"Status: 13% integrity. Mana… at 42%. We don't have much time…"
Ichiro's voice cracked through the comms, He was panicking, his tone was shaky and weak, the kind of voice that makes you know he is scared. Blood was running down the side of his face, splattering across his cheek. His shield arm was barely holding up, shaking as the fangbeast pushed and bit, its fangs smashing and grinding against the metal.
"I know!" I shouted back my throat burned as I yelled. I swung my halberd with all my strength, cutting down another lizard that charged at me. Its screech echoed around the entire cavern, bouncing off the walls, so loud it hurt my ears.
This wasn't supposed to happen. The dungeon was classified B-Rank manageable, routine. But the moment we stepped into the third layer… something changed. The air got heavier, thicker, like the whole place was pressing down on us. The monsters weren't acting like normal. They were smarter and Stronger, They were moving like they had a leader.
Almost as if something was watching us.
Now half of our party was lying on the floor, bleeding and not moving. Some were dead. Some were close to it and the portal that was supposed to be our way home it was just cracking open now, glowing like broken glass, our only ticket out of this nightmare.
But I couldn't move.
Not yet.
"Souta! The gate's open!" Hina cried. She was beside me, grabbing my arm tightly, like she was scared I would run away the wrong way. Her eyes were wide, filled with fear and worry. "You have to go!"
My name is Souta Kaede. I am twenty-one years old. I used to be a C-rank hunter. I fought hard, scraped by, and finally reached B-rank not too long ago. I am not special,.I am not the strongest, I am not the fastest, I am not remarkable in any way.
But I am curious, too curious.
And something deep inside this dungeon… something down below… was calling to me.
…
We limped toward the gate. Ichiro was bleeding badly from his leg, his pants soaked in red. Hina was dragging him, her small frame shaking under his weight, but she refused to let him fall.
Behind us, the stone chamber groaned like the dungeon itself was alive. The walls cracked, dust falling down from above. Mana pulsed beneath the ground with every second, beating like a giant heart. The gate glowed brighter, almost begging us to run through.
But I stopped walking.
"I'll hold them back, just go!" I shouted at them.
Hina turned sharply. "What?! Are you insane?!"
"Probably," I said, and I even smiled even though my chest was heavy and my hands were trembling, I still smiled. Just give me three minutes. I need to see what's deeper.
"You'll die!" she screamed, her voice breaking.
Maybe.
But that was the thing about curiosity. It burns louder than fear it never stops.
…
I went down alone.
The air got colder with every step I took. My fire magic grew dim, the light flickering weakly, like even the fire was scared to be here. The walls were covered in runes. Strange letters, glowing faintly, humming with dark magic. The symbols looked like they were moving, crawling slowly, whispering things I couldn't understand.
The silence was heavy. But it wasn't real silence. I could hear something in it, like a faint sound of breathing, or maybe a heartbeat.
My footsteps echoed loudly.
Step, Step, Step.
The further I went, the stronger the feeling grew. It was like death itself was walking next to me, waiting for me to slip.
And then I saw it.
At the end of the chamber was a throne. It was huge, made entirely of bones, stacked high and sharp.
And sitting on it… was a demon.
Not just any demon.
An S-rank Monarch-class demon.
Its horns curled up from its skull, sharp and deadly. Its wings were crimson, folded behind it like a cloak of blood and death. Its eyes… its eyes weren't eyes at all. They were endless, swirling galaxies of hate and hunger.
My whole body froze.
The demon's voice scraped into my ears like rusted blades.
"So a maggot crawls into the nest."
——————
Name: Belrath, The Final Sin
Level: ???
Threat Rating: S-Rank (Confirmed by System)
Win Probability: 0.000001%
—————————
I blinked, my mouth dry. "…Cool."
I should have run, any normal hunter would have run.
But I didn't.
Instead, I held my halberd tighter, my hands sweating.
"Alright, Belrath," I whispered. "Let's dance."
The demon tilted his head, almost curious. "You must be mad to challenge me."
…
Belrath lifted a claw. The space bent around it twisting.
I dove sideways, a spear of black lightning smashed into the ground where I had just been, smoke rose from the hole.
I sprinted forward, raising my halberd. I swung down with all my strength, hitting his chest.
WHAM!
Clang!
No damage not even a scratch.
Belrath smirked. "Insects shouldn't dream."
And then he was gone.
My chest tightened.
Behind me.
I turned too slow.
CRACK!
His fist slammed into my ribs. The pain exploded through me like fire and glass. Bones shattered my body flew through the air, smashing into a stone pillar i coughed blood my arm twisted the wrong way, I couldn't breathe.
Still…
Still…
I stood up.
Belrath tilted his head, studying me. "Why?"
"Because…" I gasped, wheezing, every word painful. "…I wanted to see what was at the end."
"Fool."
He opened his palm.
Hellflame Burst.
The fire was black, Blacker than night, It swallowed light itself.
It hit me straight in the chest.
I screamed my flesh burned my heart stopped.
Everything ended.
This wasn't the way I wanted to die. I never thought I would die because of my own curiosity but this wasn't regret, not really. I just wished…
[You died]
…
Darkness.
Then air, crisp and cold.
I opened my eyes.
Sky, stars, a blood moon above.
I was lying in a field of silver grass, surrounded by ruins.
Alive.
Breathing.
And glowing.
"…What the hell…"
I sat up my body was leaner, stronger, my senses sharper than I ever remembered.
A screen blinked into view before me.
[Welcome]
———~Ω~———
SYSTEM
Hunter of the Boundless Path, You are no longer bound by limits, curiosity brought you here, Let it lead you to greater things...
~MISSIONS~
New Objective: Slay the Demon Lords of Nythra
System Binding: Complete.
—————————
I stood, heart pounding.
This world... it felt alive, raw and dangerous.
But I had no fear.
[Unique Trait Activated: CURSED CURIOSITY]
[You have been selected for Rebirth.]
[Transferring Soul to: Alternate World – Nythra]
[Class Assigned: SSS-Rank — Hunter of the Boundless Path]
TO BE CONTINUED...