Ryou – The Immortal Bastard
Episode 2: "The Dungeon Prison"
The dungeon dissolved around him in a storm of crumbling stone and evaporating blood. Ryou stepped through the fading labyrinth without a glance back, his boots echoing against the void. Hunters screamed and cursed as they were dragged out with him, some broken, some barely alive.
The transition always hit like a blade. Light slammed into his eyes. The wasteland stretched endless again, the violet gate collapsing into nothingness. Hunters spilled out one by one, coughing, crawling, some weeping.
And then there was Ryou—smiling, blood dripping from his claws as he lit a fresh cigarette.
The crowd around the gate erupted.
"That bastard cleared it alone…"
"No humanity at all, he butchered everyone!"
"He's already—he's already faster."
Ryou exhaled smoke and chuckled. "Compliments? Don't make me blush."
His speed showed even in stillness. Every shift of his body was smoother than before, every flick of his hand precise, refined. The leveling system wasn't a joke—he could feel the sharpness in his bones.
But the system wasn't done.
A new gate flickered before the survivors. A black gate, iron bars wrapped in chains. Above it, glowing letters etched themselves into the sky.
[Dungeon Prison Initiated.]
[Hunters who killed other hunters will be sentenced.]
The crowd gasped. Eyes turned instantly to Ryou.
"Shit—it's him."
"He killed half our raid."
"Throw him in!"
Ryou stretched his arms and yawned. "Aw. Did daddy break the rules?"
Guards emerged from the gate—not mortal guards, but spectral enforcers clad in steel masks, chains dragging from their arms. They were stronger than most hunters, faster than most monsters. Once they marked you, there was no running.
They pointed their jagged spears at him.
[Hunter Ryou. Multiple unauthorized kills detected. Sentence: Dungeon Prison. Duration: 24 Hours.]
The crowd cheered. They wanted him gone.
Ryou grinned and stepped forward willingly. "Finally. A vacation."
⸻
The Dungeon Prison wasn't like other dungeons. It wasn't for missions or loot. It was punishment—a dimension built from shadows and iron, a labyrinth designed to strip hunters of their pride.
When Ryou stepped inside, chains clamped around his wrists and ankles. The gate slammed shut behind him.
Darkness. Silence. Then the torches flared, revealing a massive arena of stone. The floor was cracked, soaked with dried blood. Prisoners—other hunters who had killed outside or broken laws—were scattered in cells high above, watching him with hollow eyes.
And then the voice echoed:
[Survive the prison trial. Failure means permanent confinement until release.]
Chains snapped. Gates opened.
The monsters came.
They weren't like dungeon beasts. These were abominations designed to punish hunters. Hulking things with too many mouths, iron blades fused to their arms, bodies stitched from shadows and bone.
The first roared and charged.
Ryou smiled. "Perfect. I was getting bored."
His claws erupted from his arms again, his body bending smoothly into combat form. The monster's blade-arm swung like a guillotine. He dodged—faster now, his cigarette never slipping from his lips. His claw tore through its chest, black ichor spraying across the stones.
Another beast lunged from behind. Ryou didn't even look—his tail lashed out, snapping its neck in a single whip.
[+1 Level.]
He licked his lips, eyes flashing crimson. "Oh? So prison levels me too?"
More came. Dozens. A swarm of iron-limbed horrors flooded the arena, shrieking with hunger. Ryou dove into them laughing, his body shifting and twisting. Wings burst from his back, slicing through air like blades. Claws shredded steel, tails snapped spines.
The prisoners above screamed and cheered, some chanting his name, others spitting curses.
"Ryou! Tear them apart!"
"Kill that bastard!"
"He doesn't have humanity—he's a demon!"
He didn't care. He never cared. Humanity was for fools who needed excuses. All he wanted was speed, power, levels.
By the time the horde thinned, the floor was a lake of black ichor and broken chains. Ryou stood in the center, breathing steady, grinning wide, faster than when he entered.
The system's voice chimed again.
[Trial Passed.]
[Sentence Time Remaining: 21 Hours.]
He tilted his head. "Oh, so I've got to stay the full day, huh? Cute. Send me more."
And the dungeon listened.
The floor cracked, and the next trial began.
⸻
Hours blurred. Each trial brought something worse—armored giants with skulls for helmets, serpents made of molten chains, packs of wolf-beasts with eyes like white fire.
Ryou didn't slow. If anything, he thrived. Every kill gave him another edge, every fight honed his body sharper. His movements were almost inhuman now—dodges that looked like teleportation, strikes that split bone with surgical precision.
The prisoners above whispered in fear.
"He's not a man."
"He's not even alive anymore."
"No humanity. Just hunger."
They weren't wrong. In the endless cycle of death and rebirth, Ryou's humanity had long rotted away. Only speed, strength, and the thrill of mocking weaker beings remained.
By the twentieth hour, the arena was a graveyard. Dozens of monsters lay broken, their ichor burning into smoke. Ryou leaned against the wall, smoking calmly, his claws dripping black.
The system spoke again.
[Final Trial Initiated.]
The ground shook. Chains from the ceiling unraveled, dropping a colossal figure into the arena. A hunter.
Not a monster—an executioner.
A man clad in black armor, face hidden behind a skull mask. His aura burned like fire, his sword taller than any man. The prisoners gasped.
"The Warden…"
"They sent the Warden…"
Ryou flicked ash from his cigarette and smiled. "Finally, someone who doesn't look like trash."
The Warden didn't reply. He charged, sword splitting the ground.
The clash shook the prison.
Ryou dodged, barely—his speed stretched to the limit. The Warden's blade carved craters into the stone, forcing him to move smoother, sharper than ever. Ryou laughed, weaving between strikes, claws sparking against black steel.
"Not bad! You almost cut me. Almost!"
The fight raged across the arena, steel against claw, fire against shadow. For the first time in years, Ryou felt the thrill of pressure. The Warden wasn't prey—he was an obstacle. A challenge.
And Ryou lived for it.
The final strike came sudden. The Warden's blade swung wide—Ryou dove low, claws morphing into monstrous jaws that ripped through the armor's chest. The Warden roared, stumbled, and collapsed in a storm of black flames.
Silence.
Then the system declared:
[Final Trial Cleared.]
[Permanent +5 Levels.]
[Sentence Completed.]
Ryou stood over the ashes, panting slightly, grinning madly. His body hummed with new speed, sharper than ever.
He looked up at the prisoners above, eyes glowing crimson.
"See you bastards on the outside. Try not to embarrass yourselves."
And with that, the prison dissolved.