Chapter 7

Raven remained in the shadows, his presence masked by a newfound ability. With a flick of his fingers, he pulled up his system panel and allocated points into Dungeon Stealth, an active skill exclusive to Dungeon Sovereigns.

[Dungeon Stealth: Activated.]

A subtle pulse of energy surrounded him, and his form blurred into the darkness. This ability ensured he would always remain undetected inside any dungeon—owned or unowned.

His gaze shifted toward the group of adventurers making their way into the Hollow Fang Den.

Five players. Mid-tier gear. A newbie guild. Emberlight.

They didn't look like much of a threat—undergeared, unprepared, and likely struggling. He watched them from his vantage point, unseen, unnoticed. They thought they were the first ones here.

But Raven had already marked this dungeon as his. It was just a matter of execution.

Emberlight moved cautiously, their leader, Ronan, taking point with his longsword drawn.

"This is our first attempt at clearing this place," Ronan muttered. "We take the Alpha tonight."

"Yeah," their mage, Darius, nodded. "It's our first attempt, so I'm excited for our guild raid this week!"

That's what you think.

Raven watched them in interest as he remained perched on the rocks, arms crossed, studying them like a hunter sizing up wounded prey.

They were already making mistakes. Inefficient positioning. Wasted mana. Predictable patterns. Emberlight was competent but inexperienced.

Perfect.

The Hollow Fang Den's monster boss, Duskrunner Alpha, emerged from the darkness—a massive, jet-black wolf with burning crimson eyes. It moved like a phantom, faster than the guild anticipated.

The fight was brutal and unrelenting.

"Tank it! Don't let it reposition!" Ronan shouted as he struggled to hold the Alpha's aggro.

"I'm running low on mana!" their mage called out.

The rogue barely avoided a lethal swipe, his HP dropping dangerously low.

Their stamina was burning away, their potions nearly depleted. But still, they pressed on, the Alpha's HP bar slowly ticking down to its final sliver.

Almost there.

And that's when Raven made his move.

A single chain lashed out from the darkness.

It struck like a viper, coiling around the rogue's throat before he could react.

[Emberlight – Darius has died!]

The cursed link tightened around Darius's neck, silent and serpentine. With a sharp, merciless snap, it broke, sending his body into a slow, mesmerizing freefall. 

As his form flickered and dissolved into the logout animation, the chain slithered away, vanishing back into the darkness with viper-like speed.

"What the hell?!" Ronan spun, eyes wide.

Another metallic clink echoed as a chain shot forward from the gloom.

The cleric collapsed before he could cast a heal.

Their formation broke apart instantly.

"What's happening?! Is that—" A chain wrapped around his wrist, yanking him back.

Another chain shot out from the darkness, its sharpened edge gleaming for a split second before stabbing into his chest. His breath hitched as pain flared through his body, his HP plummeting.

Ronan struggled against the first chain as the second pierced deeper. He swung wildly at the darkness, but his blade met nothing—only empty air and an unseen predator.

"No—wait—"

The chain tightened. His HP plummeted. The world faded to black.

But there was nothing. No attacker. Only the chains—already vanishing into shadow.

The Duskrunner Alpha, sensing the shift in aggression, let out a guttural growl. With their formation broken, the boss regained aggro.

The wolves attacked. Raven had already fallen back, leaving Emberlight to be erased.

[Emberlight – Ronan has died!]

Somewhere in the respawn zone, Ronan's fists clenched.

"No way," he muttered, staring at the logout screen. "That wasn't a normal PKer."

The wolves tore through the last of Emberlight, their bodies vanishing into the system as they respawned back at town. 

No witnesses. No proof of monsters. No proof of a PKer. Just rumors—and chains. 

They only knew something lurked beneath the darkness of Hollow Fang Den, a presence marked by viper-like chains.

And yet, the Duskrunner Alpha stood, barely alive, its HP dangerously low.

In any normal dungeon, the moment all players wiped, the boss would reset. Its HP would restore. Its aggression would vanish. The fight would start over.

But Raven was still here.

He let out a low chuckle. Titan Corp really didn't think this system through, huh?

As long as one player remained in the boss room, the reset wouldn't trigger. The Duskrunner Alpha wouldn't heal. Wouldn't recover. It would remain exactly as it was—bleeding, staggering… but still dangerous.

The Alpha twitched.

Its breath rasped. Blood soaked its fur. But even now, something burned in its eyes—wild, frenzied, untamed.

Not submission.

Rage.

[Alert: Boss has entered Rage State.]

Figures.

Raven didn't flinch.

At full health, this beast would've torn his forces apart. Even now, it might. But this?

This was worth the risk.

He raised a hand, summoning his dungeon bosses.

"Bone Tyrant. Goblin King. Come forth."

His subordinates materialized with a shimmer of chained energy—the Bone Tyrant's massive skeletal frame towering over the battlefield, mace in hand; the Goblin King crouched low, blade dragging behind him, eyes glinting with cunning.

They didn't wait for commands.

The Duskrunner launched forward with terrifying speed.

It moved like smoke—erratic, hard to track.

The Bone Tyrant swung his mace in a wide arc, but missed—the Alpha was already behind him, tearing into his spine with a flash of crimson fangs. Bone shattered. The giant staggered, turning sluggishly as systems strained to keep up.

The Goblin King darted in from the side, slashing the Alpha's flank with a broad, rusted blade. It howled, staggering back—only to spin and slam the goblin into the wall with a burst of raw momentum.

[Goblin King – HP Critical.]

[Bone Tyrant – Armor Integrity 28%...]

The battle blurred into chaos. Blow for blow. Claw for club. Slash for roar.

Finally, the Alpha lunged at the Bone Tyrant again—and this time, it tore through his ribcage. The giant collapsed, bones scattering like cracked ivory.

[Bone Tyrant has been defeated.]

The Goblin King surged up behind it—one last desperate lunge—and landed a stab directly into the Alpha's shoulder.

The Duskrunner howled—and crushed the goblin underfoot.

[Goblin King has been defeated.]

Silence followed the smoke.

Bone Tyrant and Goblin King dissolved into ash, their system anchors yanked back to their original dungeons.

They'd respawn—eventually.

But for now, Raven was alone.

And that didn't matter.

He watched the Duskrunner stumble, barely on its feet, blood pouring from open wounds. Its breath rasped, thick and uneven.

Its HP flickered—2%.

Raven's smirk returned.

"Perfect."

[Dominion Chain: Activated.]

The cursed links erupted from his palm, wrapping around the Alpha's limbs like iron serpents. It tried to resist—too slow. Too weak. Its knees buckled.

The chains constricted.

Its snarl faded into silence.

Then—

[Subjugation Successful.]

Raven stepped forward, placing a hand on the Duskrunner Alpha's bloodied fur. The beast shivered beneath his touch, breath ragged, crimson eyes flickering.

For a second, something like recognition sparked in its gaze.

Then it lowered its head. Submission.

"Welcome back, partner."

The Duskrunner Alpha was more than just another dungeon boss to Raven. In the beta version, this very beast had been his partner in PK, a relentless predator that hunted down players with him. Seeing it now, weakened and on the brink of collapse, felt almost nostalgic.

With a satisfied smirk, Raven retrieved the dungeon's drop—Ring of Grinding. A minor accessory, dismissed by most players as useless.

+20% chance to double resource yield in mining/gathering.

10% chance to obtain a blue-to-purple item for every 100 materials gathered.

Back in the beta version, this item had been ignored—seen as worthless by the masses. The bonus was too low, the grind too high. By level 30, players abandoned it entirely, chasing higher-tier loot—orange, red, gold.

Even gatherer-class players had overlooked it. The returns were too slow. The investment wasn't worth it.

But Raven had seen its potential then. And now, in this new version, he knew it would be his key to rebuilding his empire.

His minions worked tirelessly, harvesting resources 24/7 across every dungeon he controlled. 

What others called trash loot—he called capital.

And soon, that trickle would drown the competition.