Chapter 17: The Forsaken’s Lair

The air in the ruined city was thick with the scent of decay.

Sehan moved ahead of the group, his sharp gaze sweeping the desolate streets. Every step was careful, measured. He was always cautious, always calculating.

But this time, something was off.

The silence was unnatural.

He slowed his steps as a strange sensation crawled up his spine. Something was here. Hidden. Waiting.

His eyes landed on a partially collapsed building, its entrance nearly swallowed beneath the rubble. Deliberately concealed. His Void Walker instincts pulsed, a subtle vibration deep in his core—a warning.

He brushed aside the loose debris, revealing a narrow stone stairway spiraling downward.

The temperature dropped instantly. The air shifted, thick with the scent of damp stone and something fouler.

A dungeon. A hidden one.

Sehan exhaled slowly. This wasn’t just a random discovery. This was deliberate. The game—The Authority—had placed this here.

He glanced back toward the group, considering his options.

Then, he stepped forward.

"I'll check ahead."

The tunnel stretched downward into darkness, the walls tight around him. The further he went, the heavier the air became.

Malice of the previous players who died lingered here.

The stone walls were etched with symbols, lines twisting and curling in an ancient, forgotten language. They pulsed faintly, as if alive.

At the end of the corridor, a massive stone door loomed.

Unlike the crumbling ruins above, this door was untouched. Pristine.

He pressed his palm against the cold surface.

[You have discovered a Hidden Dungeon: The Forsaken’s Lair.]
[Warning: This dungeon is classified as High Risk.]

Sehan’s lips curled into a smirk.

High risk meant high rewards.

With a deep rumble, the stone door creaked open, revealing a cavernous chamber beyond.

The Forsaken Guardian

Massive stone pillars lined the walls, stretching toward a ceiling lost in shadow. At the far end, an altar loomed, draped in tattered black cloth.

The moment Sehan stepped inside, torches along the chamber walls ignited, blue flames flickering to life.

Then, he saw it.

A figure stood motionless at the altar.

Shackled in chains.

Its body was twisted and gaunt, its hollow eyes burning with unnatural light.

[Forsaken Guardian – Dungeon Boss]

Sehan’s grip tightened around his blade.

This thing had been waiting. Watching.

And now,

the hunt began.