Chapter 88: Marked by the City (1)

In the heart of a dark city … its streets burned and ruined, its towering buildings looming overhead, its stone-paved roads drowned in blood—Ethan found himself alone. Somehow, he had been separated from his companions, as if by sheer impossibility, torn away by a spell that had instantly displaced him.

Wherever he turned his gaze, he saw nothing but more of the same—endless buildings, bridges, streets… and at times, structures that resembled churches and cathedrals.

“There’s no way this is the Old Ashvarn spoken of in legends… something about it is different,” Ethan muttered to himself as he walked cautiously across the rooftop he had climbed earlier.

His reasoning was sound. Old Ashvarn was supposed to be the mirror half of the current city.

Yet what stretched before him felt several times larger than the Ashvarn above.

No matter which direction he looked, he could not find its end.

“Damn it… if I was teleported randomly the moment I entered the city, then figuring out where I am is impossible…”

Ethan scanned his surroundings before deciding to remain on the rooftops rather than descend below.

“I don’t even know if I’m still near the outskirts… or if I’ve already wandered into its deepest, darkest depths…”

If it was the latter, then the situation was far worse than he wanted to admit. The most dangerous creatures would lurk in such places—and in his current state as a mage, he had no real means of defending himself.

Moving carefully along the rooftop, he soon found an opening … a hole that led into the building beneath.

Peering down from above, Ethan saw only darkness… thick, suffocating darkness, accompanied by a foul stench.

“The smell of blood…”

He hesitated, unsure whether entering such a place was wise.

But his hesitation didn’t last.

From the distance—

A sound wave struck his ears.

A monstrous howl, violent enough to shake the very air.

Clutching his ears, Ethan spun around immediately, fear flashing across his face.

The source of that grotesque cry was far away—very far.

Yet despite the distance… he could still see it.

A massive creature, its body covered in terrifying black fur, stood atop a distant bridge, seemingly engaged in battle with a group of humans.

“Wise Raven’s Insight!”

Activating his enhanced vision, Ethan focused his gaze.

And what he saw…

Was not a battle.

It was a slaughter.

The creature became clearer—its dense black fur, its crimson eyes, its long, twisted horns. One of its arms was grotesquely longer than the other… and it used it to crush the hunters before it.

Its opponents were one of the hunting squads that had entered alongside Ethan. Three of them.

He didn’t know them… barely recognized their faces.

But he was certain … they had come in with him.

In less than five seconds, the creature seized one of them with its massive arm and crushed him into a pulp of flesh.

It grabbed the second with its other arm… and devoured his head in a single bite, leaving behind a headless corpse.

The third tried to flee, using Aura Armor to boost his speed.

But the abomination leapt forward with terrifying agility, covering an absurd distance in an instant, cutting him off—then, with a single swipe of its long claws, tore him into three pieces that scattered in different directions.

The entire fight lasted barely ten seconds.

Ethan stood frozen, cold sweat running down his back.

The dark creature released another deafening howl, shaking the surroundings, before turning its head left and right… as if searching for its next prey.

What happened next sent a deeper chill through Ethan’s heart.

He didn’t know whether it was intentional… or pure coincidence.

But the monstrous being slowly turned its head—

Toward him.

Ethan’s body moved on instinct.

Without hesitation, he threw himself into the opening, dropping into the building below.

Hiding in the shadows, he pressed himself into the darkest corner, holding his breath completely.

The abandoned building was empty. Silent.

So silent that the only sound was the frantic pounding of his own heart… accompanied by the distant, echoing howls of the creature outside.

Ethan didn’t relax for a second.

The howls were growing louder.

Closer.

Step by step, the creature advanced toward his location, covering vast distances with each leap.

Within seconds, it reached the street where Ethan was hiding.

The massive abomination moved slowly now, its heavy footsteps shaking the ground, each impact echoing through the dark street.

Even the air seemed to tremble as it approached the building—

As if something was guiding it directly to its prey.

Its crimson eyes locked onto Ethan’s hiding place.

As if it knew.

As it drew closer, Ethan held his breath tighter, suppressing his presence as much as possible.

He couldn’t understand how the creature had found him.

’Did it see me? Or does it have some way of tracking me? …Or is it because of the curse?’

He nearly cursed under his breath, placing his human hand on the back of his neck.

Luna’s barrier should still have been active—preventing monsters from being drawn to him.

And yet…

The creature seemed fully aware of his location.

Now, it was close.

So close that if it simply extended its massive arm, it could crush the entire building.

Still … Ethan did not move.

His eyes remained fixed on the opening he had entered through.

’If it attacks… I’ll break out immediately and escape with the grappling hook…’

With his Legion Arm primed, Ethan braced himself for the worst.

For a brief moment, it seemed that outcome was inevitable … the creature outside let out a howl more ferocious than ever before, so close this time that it nearly deafened him.

Its scream… it was a torn, fractured sound, dragged out from the depths of its warped chest—a distorted, animalistic wail laced with remnants of something once human… now broken.

Ethan felt something strange within that cry.

As if the creature… was in pain.

The roar continued for a few seconds before the abomination extended its arm toward the building.

With a single touch, the entire structure trembled—Ethan along with it.

Gritting his teeth, he raised his Legion Arm toward the opening above.

’No other choice…’

He was about to fire the grappling hook, just as the creature prepared to strike—ready to tear the building apart and confirm what lay inside.

But at the very last moment—

Both of them stopped.

A massive explosion echoed from somewhere nearby.

The blast made the creature turn instantly, releasing another savage howl before launching itself toward the source at terrifying speed.

Within seconds, the abomination vanished into the distance… leaving Ethan behind.

He finally breathed.

Collapsing to the ground, sweat covering his face, he struggled to inhale as the heavy air—thick with the stench of coagulated blood—filled his lungs, making him nauseous.

“Damn it… that was too close…”

Still catching his breath, Ethan crawled toward a crack in the wall, peering outside to confirm the creature’s absence.

Fortunately, there was no trace of it.

“If not for that explosion… I would’ve been stuck in a chase with that thing by now…”

Slumping against the ground, Ethan gradually regained his composure, fully aware of how dangerous the situation truly was.

This time… luck alone had saved him.

“Those hunters killed earlier… I could’ve been one of them…”

He paused, thinking.

What if he had been teleported to their position instead?

What if he had faced that creature directly?

He already knew the answer.

He would have died.

“I’m gambling with my life… relying on luck against something I don’t even understand…”

Ethan slowly clenched his fist, teeth grinding together.

He wasn’t the type to take reckless risks—to throw himself into the unknown without at least a chance of victory.

But from what he had seen…

That chance might not even exist.

“That thing is probably stronger than the Ember Hunter… and that’s just a roaming monster. So what kind of horrors are hiding in the depths of this city…?”

Slowly, Ethan began to laugh, covering his face with one hand.

He laughed… and kept laughing.

A reflex he had grown used to whenever tension overwhelmed him.

He had just realized something.

This Legacy Dungeon… might be far worse than he had ever imagined.

“I need to calm down… panicking like this won’t help.”

He began to walk around the dark room he was in, finally taking a proper look at it now that things had settled.

It was a ruined chamber. The main entrance was sealed, leaving the hole above as the only way in or out.

Old wooden furniture lay scattered inside, broken and decayed.

At first glance, it seemed like the perfect hiding spot.

But Ethan quickly realized that wasn’t necessarily true.

“This place could turn into my grave if something attacks from the only exit above…”

Leaving things as they were would be dangerous.

So he decided to prepare an emergency escape route.

Using the strength of his mechanical Legion Arm, he struck one of the weaker inner walls repeatedly, attempting to break through.

With his current low Strength, it took some effort—but eventually, he managed to create a small opening, just large enough for his body to pass through.

“An escape route… secured. Now…”

Retreating into the darkest corner of the room, Ethan sat down quietly.

“There’s nothing left for me to do… but wait.”

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