NOVEL NEXT Chapter 413: The First Omen
The old man nodded. "Aye, at first, it was just one or two people. We thought maybe they left the city… but then more went missing. No bodies, no signs of struggle. Just gone."
Viktor's thoughts raced. 'At first, it was the murders. Now people are disappearing altogether?'
Celia hummed, flipping her knife into the air before catching it. "Sounds like a kidnapping ring… or something worse."
Viktor's brows furrowed. "Where have the disappearances been most frequent?"
The old man hesitated, eyes darting toward a distant alleyway leading deeper into the district. "By the abandoned Shaw Foundry. People say they hear whispers there at night… strange lights too."
Axel whistled. "Mysterious vanishing act, creepy whispers, glowing lights? Yeah, that's definitely not normal."
Viktor straightened, glancing at the others. "We're checking it out."
Celia grinned. "Lead the way, oh fearless leader."
...
...
Shaw Foundry – Outer Rings
The foundry stood ahead like a decaying skeleton of rust and steel, its tall smokestacks rising against the skyline like broken fangs. The massive metal doors were barely holding together, paint peeling, rust eating through the framework.
Blitz wrinkled her nose. "Ugh. Smells like something died in there."
Beatrice shivered, the air around them feeling… off. It was colder than it should have been.
Viktor placed a hand on the steel door, pushing it open with a loud creak. Dust swirled in the dim light filtering through the shattered windows.
Then—
A pulse of red light.
It flickered deep within the foundry, like a dying heartbeat. And then, as if in response to their presence, a massive dungeon gate materialized against the far wall.
It wasn't like any they'd seen before.
The swirling red vortex churned violently, tendrils of energy licking at the air. But what stood out most was the system window that appeared before them.
______
[DUNGEON GATE DETECTED]
RANK: SS
NAME: ??????
______
Axel blinked. "Okay. That's not normal."
Blitz cracked her knuckles. "SS-rank, huh? That's way above what we usually deal with."
Beatrice raised an eyebrow. "But… there's no name. That's not supposed to happen, right?"
Celia stepped closer, studying the swirling red gate with narrowed eyes. "No. Dungeons always have names. The system always recognizes them. And they normally only turn red when their rank suddenly increases while someone is inside, but we just saw this dungeon form—so no one could be inside."
Viktor remained silent for a long moment, his gaze fixed on the unnatural vortex. Then, he turned to the others.
"We can't head in. Frankly, the rank is too high. This is the first time I've ever seen an SS-ranked gate."
Anzo grimaced, pinching his nose shut with his fingers. "Look, if we're not gonna raid this thing, can we get the hell out of here?" He took a step back, waving his free hand in front of his face as if trying to dispel the thick, foul air.
"I swear, this stench makes me feel like my nose is gonna fall off any second now."
Blitz smirked, nudging Axel. "Guess the big guy's got a sensitive nose, huh?"
Axel snickered. "Yeah, wouldn't have pegged you for the delicate type, Anzo."
Anzo shot them both a glare. "Say that again when you're choking on whatever the hell that is."
Viktor ignored their banter, his gaze still locked on the dungeon gate. The swirling red vortex pulsed, almost like it was breathing. Something about it gnawed at him—an instinctual warning at the back of his mind.
Celia flipped her knife between her fingers, glancing between Viktor and the gate. "So, what's the call, esteemed leader? Stick around and keep sniffing this place up, or are we reporting back?"
Viktor exhaled sharply, his decision firm. "No, we're reporting this. Now."
As the group turned their backs and began walking away, a sudden wet, slithering sound sliced through the air.
Before anyone could react, a thick, red tentacle shot out of the swirling vortex with terrifying speed, wrapping around Blitz's torso and yanking her upward.
"Guys! A little help here!" she yelled, flailing as the slimy appendage coiled tighter, dragging her toward the gate.
Her body jerked as the tentacle pulled, inch by inch, toward the unknown void beyond.
Anzo's eyes widened, his instincts kicking in. "Oh no, you don't!" he growled, thrusting out his hand.
A crushing force clamped down on the tentacle mid-motion, halting its pull.
The creature resisted, straining against Anzo's telekinetic grip, its raw strength sending tremors through his mind.
He gritted his teeth, muscles tensing under the sheer pressure.
"Anytime now! Cut that damned thing!" he yelled, veins popping on his forehead as he fought to hold the monster in place.
Viktor immediately pulled out his sword. His blade flashed in a silver arc, slicing clean through the grotesque limb.
A sickening shlck echoed as the severed tentacle writhed before falling limp.
Freed from its grip, Blitz dropped to the ground, landing hard on her side with a groan. Anzo staggered back.
Then—
SCREEEEEEE
A deafening screech tore through the air, a sound so unnatural and piercing that it sent a shiver down their spines.
The severed tentacle twitched, then recoiled, slithering back into the dungeon.
And just like that—the gate slammed shut. The swirling red vortex collapsed in on itself, vanishing as though it had never been there.
Silence.
Axel stared at the now-empty space, breathing heavily. Then, after a long pause, he muttered, "What the hell was that?"
Blitz groaned, pushing herself up and dusting off her guild uniform. "Ugh… Okay, new rule—never turn our backs on creepy SS-rank dungeon gates."
Celia flipped her knife into the air and caught it effortlessly, her eyes narrowing at where the gate had been. "I've seen a lot of weird shit… but that? That's something else entirely."
Beatrice was a bit shaken. "T-The way it reacted to us… it was almost like it was waiting for someone to turn their back."
Viktor scowled, his hand still firm on his sword. "That wasn't a normal dungeon. The system couldn't even name it. And now, it just… disappears?"
Anzo let out a shaky breath, rolling his shoulders to relieve the tension. "Yeah, well, next time, someone else gets to play tug-of-war with the eldritch horror. My damn head still hurts—that thing was freakishly strong."
Axel snorted, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Yeah, well, next time, we're not sticking around to see what else it can do."
Viktor exhaled sharply, his gaze dark. "We should hurry back to report this. Whatever that thing was, it wasn't supposed to be here."
Blitz shook her head, still rubbing her ribs where the tentacle had gripped her. "Yeah, no kidding. But I guess that solves the mystery of the kidnapping?"