Clearing The Portal
Allen moved silently around the edge of the crowd until he reached the dark alley beside the portal. No one noticed him slip into the shadow. His breath was steady, eyes fixed on the swirling vortex that twisted and bent the air around it. The portal pulsed like a heartbeat — alive, waiting.
He stepped closer, the hum in the air grew louder, vibrating through his bones. Without a Slayer to close it or even assess its rank, this thing could collapse into chaos at any moment. He had no license, no backup. No guarantee of survival but then, the memory of the corrupted human from the hospital lingered in his mind.
If something like that comes out here... they'll die. All of them, even his sister could be implicated. He didn't hesitate, and with a deep breath, Allen sprinted forward and dove straight into the portal.
The world bent, colors distorted and the ground where he once stood vanished.
And then—
He landed on solid stone, stumbling slightly as the air punched out of his lungs. The portal snapped shut behind him with a sound like tearing fabric. All at once, silence.
He looked up, he was already inside a cave, dim and dripping, lit faintly by glowing moss across the jagged walls. It smelled of damp rot and something metallic—blood.
[D-Class Dungeon: "Hollow Nest"]
Monsters Detected: Hollow Crawlers (Lv.4-6)
Dungeon Condition: Unstable
Exit Portal: Locked until Core is Destroyed
Allen's grip tightened on his dagger.
There was no way out… unless he cleared the dungeon.
A faint scratching echoed through the tunnel ahead. Then another. Dozens of legs scuttling across stone.
Allen crouched low, pulse steady, eyes sharp.
"Guess it's just me again," he whispered. "And this time… I'm ready."
Allen moved forward slowly, his footsteps muffled by the damp stone floor. The air inside the Hollow Nest was thick, laced with decay. His breath formed faint clouds, and every drop of water from the cave ceiling felt like a warning.
The scuttling sounds grew louder.
He pressed his back to the wall, dagger ready. Shadows danced ahead, long and sharp, twisting with every flicker from the glowing moss. Something was crawling just beyond the corner.
[Passive Skill: Death Drive – Active]
His senses sharpened. He could hear the faint breathing of something ahead. He peered around the bend.
Three of them.
Hollow Crawlers. Insectoid beasts the size of large wolves, their limbs made of black chitin and glowing red eyes fixed on the tunnel walls. Their mandibles clicked in rhythm, searching, hunting.
Allen gripped the dagger tighter.
He didn't have a choice.
He stepped out.
The nearest Crawler screeched and lunged. Allen side-stepped and shouted, "Phantom Step!"
In a blur, he vanished from the spot, reappearing behind the beast. Without thinking, he drove the dagger into the back of its neck.
[Critical Hit!]
Black blood sprayed as the crawler shrieked and collapsed. The others turned on him instantly.
One leapt forward. Allen ducked low, the beast sailing over him.
The other slashed with a claw—he twisted, pain grazing his shoulder, but he was still moving.
One clean cut, immediately followed by another.
His movements were faster, smoother. His body still ached, but adrenaline numbed it all. He was unexpectedly adapting to the new change.
[Hollow Crawler Defeated – +20 EXP]
[Hollow Crawler Defeated – +18 EXP]
Allen leaned on his knees, panting.
The tunnel ahead loomed darker than before.
"I can do this," he whispered.
But deep inside, something stirred, a pressure... A presence. Far ahead in the nest… something was waiting for him.
Allen moved deeper into the tunnel without much delay. One thing was to do this, another thing was to get it done as quickly as possible. the silence in the cave was pressing on him like a weight. The deeper he went, the colder it grew—unnaturally cold. The glow from the moss dimmed, leaving only shadows and the sound of his footsteps.
Then, he felt it — A pulse. It wasn't like the Crawlers. This was something else.
As he turned a corner, the tunnel opened into a wide chamber—circular and hollowed by something ancient. Bones littered the edges, some fresh, some crumbled with age. In the center, crouched in a pool of dark liquid, was a beast.
Eight long legs. A bloated body of sinew and shadow. Dozens of glowing eyes snapped toward him.
[Identified: Hollow Broodmother – Lv. 7]
Status: Aggressive – Threat Level: High
Allen took a shaky breath.
"I'm not ready for this…"
But the portal wouldn't close unless the dungeon boss was defeated. The people outside—families, children—were counting on a Slayer who hadn't come.
And now it was him. Alone.
[Emergency Quest Triggered!]
Quest: Eliminate the Broodmother
Time Limit: 10 minutes
Reward: +150 EXP, Skill Core Fragment, Unknown Item
Failure: Death
The Broodmother let out a piercing shriek, and from behind her, dozens of tiny crawlers began to rise.
Allen raised his dagger, eyes burning with resolve.
"Phantom Step."
Allen vanished from sight.
Phantom Step kicked in, cold energy racing through his legs. He reappeared to the side, avoiding the first wave of the Broodmother's skittering offspring. Sharp legs pierced the ground where he had just been.
He slashed out with Shadow Fang, slicing through two Crawlers mid-motion. Black ichor sprayed across the stone, hissing as it touched the floor. More were coming—at least twenty of them, clicking and shrieking.
Allen ducked under a pounce, rolled forward, and hurled himself toward the massive form of the Broodmother. Her many eyes tracked him with unnatural precision.
The Broodmother reared up—and slammed down.
BOOM!
The floor cracked. Allen was flung backward, tumbling across the stone. His ribs throbbed, but he forced himself up.
[HP -15]
"Damn… I can't take another hit like that."
As the Crawlers closed in again, Allen whispered, "Phantom Step."
He shot forward, weaving between their legs like a shadow, and emerged behind the Broodmother.
[Passive Skill: Death Drive – Activated.]
His vision sharpened. Time slowed.
SLASH!
The dagger bit deep into the Broodmother's side, drawing a shriek of rage. Allen spun, drove the blade again into one of her legs—crippling it.
She roared, slamming her massive bulk against the cavern wall, trying to crush him. He ducked. A crawling minion lunged—he skewered it with one clean stab.
[Critical Hit! +30 EXP]
Allen leapt up onto the Broodmother's back, stabbing repeatedly. The monster thrashed, trying to throw him off. Black fluid sprayed. She let out another psychic screech—Allen gritted his teeth, blood trickling from his nose.
[Status Effect: Minor Mind Disruption]
His grip loosened—but just for a second.
And then he drove the Shadow Fang deep into her central eye.
CRACK.
The beast spasmed violently—then collapsed.
[Ding!]
[Boss Defeated: Hollow Broodmother – Lv.7]
+150 EXP
[Item Acquired: Skill Core Fragment (Rare)]
[Item Acquired: Cloak of the Hollow (Uncommon)]
[Level Up! You are now Level 3.]
+5 Stat Points Awarded]
Allen rolled off the twitching corpse, breathing hard. His body trembled, soaked in sweat and blood, but the portal behind him flickered—and then stabilized.
The dungeon had been cleared.
His eyes drifted to the object that had landed near the Broodmother's carcass.
A Skill Core Fragment.
He picked it up carefully.
It was jagged and glass-like, barely larger than a coin, yet it pulsed with a strange, rhythmic glow. Within its translucent surface swirled a thick, smoky essence—black and violet threads curling like ink in water. It was cold to the touch, unnaturally so, and just holding it sent a faint tingle crawling up his arm.
The moment his fingers closed around it, a system prompt appeared:
---
[Item Acquired: Skill Core Fragment (Rare)]
A fragment torn from a monster's soul. When used, it can fuse into the user's core, unlocking a skill related to the monster it came from. WARNING: Results vary. May attract attention from stronger beings.
Allen's eyes locked on the fragment, the pulsing glow reflecting in his bloodstained gaze.
"Let's see what you can do," he whispered.
He sat down against a cracked stone pillar inside the cleared portal, the shattered remains of the Broodmother twitching beside him. The fragment was cold and ominous in his palm—but something about it called to him.
[Use Skill Core Fragment?]
Warning: Fusion is irreversible. Unstable results possible.
> [Yes] | No
He didn't hesitate.
[Yes]
The moment he confirmed, the fragment dissolved into smoke—black and violet threads unraveling and slithering into his chest like tendrils of shadow. Allen gritted his teeth as pain flared through his body, crawling through his veins like liquid fire.
His vision dimmed. His heart pounded wildly.
Then—stillness.
[Fusion Successful.]
[New Skill Acquired: Brood Instinct (Passive)]
Gain heightened perception of hidden threats. When surrounded or outnumbered, agility and reaction speed increase by 30%. Increases evasion instinctively during lethal situations.
Allen gasped, slamming a fist against the ground to steady himself. A sharp breath escaped his lips, and then... he felt it.
His surroundings came alive with detail. The scent of blood, the shift of wind, the faintest sound—it was all clearer. Sharper. His body felt lighter, honed like a blade ready to move on instinct alone.
He stood, adrenaline still surging in his system.
"...That was worth the risk," he muttered.