Northern Breach — Kaelen Veystrum
The cold winds of Kael'Ar's northern frontier howled like an omen. Snow whipped across the battlefield, and the sky bled with the shimmering light of unstable dungeon rifts.
Kaelen exhaled—steam rising from his lips as dozens of monsters charged him at once.
Fangs. Blades. Bone.
Shrieks that rattled the air.
Claws that could tear steel.
His circuits hummed.
Gravity Circuit — Stage 1
Chrono Circuit — Stage 1
He was fast. Strong. But not enough.
Not for an outbreak like this.
Because dungeon outbreaks didn't occur randomly—only when the dungeon lord's internal mana core exceeded its intended rank, spilling into reality and overcharging all connected monsters.
"This density… no wonder the rewards are higher."
Every monster he cut down exploded into blue shards of mana, each one releasing rewards instantly:
• Minor stat boosts
• Gravity fragments
• Temporal dust
• Raw circuit essence
His body felt heavier and lighter simultaneously, gravity shifting beneath his skin as his circuits drank everything in.
He pushed through a cluster of beasts, palm striking one in the chest—gravity implosion crushed its ribs inward. He spun, ducked, swept the legs of a frostwolf, reversed time on it for half a second to halt its escape, then slashed it down.
Then the ground vibrated.
Once.
Twice.
Then it split open.
A colossal shape rose from the cracked tundra, frost radiating from its hide.
A massive horned titan, draped in chains of spectral ice.
Four arms.
Eyes glowing with blighted blue fire.
Circuit tattoos glowing across its chest.
DUNGEON LORD: ZYROTHIAN, THE FROSTBOUND MONARCH
Intended Rank: Abysmal
Actual Power: High-Sovereign (During Outbreak)
Kaelen's heart thudded.
Even from twenty meters away…
its presence crushed him.
"A-Ah… damn…"
Zyrothian roared, a shockwave of cold mana obliterating the ground. Kaelen was thrown back, rolling across the snow before catching himself mid-spin.
The titan swung—faster than something its size had any right to be.
Kaelen barely lifted his hand—
Gravity Repulse!
—but the hit still broke the ground and sent him skidding.
Blood filled his mouth.
He wiped it, breathing sharply.
"Okay… okay… think. Think."
Zyrothian lifted its massive arm—mana compressing around its fist like a miniature blizzard vortex.
Kaelen tried to dodge, but—
BOOM!
The ground erupted. The blow grazed him—his ribs cracked instantly. Pain burst across his body like lightning. His vision bent. His breath escaped him.
It hurt.
It scared him.
But something else rose with it—
—instinct.
His circuits flared, both at once, in unison.
And something snapped open inside him.
Gravity Circuit — Stage 2 Unlocked
"Planetary Pull" — Access Granted
He could now channel the gravity signature of Kael'Ar itself.
Chrono Circuit — Stage 2 Unlocked
"Localized Time Stop" — 2 minutes (max)
Energy flooded his body violently, threatening to tear him apart.
"I… can do this."
Zyrothian lunged.
Kaelen whispered:
"Time Stop."
The world froze.
Wind halted mid-swirl.
Snow hung suspended.
Frost particles gleamed motionless like diamonds.
Only Kaelen moved.
His breath echoed in the silence, heavy and slow.
"Two minutes… that's all."
He leaped, appearing above the titan's shoulder. Gravity bent under his feet as if the world itself lifted him upward.
He pressed his palm to the titan's chest—
"Planetary Pull."
Gravity surged.
Bones cracked.
Mana spiraled inward.
Even frozen in time, the titan's body reacted—its core trembling.
Time resumed.
BOOOOM—!!!
Zyrothian's chest caved in violently, the gravitational inversion crushing its core. The beast staggered, roaring in agony, fissures running down its body.
It tried one last desperate swing—
Kaelen clenched his fist.
"Fall."
Gravity obeyed.
The titan slammed into the ground, unable to rise.
Kaelen delivered the final blow—
a concentrated gravity punch infused with temporal acceleration—
—and the dungeon lord's body shattered into shards of frost and mana.
The sky trembled as the outbreak at the northern breach began collapsing.
A blue screen of rewards unfolded before him:
DUNGEON LORD REWARD (HIGH-SOVEREIGN OUTBREAK):
• Circuit Energy Enhancement: +12%
• Stamina Recovery Core (Permanent +80%)
• New Ability Acquired — FROSTBOUND CYCLE
Slowly regenerates mana in cold environments; grants limited frost resistance.
Kaelen fell to his knees, panting.
"I… I did it."
His vision blurred. His circuits buzzed violently. His hands trembled—not in fear, but exhilaration.
He had survived.
He had adapted.
He had won.
Somewhere between Arkion and Karveth-
The forest shook like a storm-tossed ocean.
Two streaks—one black and cold as a void, one bright and furious like a storm—clashed with a massive beast of molten armor and cracked bone.
DRUVOK — MONARCH OF THE SHATTERED ABYSS
Rank: Sovereign
Dungeon Break Classification: Cataclysm
Druvok's voice rumbled like thunder:
"YOU INSECTS THINK YOU CAN DEFEAT ME?!"
John smirked, sliding under a massive claw swipe, palm grazing the ground, black light flickering around him.
"Insect?"
He launched forward.
"You're not even a warm-up."
Alzwalt twisted through the air, a cyclone of raw kinetic force.
"Speak for yourself! I've been waiting for this!"
Druvok swung a colossal arm—
Alzwalt parried, shockwaves blasting trees apart.
John countered the follow-up strike, his blade grazing Druvok's ribs.
Blood—dark and steaming—spilled.
The monster roared, slamming both fists into the ground.
The forest exploded upward.
John and Alzwalt emerged through the cloud—
—and attacked simultaneously.
Alzwalt's fist glowed—
John's kick gleamed—
CRACK—!!!
Their blows connected.
Alzwalt: A right hook to the jaw.
John: A merciless kick to the abdomen.
Druvok flew through the forest like a meteor, demolishing trees, blasting through rock, tearing through the earth until—
WHAM—!!!
—he slammed into the final tree with bone-shattering force.
The forest went silent.
John cracked his neck.
Alzwalt stretched his shoulders.
Both grinning.
"Round two?" John said.
"Hell yea," Alzwalt replied.
And the dungeon lord dragged himself out of the rubble—
shaking,
furious,
and finally aware…
that he was fighting monsters far worse than himself.