Chapter 7 Into The Outside World
Vaelith’s POV
The dungeon was trembling from pressure.
Seraphel Vaun had not even entered the lower ruins yet, but his mere presence alone was enough to make the entire underground kingdom react violently.
Golden mana flooded the upper tunnels, clashing against the crimson mana flowing through the dungeon walls.
Even I could feel the pressure.
Cold sweat formed across my forehead.
“…Damn.”
Beside me, Vark looked terrified.
“Master… scary human…”
The undead knight’s crimson eyes remained fixed upward.
“Seraphel Vaun…”
“The strongest human alive.” I added
I had barely survived becoming a Dungeon Core, and now the strongest man in the world had personally arrived to hunt me down. The dungeon trembled again.
A calm voice echoed faintly through the upper ruins.
“Interesting…”
I took a slow breath before turning toward the knight.
“Can I defeat him?”
Silence filled the chamber briefly.
Then…
“No.”
Vark immediately nodded aggressively.
“Very impossible.”
“…Thanks, Vark.”
The goblin looked proud of himself. I rubbed my forehead tiredly. At least they were honest.
The undead knight stepped closer slowly.
“Your power is incomplete. You have not learned to control the Dungeon Core fully.”
“I figured that out already.”
“You cannot face Seraphel directly.”
“I know.”
That was the problem. My new abilities were unstable.
The dungeon reacted to my emotions unpredictably, my mana control was terrible, and I barely understood half the things the system showed me.
Facing Seraphel now would be suicide.
That man felt terrifying enough to erase this entire dungeon alone.
The knight studied me carefully.
“Yet you are still calm.”
I laughed quietly.
“No point panicking when death is already standing upstairs.”
Vark gasped dramatically.
“Master dying?!”
“Not today.”
Hopefully. I looked toward the Dungeon Core floating behind me silently. The crimson crystal pulsed slowly.
THUMP.
THUMP.
THUMP.
Then I exhaled deeply.
“I’ll rebuild this kingdom.”
The knight’s eyes flickered faintly.
“The abyss shall rise again.”
“But not now,” I continued firmly. “I need time.”
The undead knight remained silent.
“I can’t control this power properly yet. If I fight Seraphel now, I’ll lose.”
Painfully, fast too. The dungeon trembled again as golden mana spread farther underground. The pressure was getting closer.
I narrowed my eyes.
“I need allies.”
Vark blinked.
“Friends?”
“…Something like that.”
The knight tilted its head slightly.
“You intend to leave the dungeon.”
“I have to.”
Remaining trapped underground would accomplish nothing.
If I wanted revenge… If I wanted power… If I wanted to survive… Then I needed information. Resources. Allies.
And most importantly, I needed to understand the truth.
The Holy Dominion already considered me humanity’s enemy.
Fine. Then I would learn exactly what kind of world had decided to hunt me.
The system suddenly appeared before me.
[Recommendation Available]
[Activate Territory Protection?]
My eyes narrowed slightly.
“Territory protection?”
The undead knight nodded once.
“A defensive concealment barrier.”
“What does it do?”
“It will hide the Dungeon Core and surrounding kingdom from detection.”
That immediately caught my attention.
“And Seraphel won’t notice it?”
“No barrier is perfect,” the knight answered calmly. “But it will buy time.”
Time was exactly what I needed. I looked at the Dungeon Core silently for several seconds.
“Activate it.”
The system immediately responded.
[Activating Dungeon Preservation Protocol]
[WARNING]
Core Mobility Restricted During Activation
Crimson mana exploded throughout the underground kingdom instantly.
The entire dungeon shook violently.
Vark screamed.
“MASTER BROKE DUNGEON!”
“I’m aware!”
Massive chunks of stone suddenly began shifting throughout the ruins. Walls collapsed inward while ancient tunnels sealed themselves with enormous slabs of rock. The underground kingdom was burying itself.
Even the Dungeon Core slowly descended deeper into the earth while layers of black stone wrapped around it like armor.
The undead knight turned toward me.
“I shall remain here and protect the core.”
I frowned slightly.
“You’re not coming?”
“My duty is the kingdom.”
The knight slowly knelt before me.
“Return stronger, Monarch.”
I immediately grimaced.
“Stop calling me that.”
The undead creature ignored me completely.
“The abyss awaits your return.”
The final layer of stone sealed around the Dungeon Core. Then silence returned.
The dungeon had disappeared.
Only a narrow hidden tunnel remained open behind us.
Vark pointed toward it excitedly.
“Escape route!”
I stared at the tunnel briefly.
Then exhaled.
“…Let’s go.”
The goblin immediately marched forward proudly like some elite soldier despite barely reaching my waist.
Honestly, watching him walk with confidence while carrying a rusty dagger was ridiculous.
The hidden tunnel stretched for nearly an hour. Dark. Eventually, I saw light. Not crimson crystals. Sunlight.
My footsteps slowed slightly. It had only been a few days since becoming the Dungeon Core… Yet somehow the outside world already felt distant.
Vark gasped dramatically the moment we stepped outside.
“So bright!”
I ignored him completely. My eyes slowly scanned the massive forest surrounding the mountains. Tall trees stretched endlessly across the land while cold wind brushed against my face gently.
For the first time since the betrayal…
I finally stood outside the dungeon.
And strangely enough… it no longer felt like home. The realization unsettled me deeply.
Vark sniffed the air carefully.
“Forest smells better than dungeon.”
“That’s because forests don’t smell like blood and corpses.”
The goblin nodded seriously.
“Reasonable.”
I sighed quietly. Then my stomach growled.
Vark immediately looked at me.
“Master hungry?”
“…Unfortunately.”
Becoming a Dungeon Core apparently didn’t remove basic human problems.
We moved deeper into the forest carefully.
Every sound felt sharper now.
Birds. Wind. Animal movement.
My senses had improved far beyond human levels. It felt strange.
Eventually, Vark suddenly pointed excitedly.
“Food!”
A small animal darted through nearby bushes. Without thinking, I moved instantly.
CRACK!
The creature collapsed before it even realized what happened.
Silence followed.
I stared at the dead animal blankly.
“…That was faster than expected.”
Vark looked amazed.
“MASTER AMAZING!”
I ignored the goblin while kneeling beside the creature.nThen paused..Something felt wrong. The forest had gone quiet.
My eyes narrowed slowly.
“Vark.”
The goblin immediately became alert.
“Yes, Master?”
“We’re not alone.”
The moment those words left my mouth—
a sharp metallic sound cut through the air.
FWIP!
Instinct moved my body instantly. I tilted sideways.
A throwing knife shot past my face close enough to graze my cheek before embedding itself into a nearby tree.
Vark shrieked.
“ASSASSIN!”
I slowly straightened while staring toward the darkness between the trees. A figure stood there silently. Slim.
Covered in dark clothing.
Face hidden behind a black mask.
Only sharp blue eyes remained visible beneath the hood.
The assassin held another knife between slender fingers.
I raised one hand
calmly.
“I don’t want to fight you.”
Silence. Then the masked figure suddenly vanished. Very fast.
Even I barely tracked the movement.
Vark panicked instantly.
“MASTER HE DISAPPEARED!”
He?!
I barely had time to process that before…
FWIP!
Another knife shot directly toward my throat. My crimson eyes narrowed sharply.
And I moved.
