now, would it?"
I grinned.
"Damn right."
The chilling wind around the ruins grew heavier, almost suffocating. Henry and I exchanged a knowing look—this wasn't going to be a normal dungeon raid.
A missing dungeon core?
A threat level classified as "???"
This was far beyond our expectations.
"You ready for this?" I asked, rolling my shoulders as energy surged through my veins.
Henry smirked, gripping the hilt of his Sword of the First Dawn.
"Always."
We stepped forward, the ancient stone archway before us glowing with an eerie, shifting light. As soon as we crossed the threshold—
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
You have entered the Forgotten Abyss (Corrupted Dungeon).
Special Conditions Activated.
- Time Distortion: Time inside does not match the outside world.
- Power Suppression: All abilities temporarily restricted to 80% effectiveness.
- Unknown Presence Detected.
The moment the notification appeared, the air changed.
A thick, black fog rolled over the ground, swallowing everything in sight. The stench of blood and decay filled my lungs as an ominous growl echoed through the abyss.
Henry narrowed his eyes.
"Something's watching us."
I clenched my fists, Void Step activating instinctively.
"Then let's not keep it waiting."
We moved forward, ready to face whatever nightmare awaited us.