The night inside the dinsional rift passed with surprising peace, almost too calm for a place filled with death. The purple mist outside the tent drifted slowly like the breath of an ancient creature sleeping deeply. Occasionally, the mist exhaled a long, faint whisper Hssssssss... as if thousands of trapped souls were quietly moaning in the distance. The ancient runes on the stone ruins continued to glow with a steady pulse, casting a faint golden light that created a beautiful yet horrifying contrast with the thick darkness around them. The light reflected off the mist’s surface, creating the illusion of dancing shadows like ancient ghosts feasting.
Sylvia was on the last watch shift. She sat at the tent entrance with a slender dagger on her lap, back straight. Her body remained alert even as her mind wandered far away. The bonfire they had lit the night before had died down to glowing red embers, leaving behind the scent of charred wood mixed with the faint aroma of leftover roasted at. The cold, damp air crept in, touching her skin. Bored of waiting for a dawn that might never co in a place without a clear day-night cycle, Sylvia decided to prepare a simple breakfast.
With efficient and nearly silent movents, she took out small cooking utensils from her system storage a light iron pot, several bowls, and spoons. She arranged the leftover wood into a small, controlled fire and lit it with a simple spell spark. Clean water from a storage bottle began to boil gently. Sylvia sliced the leftover roasted boar at thinly and put it into the boiling water along with so wild roots they had gathered, dried mushrooms, and selected spices. The rich, savory aroma of the warm broth soon spread through the cold air, blending with the purple mist and creating a pleasant contrast amid the tallic stench of darkness.
Stacia and Alicia opened their eyes almost at the sa ti as the tempting sll of the soup reached their noses. Stacia yawned widely as she sat up, her ash-gray hair ssy and her eyes still half-closed. "Mmm... that slls really good. Sylvia, you’re cooking again?" she said with a small laugh, her voice still hoarse from sleep.
Alicia rose gracefully as usual, her long silver hair cascading over her shoulders and back. Her white-and-silver tank top was slightly wrinkled from sleep, but her posture remained perfect. "I’m hungry again even though I ate so much last night. This human body is really strange... it gets hungry quickly, gets tired quickly, but also recovers quickly," she murmured while stretching lightly.
The three of them sat around the small, gently flickering fire, enjoying the warm soup together with hard bread dipped into the broth until it softened and absorbed the flavor. The savory taste of the boar at, still carrying traces of fat, mixed with the fragrant spices, ward their bodies that were still slightly sore from yesterday’s six-hour slaughter. Steam rose to their faces, bringing a soothing warmth in the middle of the dungeon’s cold air.
While gently blowing on her soup to cool it down, Stacia suddenly spoke in a serious tone even though her eyes were still sparkling. "How about we return to our true forms from now on? I’m really tired of using this human body. I can’t use magic and my full power, my movents feel restricted, and it feels... suffocating. Like wearing armor that’s too tight. Especially in the inner area where the aura is getting heavier, I need my wings and full strength to move freely."
Alicia nodded in agreent while chewing the softened bread. "I feel the sa way. Even though I’ve started to control this human body quite well, my spirit body is still far more comfortable. I can move without obstacles, pass through physical barriers, and my mana isn’t limited by the constraints of flesh. In the inner layer, we might need our full power right from the start."
Both of them turned to Sylvia, waiting for her decision. Sylvia sipped her soup slowly, her gaze cold and calm like the surface of a frozen lake. She let out a long sigh, feeling the heaviness of the human body she had been using as a disguise. Finally, she nodded slowly. "Alright. It’s relatively safe here and we’re about to enter the inner area. There’s no point continuing to disguise ourselves and limit our power. Return to your true forms."
Stacia imdiately smiled widely, her eyes shining with joy like a child given a gift. "Finally! I’ve been itching to spread my wings."
Their human appearances began to fade like illusions shattered by a gust of dark wind. Stacia transford first. The body of the human girl with a gray jacket and short hair gradually disappeared. Her skin paled, and an elegant, dark pale-gray dress enveloped her slender figure. Large black wings with eight strong, sharp feathers slowly spread from her back, radiating a powerful yet beautiful dark aura, as if the night itself had taken form. Her hair grew longer and flowed like dark ash-gray silk, and her eyes glowed with a sharp, silver light full of agility. Her Fallen Angel aura spread, causing the mist around the tent to swirl slightly.
Alicia followed with a smoother, more ethereal transformation. Her solid human body gradually beca transparent, like morning mist being lifted. Her skin faded into a translucent silvery white, and a long, light, flowing white dress enveloped her beautiful spirit body. Her silver hair cascaded freely down to her waist, shining softly, while her eyes glowed with a calm yet profound spiritual light. She floated slightly above the ground, her feet no longer touching the earth, looking far lighter, freer, and filled with pure spiritual power.
Sylvia completed her transformation last. Her smooth white skin turned into a cold deathly pallor, with faint purplish-black veins visible on her neck, arms, and chest. Her eyes changed into deep, dark red that was deadly, radiating a strong and oppressive aura of death. Her tank top and leggings transford into an elegant yet terrifying long black dress, accented with thin silver chains that swayed gently and faint death-rune motifs glowing dimly red along the edges. Her black hair grew slightly longer, flowing down her back like a curtain of night.
Returning to their true forms felt like releasing heavy shackles that had been pressing down on their souls. The air around them trembled violently from the surge of power from all three. The mana and dark aura that had been held back now flowed freely, causing the purple mist around the tent to retreat several ters in fear.
"Much better," Stacia muttered as she slowly moved her black wings, feeling the powerful rush of mana return throughout her body. "It feels like being reborn."
After breakfast was finished, Sylvia waved her hand gracefully. All the camping equipnt, tent, leftover food, bowls, pot, and even the now-clean roasting spit were instantly sucked into her system storage neatly and quickly. The area in front of the ruins beca clean again, leaving only the stone circle from the bonfire that was still warm and a few scorch marks on the ground.
"Let’s go," Sylvia said coldly. Her voice now carried a stronger resonance of death.
The three of them faced the direction where the runes glowed the brightest, the entrance to the inner layer. In an instant, all three vanished like a streak of dark wind.
Sylvia ran at the front with the extraordinary strength of her undead body. Every step was light yet powerful, leaving faint traces on the ruined ground. Her speed was like a flashing shadow; her black dress billowed wildly, her black hair flew behind her, and her red eyes glowed brightly in the darkness. She easily leaped over tall ruins, her body barely touching the ground for long.
Stacia flew through the air with her powerful black wings WHOOSH! Her movents were agile and full of strength as she soared between the tall ruins at high speed. Her gray dress flowed beautifully with her wing movents. Occasionally, she perford acrobatic spins just to release the joy she had held back while trapped in her human form.
Alicia floated with her light and ethereal spirit body, moving like a silver ghost streaking forward. She could easily pass through obstructing stones, her body sotis becoming semi-transparent when slipping through narrow gaps. She always stayed close to her two sisters, ready to provide support at any mont.
They moved extrely fast. Ruin after ruin was left behind in a short ti. The deeper they went, the thicker and darker the purple mist beca, turning into an oppressive purplish-black that weighed on their chests. The rune light grew stronger but shifted into a terrifying purplish-red, like ancient blood flowing through the stone walls.
When they entered the inner area, the sight that greeted them was truly horrifying and chilling.
Hunter corpses were scattered everywhere like broken dolls carelessly discarded. So bodies were brutally torn apart until their internal organs were visible. Weapons and equipnt lay strewn among pools of blood that had dried into thick, sticky black. So were reduced to clean white bones as if sucked dry, while others remained intact but their faces were frozen in expressions of extre terror, eyes wide open, mouths agape as if screaming until their final monts. So corpses hung from the ruins with massive claw wounds, others lay with their heads severed from their bodies. There weren’t many, perhaps twenty to thirty people but it was enough to show how deadly this layer was. The thick stench of old blood, rotting flesh, and death filled the air.
The air here was heavier, colder, and filled with primordial pressure that made breathing feel suffocating. The purple mist was almost black, and the darkness ahead felt like a bottomless abyss ready to swallow anyone.
Sylvia slowed her steps. Stacia landed lightly beside her, folding her wings, while Alicia floated between them. The three stood still, narrowing their eyes toward the thick darkness ahead.
In that dense darkness, a pair of large golden eyes suddenly appeared, glowing brightly.
The eyes were enormous, far larger than a normal human head with sharp vertical pupils like those of an ancient reptile or primordial dragon. Their light was cold, powerful, and full of primordial pressure that made the air seem to freeze and the mist stop moving. Those eyes stared directly at the three sisters without blinking, as if appraising, asuring, and judging the prey that had just brazenly entered its domain.
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