Silas felt all their eyes on him. He just chuckled. It was a light, easy sound.
"Don't worry," he said again. "I'm not going to take help from my family."
He smiled a little.
"I have other plans to do it."
That same night, Silas told everyone to get proper rest.
"You didn't sleep last night," he said to the group in the dorm. "Go to bed."
They listened. Jacob was already half asleep on his desk. Kael nodded. Theron yawned. Rhys just watched Silas quietly.
Draven, Kael and Theron went back to their own apartments, while the other three went toward their dorm room.
Silas waited until the lights were out. Then he left the academy alone.
He did not take the main road. He slipped out through the secret passage and walked toward the vast forest behind Argent Spire. The trees were dark and the air was cold. He needed the last bit of experience. He was at 98 percent to level 21. He wanted to find a small dungeon and finish his class change tonight, without dragging anyone else into it.
But when he reached the edge of the forest, someone was already there.
Draven was leaning against a tree, arms crossed. His armor was shining in the moonlight. He looked angry.
"Babe!" Draven said. "I knew you'd be here. You didn't even tell me."
Silas sighed. He had hoped to go alone for exactly this reason.
"I didn't want to disturb anyone," Silas said honestly. "I just want to get the last experience points and awaken my next class."
Draven stepped closer. He and Silas loved each other, and that was why Draven could always read him clearly. Silas was caught off guard, and Draven knew it.
Silas looked into Draven's eyes and chuckled softly.
"Aren't you already here, Mr. Husband?" he asked.
Draven's cheeks burned red instantly. He was the one who had teased Silas with that word for days. Silas had always pushed it away and said, "we are boyfriends." Hearing it back now made Draven feel shy and flustered.
He cleared his throat and tried to look annoyed again.
"Heh!" Draven said, mocking him. "Don't change the words to distract me."
Silas raised both hands in a helpless gesture. "Then what do you want?"
Draven did not answer with words.
He closed the distance, grabbed the front of Silas's shirt, and kissed him. It was not soft. It was deep and hungry. He kept kissing Silas until both of them were out of breath, until the cold forest air felt warm.
They finally separated, foreheads touching.
Silas took a deep breath in. His heart was beating fast.
"Now?" Silas whispered, smiling a little. "Can you forgive me and let me find some dungeons to raid? I'm on the verge of a breakthrough to a new level."
Draven was still holding his shirt. He did not let go.
He again locked his lips with Silas by grabbing his shirt and pulling him closer. He was already going to miss Silas when he went back to his home, and Silas just didn't inform him that he came to raid the dungeon alone. So, somewhat frustrated, he continued kissing him. Silas also let Draven do what he wanted so that he could calm himself down a bit.
After a whole 15 minutes of long kissing, Draven and Silas both separated and both of their breaths became heavy. Silas, almost breathing long and heavy, looked at Draven and asked, "Now? Are you able to forgive me?"
Draven nodded, took Silas's waist in his arms, and placed his face on Silas's shoulder and said, "Don't ever do that again, babe! I'm always with you in any condition, you should rely on me too..."
Silas nodded and said while grabbing Draven's cheeks, "Okay! Now let's go find some dungeons to raid, so that I can get my class change."
Draven nodded, and with Silas, both of them tried to find a D-rank or E-rank dungeon. But to their surprise, even after a full hour of searching, they didn't find any of them.
Silas, annoyed, said to Draven, "Damn! What happened to those dungeons? Why can't we find them anymore?"
Draven was also confused, but his face was grim as he said, "It's never happened before! Before, no matter how many dungeons we raided, D-rank and E-rank dungeons would appear every now and then. Is this related to those black-clothed people?" He looked at Silas after saying this.
Silas also nodded in response, "Maybe it is! Maybe they are the ones who played with those dungeons and the planet is recovering from it?"
Draven also nodded, "Yes! Babe, your theory is the most possible outcome."
But they didn't even get more into details when, just a few meters behind them, a huge green-colored vortex started to appear...
Both of them froze.
The green vortex was not there a second ago. Now it was tearing the air open just a few meters behind them.
It started small, like a spinning dot of light. Then it grew fast. It pulled the night air into it with a low hum. Leaves and dust lifted off the forest floor and circled around it. The light was deep green, bright enough to paint their faces.
It kept growing until it was about 100 feet tall and just as wide. The edge of it crackled. Inside, the center swirled like water.
Draven's eyes went wide. His mouth opened a little. He took a half step back out of instinct, his hand still on Silas's waist.
"A C-rank," he breathed. He sounded shocked, not scared. "It's a C-rank dungeon. And it's a lower grade."
Silas did not step back.
Silas was staring straight into it. He did not blink. The green light reflected in his eyes and made them shine. His lips were parted slightly. His breathing, which had just calmed down from the kiss, picked up again.
It was mesmerizing.
The vortex did not feel violent. It felt alive. It pulsed slowly, like a heartbeat. Each pulse sent a soft wave of mana through the air that brushed against his skin. Silas could feel it calling to the last bit of experience he needed.
His hand tightened around Draven's without him noticing.
Draven looked from the vortex to Silas, then back again. His surprise turned into worry.
"Silas," he said quietly, "do you feel that?"
Silas nodded slowly, still not looking away.
"Yeah," he whispered. "It's perfect."
Silas turned his head away from the green light and looked straight into Draven's eyes.
"It is as if the dungeon is calling me, Draven!" he said. His voice was low, but certain.
Draven felt his stomach drop.
He became more worried at once. His grip on Silas's waist tightened without thinking.
"But! Why?" Draven said quickly. "How is this possible? I never heard that dungeons have their own consciousness."
As he spoke, a sharp ache started behind his eyes. It was not normal. The pain ran from his head down his neck and through his whole body, like a cold needle. His shoulders tensed. His breathing got shallow.
It was uneasiness, not just fear. Draven had raided hundreds of dungeons. He knew the feeling of danger. This was different. This felt wrong, like the forest itself was holding its breath. Like something was listening to them. The green light made his skin prickle. His instincts were screaming at him to pull Silas away and run.
He shook his head to clear the pain, but it stayed.
Silas was not feeling the same thing at all.
He turned back to look at the green vortex. The swirling light filled his vision.
"I don't know why," Silas said softly, still staring, "but I feel something is waiting for me there. Inside that dungeon."
To Silas, the dungeon was not scary. It was beautiful.
The green was deep and clear, like a jewel. Each slow pulse matched his own heartbeat. The hum it made was not loud, it was like a song only he could hear. The mana in the air brushed against his cheeks and felt warm, inviting. The center of the vortex looked like a doorway made of light, and it pulled at him gently.
The closer he looked, the more attractive it became. The 98 percent on his status window felt like it was burning. The dungeon felt like the last missing piece. It did not feel like a trap. It felt like it had been placed there just for him, waiting patiently until he walked into the forest tonight.
While Draven felt pain and a heavy uneasiness in his chest, Silas felt a pull in his soul.
Silas started walking toward the dungeon.
He did not run. He did not hesitate. His steps were steady, like he was answering someone who had called his name.
Draven watched him for a second, then followed behind him.
Draven knew what Silas could do. Silas could fight against level 40 monsters easily. With his unique class, he was almost invincible in this realm. And Draven himself was already at level 50, on the verge of a breakthrough. He was strong enough to protect him.
So he followed.
The strange thing was, the moment Draven took that first step toward the vortex, the headache stopped. The sharp pain that had run through his head and body was gone instantly, like it had been switched off. His uneasiness did not fully leave, but the pressure lifted.
Both of them came to stand right before the dungeon.
The green vortex towered over them, humming and pulsing. Silas reached out his hand first. Draven placed his hand on Silas's back.
They stepped in together.
The second they crossed the edge, the whole vortex turned red instantly. The green light flashed and became a deep, warning red, indicating that the dungeon was now under the process of raiding.
The moment they entered the dungeon, they heard a notification ring through their heads.
[Congratulations! For entering the "Labyrinth of Gashadokuro"]
[Remaining time: 6 hours]
[It is a C-level named dungeon. Fight well, participants, to gain more rewards!]
Draven froze that instant, while Silas became confused.
Draven murmured, "So it is a named dungeon. That's why I felt uneasy all this time."
Silas looked at him and asked, "What do you mean by named dungeon, Draven?"
Draven answered while looking at their surroundings.
They were not in a forest anymore. They were inside a castle.
It was huge and old. The stone walls were dark gray and cracked. Tall pillars lined a long hallway that stretched ahead into shadow. Faded banners hung from the ceiling, torn at the edges. The air was cold and smelled like dust and old iron. Green torches burned on the walls, but the flames did not flicker. They gave off a pale, ghostly light that made everything look dead.
The floor was made of large black tiles. Some were broken. Bones were scattered in the corners, small animal bones and larger ones too. Far ahead, they could hear a faint rattling sound, like bones shaking. Gachi gachi.