Chapter 31 – The Girl in Chains

The dungeon pulsed with quiet menace.

Auther stood before the jagged breach in space, the unstable gate now fully stabilized. A dull, cyan glow traced its edges, humming softly like the breath of some slumbering god.

He took one last breath, his heart calm.

Then he stepped through.

Mana tore at his senses for a heartbeat. His vision blurred.

Then cleared.

He emerged into a world cloaked in twilight — a shattered underground fortress. Moss-covered pillars, broken staircases, and shattered murals lined the vast hall ahead. The air reeked of old blood and damp mana.

The system chimed.

---

[You have entered a Minor E-Rank Dungeon: Ancient Holding Grounds]

[Dungeon Type: Ruined Prison]

[Objective: Clear all floors. Exit will unlock upon boss defeat.]

---

"An old prison, huh?" he muttered, scanning the crumbled ruins.

The air felt oppressive.

But familiar.

Auther activated Pulse Weave and Vital Rebalance, cycling his energy into a calm, flowing current. Every muscle was primed.

He descended the cracked steps, blade in hand, moving through the gloom.

The first floor was mostly deserted.

Scattered bone piles. Mutant vermin. Corrupted insects.

He cut them down easily, gathering only a handful of SP. Not worth creating new skills yet.

But deeper into the dungeon… he felt it.

A stronger presence.

Third floor.

He followed the narrow hallway until he reached a wide, open chamber — once a grand cell block, now half-collapsed.

And there — amid the rubble and decay — was a cage.

A solitary figure was curled within.

Auther approached cautiously.

It was a girl.

She looked young — around his age, maybe slightly older — her skin pale, almost glowing in the faint light. Her silver hair spilled like silk around her shoulders, tangled and matted with grime. Torn cloth barely covered her, and faint glowing shackles bound her wrists and ankles.

Her ears were long and pointed.

> "An elf?"

But no — as he stepped closer, he felt something else.

Something deeper.

Not just mana. Something ancient.

Like sealed blood.

The girl stirred, sensing him. Her eyes cracked open — and Auther froze.

Her irises were violet, with thin rings of crimson that shimmered faintly.

> "Elf? No. Not quite."

She blinked slowly, then whispered hoarsely, "You're not like the others…"

Auther knelt outside the cage.

"What others?"

"The ones who left me here. Who opened the seal and ran when the backlash began. They… they said I was dangerous." Her voice was quiet, soft like wind brushing glass. "But I'm not. Not anymore."

He studied her for a moment.

Then turned to the bindings.

They were E-rank suppression seals, tied directly to her mana pathways — likely draining her continuously. Even now, he could see flickers of mana leaking from the runes.

> "A sealed bloodline… she's not human. Maybe a hybrid? Or a forgotten race."

His fingers twitched.

Normally, he wouldn't get involved. Not when he still had the rest of the dungeon to clear.

But something about her felt... wronged.

He touched the chains. Mana flared.

---

[Suppression Seal – Rank E3]

[Unlocking Requires: Dispel-type skill OR Dungeon Master Key]

---

Auther narrowed his eyes.

He had no dispel-type skills yet.

But dungeons often left keys behind.

Maybe the boss had it?

The girl's eyes locked with his. "Please," she whispered. "If you leave… I won't survive the next wave."

"Wave?"

She nodded. "The dungeon… resets. Every few days. Traps reset. Monsters regenerate. I've seen them come. Die. Come again."

So she'd been trapped here alive for weeks, maybe months?

Auther exhaled.

"Fine," he said. "I'll clear this place. If there's a key, I'll bring it back."

She blinked. "Why?"

"Because you're not dead," he said, standing. "And you didn't attack me on sight."

He turned and disappeared into the corridor.

---

The fourth and fifth floors were crawling with E1 and E2 mutants — twisted jailers and prisoner wraiths, all infused with dark mana. Auther fought with brutal precision, using Mana Edge to cleave through limbs and Fighting Mastery to dodge their unpredictable lunges.

Every kill gave him a few more SP — now totaling 61.

But none of them dropped anything.

No cores. No keys.

Then he reached the boss room.

A massive, circular arena beneath the dungeon's base.

A black iron throne sat at the far end — and upon it, a hulking creature rose as Auther approached.

It was over nine feet tall. Thick iron chains wrapped around its arms. Its face was a mask of bone, and its spine jutted with crimson crystals.

---

[Warden of the Hollow – Rank E3]

[Special Skill: Chain Dominion]

---

Auther didn't hesitate.

He activated Pulse Weave, Reflex Sync, Fighting Mastery, and Vital Rebalance simultaneously. Energy flowed through his limbs like liquid fire.

The Warden roared and charged.

Auther rolled beneath the swing of its massive chain, slicing at the exposed leg tendons. The creature grunted but didn't stagger.

It swung again.

The chain extended mid-air, twisting unnaturally and striking from three angles.

Auther blocked the first strike, dodged the second — but the third clipped his ribs.

Pain erupted.

He skidded back, blood in his mouth.

Too strong.

His F-rank offense wasn't cutting it anymore.

He needed something better.

He dove behind a column and opened Skill Creation.

He didn't have much time.

---

> Name: Kinetic Breaker

Description: "A concentrated burst of mana unleashed through physical strikes. Charges melee attacks with short-range explosive force, strong enough to fracture armor and redirect momentum."

Rank: E2

Cost: 58 SP

---

His hands flew across the system.

[Skill Created: Kinetic Breaker (E2)]

[SP Remaining: 2]

He triggered it immediately, charging mana into his blade. A deep hum resonated through the weapon as arcs of red-gold energy traced along its edge.

The Warden charged again.

Auther sidestepped — then drove his blade into its knee.

KRAK!

A shockwave burst outward.

The Warden staggered, howling in pain.

Auther didn't stop.

He spun and slammed the blade into its side, the force launching the creature into the arena wall with a deafening crash.

He pounced, driving the blade deep into its chest.

Kinetic Breaker pulsed again — and the Warden's chest exploded inwards.

The beast collapsed, shuddered… and lay still.

Silence fell.

Then the system spoke.

---

[Dungeon Boss Defeated]

[Skill Points Gained: +15]

[Dungeon Treasure Unlocked]

[Item Obtained: Master's Key – E-Rank]

---

Auther exhaled.

His limbs shook, but he smiled.

He climbed the steps and retrieved the faintly glowing key, then made his way back to the third floor.

She was still there.

Eyes closed, barely breathing.

He approached, knelt, and slid the key into the glowing chain lock.

It clicked.

The bindings shattered with a flash of blue light.

Her body went still.

Then — slowly — she opened her eyes.

Auther caught her as she fell.

---

They left the dungeon together.

He set up camp beneath a twisted oak near the river and laid her down beside the fire.

She slept through the night.

He watched the stars.

In the morning, she woke and sat up.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

He nodded. "What's your name?"

She hesitated. "I… don't remember. Just fragments. But I think I was called… Elira."

"Elira," he repeated. "I'm Auther."

He offered her a canteen. She took it, sipping slowly.

"What are you going to do now?" she asked.

"I'm going to get stronger."

A pause.

"Can I stay with you?" she asked. "At least… until I remember. Until I'm strong again."

Auther met her eyes.

The glow had dimmed, but not vanished.

"Alright," he said. "But you'll pull your own weight."

She smiled faintly. "Deal."

And thus, began the first bond of Auther Finn's new world — not forged by trust, but by battle and survival.