The inside of the dungeon smelled wrong. Not foul, not rotten, but used, as though the stone itself had learned the shape of violence and never quite let it go. Dim crimson light bled from vein-like cracks along the walls, pulsing faintly with every distant tremor. Hal moved first, as always.Not because he needed to, but because it had become instinct. His steps were soundless, posture relaxed, blue eyes sharp beneath the half-mask that concealed the lower half of his face. Grim Killer rested across his back, its curved blade humming faintly. Behind him, Haley and ED followed, careful, alert, synchronized in a way that came only from repeated near-death cooperation. “This dungeon’s ranked A,” ED muttered, tightening his grip on his weapon. “But it doesn’t feel like one.” Haley nodded. “Mana density’s uneven. Something’s off.” Hal glanced back at them briefly. “Stay close,” he said calmly. “If it spikes, I’ll end it fast.” ED snorted. “You say that like you’re talking abou

Hal and Bethany left the house around two in the afternoon, and rendezvoused outside a clean, glass-fronted property office nestled between a café and a quiet row of townhouses on the outskirts of Kansas City.Hal stood with his hands in his jacket pockets, mask off, hair slightly tousled by the wind. Bethany bounced lightly on her heels beside him, eyes bright, already taking pictures of the building like it was a landmark.“This place looks expensive,” she whispered.Hal glanced at the sign—Midwest Residential Properties, then shrugged.“We’ll see.”A sleek engine purred behind them.Bethany turned first. “Whoa...!”The car rolled to a smooth stop by the curb, black paint catching the light like liquid glass. A Ferrari Roma, with a low bottom and elegant style. Its body paint was glittering under the soft glow of the sun.The driver’s door lifted, and ED stepped out grinning, sunglasses on, posture relaxed in that infuriating way of someone who knew he looked good and didn’t need

The smell hit Hal first. It was… aggressive. Something between burnt oil, garlic that had lost its way, and the unmistakable scent of meat that had been left on the heat just a little too long. Hal paused just inside the apartment doorway, boots still on, eyes narrowing slightly as his enhanced senses processed the disaster unfolding in the kitchen. “…ED,” he said carefully. From the kitchen came a loud clatter, followed by a cheerful, far too cheerful voice. “Relax! I’ve got it under control!” Hal stepped in fully now, shutting the door behind him. Bethany was seated at the small dining table, chin propped on her palm, watching the kitchen like it was a live experiment. Her expression said everything: equal parts fascination and dread. “You should’ve stopped him,” Haley said from her position against the fridge. “I told Bethany this was a bad idea.” "Well, let him try," Bethany said trying to defend him. "That's right kid," ED said as he continued in his business. Hal g

The dungeon screamed. Not metaphorically—literally. The air itself vibrated with a shrill, tearing resonance as the S-rank Gate’s inner chamber fractured under pressure, Qi storms ripping across obsidian pillars and tearing chunks of the ceiling loose. Gravity buckled in waves. Dust hung suspended midair like frozen ash, then slammed downward as the field corrected itself violently. Hal moved through it all like inevitability. A massive creature—six-limbed, plated in black crystal and bleeding molten light from its joints—lunged from the left, its blade-like forearm cleaving through the space where Hal’s head had been a heartbeat earlier. Hal was already gone. He reappeared beneath it, fist drawn back, Celestial Qi roaring silently through his veins. There was no shout. No flourish. Just impact. The monster’s torso detonated outward in a soundless implosion, its core collapsing before the rest of its body followed, shattering into incandescent fragments that dissolved before t

The city groaned beneath the weight of the fractured sky. Every building, every street, every blinking neon sign seemed to hum in disbelief. Red light bled through the clouds, bathing concrete and asphalt in an unnatural glow. Hal stood in the middle of a cracked avenue, boots planted firmly, eyes scanning. Around him, Haley, ED, and Sir Jack fanned out, forming a loose protective perimeter. None of them spoke at first—the silence was suffocating, heavier than any dungeon they had raided. Finally, Haley broke it. “Hal… what is happening? I mean, I’ve seen a lot of Gates, but this…” Her voice trailed off as she stared upward, the sky tearing wider with every second. Hal didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he closed his eyes, letting the pulse of his Qi stretch outwards. The familiar resonance of the world—it was all there, just distorted. Unstable. “The Gates…” ED muttered, stepping closer to a flickering streetlight. “We fought an S-rank yesterday. I thought that was the end of