Cleared Duskwither Hollow

Duskwither Hollow - Core Room

The iron doors of the Heartchamber groaned open as Lilith stepped inside.

It was cold.

Not physically—but soul-deep, airless, like stepping into a crypt where grief itself had weight. A massive circular chamber stretched out before her, the stone walls inlaid with blackened portraits and rune-marked coffins. The ceiling rose into darkness, and at the far end pulsed the Dungeon Core—a black crystal embedded in a cracked altar, humming with dark energy.

A woman stood beneath it.

Or… what was left of one.

Tall and elegant, she wore tattered noble robes of deep violet, her long hair tangled and drifting like ink underwater. Her skin was gray-blue, her eyes glowing with sorrowful red light. Wisps of shadow clung to her limbs like living veils.

The Shade Queen.

Lilith stepped forward slowly. She could feel it—the immense mana pressure pressing down on her like a weight on her chest. Her daggers trembled in her grip.

[System Alert: Boss Encounter - Duskwither Shade Queen Lv.10]

[Warning: High-risk engagement. Success condition - eliminate the core guardian.]

Lilith reached into her soul and focused.

[SP - 30 → 0]

[Mana increased: 25 → 55]

A rush of energy pulsed through her veins. Her limbs steadied.

She was ready.

The Queen lifted her gaze.

"...You came... just like he did..." she whispered, voice echoing strangely. "Did he send you, too?"

Lilith blinked. "Who?"

"...The traitor... the one who cursed us all... I waited... and waited..."

Without warning, the Queen dissolved into smoke—and reappeared just meters away.

A trail of shadows marked her wake.

Shadow Dance.

"—Shit!"

Lilith barely dodged the swipe of clawed hands, the air cracking as they grazed her cheek. Pain bloomed—a shallow slash along her face. Blood trickled, stinging her skin.

The Queen spun midair and slashed again. Lilith ducked, twisted, and retaliated with both daggers. One slash hit—cutting through the mist-like shadow around the Queen's body—but the other passed clean through.

Half-corporeal. Physical damage only works between pulses.

The Queen moved again. Flickered to the left. Then appeared right behind Lilith.

Phantom Claw!

A triple slash tore through the air.

Lilith screamed as one of the strikes caught her in the side. Her coat shredded. Blood soaked through the fur lining.

She rolled away, breath ragged, heart pounding. She cast Fire Spark—a blast of flame burst forward, and the Queen hissed as her shadow-mist recoiled.

Weakness confirmed: Fire.

The Queen steadied herself, eyes burning brighter.

"You... still have warmth..." she muttered. "I remember warmth... before it was taken... before I was locked here…"

Then she screamed.

A Despair Pulse exploded from her body—a wave of darkness and psychic pressure that hit Lilith like a hammer. Her knees buckled. Her hands trembled. A cold fog clouded her vision.

[Debuff: Accuracy Down, Focus Disrupted]

"Dammit—stay sharp!"

She gritted her teeth and activated Battle Instinct. Her senses surged. Her blurred vision steadied. The Queen's movement lines sharpened in her mind.

Lilith ducked under another shadow swipe, then cast Ice Bullet—twice.

One missed. The other slammed into the Queen's shoulder. She howled, reeling.

Lilith dashed forward and stabbed her in the abdomen.

The Queen fell back, half-ethereal again, shadow mist leaking like smoke.

Her voice trembled. "...Why did I suffer? I bore no guilt… I was loyal…!"

Suddenly, the Dungeon Core behind her flashed red.

The Queen arched her back and screamed—

[Warning: Shade Queen HP < 30%]

[Enrage State Activated]

From the darkness beside her, two shadows peeled away—gray wraiths shaped like twisted versions of her.

Shade Echoes.

"Perfect. Because one of you wasn't annoying enough."

Lilith was panting, bleeding, low on mana—but not broken.

She activated Arousal Field Lv.3 instinctively.

…No reaction.

Right. All-female enemies. No effect.

"Of course."

The Shade Echoes rushed in—bladed limbs like scythes.

Lilith backflipped, barely dodging the first, then blocked the second's swing with crossed daggers. The impact forced her back. She staggered—but didn't fall.

She kicked one Echo into the other and launched a Fire Spark between them.

BOOM!

One burned to ash. The second was weakened.

The real Queen darted in during the smoke.

Lilith twisted sideways—just in time to avoid a slash that could've gutted her.

She stabbed upward—dagger piercing the Queen's ribs. Then again, in the throat.

The Queen hissed and grabbed Lilith's wrist.

Her voice was low.

"...I... waited… so long... for justice..."

Lilith clenched her jaw. "Then rest."

Ice Bullet. Point blank.

It exploded inside the Queen's chest.

Shadow and mist erupted.

The Shade Queen let out one final breath… and shattered into smoke.

Silence.

Only the pulsing Dungeon Core remained, flickering softly.

[Boss Defeated: Duskwither Shade Queen Lv.10]

[XP Gained: 110]

[Title Unlocked: Shadowpiercer (Solo Clear)]

[Title Effect: +10% resistance to fear-type debuffs.]

[Level Up: 6→ 7]

[SP +10]

[Level Up: 7 → 8]

[SP +10]

Lilith dropped to one knee, gasping for breath, blood still dripping from her arm and side.

She'd done it.

She looked up at the Core—and for a second, thought she heard a woman's voice whisper:

"...thank you…"

Then the body of Shade Queen started withering away—its power dispersing into soft red motes.

The dungeon was cleared.

-----

Lilith stood before the Dungeon Core.

The black crystal pulsed faintly, like a fading heartbeat. The remnants of the Duskwither Shade Queen's presence still clung to the air—soft, whispering mana currents, like a memory reluctant to fade.

She stared at it for a long moment, fingers twitching near her dagger.

"If I break this, the dungeon dies."

She remembered Ren's warning.

"Don't kill the dungeon unless it's yours. This one belongs to the guild. They manage it, gather resources from it, and use it to train recruits."

Lilith sighed, pulling her hand back.

"Lucky crystal."

Instead, she turned her attention to the loot scattered around the altar—fragments of enchanted silk that shimmered black and violet, and a solid piece of the Queen's dress: a Shadow Silk.

She took them all. The shadow silk went into a pouch. A title screen flickered softly across her vision.

Lilith let herself collapse onto the cold stone floor.

Her body ached. Her side still throbbed from the Phantom Claw strike. Her hands were bloodied from the axe swings. Her coat was ruined, slashed open in three places and singed with shadow magic.

"Four hours… already?"

She glanced at the dungeon timer embedded in her adventurer badge.

3 hours 57 minutes.

She gave herself five more minutes to breathe.

Then began packing.

10 Minutes Later

Her bag was stuffed to the brim. Shadow silk. Bones. Stone teeth. Ice-cold cores. A cracked ancient ring she hoped had some value. The battle axe strapped awkwardly across her back.

I really should've brought a bigger bag. Or a mule. Or Julian.

She limped her way back through the tombs, through the Emberroot Gallery, up past the Whispering Passage. Each zone felt lighter now—emptied of its menace, as if the dungeon itself was resting.

Her feet were blistered. Her mana low. Her stomach… loudly complaining.

But she walked.

Outside the Dungeon – Guard Post

The old guard glanced at Ren, who leaned against a post with his arms crossed and eyes narrowed toward the dark entrance.

"She's been in there for over four hours," the guard muttered. "You sure she's alright?"

Ren didn't look away.

"She'll come out. She might be bleeding. Maybe limping. But die?" He shook his head. "She's too stubborn for that."

The guard raised a brow. "You adventurer types are weird."

Ren smirked. "You don't know the half of it."

Just then—

THUD. THUD. THUD.

Boots echoed from the dark.

Lilith emerged.

Bloodied.

Covered in cuts.

Clothes torn.

And dragging a overstuffed bag behind her like a sack of treasure.

Ren blinked.

The guard's jaw dropped.

Lilith walked straight past them and smacked Ren on the side of the head.

"Why didn't you tell me this dungeon was three nightmares stacked in a trench coat?!"

Ren flinched. "Hey—! I thought you'd clear a zone or two. Not finish the damn thing!"

Lilith dropped her loot bag directly on his foot.

He yelped. "What the hell is in this?! Rocks?!"

"Axe," she corrected. "Big one. From hell. Zone Three. You left that part out, mentor."

The guard was still blinking. "Wait… you cleared it? Alone?"

Lilith gave a weak thumbs-up before slumping into the waiting carriage.

Ren loaded her bag with a grunt, then climbed in after her. As the wheels rolled over the cobblestone path, he pulled out a potion kit and began dabbing at her cuts with practiced care.

She winced. "Careful, nurse. I'm delicate."

"You're a demon. A tired, smug, murder-happy demon."

She smirked despite the pain.

"Next stop," she mumbled, "is the guild. Let's see what this solo-clear earns me."

The carriage rumbled onward.

Continued...

Non-canon filler: The previous owner of the body has now become a yokai and came to haunt me and she has something to say to you all.

❝Nyaa~ if you enjoyed the story, click the «Power Stone» and I'll purrrr forever~! Or at least write faster!~🐾❞

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