"The Prophet needs to be rescued." Silvanus spoke slowly, then turned and walked away.
Drake reacted instantly, leaping to his feet—nearly kicking his chair aside—as he lunged toward the door, roaring, "Wait! Say it properly!"
But by the ti he reached the doorway, Silvanus’s figure had vanished entirely, as if the person who had just stood there a mont ago was nothing but an illusion.
Bang!
Drake slamd his fist against the door, the sheer force creating a thunderous sound. The newly replaced door shook violently and collapsed again.
But at that mont, Frank didn’t even glance at the door. He looked at Drake in a calming voice, "Alright, if Priest Silvanus said that, there must be a reason. After all, the Prophet is likely still safe for now. All you need to do is follow Silvanus’s instructions and enter the dungeon."
Drake’s face was cold, and he sneered, "What the hell is he doing that he needs soone to rescue him?"
As the Prophet’s foremost believer, Drake hadn’t sensed any signal from him, aning the Prophet had chosen to contact Silvanus instead of him! That fact left Drake deeply dissatisfied.
"Rember what Silvanus once said—that the gods are trying to break free from their chains. Maybe the Prophet’s disappearance has sothing to do with that. Perhaps sothing went wrong in the process, and you, as the Prophet’s strongest believer, are the most capable of rescuing him. Silvanus must have placed great trust in you," Frank explained slowly, hoping it would help Drake see the bigger picture and calm down.
In truth, he knew that as long as Drake wasn’t blinded by rage, the man was brilliant.
Drake frowned and said, "Don’t you think it’s strange?"
Frank looked at him with confusion. Drake continued, "Silvanus is a devoted priest who takes his role seriously. I don’t want to admit it, but his loyalty to the gods isn’t fake. So why didn’t he go into the dungeon himself? From what we know, Silvanus’s abilities are anything but ordinary. Don’t you think that’s odd?"
He voiced his suspicion and pressed Frank again.
Hearing that, Frank couldn’t help but furrow his brows slightly. In the end, he sighed. "Speculating won’t give us answers. After the dungeon, we can ask Silvanus directly. You know what’s more important for us to do right now."
Drake said nothing more.
anwhile, Silvanus had already returned to his performance space.
He couldn’t help but feel grateful for his quick reflexes—any slower, and it felt like Drake might’ve grabbed him by the throat to force answers out of him.
[What you just said wasn’t in the script—I had no idea about that!]
The system suddenly spoke up in a surprised tone.
"What script? I write the script." Silvanus replied indifferently.
He sat cross-legged beneath the starry sky. Above him was the brightest star in the heavens. His hands rested loosely at his sides, eyes closed, mind relaxed. Ever since his ascension, he had realized that this space emitted a powerful energy—and if he focused, he could completely absorb it.
But right at that mont, the system’s voice suddenly rang out—sharp and grating:
[You don’t understand! I’m starting to wonder if you are the Prophet because the next dungeon will be high-level—higher than any dungeon that has ever appeared. In this place, the strong are the ones who have to fear for their lives the most because the monsters in this dungeon tend to prioritize killing from strongest to weakest! I’m not exaggerating when I say that you are the strongest human alive right now, which ans—you’ll be the number one target for extermination in the next dungeon!]
Silvanus’s eyes flew open at once. Then he slapped a hand over his forehead and finally grabbed his hair with both hands, his body slumping so far forward that his face was nearly touching the glassy floor.
He probably would’ve just let himself sink if he’d been standing over water.
"Feels like you’re trying to screw over," Silvanus muttered in a dark tone.
[That’s impossible! Hopefully, you must’ve awakened to sothing like the Prophet’s ability to foresee the future, maybe?] the system replied. It was more eager than Silvanus himself for him to beco a true god.
Silvanus gave a cold chuckle and said nothing more.
He didn’t want to admit it, but he had felt a bad premonition—that’s why he had written this particular script, hoping the threat the system spoke of wouldn’t be as severe as it sounded.
But clearly, things were never going to go the way Silvanus wished.
Humanity across the continent almost could not greet the next morning’s sun. Although it was already eight in the morning, the sky remained blanketed in darkness. The thick, unnatural night was so dense that even lights couldn’t pierce it. Only flickering cracks of faint glow could be seen—like a blurry, dreamlike painting.
"Boom!"
At that mont, bolts of lightning began to tear through the sky, their blinding electric arcs branching out in clusters across the thick black clouds, ripping apart the almost fairytale-like scene.
"Boom! Boom!"
The lightning kept coming, accompanied by deafening thunder that made the earth and sky tremble violently.
[Countdown to high-level dungeon ’Blizzard Manor’ begins]
[23:59:52]
Two bright red pop-up ssages flashed across the gloomy sky. The continued streaks of lightning only made them seem all the more terrifying.
"No—why hasn’t headquarters sent out an alert yet?! Where are we supposed to evacuate?!"
"This dungeon is terrifying... it feels like the sky’s about to collapse..."
"Oh god, oh god!"
"Either way, I’m leaving the capital right now!"
Only minutes after the dungeon’s presence began to manifest, chaos erupted. The streets were jamd with cars, and panicked people were trying to flee. The blaring of car horns and the rumbling thunder created a deafening, suffocating atmosphere that felt like it could crush anyone who stood in its way.
[To all citizens across the continent, please listen carefully!]
Just then, Layla’s voice echoed out—clear and distinct in everyone’s ears despite the clamor and disorder.
[This dungeon will encompass the entire continent. Please gather at the esper outposts to join forces with the espers. Hopefully, this can reduce your chances of being selected. Ordinary civilians, remain calm even if you’re pulled into the dungeon—only by staying calm will you have a chance to survive. Good luck. I hope we can all see the sun rise again... together.]
Layla’s announcent—representing the Association of Espers—instantly stirred the entire continent into an uproar.
So cried in despair, so scread in fear, and so even wanted to die on the spot. For a few people, dying imdiately might seem preferable to being dragged into a dungeon, where they would be tornted by fear and monsters.
However, not everyone felt that way. Many people quickly rushed toward the nearest esper outposts, hoping the dungeon would prioritize choosing strong espers over ordinary civilians.
"This dungeon covers the entire continent—are you kidding ?! Has the apocalypse co?"
Cocona slamd the table inside the Association of Espers’ eting room, speaking with furious disbelief.
At this mont, the eting room and all of humanity were gripped by panic.
"Calm down. Our current mission is to stay alive. It’s too dark ahead—I can’t see anything yet." Silas said, his tone placid. But if one looked at his tightly shut eyes, they would realize how aningless his words were. Still, everyone in the room understood what he ant.
No one had expected that humanity’s future had beco so bleak that even Silas could no longer glimpse anything from it.
Cocona suddenly turned her gaze toward Drake, who sat quietly with his eyes closed, his posture seemingly more composed than usual.
Strange... He’s usually the first one to jump out of his seat, not , Cocona thought to herself. Then she added aloud:
"Drake, did soone swap your soul? This sudden calmness of yours is freaking out a little."
As per Drake’s instructions, no one but him and Frank knew the true mission he would carry out in this dungeon.
Drake glanced at Cocona and sneered:
"I’m just conserving my energy so I don’t drop dead on the first day inside that high-level dungeon."
Cocona’s brow twitched in annoyance. Her expression turned cold, and she decided not to speak to him anymore.
In truth, it wasn’t just Drake—every esper was savoring life as if this might be their final day. Down below, ordinary citizens and low-level espers working logistics tirelessly kept order, cald the chaos, and prepared for the dungeon’s arrival.
"With just that first sign, this high-level dungeon you spoke of is already terrifying, System," Silvanus said, slightly more serious. He had never seen anything like a dungeon covering the entire continent.
[There’s much more terror to co, Master. I hope you’ll survive safely!]
Hearing that, Silvanus caught a strong whiff of foreboding.
"Wait—don’t tell ... you’re going to disappear again?" he asked directly.
The system hesitated for a mont, then reluctantly replied:
[Yes, sir. The system will be unable to assist you inside the dungeon. I was just about to inform you of this. Please now select your single card and two functions in the system center.]
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