As we stepped through the gate, the world around us twisted.

A rush of wind brushed past my face.

Then everything shifted.

We landed softly on a wide, open stone platform, surrounded by towering dark cliffs.

The sky above was a strange mix of deep purple and swirling gray clouds, lit by a giant glowing moon that didn’t feel natural

Ssshhhhhhh…

A soft breeze whispered past, carrying the scent of damp stone and old blood.

My body tensed.

Maria stood just behind me, her hand on her daggers. Mia glanced around carefully, her holy staff already glowing faintly.

Derek and James took their positions without needing a word.

“…Creepy place,” James muttered, scratching the back of his neck. “Even for an S-rank dungeon.”

“Yeah,” Derek added, narrowing his eyes.

“It feels… too quiet.”

I nodded at their words.

Something was definitely off.

Miss Helena had said several groups would enter together. But when I turned around to check the gate, nothing.

Just the soft swirl of the portal behind us.

I waited.

One minute passed.

Then two.

I crossed my arms.

Three.

My foot tapped against the stone floor.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Still no one.

“…What’s taking them so long?” Mia finally asked, looking over her shoulder.

I didn’t answer right away. I kept my eyes on the gate, watching for even a flicker, anything that meant someone was coming through.

But there was nothing.

No movement at all.

“…Something’s wrong,” I finally muttered.

“You think… we’re alone?” Maria tensed.

“No…” I said quietly.

“I think we’re cut off.”

James frowned.

“Cut off how?”

I stepped away from the group and slowly walked toward the platform’s edge.

It overlooked a massive dark canyon filled with jagged rocks and strange glowing runes carved into the walls.

The sky above crackled softly with mana.

“The moment we entered…” I whispered, mostly to myself, “…the dungeon changed.”

Derek looked uneasy after hearing my words.

“You think someone messed with the gate?”

“No… not really.” I shook my head.

“This place. This whole dungeon. It’s not normal.”

Fzzzt!—

The gate behind us suddenly pulsed once and then went dim.

Dead.

Everyone turned toward it.

“…That’s not supposed to happen,” Mia said, her voice turning slightly nervous.

I didn’t say anything.

I just stared.

‘…This mana quantity… it should reach the SS-rank… at least.’

A heavy breath slipped from my lips as I narrowed my eyes.

“…It’s a red gate,” I finally muttered.

Everyone froze.

James’s head whipped toward me.

“A r-red gate?!”” he stammered.

He rushed forward, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me hard.

“Are you serious?! A RED one?! I—I can’t die here, man! I haven’t even had my first kiss yet! I don’t wanna die a virgin!!”

His voice cracked.

I gave him a tired look.

“James.”

He didn’t stop.

“Do you know how long I’ve waited for something to happen with that cute healer girl?!” he cried. “And now you’re telling me we might all die before that?! NO! NONONO—!”

Smack!

Derek casually slapped the back of his head.

James stumbled forward with a groan, finally letting go of me.

“Calm down, drama queen,” Derek muttered, rolling his eyes. “Red gate or not, panicking like that won’t help.”

Maria instantly leaned closer to me.

“Is it really that bad?” she asked.

I nodded slowly.

“…Yeah. Red gates don’t show up randomly. They’re rare, and when they do appear, they usually involve a collapse… or a trap.”

The air turned colder.

Even Mia’s expression shifted.

“…So we’re stuck,” she whispered.

“Most likely,” I replied.

Honestly, I knew this was going to happen. After all, the trouble magnet called Lucas is also participating in the dungeon subjugation.

“Okay, okay, let’s not panic,” James muttered to himself, rubbing the spot Derek smacked.

“Maybe we’re not stuck. Maybe the gate’s just, like… resting or something.”

“It’s not resting,” I said flatly.

“Yeah… I figured.” He winced.

Maria walked beside me, her long hair swaying with the wind as she peered down into the canyon.

“…There’s something written on those walls,” she said, pointing at the glowing runes below.

“Looks old.”

“They look like a seal,” Mia added, stepping closer. “But broken in places. See that part? It’s cracked.”

Derek crossed his arms.

“Great. First, we get locked in. Now we’re standing on top of some busted ancient prison or something.”

James gave him a sharp look.

“Don’t say that out loud! This is exactly how horror stories start, dude!”

Crack.

Everyone froze.

That sound wasn’t from us.

Crack-crack.

It echoed from the cliffs ahead.

Then silence.

Mia stepped closer to me. Her soft breasts pressed slightly against my arm, but she didn’t seem to notice or care.

“…You heard that too, right?” she whispered.

I gave a small nod.

Maria drew one of her daggers, narrowing her eyes.

Derek took a step forward, lowering himself slightly into a ready stance. His palm hovered just above the ground, ready to activate his earth magic.

James looked around wildly.

“W-what do we do?”

“Quiet… something’s coming.”

And then—

BOOM!

A loud crash echoed from the far side of the canyon.

Dust and rubble exploded upward as part of the cliff shattered. Rocks tumbled down with a deep rumble.

CRASH!

A long shape slithered through the smoke.

Massive.

Slick black scales, glowing red lines carved into its body, steaming with heat. Its head was narrow, sharp, with a row of dagger-like teeth.

BAAM!

Its tail whipped behind it, smashing into the wall again.

James fell on his butt.

“IS THAT A—IS THAT A DRAGON-SNAKE THING?!”

Mia’s fire staff flared brighter.

“No… definitely worse.”

Maria’s wind magic started forming around her legs, swirling faster.

“It’s a Flame Reaver Serpent, it’s ranked A+.”

Derek’s fists tightened.

“But we’re in an S-rank dungeon… and its grade should be even higher if it is a red gate,” he spoke reluctantly.

“Exactly,” I muttered.

“This is just the appetizer.”

The serpent turned its head toward us.

Its glowing red eyes locked onto our group.

HISSSSSSSS!!!

Without a second thought, Mia gripped her staff tightly. Flames flickered and danced along its length as she raised it toward the serpent.

『 Flame Series: Inferno Burst! (✦ 4th-level Spell ✦) 』

A blazing fireball shot from her staff, roaring through the air. The flames twisted and curled as they slammed into the serpent’s scales.

WHOOSH!

The serpent hissed and reared back, momentarily stunned by the fiery assault.

But before it could recover, Derek and James moved in perfect sync. Derek slammed his fists against the stone ground, sending tremors through the earth.

Rocks and dust erupted around him as vines and roots burst from the cracks, wrapping tightly around the serpent’s body.

『 Earth Series: Crushing Roots! (✦ 3rd-level Spell ✦) 』

RUMBLE!

James stomped down, raising a wall of stone spikes from the ground, sharp and jagged, aiming straight for the serpent’s vulnerable underbelly.

『 Earth Series: Spike Barrage! (✦ 4th-level Spell ✦) 』

CRACK! CRASH!

The serpent roared in pain, its body pinned and pierced by the spikes and roots. It thrashed wildly, but the earth magic held it firm.

With a final tremor, the roots tightened, squeezing the life out of the beast.

SNAP!

It collapsed, its glowing eyes dimming as the last breath escaped.

“Phew… that was easier than I thought,” James muttered, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

He cracked a small grin and nudged Derek.

“Don’t get too cocky. It was just a single monster.” Derek replied, smirking and shaking his head.

Before they could get any happier, I spoke once again.

“There’s more.”

Crack, crack!

A huge amount of dragon-snake things, as James said, completely surrounded us, hissing their tongues out.

Suddenly, dozens of dragon-snake creatures, as James said, slithered out from the shadows, circling us.

Their long tongues flicked, and they hissed loudly.

FWOOP!

A strong wind whipped around us as Mia quickly readied a spell to boost our speed.

But of course, I didn’t need it.

『 Minor Frost Explosion! (✦ 5th-level Spell ✦) 』

I flicked my fingertip.

BOOOOOOOM!

A powerful and chilly wind followed up from the sound.

The smoke quickly cleared, and now, the dragon-thingys were completely frozen. So, I brought out my scythe and casually waved it.

Crack!

All of them splintered into countless pieces.

“Let’s go, guys.”

I didn’t even bother looking back as I started walking to the place where the most mana was gathered, which presumably, should be the boss room.

However, as I continued on walking, I noticed that I couldn’t hear their steps, so I simply turned back.

They had disappeared.

“…James?” I promptly called out.

“Derek? Mia? Maria?!”

But none of them replied.

I slowly turned around, but then my eyes widened.

A luxurious green camp.

A girl with silver hair, just like mine, but her eyes were as blue as the ocean. She had a faint smile on her face as she looked at me.

“Astra~, did you miss me?”

A familiar voice that I had heard plenty of times when I was younger.

And unfortunately…

A voice that was completely fake.

I looked towards the sky… that was completely blue in this illusion.

“Fuck…”

Splurt!

A geyser of blood erupted upwards.

My sister had her head decapitated, and now the sky was completely black. Her lifeless eyes looked at me, her lips were completely pale.

And countless demon figures stood behind her, eating her rotten body.

Instantly, I brought out my scythe as an explosive ice mana erupted from my body, causing the space itself to tremble.

Then…

“Moonlit Ice Lotus Sword Art…”

『 Third Move! (✦ Moonlight’s One Flash ✦) 』

I swung it.

The illusion dissipated away, as a crescent slash passed through the air.

Then, I took a look around, seeing more than twenty lizard-looking things with hypnotic eyes looking at me warily.

“You guys are fucking dead.”

No words could express how angered I was.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep