The mission did not end with the fall of the Dungeon Boss. Daniel stood there, gasping for air, but the atmosphere didn't return to normal. Instead, the very fabric of space began to tear apart. The dungeon hadn't vanished; it had swallowed him whole once again.
On the pale blue system screen, words flashed like an omen of doom:
[Syncing with the Gates of the Dead: 80%...] > [Time to select your "Class".]
This was the trial that would distinguish Daniel the "Human" from Daniel the "Unique." A single class that held all contradictions—a power that allowed him to absorb the abilities of others to become the ultimate entity. But the price? Diving into the depths of an S-Rank dungeon, where the laws of nature shift, and progress begins from the "Negative Class" towards the "Positive."
He found himself in a distorted void, surrounded by sealed doors that looked like prisons for ancient souls.
"A countdown?" Daniel muttered, watching the numbers tick down: 00:00:00.
He lunged toward the first door—a pristine white entrance radiating a false light. Behind it lay a green landscape with ornate marble pillars stretching toward a strange sky. Silk curtains drifted in the air like dancing ghosts, and suspended lamps flickered like stars... yet the space was violently split between blinding light and absolute darkness.
As he walked, a prickle ran down his neck. "My senses aren't working right here... the place is distorted."
Suddenly, a treacherous arrow whistled through the air! With an instinctive tilt, Daniel dodged it, letting the arrow slam into the pillar behind him.
Hysterical laughter erupted from the void: "The Successor... he is finally here!"
Daniel's eyes flashed with rage. "Successor? Always that same word! A successor to what?! Damn you all!"
The scene flipped instantly; the light surrendered to darkness, and a thick black vapor began to crawl from the earth.
"Disaster has struck... the monsters have awakened."
From the heart of the fog, distorted red hands emerged, letting out ear-piercing screams. They dragged heavy black chains bound to flayed, skinless bodies.
"System, Summon!" Daniel roared.
The message appeared with provocative coldness:
[Warning: You are in a Special Class Zone. System is in Limited Mode.]
"Damn you! Now you tell me?!" Daniel shouted, leaping onto thin branches with the agility of a panther. "I've been talking to you since morning and you didn't say a word! You really are useless when it matters!"
He drew his black rifle with gold engravings from his bag. Vaulting into the sky, he spun 180 degrees toward the encroaching hands and fired a "Blaster" round.
BOOM! The recoil was so violent it sent him hurtling backward into the trees. He caught a branch at the last second and, from his vantage point, spotted a temple shimmering with golden ornaments in the distance.
He rushed toward the temple, shoved the massive gates open, and slammed them shut. The silence inside was filled with sacred melodies that made his skin crawl. He walked between the long wooden pews until the blood froze in his veins.
Before him stood the Statue. The very same statue he had died beneath when his friends betrayed him. But it was different this time: in its right hand, a black sword; in its left, a mysterious mask.
"The sword for courage... the mask for malice and hypocrisy," Daniel mocked himself. "Good grief, have I become a poet overnight? This system will drive me mad soon."
He approached the giant-winged statue and saw inscriptions carved in the ancient Al-Zariya language. Thanks to his "Translation Skill," the words began to echo in his mind like a whisper:
"He who dwells at the highest depths of darkness asks not for light… but steals it from the edge of blades. > His face is borrowed, and his mask does not hide him, but infects those who gaze upon it. > O you who come to a merciless land... show us not your sword, nor your name, but reveal your heart… > For only pure blood knows the path to the Throne. > Now tell us… Who are you?"
Daniel spat on the ground in frustration. "What nonsense is this? Whoever wrote this must have lost their mind!"
He turned to leave, but the hall plunged into pitch-black darkness. His breath hitched. He turned slowly, his eyes wide with horror.
The beautiful marble face of the statue had shattered.
The mouth split into a demonic grin stretching from ear to ear. Its white eyes drowned in a void of black, pierced by a blood-red line. The wings transformed into charred, black feathers.
The statue unhinged its massive jaw, and a voice like crushing bones rumbled from within:
"The Holy Sacrifice... has arrived!"