Chapter 102: The Abandoned Dungeon

The voice came from beyond the hidden doorway. It was calm, patient, and far too close. Arin raised his weapon. Nobody moved.

Behind him, Dev shifted his shield into position while Nisha tightened both hands around her staff. Tara had already drawn an arrow, though the darkness gave her no target. Rayan stepped beside Arin.

“You know who that is?”

“No.”

“That sounded like someone who knows you.”

“That’s the problem.”

Saira moved toward the doorway. Ayan caught her shoulder before she could cross the threshold.

“Wait.”

She looked back. “What?”

“The mana changes beyond the door.”

Arin felt it too. The passage wasn’t simply part of the Ravengard Dungeon. Something about it was separate, not physically but structurally. The mana running through the walls followed a different pattern from the dungeon around them. The change was subtle enough that he might have missed it before receiving the Dungeon Master’s Mark. Now it felt obvious, like two different songs being played through the same instrument.

Arene spoke inside his mind. “This passage does not belong to the primary dungeon structure.”

“Another dungeon?” Arin asked.

“Possibly.”

“Inside another dungeon?”

“That would not be impossible.”

“Comforting.”

Rayan glanced at him. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” Arin lowered his voice. “Something beyond that doorway might be another dungeon.”

Dev frowned. “A dungeon inside a dungeon?”

“Maybe.”

“Can that happen?”

Arin looked toward Ayan. The dragon answered, “Rarely.”

Everyone turned toward him. Ayan continued, “Dungeons can overlap if one is older, damaged, or partially consumed by another structure. More often, the newer dungeon absorbs what remains. But there are cases where an abandoned dungeon survives inside another territory.”

Arin looked into the darkness again. Abandoned. That word fit. The air coming from the passage felt stale, old, and unused.

“That would explain the foreign Authority,” Arin said.

“Maybe,” Ayan replied. “It would also explain why the dungeon above behaves strangely.”

That made Arin turn. “The displaced monsters.”

Ayan nodded. “If this structure has become active again, the surrounding mana may be disturbing nearby monster territories.”

Adnan looked toward the dead creatures behind them. “And something is killing anything that comes too close.”

Nobody liked that thought. Especially Arin. The voice hadn’t spoken again. He wondered whether it was waiting, watching, or simply no longer there.

“Arene, can you detect a living person?”

“No.”

“What about Dungeon Master Authority?”

“Faintly.”

“How faint?”

“Enough to identify, not enough to locate.”

That bothered him more than a strong signal would have. A powerful Dungeon Master could hide. A weak signal might mean something else entirely. A remnant, a corpse, a fragment, or another one of the things Arin had learned existed far too often in the world.

Rayan broke the silence. “We should leave.”

Arin looked at him.

“We already completed the Guild quest.”

“Exactly.” Rayan pointed toward the doorway. “We found proof that something abnormal is happening. That’s enough. We report it, bring stronger people, and let the Guild decide what happens next.”

It was a reasonable suggestion. Probably the smartest one. Arin hated that.

Tara noticed his expression. “You’re thinking about going inside.”

He looked at her. “I didn’t say anything.”

“You don’t need to.”

Saira smiled faintly. “See? It’s not just me.”

Arin ignored her and stared at the doorway. There was a Dungeon Master-related structure hidden inside the Ravengard Dungeon. Someone had opened the door after detecting him. Someone had spoken as if they expected him. If he walked away now, he might return later and find nothing. That was the problem with mysteries. They rarely stayed still.

Arene’s voice softened. “You do not have to enter.”

“I know.”

“Then decide because you believe it is necessary, not because you are curious.”

Arin almost laughed. “Those are becoming difficult to separate.”

He looked at the others. “We go in.”

Dev sighed. “Of course we do.”

Rayan rubbed his forehead. “I knew it.”

“But,” Arin added, “we don’t go deep. We identify what this place is, gather information, and leave if anything becomes dangerous.”

Ayan looked at him. “Define dangerous.”

Arin paused. Saira laughed. “Excellent question.”

“Anything that can kill us.”

Ayan’s expression remained unchanged. “That definition is too broad to be useful.”

“Then use your judgment.”

“I always do.”

Arin stepped through the doorway. Everyone followed. The stone closed behind them.

Tara turned immediately. “The door disappeared.”

Arin looked back. The wall was solid again. Dev stared.

“Wonderful.”

Arin touched the stone. Nothing happened. Dungeon Sense spread outward. The doorway still existed, but only from the other side.

“Not trapped,” he said.

Rayan looked skeptical. “You sound unsure.”

“I can still feel the passage.”

“That’s not the same as knowing we can reopen it.”

“Fair.”

Nisha raised the crystal fixed to the top of her staff. A pale light filled the tunnel. The walls changed completely. Gone were the blue crystals and rough stone of the Ravengard Dungeon. These walls were smooth and carved. Old symbols covered them from floor to ceiling. Most had faded and some had been scratched out.

Arin stepped closer. One symbol remained clear. It was a circle split into four sections, and inside it was a shape resembling a tower. Arene reacted immediately.

“I recognize the structure.”

Arin’s heartbeat quickened. “From where?”

“Not specifically. The construction style resembles older dungeon architecture.”

“How old?”

“I cannot determine that from the walls.”

They moved forward. The passage descended gradually. Dust covered the floor. There were no footprints, no monster tracks, nothing. It felt dead. Not dangerous, dead. That distinction made Arin uneasy.

They reached the first chamber. It was enormous. Broken statues lined both sides, most had lost their heads. Weapons and armor lay scattered across the floor, rusted beyond use. At the center stood a dry fountain shaped like a monster with four wings and a horned head. There was something beneath it, a plaque. He wiped away the dust. The writing had almost disappeared.

Arene translated what remained.

“[Welcome… challenger.]”

Arin stared. “That’s it?”

“Most of the inscription is damaged.”

Adnan looked around. “This used to be an entrance hall.”

“Probably,” Arin said.

Rayan crouched beside one of the rusted weapons. “Then where did everyone go?”

Nobody answered. They continued.

The next corridor contained doors, dozens of them. Most were open. Inside were small rooms with beds, storage chests, and training equipment. One room contained shattered potion bottles. Another contained broken monster cages. The place hadn’t simply been abandoned. It had been evacuated, and quickly.

Tara stopped beside one room. “Arin.”

He walked over. She pointed toward the floor. There were scratches, words carved into the stone in common language. Arin crouched.

DO NOT WAKE THE CORE.

Below it:

THE MASTER IS GONE.

Dev swallowed. “That’s encouraging.”

Saira looked toward the deeper corridor. “Master means Dungeon Master?”

“Most likely,” Arin said.

Arene stayed quiet. That worried him.

“Arene?”

“I am thinking.”

“That’s never ominous.”

“The dungeon is still functioning.”

Arin frowned. “How?”

“Poorly. But the structure remains stable. Mana continues flowing through the walls.”

“If the Dungeon Master is gone, shouldn’t the dungeon die?”

“Not necessarily.”

Ayan answered aloud before Arene could. “Dungeons can survive their masters.” Everyone looked at him. “Especially powerful ones,” he continued. “A core can maintain basic functions long after ownership is lost. But without guidance, the dungeon eventually deteriorates.”

Arin looked around. “Then this place has been rotting for a long time.”

“Yes.”

Adnan pointed toward the warning on the floor. “And someone didn’t want the core reactivated.”

That changed the mood. Arin stood up, thinking about the voice, the Authority, and the active structure. Someone had been waiting.

“Maybe the voice came from the core,” Nisha said.

Rayan looked at her. “Can cores talk?”

Arin answered, “Apparently, everything in my life can talk eventually.”

Saira laughed. “That’s not an answer.”

“No. Dungeon Cores don’t normally speak like that.”

Arene added privately, “Correct.”

The group continued deeper. The architecture grew more damaged. Walls were cracked and some corridors had collapsed entirely. Several rooms were buried beneath stone. Then they found the first corpse.

They found another twenty metres farther, then three more. All facing the same direction, toward the dungeon’s depths.

“They were running,” Tara said.

Arin looked carefully. She was right. They were not fighting inward, they were running outward. Something had chased them.

The passage ahead opened into another hall. Arin stopped before entering. Dungeon Sense screamed.

“Nobody move.”

Everyone froze. Ayan stepped closer. “What do you sense?”

“Something changed.” The floor ahead looked normal. Arin focused. Mana ran beneath it in thin lines. It was a trap, old but still active.

He smiled slightly. “Found something.”

Rayan stared. “What?”

Arin picked up a loose piece of stone and threw it into the hall. The floor flashed. A blade of compressed mana shot upward and the stone vanished.

Dev stared. “That would’ve killed someone.”

“Yeah.” Arin looked deeper into the hall. Dozens of mana lines covered the floor. “Trap room.”

Saira smiled. “Now you look happy.”

“I am not happy.”

“You definitely are.”

Arin ignored her. The trap pattern was elegant, simple, and efficient. He could learn from it.

Arene noticed. “Do not steal dungeon designs while trapped inside an abandoned dungeon.”

“I’m studying.”

“You are planning.”

“Both can happen.”

Ayan stepped forward. “Can you disable it?”

Arin focused. The trap network connected to a small mana node hidden behind the left wall. He could sense it, maybe control it. Dungeon Manipulation activated. The node resisted. Arin pushed slightly harder. The trap lines flickered, then went dark.

Everyone stared. Rayan looked at him. “You can disable dungeon traps now?”

“Sometimes.”

“Since when?”

“Long story.”

Tara smiled. “You’ve collected a lot of those.”

“Apparently.”

They crossed. Beyond the trap hall, the dungeon changed again. The walls were darker, the symbols more damaged, and the air colder. Then they found something that stopped Arin completely.

It was a door, massive and made of black stone, covered in Dungeon Master markings. At the center was a handprint. It was the same size and shape as Arin’s, not literally his, but meant for someone like him. A Dungeon Master. The moment he approached, his Mark burned.

A System window appeared.

[Abandoned Dungeon Identified]

[Dungeon Name: Unknown]

[Master Status: Deceased]

[Core Status: Dormant]

[Ownership: Unclaimed]

Arene reacted immediately. “Do not touch the door.”

Arin stared. “Why?”

“Because the moment you do, the dungeon may interpret your Authority as a claim.”

He looked around. The others couldn’t see the message.

Rayan stepped closer. “What is it?”

Arin swallowed. “This dungeon doesn’t have a master.”

Dev shrugged. “We already knew that.”

“No. I mean it doesn’t have an owner.”

Everyone became quiet. Adnan understood first.

“You could take it.”

Arin didn’t answer. Arene spoke sharply.

“Arin.”

“I know.”

“Your Authority is only Level One.”

“I know.”

“Claiming an abandoned dungeon can trigger defensive mechanisms.”

“I know.”

“You sound like you are considering it.”

“I am.”

Tara watched him carefully. “Is this dangerous?”

“Probably.”

“Arin.”

He looked at her. Her expression was serious.

“Then don’t.”

It was simple and direct, and that somehow landed harder than all of Arene’s warnings. Arin exhaled.

“Fine.”

He stepped back. The moment he did, the System window vanished. Then the voice returned, this time from behind the black door. It was closer and clearer.

“Good.”

Everyone raised their weapons. Arin froze.

The voice continued, “You’re more cautious than the last one.”

The room went silent. Rayan whispered, “The last what?”

Arin stared at the door. The symbols across its surface began glowing, one after another, red. Then the System reappeared.

[Dungeon Core awakening.][Warning]

Arene shouted inside his mind, “Arin, move!”

The handprint on the door pressed inward by itself. The massive door opened and cold air flooded the chamber. Beyond it was complete darkness. Then something appeared inside that darkness.

A throne. Someone was sitting on it. Arin couldn’t see the person’s face, only the outline. The figure leaned forward and laughed.

“Another Dungeon Master finally came.”

An abandoned dungeon. A dormant core. And a master who should be dead.

Arin wanted information—but he may have found something far more dangerous!

Who is sitting on that throne?