The clanging of tools echoed throughout the entire cave. Three men were striking at a strange black ore with their pickaxes. They looked rushed, moving faster and faster. Suddenly, a dog shot out from a passage in the cave. Its mouth wide open, it lunged at one of the men. But this was no ordinary dog. Shadows wrapped around its body, and its eyes glowed red.
When the dog leapt at the man, the other two men panicked and dropped their pickaxes. "They're here!" one shouted frantically. That was a mistake. Five more of the black shadow dogs came rushing out from another tunnel. The men readied their pickaxes, but it was too late. They were overwhelmed, and all three lost their lives.
"Alright, let's head to the location of the dungeon of the week!" The man in blue spoke, standing next to his partner. They were speaking into microphones. "Okay, let's ask a few questions."
The camera turned to a young man. "So, you lost your parents, didn't you?" The boy looked into the camera with his blue eyes and nodded slightly. "Mhm." Lux had only agreed to this interview because he needed the money. Being interviewed was one of the worst experiences of his life.
There was one other thing about three months ago, Lux had lost both of his parents in a so called dungeon. Lux was pulled out of his thoughts and immediately hit with the next question. "So, what do you plan to do next?" He paused, knowing five thousand people were watching him.
I think I'll jump off the next bridge, he thought, but he didn't say it aloud. Summoning his courage, he said instead, "I will destroy this dungeon!" The man in the blue suit smiled. "First, you must touch a piece of black iron to awaken."
That was the thing about this iron. According to ancient legend, black iron came from the skin of a colossal shadow being. The gods had shattered the titan into millions of tiny fragments. Over time, it became an ore, attracting ancient creatures from their endless slumber. If they absorbed enough black iron, they gained the power to create dungeons. Dungeons could be simple rooms, but if a creature absorbed a lot of black iron, it could create entire worlds. This was rare; most only created caves. Lux's parents had been unlucky they encountered a world-creating creature, one of the most powerful kinds.
There were four types of shadow creatures: weak, absorbing only a small amount of black iron; strong, able to create caves; world creators, able to shape entire worlds; and demonic strong, able to create entire kingdoms with subjects, the most powerful type. Only once had humans encountered one.
Back to awakening. Over time, humans gained unique abilities upon contact with black iron. Lux had not yet experienced this.
"Thank you for answering our questions, young man," the announcer's voice faded in Lux's ears, but he wasn't interested. He had finally finished and could collect the money. It was pressed into his hand, and he was gone.
Lux opened the door to his apartment. It was clean but small. A table sat by the window, a door led to the bathroom, and a small living room held a couch and an old television. He had rented it with the last of his money in the biggest slum, but he had to be satisfied. He looked around briefly, then opened the door and ran outside.
The streets were narrow and close together. Lux moved quickly, a plan forming in his mind. He grinned and whispered, "Finally! Finally!" Today, he would awaken.
A good friend had told him that a small group had discovered a cave two days ago. Lux spotted a large black car, with three others leaning against it. "That's him, right?" "Yeah." Lux waved. "Hey!" He was greeted, and everything moved faster than usual. They introduced themselves quickly and set off. Lux rode in the back of the car, which had a small storage area. He looked around. A bright light shone from a lamp, and four swords lay beside him. They looked fragile and thin. Lux sighed. To be honest, he just wanted to get this over with.
After what felt like forever, Lux heard, "I think we're here!"
The vehicle came to a stop and everyone climbed out. It was already dark, and Lux could not see much until the girl in the group switched on a lamp. There were three boys and one girl, each with different tasks. The girl was meant for combat, and one of the boys as well. Lux did not actually have a role; he did not even know why they had agreed to take him along.
"So, when are we going insi…" Lux began, looking into the girl's eyes. Suddenly, he was grabbed from behind. He could not move at all. "Hey, what is this?" he asked.
The girl laughed. "Come on, we will send you to your parents."
Lux was carried toward the cave. All he could see was the black night sky above him. For some reason, he thought, The stars look especially bright tonight. Despite the situation, he remained strangely calm. "So, what exactly do you all want?" he asked in an even tone.
Carried by the group, he could do nothing but wait. After a few minutes, they stopped at the entrance of the cave. Lux assumed that was why they had halted.
"Throw him in," the girl said coldly.
"Hey hey, wait, what?" Lux spoke faster now, but before he could finish, the world around him spun. He was falling. He hit the stone floor hard, his head struck the ground, and something warm splattered across his face. He wiped it off, groaning, and pushed himself up. His vision was blurry.
He looked up. Moonlight shone into the cave, and he saw three heads leaning over the edge. Suddenly they shouted down to him.
"They are coming!""Oh no, they will get you!"
Laughter echoed down the cave, then the heads vanished.
They just wanted to make a joke. Lux could not believe it. He was alone now, with no way to climb back up. There was only one thing he could do. He walked deeper into the cave. Luckily, there was only one tunnel. No left or right. Just straight ahead.
"Not scary at all," Lux whispered as he moved forward.
It grew darker and darker, until he stepped into a large chamber. Torches along the walls burst into flame, lighting up the room. It was a normal underground space, but Lux froze when he saw what lay at the center.
"No, no way!"
Five massive lumps of black iron rested in the middle, glowing with a beautiful, shimmering darkness. A strong desire to touch them rose inside Lux.
"That is enough for a full set of armor and a sword!"
It felt like a reward for everything that had happened.
As he walked closer, he wondered where the monsters were. They could not ambush him from behind because there was only one entrance, and he had just walked through it.
But as he approached the center, he realized there were only four large lumps. The fifth was shaped like an egg. And it was moving.
"What the…?"
Lux stared at the egg. Watching it shake was strangely amusing, and he could not stop grinning. Black iron fragments were scattered across the ground. Lux went to one of the iron lumps, took a running start, and jumped onto it. It was a bit hard, but he finally made contact with the iron. He awakened instantly.
The moment he landed, a spark of hope ignited in his chest. His hair shot upward as if charged with power. His skin and eyes burned. His muscles tightened. Lux felt himself becoming part of the system.
"Finally, finally awakened."
The pain was bearable, but the urge to fight was overwhelming. Something rose inside Lux, deep and furious. Rage. Hatred. Revenge. Revenge on the group. Revenge on the dungeon that had killed his parents. He wanted to kill something. Anything.
Suddenly, glowing black text appeared before him.
(Awakened. Absorbed black iron: ----. Evolution: no.)
The voice of the system had finally reached him. Lux was thrilled. He sat upright on the iron lump and looked at the moving egg.
"So, what about you?"
Lux stood and walked to the egg. When he touched it, a burning sensation ran across his hand and he quickly pulled back.
"What was that?"
He picked up a fragment of black iron from the ground and pressed it to the egg. He slowly dragged it across the shell, slicing through it. The fragment sank cleanly into the egg and vanished.
For some mysterious reason, text appeared.
(Killed: demonic egg. Obtained: Tooth of the Shadow Kingdom.)
A sharp pain shot through Lux's head. He collapsed, clutching his skull. The pain was unbearable, as if his head would explode at any moment. He tried to grab onto something, but everything slipped from his fingers.
In the end, Lux lay on the ground with his eyes shut.
After what felt like forever, a bright light appeared behind his eyelids.
"What?"
When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a vast desert. Nothing but sand in every direction. Despite this, he kept looking around. His skin grew hotter under the sun. Then the system text appeared again.
(Dungeon: Realm of the Sand Serpent.)
Lux could not believe it.
"A realm?"