The White Gate stood like a wound in the air.
Kayden Campbell kept his head down as he approached the temporary perimeter. Mana lights flared around the plaza, casting long shadows over barricades and armored figures. Hunters moved with confidence—laughing, arguing, checking weapons—as if the dungeon beyond the Gate were already conquered.
Kayden adjusted the thin badge on his chest.
DUNGEON LABOR – AUXILIARY
The lowest designation.
"Oi. You."
Kayden stopped.
A man in dark steel armor stepped forward, his presence heavy with mana. A long spear rested casually against his shoulder, its tip glowing faint blue.
"You the labor they assigned us?"
Kayden nodded. "Kayden Campbell."
The man snorted. "Figures." He glanced at the badge, then didn't bother hiding his smirk. "I'm Rovan Hale. Squad leader. Don't get in the way and you might survive."
Laughter followed.
Five hunters stood behind him.
A flame mage with crimson hair twirling sparks between her fingers. A twin-blade rogue leaning against a barrier, bored eyes half-lidded. A massive shield bearer adjusting his grip. A healer glowing softly with green mana.
Every one of them radiated power.
Kayden felt like a shadow beside them.
"Why do we even need a cleaner for a White Gate?" the mage scoffed. "This thing's barely rank C."
"Regulations," Rovan replied. "If traps trigger, he goes first."
Kayden's fingers curled.
He said nothing.
The Gate pulsed.
A pressure rolled through the air, invisible but unmistakable. The hunters straightened, expressions sharpening into focus.
"Masks on," Rovan ordered. "We move in three—"
The Gate reacted.
Its surface rippled violently.
Kayden staggered as the familiar tug hit his chest—stronger than before. The world dulled, sounds stretching and warping.
Then—
[SYSTEM INITIALIZING…]
Kayden froze.
Text.
Not carved into the air.
Not spoken aloud.
It appeared directly in his vision, sharp and undeniable.
[ENTITY DETECTED: IRREGULAR USER]
[MANA VALUE: BELOW THRESHOLD]
[STATUS: ACCEPTED]
His breath caught.
Accepted?
The hunters saw nothing.
"What's wrong with him?" the rogue muttered. "He looks sick."
The Gate flared.
Rovan cursed. "We're going in—NOW!"
The squad charged.
Kayden stumbled forward with them, heart pounding.
The world inverted.
—
Stone replaced sky.
Kayden hit the ground hard, breath knocked from his lungs. Cold damp air filled his nose, carrying the scent of moss and old blood.
A cavern stretched outward—wide, uneven, lit by glowing crystal veins embedded in the walls.
Dungeon.
"Formation!" Rovan barked.
The hunters snapped into position instantly, weapons raised. Kayden scrambled to his feet behind them.
Then the text returned.
[DUNGEON TYPE: ADAPTIVE MAZE]
[THREAT LEVEL: LOW–VARIABLE]
[PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: CORE PRESERVATION]
Kayden's pulse spiked.
Objective?
That wasn't how dungeons worked.
"Move," Rovan snapped. "Labor. You stay in the rear."
They advanced.
The first corridor narrowed abruptly. Pressure plates lined the floor—barely visible.
Kayden felt it before he saw it.
A pull.
A warning.
"Stop," he blurted.
The squad halted.
Rovan turned slowly. "What did you say?"
Kayden swallowed. "The floor. It's—"
CLICK.
The mage stepped forward.
Blades shot from the walls.
"—trapped," Kayden finished.
Chaos erupted.
The shield bearer barely raised his guard in time. Metal screamed as blades slammed against it. The healer shouted, mana flaring as she patched shallow cuts.
"Watch your step!" Rovan snarled.
The rogue glared at Kayden. "Why didn't you say something sooner?"
Kayden stared at the floor.
He had. But they hadn't listened. Text flickered again.
**[WARNING ACKNOWLEDGED: DELAYED RESPONSE]**
**[CASUALTIES: MINIMAL]**
Casualties?
Kayden's stomach twisted.
They moved on, slower now. Deeper.
The dungeon shifted. Walls groaned.
Passages rearranged themselves when the hunters weren't looking. Kayden felt each change like a tug on invisible strings.
**[IRREGULAR USER SYNCHRONIZATION: 12%]**
He didn't understand the words. But he understood the intent.
The dungeon was watching him. They reached a fork—three paths branching outward. "Left," Kayden said quietly. Rovan scoffed.
"Based on what?" Kayden hesitated.
"The dungeon… doesn't want us going right."
Silence. Then laughter. "You hear voices now?"
the mage sneered. Rovan waved a hand. "Enough. We go right." They turned. The moment they stepped forward, the floor dropped.
Kayden felt the warning scream through him.
**[CRITICAL ERROR: PATH REJECTION]**
The ground vanished. The squad fell. Kayden grabbed the edge by instinct, fingers screaming in pain as his body slammed against stone.
Above him, chaos echoed—shouts, metal scraping, magic detonating. Something moved in the darkness below.
Too many limbs. Too many eyes. The system text burned into his vision.
**[DUNGEON EVENT TRIGGERED]**
**[CONDITION MET: IRREGULAR SURVIVAL]**
**[NEW FUNCTION UNLOCKED: GATE RESONANCE (PASSIVE)]**
Kayden's heart thundered. He wasn't supposed to be here. He wasn't strong. He wasn't chosen. And yet—the dungeon had decided otherwise. As the monsters climbed upward, Kayden pulled himself over the edge, shaking, bleeding—
—and very much alive.