"Alright, I won't stop you," Finn said, arms crossed as he studied Damien. "If you take too long, you can catch up to us later. But be extra careful. I honestly have no idea what you're planning. If you want, I can send Ais and Tiona with you."
Damien shook his head lightly. "Not necessary. You'll need them more than I will. I won't take long. This is… sothing personal."
Finn exhaled through his nose, then nodded. "Got it. I won't pry. Just be careful out there, okay?"
"Of course," Damien replied, already rising from his seat.
He exited the tent and made his way straight toward Samira and Ryuu.
"My lord… are you certain you don't need us?" Samira asked, concern clear in her eyes.
"No," Damien said calmly. "I want you both to stay here and help out. From here on, things are only going to get tougher. Be careful, both of you. I want to see you back safely, alright?"
Ryuu nodded without hesitation. Samira placed a hand over her chest and bowed slightly. "Of course, my lord."
With that settled, Damien left the camp behind.
The temporary base had been set up within the Twenty Eighth Floor's safe zone, a rare pocket of calm within the Dungeon. Once he was far enough, Damien activated his map.
His objective was clear.
A C Class Dungeon.
Each ti he entered one of the System's Dungeons, the rewards had been substantial. Skills, growth, advantages that stacked quietly but decisively. Missing this opportunity would be foolish.
He moved steadily, eyes flicking between the terrain and the map overlay. The marker was vague, frustratingly so, but then he noticed sothing else.
The key.
The Dungeon Key resting within his inventory began to glow faintly.
Damien slowed.
He adjusted his course, following instinct rather than coordinates. With each step, the glow intensified, growing warr, brighter, more insistent. The Dungeon itself was responding to his proximity.
"So that's how it works…" he muttered.
The light flared.
And then, space twisted.
Right before him, the air split apart, forming a gate that did not belong in the Dungeon's natural geotry. Dark stone frad it, ancient and heavy, humming with power.
Damien's lips curved into a grin.
"Found you."
Without hesitation, he stepped forward.
And walked through the gate.
...
The mont Damien crossed the threshold, winter slamd into him like a living thing.
Cold bit at his face, sharp and rciless, stealing his breath in an instant. Frost clung to his lashes as he exhaled, the air fogging thick before him. Ice stretched in every direction, a frozen wilderness carved from silence. Snow buried the ground in uneven drifts, jagged crystals catching what little light existed. Trees stood petrified, their branches locked in glassy white, as if ti itself had frozen mid scream.
"Great," Damien muttered, rubbing his arms. "And here I didn't bring a coat."
The terrain itself felt hostile, every step treacherous, the cold seeping through armor and bone alike. This was not just an environnt. It was a warning.
A low growl rolled through the forest.
Damien's head snapped up.
From between the frozen trees, sothing massive erged. A hulking ice bear, its body layered in thick frost plated fur, breath misting violently from its maw. Blue veins pulsed beneath its translucent hide, and its claws carved grooves into the ice with every step.
"So we're starting already," Damien said calmly, twin daggers sliding into his hands with a familiar weight.
The bear charged.
Its bulk was terrifying, speed belying its size, but Damien moved like a shadow slipping between heartbeats. He sidestepped at the last instant, boots skidding across ice, and slashed.
Steel bit deep into the beast's foreleg. A roar of pain shook the trees.
Before it could recover, Damien twisted, stepped in close, and drove his blade clean across its neck. The bear collapsed in a thunderous crash, dark blood spilling across the pristine ice, steaming as it t the cold.
Damien straightened, breathing evenly, a grin tugging at his lips as he looked around.
"Oh yeah," he said quietly. "I'm going to enjoy this."
And so the hunt began.
He moved like a specter through the frozen land, carving a path of blood and shattered ice. Ice bears ca in waves, massive and relentless. So were larger, more evolved, their chests glowing as they unleashed freezing breath capable of flash freezing the ground in an instant.
None of it mattered.
Daggers flashed. Shadows moved. Corpses piled.
Hours passed in a blur of combat, frost, and crimson stained snow. Damien's movents grew sharper, more fluid, his instincts honed with every kill. The Dungeon fed him challenge, and he answered with domination.
Eventually, the terrain opened.
In the distance, rising from the frozen plains like a monunt to conquest, stood a massive castle of ice. Its towers pierced the sky, walls carved from solid glacial stone, faintly glowing with runic light.
Damien slowed.
"Yeah," he said under his breath. "That's definitely the boss."
He crouched at a distance, eyes narrowing as he observed.
Movent.
Figures patrolled the walls and battlents. Slender shapes with pointed ears, pale blue skin, and eyes like frozen stars. Ice elves. So stood with long spears and bows carved from crystal. Others rode atop massive ice bears, armored and disciplined, moving with practiced precision.
Damien's grin widened.
"These are definitely them," he murmured. "Sa ice elves Sung Jin Woo wiped out in the double dungeon."
His gaze darkened, anticipation burning in his chest.
"Which ans," he continued, voice low and sharp, "this is where I get my remaining shadows."
A crunch sounded behind him.
Damien didn't turn.
Igris stepped forward from the snow, crimson eyes glowing beneath his helm. At his feet lay the body of another ice bear, freshly slain, its head cleanly severed.
Damien finally glanced back, eyes alight.
"Well then, boys," he said, straightening as power rolled subtly off him. "You ready? Looks like we're going to war."
Around him, shadows rose from the ice one by one, weapons lifting in silent unison. Blades, spears, and axes glead darkly against the white world.
Igris stepped forward and drove his sword into the frozen ground.
Crack.
The ice shattered outward like a signal.
The war had begun.
/*\\
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