The floor was cold and hard, pressing into my back as I lay in the small room the woman had offered. A thin blanket separated me from the wooden planks. In the hallway, I could hear the gentle breathing of the mother and her daughter, asleep in their world of broken hope.
But I couldn't sleep.
My eyes traced the cracks in the ceiling. My mind wandered back to the screams, the blood, the fire, the fight. I had taken lives. Not just once. Again and again. And I had done it not out of hatred or desperation.
I did it because I needed the experience.
I should have felt guilty. Maybe I did.
Somewhere deep down, beneath the numbing wave of survival instinct, there might have been regret. But all I felt now was numbness and the haunting whisper of strength growing inside me.
Then it hit me like a jolt of lightning.
"The key."
I sat up sharply. Reaching into my inventory, I pulled it out. A small blue key—no bigger than my index finger —rested in my palm, shimmering faintly under the dim light of a flickering lamp in the corner.
[Dungeon Key – Can be used to open a portal to a dungeon.]
I tilted my head. "That's… helpful. But not helpful enough."
No instructions. No flashy tutorial window. Not even a hint. Just a floating tooltip. I sighed.
"Dungeon Key, activate," I said aloud.
Nothing happened.
I tried swiping it through the air. I held it above my head. I clicked my heels.
Still nothing.
"Tch. Would it have killed you to add a damn instruction manual?"
Then, acting on impulse, I twisted the key in the air as if unlocking an invisible door.
This time… something did happen.
The air in front of me warped. Like ripples on the surface of water, space bent and twisted, folding in on itself. A low hum filled the room as the centre turned a deep, ethereal blue. A portal formed—a perfect circle of swirling energy, deep and mysterious like the ocean's abyss.
I stood up, gripping the key tightly.
Without a word, I stepped forward and through the portal.
A rush of nausea hit me the instant I crossed the threshold. It felt like being stretched and compressed simultaneously, like my soul was being unravelled and stitched back together. My vision blurred. My heartbeat stuttered.
Then everything snapped back into focus.
I stumbled out of the portal, falling to one knee, trying to catch my breath. But what I saw next wiped away the discomfort instantly.
A ruined city stretched before me, the skyline jagged with collapsed towers and charred rubble. Fires crackled in the distance. The sky above was a deep, unnatural crimson, like blood soaked into the heavens.
[You have entered the Tower of Abyssal.]
[Complete all 50 floors.]
[You have received a Return Stone.]
My inventory pinged, and I summoned the new item. A small, glowing green gem materialised in my hand.
[Return Stone – Crush to teleport back to your world.]
"That's useful," I muttered, tucking it away. At least I wasn't completely trapped.
A chill ran down my spine. I wasn't alone.
I turned slowly.
Through the dense smoke and ash, figures emerged—lanky, hunched over, walking on all fours. Their red fur bristled with menace. Glowing crimson eyes locked onto mine, hungry and unblinking.
Twelve of them.
Above their heads, the system displayed glowing tags:
[Dread Werewolf – Level 6]
Lower level than me. Good. But numbers still matter.
The pack let out guttural growls and lunged forward without warning.
I ducked beneath the first swipe, feeling claws whistle past my cheek.
"Fire Release: Fireball."
Flames surged to life in my palm, and with a forward thrust, I launched a burning sphere that slammed into the chest of the nearest werewolf. It howled as fire engulfed its body.
[You have defeated the opponent.]
Another came from the side. I twisted and summoned my knife, fire wrapping around the blade in a dance of heat and light. With one swift motion, I plunged it into the creature's neck. Blood sizzled against the flames.
[You have defeated the opponent.]
"Fire Release: Great Fireball!"
A larger sphere of blazing heat erupted from my palms, roaring forward like a comet. It engulfed three werewolves in a single strike, their fur catching fire as they rolled on the ground screaming.
[You have defeated the opponent.]
[You have defeated the opponent.]
[You have defeated the opponent.]
[You have levelled up.]
Six down. Six to go.
One leapt at me from behind. I spun and ducked, barely avoiding its claws, and drove my blade into its gut before ripping it free in a burst of flame. Another lunged from the left—too fast.
Its claws grazed my arm, ripping through fabric and skin. Blood dripped down my forearm, and pain flared through me.
But I didn't stop.
I fed mana into the fire again, coating my blade and slashing upward in a flaming arc. The creature's head separated from its body.
[You have defeated the opponent.]
I grabbed a burning plank from the ground and hurled it into the pack, scattering it for a second. One tried to circle behind me.
"Flame Arc."
A crescent-shaped wave of fire surged from my blade, sweeping across three werewolves and cutting them down in a single stroke.
[You have defeated the opponent.]
[You have defeated the opponent.]
[You have defeated the opponent.]
[You have levelled up.]
Only two remained.
One snarled, pacing cautiously now. Smarter than the rest, perhaps. But it wasn't enough.
I dashed forward, closing the distance before it could react, and slammed my fist into its face, fire bursting from my knuckles on impact. The werewolf crumpled, whimpering.
The last one tried to run.
I wasn't feeling generous.
My blade flew from my hand like a spear, spinning through the air and impaling it from behind.
[You have defeated the opponent.]
I stood amidst the smouldering corpses, breathing heavily. The sky still burned above me, but everything around had fallen silent.
Then the air shimmered again.
[You have completed Floor 1.]
A new portal formed at the far end of the ruined city, swirling with the same deep blue energy.
I stared at it, wiping the blood from my cheek.
"Only forty-nine more to go," I muttered.
I retrieved my blade, now glowing faintly with residual fire mana, and stepped toward the portal.
My heart didn't race anymore. My mind wasn't panicking.
I was adapting.
I stopped just before the portal, staring into the endless swirl.
I looked down at my trembling hand, still flickering with remnants of flame. The pain in my arm had already dulled. My thoughts were sharper. My movements are more fluid.
Was this the system's doing? Or was this… me?
I didn't have the answers. But I knew one thing for certain.
I had to keep moving forward no matter what