Hollow Dungeon — First Floor
The Trial of Ascension: Lucian Black
The moment Lucian stepped deeper, the dungeon shifted.
It wasn't just the air—though that was colder now. It was the silence. Thick. Watching. Waiting.
He walked slowly. Controlled. Every footstep echoed like a heartbeat through hollow bones.
Then it came.
The first monster.
It emerged from the corner of the corridor—twisted, pale, like a wolf that had been stretched too long, its spine cracking with each movement. Its jaw unhinged wider than it should, lined with rows of jagged, uneven teeth.
Lucian's eyes narrowed. "Let's test this properly."
The creature leapt.
He vanished.
[Fold Step]
Lucian blinked from his position—reappearing behind the beast mid-air—and drove his elbow straight into its neck.
It crashed into the ground.
It screeched, spinning unnaturally, but Lucian was already gone again. Another fold. Another angle.
He danced through space like a shadow out of rhythm.
The monster slashed with its claws—slicing nothing but air.
Lucian raised his hand and whispered under his breath, "Slow down."
[Temporal Slow]
The air shimmered.
The creature moved—but not really. Its actions dragged like it was wading through molasses.
Lucian circled it. Calm. Calculated.
He flicked his wrist, and energy pulsed through the air—thick, like glass snapping.
[Spatial Lock]
A cube of compressed space crushed down on the monster like a vice. Bones cracked. The creature shrieked.
Lucian's hand pulsed with light. A simple blade formed from raw mana—blue, sharp, humming with distortion.
One step forward. A clean slice.
The creature fell, head severed, twitching in slow motion even in death.
The lock faded. Time returned.
Lucian stood over the corpse.
"Next."
— — —
Floor One — Midpoint
The deeper he went, the darker it got. Not because of the torches—they still flickered with ghostly blue fire—but because the walls themselves began to breathe.
They pulsed faintly. Veins in stone. Like the dungeon was alive.
Lucian walked calmly. The weight of mana pressing down didn't bother him. He had infinite reserves. All that mattered now was pace. Flow.
Then—
He froze.
The floor ahead split open.
From the darkness rose three figures. Tall. Armor of bone and black metal. No eyes. No mouths. Only crackling blue cores embedded in their chests. They raised rusted halberds, each tip glowing faintly with cursed runes.
"Sentinels," Lucian muttered. "Perfect."
The one on the left charged.
Lucian didn't blink.
[Chrono Sense]
The moment before the strike came, time split open in his mind. Three seconds ahead. He saw the blade. The spin. The feint.
He moved before it even began.
Fold Step—behind it.
Slice. Elbow. Knee.
Metal crunched. The sentinel shattered into shards.
The other two moved in tandem—faster.
Lucian leapt back, landing softly. He snapped his fingers.
[Spatial Lock] again—this time on the floor below them.
The ground warped.
One of the sentinels' legs buckled. It staggered—just for a second.
Enough.
Lucian spun forward—dragged his foot along the floor—drew a circle mid-air and flung it.
[Temporal Slow – Double Layer]
The field expanded like a bubble.
Both sentinels froze mid-lunge.
Lucian stepped into the field.
A calm breath.
Three strikes—each at a different angle.
Neck. Core. Back.
He left the field.
Time resumed.
The sentinels burst apart.
Dust settled.
Lucian cracked his knuckles. "Too easy."
— — —
Floor One — Final Gate
He reached a heavy door. Covered in iron symbols. Locked in place by a ring of energy.
A screen blinked.
[Mini-Boss: Corrupted Beastcaller – Class D+]
[Optional: Clear for bonus reward. Continue to Floor 2 otherwise.]
Lucian smiled.
"I'm clearing everything."
He pushed open the gate.
Inside was a circular arena—old, cracked, soaked in old blood.
And standing in the center was a hunched creature. Massive. Antlers of bone. Chains wrapped around its limbs. Behind it, cages lined the walls. Dozens. Something moved inside each.
The creature raised its head—and howled.
The cages exploded.
Monsters flooded the arena.
"Of course."
Lucian exhaled, rolled his shoulders.
Then vanished.
[Fold Step – Multi-Blink Mode]
He zigzagged across the arena in seconds—striking, vanishing, striking again.
Creatures howled and burst into blood mist.
But they kept coming.
The Beastcaller roared, and a wave of sound shattered the stone.
Lucian dropped low, riding the shockwave like a surfer riding a tide.
His hands lit with mana.
He snapped both fingers.
[Spatial Lock – Arena Compression Mode]
The walls of the room twisted inward. Space buckled. The enemies had less room to move.
Then he raised his hand.
[Temporal Slow – Field Cast]
Everything slowed.
Lucian began walking forward—slicing, stabbing, crushing.
Time resumed.
And the floor turned red.
Now only the Beastcaller remained.
It roared.
Lucian didn't flinch.
[Chrono Sense – Full Focus]
He saw the roar before it left the throat.
He stepped aside.
A moment later, he was on its back.
He gripped both antlers—flipped himself over—and brought a blade of compressed space into the beast's neck.
It roared again.
He didn't stop.
Another slash. Another fold.
Lucian appeared below it this time.
He looked up.
The beast reared to stomp him.
He whispered.
"Fall."
[Spatial Lock – Vertical Inversion]
The ground flipped for the beast.
It screamed as it crashed upward—slammed into the ceiling like it weighed nothing.
Lucian leapt.
Twisted mid-air.
And drove his blade down as gravity restored.
The beast hit the floor—
—and didn't move again.
— — —
Transition Screen
[Floor 1 Cleared – Rank: S]
[Bonus Reward Unlocked: Skill Fragment – Dimensional Claw]
[Next Floor Unlocking…]
Lucian stood quietly.
Blood dripped down his arm, but the mana around him remained calm.
He looked up at the fading gate.
"Bring the next one," he said quietly.
[Trial of Ascension – Continue to Floor 2]
The lights dimmed again.
The circle beneath him spun.
And Lucian disappeared into the next challenge…