The door had been built eight hundred and sixty-six years in the future.
Evelyn scanned the date again.
The result didn’t change.
[Construction Date: July 18, 2892.]
[Current Date: September 30, 2026.]
[Temporal discrepancy detected.]
"The tablet is malfunctioning," she said.
Lyra remained in front of the inscription.
"No."
"That date doesn’t exist yet."
"Not for you."
Evelyn turned toward her.
"What does that mean?"
Adrian examined the door’s mechanism. There was no lock, handle, or visible console. Only a dark panel installed in the center.
"It means someone placed a structure from the future inside a dungeon in the present."
"That doesn’t explain how you know."
"The inscription is fairly clear."
"It’s written in a language no translator recognizes."
"Mine does."
Evelyn looked at the blue ring around Adrian’s wrist.
"Infinite Sovereign can translate languages?"
"Apparently."
He didn’t mention that the system reconstructed languages through temporal connections or that he had seen that date beneath a dead city.
July 18, 2892.
Meridian’s final day.
Lyra placed her palm against the panel.
A golden line scanned her hand, traveled up her arm, and passed over the rest of her body.
[Identity recognized.]
[Commander Lyra Voss.]
[Emergency Transit Gate authorization confirmed.]
The door began to open.
Evelyn took a step back.
"It recognizes her."
"Yes," Adrian replied.
"A door built in the future recognizes a woman who doesn’t exist in any current record."
"That also seems like an accurate description."
"Are you going to keep pretending none of this is strange?"
"I never said it was normal."
The two metal sections separated.
There was no other subway tunnel behind them. A white corridor descended at a steep angle, illuminated by blue lines embedded in the floor.
Evelyn’s tablet updated its information.
[Entry into special sector detected.]
[Provisional Classification: C-Rank.]
[Ejection Condition: Critical Damage.]
[Warning: Available maps cover 8% of the sector.]
Adrian adjusted his gloves.
"The first dungeon is always supposed to be easy."
"Your first dungeon was supposed to be F-Rank," Evelyn said.
"That would’ve been boring."
"That’s exactly what someone says before needing a rescue team."
Lyra picked up her training spear.
"If he needs to be rescued from this place, he doesn’t deserve to keep me as his general."
"Your support is touching."
Adrian checked his status before crossing the entrance.
[Unique Class: Infinite Sovereign.]
[Registered Classes: 1.]
[Starbreaker — Level 1.]
[Starbreaker Fist — Level 2.]
[Starforged Body — Level 1.]
[General: Lyra Voss — Level 18.]
[Registered Units: 5.]
All five units remained inside the Unit Archive.
He could deploy them in less than a second. Five Level 12 soldiers equipped with weapons from the future and coordinated by an SSS-Rank general would make the expedition considerably easier.
It would also reveal almost every function of Infinite Sovereign to Evelyn and the academy’s observation devices.
Adrian closed the archive.
The soldiers would remain hidden.
For now.
"I’ll take the lead," he said.
Evelyn gripped the hilt of her sword.
"I’m the academy’s representative."
"You can represent it from behind me."
"My combat potential is S-Rank."
"My physical evaluation ranked higher than yours even before the Awakening."
"I have a sword."
"That only means you need extra equipment."
Evelyn walked past him and entered first.
"I’m taking the lead."
Adrian followed her.
"I like it when you take the initiative."
She didn’t respond.
Lyra walked behind them.
"Do you always speak like this during operations?"
"We’ve never been on one together," Evelyn said.
"Then the answer is yes," Lyra concluded.
The corridor descended more than three hundred feet.
As they advanced, the architecture began to change. Black roots like those Adrian had seen covering the future city spread across the white walls.
These were smaller.
Some were barely as thick as a finger, and they withdrew whenever Lyra brought her spear close. They hadn’t consumed buildings or burrowed through miles of earth.
They were still growing.
"It’s the same corruption," Adrian said.
Lyra touched one of the roots with the tip of her weapon.
The material twisted.
"A primitive stage."
"Can it sense you?"
"It can sense what once remained inside me."
Evelyn looked at the roots.
"What remained inside you?"
Lyra continued walking without answering.
The corridor ended at an underground platform.
A train stood beside it. Its design didn’t belong to the present. It had no wheels, windows, or visible doors. Its surface was made from the same alloy that had protected Lyra’s chamber.
Something had torn open the vehicle’s roof from the inside.
War God’s Instinct reacted.
Adrian raised one hand.
Evelyn stopped immediately.
"What did you see?"
"Nothing."
"Then why did we stop?"
"We’re being surrounded."
The scrape of claws traveled across the ceiling.
Then another.
Five creatures descended along the platform’s columns.
They had long bodies covered in plates of stone, six segmented legs, and eyeless heads. A circular opening occupied the center of each face.
[Railfang.]
[Level: 7.]
[Classification: C-Rank.]
[Threat Pattern: Pack Hunter.]
The monsters spread out.
Two advanced across the floor. The other three remained on the walls and ceiling.
Evelyn drew her sword.
Lyra didn’t move her spear.
"You aren’t going to fight?" Evelyn asked.
"He wants to test his class."
Adrian stepped forward.
Starbreaker synchronized.
The dark blue ring appeared around his wrist. His gauntlets recognized the change, and their kinetic plates tightened over his knuckles.
[Starbreaker synchronized.]
The Railfangs attacked.
The first leaped from the ceiling.
War God’s Instinct revealed its trajectory before it even left the surface. Adrian took half a step to the left. Its claws passed beside his shoulder.
He punched the creature’s flank.
[Fracture: 1/4.]
The second monster attacked from the ground. Adrian vaulted over its head, planted one hand against its plates, and used the momentum to rotate in midair.
His heel struck the third.
It didn’t apply Fracture.
Starbreaker Fist only responded to his punches.
Adrian landed between the two creatures and evaded a circular bite. He struck the first Railfang again.
[Fracture: 2/4.]
The creature tried to retreat.
Adrian followed.
His third strike landed on exactly the same plate.
[Fracture: 3/4.]
One of the monsters on the ceiling spat a black substance.
Adrian leaned aside.
The projectile struck the Railfang in front of him and began dissolving its armor.
The creature shrieked.
Adrian delivered the fourth punch.
[Fracture: 4/4.]
[Target integrity compromised.]
Every plate along its flank shattered simultaneously. The vibration passed through its ribs and reached the core behind them.
The Railfang collapsed.
[Railfang defeated.]
[Starbreaker experience acquired.]
[Starbreaker reached Level 2.]
The class expanded within Adrian’s body.
It wasn’t a physical reconstruction like the one Infinite Sovereign had performed. The density of his mana changed, and Starbreaker Fist required less energy to maintain its Fracture layers.
[Class synchronization increased.]
[Fracture stability improved.]
The other four Railfangs attacked together.
Adrian ran toward them.
Evelyn waited for an order that never came.
Lyra watched.
The second monster swiped at Adrian’s face. He redirected the joint with his palm, stepped beneath its body, and struck the center of its abdomen.
First layer.
Another creature tried to bite him.
Adrian used the first Railfang as cover. The circular jaws closed around the plates of its companion.
Second strike.
The trapped creature twisted with enough force to throw Adrian toward a column.
He released it before impact, landed against the vertical surface, and launched himself back.
Third strike.
The Railfang managed to free itself.
Adrian had already reached the fourth.
[Fracture: 4/4.]
The punch collapsed the underside of its body. Its plates split open, and the core fell onto the platform along with several dark organs.
[Railfang defeated.]
[Starbreaker experience acquired.]
The final three began keeping their distance.
They had realized that allowing him to strike the same point four times meant death.
Adrian smiled.
"They learn quickly."
One spat another stream of corrosive liquid.
He evaded it.
The second fired from a different angle.
Adrian stepped forward, and both projectiles crossed behind his back.
The third descended from the ceiling.
Adrian was waiting for it.
He caught one of its front legs and used the momentum of its fall to slam it against the floor. Before it could rise, he punched the joint connecting its neck to its body four times.
The impacts sounded like a single combination.
[Fracture: 1/4.]
[Fracture: 2/4.]
[Fracture: 3/4.]
[Fracture: 4/4.]
Its head separated from its body.
[Railfang defeated.]
[Starbreaker reached Level 3.]
Adrian looked at the two remaining monsters.
They retreated.
They didn’t flee in disorder. One covered the other as they withdrew toward the damaged train.
"Evelyn," Adrian said.
She was already prepared.
Adrian caught the closest Railfang and struck the plate on its rear leg twice. The joint began to crack.
The creature turned.
Adrian moved out of its reach and pointed at the target.
"Finish it."
Evelyn ran.
Her first step was direct.
The second shifted her toward its flank. Her sword left its sheath during the third and carved a turquoise line across the damaged plate.
The Railfang lashed out with its tail.
Evelyn arched her back. The spikes passed over her body, and the sword changed hands in the middle of the movement.
Blade Dancer activated its first skill.
[Flowing Edge.]
The blade produced three cuts from different directions.
The first deepened the fracture Adrian had created.
The second broke the joint.
The third continued into the abdomen.
The monster fell, but it didn’t die.
Evelyn pivoted on her left leg and drove the point of her sword between two plates on its neck. Turquoise mana pierced its body and destroyed the core.
[Railfang defeated.]
Adrian had followed every movement.
Evelyn pulled out her sword.
"Was that enough for your evaluation?"
"Almost."
"Almost?"
"Your second step was two inches shorter than it was during our fight."
"There was a creature trying to rip my head off."
"That’s why it matters."
Evelyn cleaned the blade.
"Anything else?"
"You channel more mana into the third cut, but your right wrist opens before you release it. An intelligent opponent will know where you’re going to strike."
She looked at her hand.
"It doesn’t open."
Adrian copied her stance. He didn’t have a sword, but he positioned his fingers as though gripping a hilt.
He reproduced the first movement.
Then the second.
As he began the third, he rotated his wrist a few degrees.
"Here."
Evelyn studied the angle.
"It’s necessary to change hands."
"No. You’re compensating because your hip turns too early."
"Were you watching my hips throughout the entire fight?"
"I tried to focus on the sword. You made that difficult."
Evelyn sheathed her weapon with more force than necessary.
"You could try not to flirt while criticizing my technique."
"I can do both."
"That’s the problem."
Adrian approached and corrected the position of her hand on the hilt.
Evelyn nearly pulled away, but he had already adjusted her fingers.
"If you keep your wrist closed until the transition," he said, "your hip can finish rotating afterward. The second cut loses a little reach, but the third stops announcing itself."
Evelyn slowly repeated the sequence.
The turquoise line appeared later.
Closer to the target.
"It works," she admitted.
"I usually pay attention when a woman uses a sword near my throat."
"I thought you only watched my lips."
"That was before you had a sword."
Lyra walked past them.
"His correction is appropriate."
Evelyn looked at her.
"I didn’t ask you."
"You also place too much weight on your left leg."
"I didn’t ask you that either."
Lyra continued toward the train.
Adrian picked up one of the Railfang cores.
"She’s starting to accept you."
"That’s how she shows acceptance?"
"She tried to kill me."
"Twice."
"See? She’s being nice to you."
Evelyn opened the dimensional container.
They stored five cores, thirty-seven intact plates, corrosive glands, and several joints that Azure Tower would pay well to study.
[Estimated Material Value: 93,000–118,000 credits.]
Their first battle had already recouped part of the expedition’s cost.
The final Railfang led them toward the tunnels.
They didn’t follow immediately.
The map indicated that the special sector continued in the opposite direction, but the creature had fled toward the same energy source Infinite Sovereign had detected.
Lyra closed her eyes.
"There’s something ahead."
"The restoration source?" Adrian asked.
"Corruption too."
Evelyn checked the readings.
"The mana density is rising too quickly. This area shouldn’t be C-Rank."
"We haven’t taken any damage yet," Adrian said.
"Because all five creatures attacked you without touching you."
"That usually helps."
They advanced through the tunnel.
They encountered more monsters.
Two Tunnel Stalkers attempted to ambush them from side passages. Adrian sensed their intent through War God’s Instinct, avoided their claws, and destroyed their skulls with Starbreaker.
A colony of Ash Mites dropped from the ceiling. Evelyn used Flowing Edge to create a barrier of slashes while Adrian shattered the larger shells.
Lyra didn’t intervene.
She observed the way they fought and corrected their positions with comments Evelyn pretended to ignore.
The accumulated experience continued flowing into Starbreaker.
[Starbreaker experience acquired.]
[Starbreaker Level 3: 41%.]
[Starbreaker Level 3: 68%.]
[Starbreaker Fist mastery increased.]
[Beginner — 1.3% → 2.1%.]
They found the route guardian when they reached the next station.
A four-legged creature occupied almost the entire platform. Natural metal plates covered its body, and two horns extended from its jaw to its shoulders.
[Ironhide Ravager.]
[Level: 12.]
[Classification: C-Rank Elite.]
The monster charged.
Adrian remained in front of it.
"Move," Evelyn ordered.
"I want to test something."
"It weighs several tons."
"Then it should be resistant."
The Ironhide lowered its head.
War God’s Instinct showed Adrian its trajectory.
He moved toward it.
He placed one hand on the left horn, pivoted around the impact, and punched the same point with his right.
[Fracture: 1/4.]
The monster rushed past him and destroyed a column.
Adrian hadn’t taken any damage.
The Ironhide turned.
This time, it tried to crush him beneath one foot. Adrian moved out of range, struck the horn again, and retreated before its jaws could close around him.
[Fracture: 2/4.]
The creature changed its pattern.
It didn’t charge again.
The plates along its back opened and released a wave of gray mana.
The ground rose.
Adrian used Meridian War Step.
His body crossed twenty-three feet. The execution remained incomplete, but it carried him out of the area before dozens of spikes erupted through the platform.
Lyra tracked the movement.
"Your hips are still too high."
"This doesn’t seem like the best time."
"The enemy won’t wait for you to learn."
The Ironhide charged again.
Adrian vanished from its path with another step and struck the horn.
[Fracture: 3/4.]
A crack spread through the natural metal.
The creature roared.
The fourth attack didn’t target the horn.
Adrian punched the base where it connected to the skull. The vibration traveled through the same structure and found the three accumulated layers.
[Fracture: 4/4.]
[Target integrity compromised.]
The horn exploded.
The fracture entered the skull and spread across the plates covering its head. The Ironhide took two more steps before collapsing.
[Ironhide Ravager defeated.]
[Elite target defeated.]
[Starbreaker reached Level 4.]
The class’s energy traveled through Adrian’s body.
His synchronized attributes increased. The muscles in his arms and shoulders adjusted to endure Starbreaker’s vibrations, and his control over the Fracture layers became more precise.
[Class growth reward.]
[Strength increased.]
[Agility increased.]
[Structural Perception increased.]
[Fracture may now propagate through connected sections of the same target.]
Adrian looked at the shattered horn.
He had applied the first three layers near its tip and activated the last at its base. Before the upgrade, he would’ve needed to strike exactly the same area.
Now an entire connected structure could become the target.
Evelyn approached the corpse.
"It didn’t touch you once."
"That was the intention."
"It was a C-Rank Elite, and you Awakened three days ago."
"They’ve been productive days."
They stored the Ironhide’s core, the intact horn, and several plates from its back.
[Estimated Material Value: 310,000–390,000 credits.]
The dimensional container reached forty-three percent capacity.
Adrian checked his class.
[Starbreaker — Level 4.]
[Starbreaker Fist — Level 2.]
[Current Class Synchronization: 17%.]
He had entered his first dungeon at Level 1.
Less than two hours later, his first class had reached Level 4.
"Movement ahead," Lyra said.
It wasn’t a warning from War God’s Instinct.
Something was dragging the corpse of the Railfang that had escaped.
The creature appeared at the far end of the platform.
It had a humanoid shape but walked on all fours. White plates covered its back, and a smooth mask concealed its face. More figures emerged behind it.
One.
Three.
Eight.
The new monsters surrounded the Railfang and began devouring it.
Evelyn raised her tablet.
[Species: Unknown.]
[No matching dungeon record.]
[No matching global record.]
Lyra gripped her spear with both hands.
For the first time since they entered, she assumed a real combat stance.
"I know them."
Adrian studied the white masks.
"From Meridian?"
"They shouldn’t exist yet."
Infinite Sovereign analyzed one of the creatures.
[Temporal species discrepancy detected.]
[Species: Nullborn Hound.]
[First recorded appearance: Year 2368.]
Evelyn read the date.
"That’s three hundred and forty-two years from now."
The Nullborn Hound stopped feeding.
It turned its mask toward them.
The other seven did the same.