Chapter 12

The cold deepened as Raven and Duskrunner stepped into the next chamber, their breath misting in the stale air. The walls expanded into a vast crypt hall, the ceiling lost in the shroud of darkness above. Flickering candles hovered in midair, casting an eerie glow on the broken stone floor. The weight of something ancient, something watching, pressed against Raven's mind.

Then the temperature dropped further. A sharp, unnatural chill.

The candles flickered once—and then froze in place, their flames still but unextinguished. A metallic clang echoed through the chamber as a towering figure materialized in the center of the room.

A knight.

Headless, its rusted armor coated in spectral mist. In its gauntleted hand, it clutched a massive lantern, its glow swirling like trapped souls screaming to escape. The light flared, its presence suffocating.

"No shadows may walk freely… No breath shall disturb the stillness of the dead."

⚔️ Mini-Boss: The Silent Warden Appears.

Raven's grip tightened on his Cursed Chain. 

Raven's grip tightened. He had cleared this dungeon before—but back then, he was Level 21. Now? He was barely scraping Level 17. The difference was massive.

One mistake could follow a critical chained reaction, and this fight could be over in a minute.

The Lantern of Truth pulsed. A shockwave of light burst outward in a perfect sphere, cutting through the darkness, exposing all hidden forms. The air around Raven and Duskrunner sizzled as the wave washed over them, briefly outlining their forms in spectral light.

"Damn it—!" Raven twisted to the side, barely dodging the Warden's sweeping blade as it carved through the stone where he had stood. Duskrunner veered left, keeping to the edges of the crypt, paws silent against the ancient stone.

Locking Gaze, one of this damn mini boss skill, triggered.

His body froze as this area stun skill took effect.

An invisible force crushed against his limbs, locking him in place for three seconds.

Too short a time for panic. Too long to avoid an execution.

But something else was happening—something wrong.

The lantern's glow slithered toward his chest, sinking into his skin like tendrils of ghostly flame. His breath hitched. A sickening pressure wrapped around his heart, squeezing. His pulse skipped—no, faltered—as if something had reached inside him and pulled.

A wave of dizziness followed. His vision blurred at the edges. He fought to keep his breathing steady, but his lungs felt constricted, like the air was being stolen from him.

His mind screamed at him to react, to move, to counter—but he couldn't even twitch. This wasn't just a stun. This was something deeper. A newbie mistake.

I miscalculated… No—damn it, I was too slow!

The mistake gnawed at him, frustration spiking through the momentary haze. He'd dodged this mechanic so many times before in the beta. But his current level meant his reaction time was just a fraction slower—and in this fight, that was enough to get him killed.

Another pulse. The lantern flared, searching, the light dragging their shadows across the floor.

"You cannot escape the eyes of the forgotten… Your light will flicker… and fade."

The Warden moved unnaturally fast for something clad in full armor. The sheer force of its swings cracked the stone beneath its strikes. Raven forced himself to move, stumbling free of the paralysis, still feeling the unnatural weight pressing against his chest. His breath came uneven. Duskrunner's sharp eyes flicked toward him, catching the slight hesitation in his stance.

Raven dodged right—then immediately twisted mid-motion, throwing his chain to wrap around the Warden's shoulder and anchor himself. The momentum saved him from another lantern pulse that would have caught him in its gaze.

But the Warden was relentless.

Raven landed, but his boot barely touched the ground before the lantern's glow turned crimson.

Locking Gaze triggered again.

His body froze.

An invisible force crushed against his limbs, locking him in place for three seconds. Too short a time for panic. Too long to avoid an execution.

"Stillness… is peace. Accept it!"

The Warden advanced, blade raised high.

Raven's mind raced. Three seconds is a death sentence in a fight like this.

Duskrunner reacted first.

A blur of dark fur and silver eyes, the wolf slammed into the Warden's exposed flank. The knight staggered, its attack diverted for just a second—enough time.

Raven gritted his teeth and activated Ethereal Step.

His body phased just as the greatsword cleaved downward. He felt the air split apart as the weapon passed through the space where he had stood. The moment the paralysis faded, he rolled, twisting his chain mid-motion.

"Duskrunner, go high! I'll bait the light!"

The wolf obeyed, leaping onto a broken column, circling the Warden from above. The lantern flared again, its burning radiance tracking Raven's movement—exactly as planned. He ducked left, deliberately drawing the Warden's attention.

Duskrunner struck from behind.

With an ear splitting snarl, he tore into the Warden's exposed back, his claws ripping through the ancient armor's weak joints.

The Warden stumbled, its lantern flickering wildly, its glow faltering.

"Now!" Raven coiled his chain and sent it lashing toward the lantern itself. The impact sent a shudder through the chamber as the cursed artifact cracked. The glow inside screamed—then imploded.

The knight froze, its body trembling as the last of its power drained away. Then, with a final, reverberating clang, the Silent Warden collapsed as his final whisper hissing, echoed through the chamber,

"The dead… remember… even as the living forget…"

Raven remained still for a moment, catching his breath. Then, he glanced at Duskrunner, who was already watching him expectantly.

"You alright?" the wolf asked.

Raven rolled his shoulders, flexing his fingers, feeling the phantom numbness fade. "Took some hits, but we're still standing."

Duskrunner flicked his tail. "This dungeon is an ass."

Raven chuckled, shaking his head as he turned toward the next passage. "Yeah. But we knew that coming in."

As the candles flickered out one by one, a faint shimmer of light appeared where the Warden had fallen. A reward.

He stepped forward, crouching as he inspected the loot. A Lantern Fragment—a spectral relic, its glow dim but holding residual power. A medium-tier drop, decent but nothing compared to what awaited him deeper in the dungeon.

Item Acquired: Lantern Fragment (Rare)

Effect: Grants minor resistance against illusion-based attacks.

Secondary Effect: Reveals hidden pathways in dark environments.

Raven tucked the relic into his inventory, nodding. "This'll come in handy later."

Duskrunner peered at it. "Not bad. Not great, but not bad."

"We take what we get." Raven exhaled, standing up and drinking his health potion to replenish his HP and MP. "Let's keep moving."

As the last embers of the Warden's presence faded, they stepped deeper into the crypt, shadows waiting to embrace them once more.