The Next Morning – Velanthris Dungeon Entrance

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The sky was still dark when the expedition reached the foot of the colossal stone valley. Mist rolled over the ground like creeping ghosts, swallowing boots and wagon wheels. Towering cliffs arched overhead, carved with faded runic patterns worn smooth by centuries of wind. The entrance to the dungeon yawned open in the rock face — an enormous stone archway shaped like a closed eye, sealed shut by a translucent barrier of swirling blue mist.

The air hummed with ancient power. It felt cold, thick, and electric.

Even the loudest knights fell silent as the sheer presence of the place pressed against their chests.

Someone whispered, voice trembling:

"Velanthris… The Arcanum Labyrinth."

The heroes stood at the front formation, staring in awe.

Daniel stepped forward first, gripping his sword, eyes shining with ambition.

"So this is it. The dungeon no one has ever cleared."

Jason laughed confidently. "Ain't so scary. We cleared Eravilis, right? This will be a cakewalk."

William cracked his neck. "Let's see what kind of trash mobs they're hiding inside."

Amy and Lisa looked uneasy. Sophia's glasses fogged slightly, her hand pressed to her chest anxiously. Alan stood stoic, but even his fingers tapped into the spear unconsciously.

For a heartbeat, nothing happened.

Then—

BOOOOOOM

A thunderous pulse rippled through the valley. The wind exploded outward, whipping clothes and dust into a spiral. Runes around the entrance lit up in blinding blue.

The sealed stone arch trembled violently.

Cracks of pure white mana split across its surface like lightning.

"Get back!" Ronald shouted, raising his shield.

Everyone staggered back, covering their faces.

And then, with a roar of energy, the barrier shattered, dissolving into drifting particles of light.

A wave of mana surged outward like ocean water slamming into the shore.

Even Oliver stumbled a step back from the force.

Seraphine simply blinked, unfazed.

Silence followed.

The entrance now stood open: a dark mouth into an endless abyss, cold air rolling out in heavy gusts that smelled like dust, old books, and death.

Ronald raised his hand. "Formation! Prepare to enter!"

Knights straightened. Shields locked. The expedition braced.

Daniel stepped forward confidently.

"Heroes first. We'll lead the charge."

Jason snorted. "Try to keep up, peasants."

William smirked at Oliver's group.

"Stay out of our way. We'll handle the real work."

Isolde didn't even look at them — simply smirked.

"You'll die first at this rate."

William bristled, but Daniel pulled him away.

Oliver lifted his hood.

A faint smile tugged at his lips.

"Let the games begin."

Ariana swallowed, heart pounding.

Isolde cracked her neck, eager.

Seraphine spoke in monotone:

"Dungeon protocol: active. Threat elimination prioritized."

******

The expedition took their first step forward.

And together, they crossed the threshold into the legendary Velanthris, where countless lives had been swallowed without a trace.

The darkness closed behind them.

The massive stone entrance of Velanthris — The Arcanum Labyrinth rose like the mouth of a sleeping titan. Ancient marble pillars towered on either side, wrapped in glowing vine-like runic circuits pulsing slowly, like a heartbeat buried deep underground.

No birds.

No wind.

Even breath felt heavy.

The expedition party formed up in rows as ordered: royal knights at the front, nobles and mages guarded in the center, adventurers and vanguard units at the rear.

"From this point onward, danger is guaranteed. Stay alert. Do not break formation."

The heavy doors rumbled open, ancient gears shrieking like metal torn apart.

A bright white light surged outward—like staring straight into a star.

Everyone raised arms to shield their faces.

"Careful! It's mana compression—!" someone yelled.

Jason scoffed loudly. "Tch, don't be so dramatic. It's just light—"

The ground trembled.

Magic surged, swirling violently beneath their feet, forming concentric runic circles across the stone.

Oliver felt the space twist — the air turning liquid, pulling at his bones.

Ariana gasped, reaching for his hand—

"Oliver—!"

Too late.

The white light exploded outward like a tidal wave.

Before voices could even finish screaming,

before spells could be invoked,

before formations could hold—

the entire expedition was swallowed.

Blinding flash.

Weightlessness.

Silence deeper than death.

And then—

THUD.

Oliver slammed onto cold marble tiles, groaning as the ringing faded from his ears.

"…Damn… my head…"

He pushed himself up, vision blurry, coughing dust from his throat.

When it cleared, he froze.

This wasn't the same entrance hall.

Gone were the knights, the princess, Isolde, Seraphine, Ariana.

Gone were the banners or torches.

Instead, a dim corridor stretched endlessly, walls lined with floating runes shifting like living ink.

And beside him—

Amy lay sprawled on the floor, clutching her staff and groaning.

"W-What just happened…?" she whispered.

Next to her, another figure stirred — the quiet mage girl Sophia Winters, glasses cracked, breathing uneven.

Oliver blinked, realization hitting him hard.

Teleportation.

Forced separation.

"…The labyrinth scattered us," he muttered. "We've been split."

Amy's eyes widened in fear. "What? But—Daniel and the others—"

"They're somewhere else now," Oliver said calmly, already scanning the runic patterns on the walls. "This dungeon doesn't want us unified. It's dividing our strength on purpose."

The air trembled faintly — a distant metallic screech echoing through the corridor.

Something was awake.

Amy stood quickly, gripping her staff with shaking hands. Sophia pushed up against the wall, pale.

"It's fine," Oliver said, voice steady despite his racing pulse. "We're not dead yet. Stay behind me."

Amy looked at him, confusion edging into disbelief.

"…Why are you so calm?"

Oliver smiled thinly under his mask.

"Because I've been through worse."

As distant footsteps — not human — clicked rapidly closer in the darkness ahead, Oliver rolled his shoulders and drew his sword, runes on the blade faintly flaring to life.

"Welcome to Velanthris," he muttered.

"Let's survive the greeting committee first."

Amy swallowed hard.

Sophia raised trembling hands to cast.

The dungeon answered with a deafening metallic roar.

*****

The hall behind them sealed shut. Some texts crawled over the black stone, forming glowing letters.

TRIAL OF KNOWLEDGE.

PROVE WORTH OR PERISH.

Oliver frowned. "Well. That sounds friendly."

Sophia looked uneasy. "Trials mean puzzles. But if we fail—"

Amy finished, "It may kill us."

A grinding rumble answered her words. The floor trembled. The walls split open like vertical jaws, revealing recesses packed with massive stone constructs — four-armed humanoid guardians, each twice Oliver's size, runic eyes lighting up like molten cores.

THUD. THUD. THUD.

Metal feet struck stone as they stepped out.

Sophia's voice cracked. "No—these are Arc-Sentinels. Anti-mage golems. They hunt spellcasters first."

Perfect timing.

Amy and Sophia stiffened.

"Oliver—!" Amy started.

"I know," he said, jaw tightening. "Fall back. I'll handle the front."

The nearest sentinel lunged, its stone fist swinging like a sledgehammer.

Oliver sidestepped, barely escaping the blow, the wind shredding past his ear. The impact cratered the floor where he'd been standing.

Oliver grinned despite himself — a wild spark in his eyes.

He rushed in, blade flashing in a sharp arc, runes along the steel flaring bright red. Sparks exploded as metal collided with enchanted stone.

The sentinel reeled back, its arm half-cleaved.

Amy quickly traced sigils mid-air, voice sharp: "Speed Enhancement!"

Oliver felt mana flood through his body — movement accelerating, muscles thrumming with vigor. He vanished forward in a blur, slashing faster than the golem could react.

CRACK.

CRASH.

The sentinel crumbled to rubble.

Another swung from behind.

Oliver ducked, rolled, and drove his blade upward through its chest, runes detonating in a violent burst.

The remaining constructs turned toward him, ignoring the mages completely.

"T-They're programmed against melee now? Why—?" Sophia gasped.

"They're adapting," Oliver growled, bracing himself.

Another sentinel charged.

Amy lifted her staff. "I'll weaken it!"

The spell shot forth — white chains of binding light wrapping around the construct's limbs, slowing it just enough. Oliver sprinted forward, vaulted up its arm, and drove his blade down its core.

BOOM.

Shards scattered like glass.

Only one remained — its runes shifting, forming something like a face. It opened its stone maw and released a shriek, summoning mana that churned the corridor like a storm.

Sophia paled. "Mana Disruption wave!"

Oliver didn't hesitate.

He hurled his sword like a spear.

The blade spun, carving a red trail through the air before embedding itself cleanly in the sentinel's head.

A blinding flash.

Silence.

The last sentinel collapsed into fragments, runes flickering out.

Breathing hard, Oliver retrieved his sword.

Amy stared at him wide-eyed. "You… you're nothing like before. That power—"

Sophia looked shaken. "What level even are you?"

Oliver wiped dust off his blade and smirked beneath his mask. "Enough to survive."

The runes on the wall shifted again, glowing brighter.

PASS.

PATH AWAKENED.

The floor rumbled, then a doorway opened ahead — light spilling through.

Amy exhaled shakily. "This dungeon isn't kidding around. If that's the entrance... I don't want to imagine what's deeper."

Oliver sheathed his sword.

"Then let's move. Surviving is priority one."

They stepped forward through the doorway.

The stone behind them sealed shut.

Ahead lay a staircase spiraling downward into luminous blue mist, humming like a heartbeat.

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