Trapped Inside My Favorite Game

Chapter 6: The Dungeon Break

Luna walked beside Kael in complete silence.

The forest path stretched ahead of them, while the members of Black Phoenix followed a short distance behind. No one spoke. The only sounds were the rustling leaves and the steady rhythm of boots against the dirt road.

She kept her eyes forward.

Her thoughts, however, were in complete chaos.

The Editor Is Watching You.

The crimson message refused to leave her mind.

She had never seen anything like it in the game.

Was the mysterious Editor watching every move she made?

Or had it simply been another system error?

Kael broke the silence.

"You're thinking too much."

Luna glanced at him.

"You've been watching me?"

"I watch everyone."

"That sounds exhausting."

"It keeps my people alive."

She couldn't argue with that.

After several minutes, the trees thinned, revealing the King's Highway. Merchants, travelers, and knights moved along the wide stone road as if nothing unusual had happened.

None of them knew a village had nearly been destroyed.

One of the guild members rode over on horseback.

"Guild Master."

Kael looked at him.

"Report."

"We've already informed headquarters about Oakheart Village."

"Good."

"The royal army is investigating the Dimensional Rift."

Luna's heart skipped a beat.

The Rift...

In the original story, there was only one small Rift during the final chapters. It had unleashed an army of monsters that nearly destroyed the kingdom.

It wasn't supposed to exist now.

Kael noticed her expression.

"You know something."

Luna quickly looked away.

"No."

He didn't press the issue, but she could feel his gaze lingering on her.

Suddenly—

Boom!

The ground shook beneath their feet.

Several horses neighed in panic.

Travelers stumbled as the earth trembled violently.

"What was that?" someone shouted.

Another explosion echoed from the distance.

This one was much louder.

A black pillar of light shot into the sky far beyond the hills.

Everyone on the highway stopped.

Luna's face drained of color.

"No..."

That location...

She recognized it immediately.

"It can't be."

A guild scout appeared, riding toward them at full speed.

His horse was covered in sweat.

He barely slowed before jumping to the ground.

"Guild Master!"

He struggled to catch his breath.

"We have an emergency!"

Kael remained calm.

"Speak."

"The Ironstone Dungeon..."

The scout swallowed hard.

"...has broken."

Silence.

Every member of Black Phoenix froze.

One of the knights whispered,

"Impossible."

The scout nodded frantically.

"The dungeon gates collapsed."

"Thousands of monsters are pouring out."

"The royal army is already overwhelmed."

Luna felt as though someone had poured ice water over her.

Ironstone Dungeon.

It was one of the kingdom's largest dungeons.

According to the original story...

It wouldn't open for another three months.

She unconsciously took a step backward.

Kael noticed.

"You know this dungeon."

It wasn't a question.

Luna forced herself to remain calm.

"I've heard stories."

"Really?"

He studied her face carefully.

"Because you looked terrified before he even said its name."

She couldn't answer.

The scout continued.

"Monsters have reached nearby villages."

"There are reports of casualties."

"The palace has issued an emergency summons to every major guild."

Kael nodded once.

"We leave immediately."

The Black Phoenix members moved without hesitation.

Some mounted horses.

Others checked weapons and supplies.

Their discipline impressed Luna.

No panic.

No confusion.

Only action.

Kael turned toward her.

"You'll come with us."

Luna blinked.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"I'm only Level Four."

"Exactly."

"I'll die."

"Not if you stay near me."

She frowned.

"I'm not a soldier."

"No."

He looked directly into her eyes.

"But somehow, you survived a monster my veterans couldn't understand."

Before Luna could reply, another explosion shook the horizon.

This one was followed by countless distant roars.

The sound carried across the fields like thunder.

Travelers screamed.

Merchants abandoned their wagons.

People began running in every direction.

Far away, dark shapes climbed over the hills.

Monsters.

Dozens of them.

No...

Hundreds.

One terrified knight shouted,

"They've escaped the dungeon!"

Kael immediately gave orders.

"Half the guild will escort civilians to the capital."

"The rest follow me."

One woman raised her hand.

"Guild Master, what about the villages?"

"We save whoever we can."

His answer was immediate.

No hesitation.

Luna watched him.

He truly intended to protect everyone.

Even knowing it might cost lives.

A little boy stumbled in the middle of the road as people pushed past him.

Before anyone else reacted, Kael disappeared.

He caught the child just before a frightened horse charged through the crowd.

The horse missed them by inches.

The boy burst into tears.

"T-Thank you..."

Kael gently set him down.

"Find your parents."

The child nodded and ran.

Luna couldn't help staring.

This was nothing like the cold, ruthless guild master players described online.

He was strict.

Suspicious.

Demanding.

But he protected people without thinking twice.

She suddenly remembered something.

In the original game, Kael died during the Ironstone Dungeon Break while saving civilians.

The event happened in Chapter Fifty-Two.

Not now.

Her breathing quickened.

If history repeated itself...

He was walking toward his death.

"No."

She whispered.

Kael looked at her.

"What?"

She hesitated.

She couldn't tell him the truth.

But she also couldn't let him die.

"The western entrance."

Everyone looked at her.

She immediately realized she had spoken aloud.

Kael narrowed his eyes.

"What about it?"

Luna swallowed.

"If... if the monsters came from Ironstone..."

She carefully chose her words.

"...don't use the western entrance."

"Why?"

"It's..."

She searched desperately for an excuse.

"...too narrow."

One of the guild members frowned.

"The western route is our fastest path."

Another nodded.

"It's also the safest."

Kael remained silent.

His eyes never left Luna.

Finally, he asked,

"How do you know?"

Luna opened her mouth.

No answer came.

She couldn't explain.

Because in the original story...

The western entrance collapsed.

More than three hundred knights died beneath the falling cliffs.

She had watched the scene countless times in the game.

Kael watched her struggle.

Then he turned to his guild.

"We're changing routes."

Several members looked surprised.

"Guild Master?"

"We'll use the eastern pass."

The woman from earlier frowned.

"It will delay us."

"I know."

"But we'll take it."

Luna looked at him in disbelief.

He actually listened.

Even without proof.

One of the younger guild members muttered,

"I don't understand."

Kael answered quietly,

"I trust my instincts."

Then he looked at Luna.

"And right now..."

"...my instincts are telling me she's afraid for a reason."

Luna lowered her head.

She wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or guilty.

As Black Phoenix changed direction, a deafening crash echoed from the western mountains.

Everyone instinctively turned.

An enormous section of the cliff collapsed onto the road below.

Dust rose into the sky.

Even from miles away, they could hear screams.

The entire western pass had disappeared.

The guild members stood speechless.

One slowly looked at Luna.

Another whispered,

"She knew..."

Kael said nothing.

But the questions in his eyes grew even deeper.

Luna's warning had saved every member of Black Phoenix.

And there was only one explanation he could think of.

The girl walking beside him knew far more about this world than she was willing to admit.