The flames of the ambush still lingered in the headlines, but Aira wasn't slowing down.
Now that she had unlocked Inferno Domain, she craved a true test.
Not ambushers. Not students.
A dungeon that could bite back.
And she found it.
---
Dungeon Briefing — "Cursed Depths"
Classification: B-Rank (Mid-Level)
Type: Undead/Cursed
Threats: Curse Plague, Spiritbound Wraiths, Hexed Constructs
Clear Rate: 17%
Survivability Rating: 2.5 stars
Recommended Party: 6+ Adventurers, with a Curse Cleanser or Exorcist
> Warning: High mana instability detected. Curse-type mobs may ignore death triggers.
Kael read the report out loud. "Sounds like fun."
Korin smirked. "Let's see what Inferno does to ghosts."
Mira, less thrilled, muttered, "Let's not die screaming, please."
---
Dungeon Entry – Whispering Maw Cavern
The moment Blazing Dawn stepped inside, the air changed.
It was cold—not from temperature, but from absence.
Mana felt thinner. Time slower. Sounds distant.
Lina's illusions stuttered. Mira's healing range dropped. Kael's wind felt muffled.
Only Aira's flame burned steady, and even hers… flickered occasionally, as if being watched.
The walls whispered.
Not voices. Memories.
---
Wave One – Bone Wretches
The first chamber unleashed skeletal warriors in blackened iron. Not formidable—but they didn't stay dead.
Each time one fell, a soul shard re-entered its bones, puppeting it back to life.
Kael sliced them down. Korin shattered ribs with lightning. Mira struggled to keep pace.
Aira stepped in.
> Inferno Domain: Partial Activation – Radius 20m
The fire forced the spirits out of the bones—and burned them.
Even the wails sounded muffled here.
---
Wave Two – The Wailing Matron
A massive undead woman stitched from corpses rose from a corrupted altar.
Her voice came in reversed whispers, curses riding the air like daggers.
> "Why do you BURN where no light should touch?"
Every step she took turned the stone floor to rotting wood.
Kael was hexed mid-flight—grounded.
Korin lost his vision—cursed blindness.
Mira cried out, trying to purify the corruption—and barely kept herself from blacking out.
Aira clenched her fists. "This dungeon feeds on fear."
She burned brighter.
> System Trigger: Inner Fire Surging
Phoenix Resonance: 71%
Passive Talent Activated: Soulflame
— Fire now damages spiritual and ethereal enemies. Healing flames cleanse minor curses.
She entered Inferno Domain fully, and the dungeon screamed.
The Matron's flesh caught fire from within—phantom fire that couldn't be seen, only felt.
She shrieked and exploded into soul ash.
---
Loot Room – Curseforged Ring
A single item lay in the dungeon's core: a black metal ring, pulsing with unstable mana.
> Item: Curseforged Ring
Effect: Absorbs minor curses and stores them as energy. Allows one redirected curse per day.
[WARNING: Excessive use may lead to soul taint.]
Lina stepped forward. "I'll take it. Illusions and curses? Might be more useful than shadows alone."
Aira handed it to her with a nod. "Just tell me if it starts whispering your name."
---
Outside the Dungeon
As they emerged, bruised and breathing hard, a system notice echoed in Aira's mind:
> System Update: "Cursed Domain Mastery" increased to 23%
New Affinity: Curse Resistance (Minor) unlocked
Phoenix Resonance: 74%
---
Blazing Dawn had entered a d
ungeon designed to break adventurers.
Instead, they had burned its curse to cinders.
But the darkness was watching.
And it remembered her name.