Arakio knelt on the cracked stone floor.
His breath was uneven..
Blood dripped from his fingers.
The dungeon had gone silent—
but it wasn't peaceful.
It felt alive.
A system window appeared again,
this time heavier… older.
_______________________________________________
◼ WORLD NOTICE ◼
| Dungeons are not natural.
They are wounds.
_______________________________________________
Arakio's eyes narrowed.
"Wounds…?"
The text continued to scroll.
_______________________________________________
◼ DUNGEON LORE ◼
When Light and Darkness lose balance,
reality weakens.
Places filled with
despair, greed, massacre, or regret
begin to tear.
These tears become Dungeons.
What lives inside them
are not monsters by birth—
but broken existences.
_______________________________________________
Arakio swallowed.
"So this place…"
The air around him felt heavy.
Hungry.
_______________________________________________
◼ SYSTEM NOTICE ◼
|. Your Hunger resonates with the Dungeon.
|. Warning:
|. Loss of Self is possible.
_______________________________________________
Arakio clenched his fist.
"I won't lose myself."
The ground trembled.
Ahead of him,
the dungeon floor slowly split apart.
A massive pit opened.
From below—
THUMP… THUMP…
A sound like a heartbeat.
_______________________________________________
◼ BOSS AREA CONFIRMED ◼
| Name: The Hollow Warden
| Title: Guardian of the Wound
| Threat Level: High
_______________________________________________
"Guardian…?"
Arakio whispered.
"So this dungeon is protecting something."
Dark mist poured upward.
A gigantic figure emerged.
Half of its body was bone.
The other half—
smoke and shadow.
In its chest glowed a cracked core,
pulsing like a dying heart.
_______________________________________________
"STARVING…"
The voice echoed through the dungeon.
"EMPTY…"
_______________________________________________
The Hollow Warden raised its arm.
The ground exploded.
Arakio was thrown through the air
and smashed into a stone wall.
CRASH!
Pain tore through his body.
Bones screamed.
_______________________________________________
◼ SYSTEM ALERT ◼
HP: CRITICAL
Condition: Near Death
_______________________________________________
His vision blurred.
"Not… now…"
The boss stepped closer.
With every step,
Arakio's hunger grew stronger—
but his control slipped.
_______________________________________________
◼ HUNGER OVERFLOW ◼
Control failing…
Do you wish to survive?
_______________________________________________
Blood filled Arakio's mouth.
"I…
don't want to die."
_______________________________________________
The world froze.
_______________________________________________
◼ HIDDEN OPTION UNLOCKED ◼
Starving Will (Prototype)
Bet your life.
Awaken hunger beyond safety.
Warning:
Permanent mental damage possible.
_______________________________________________
The Hollow Warden lifted its arm.
A final strike.
_______________________________________________
"Take it,"
Arakio whispered, smiling faintly.
"But I'm not empty anymore."
_______________________________________________
Something inside him shattered.
And something else—
awakened.
_______________________________________________
◼ HUNGER LEVEL ◼
15%
_______________________________________________
Arakio's eyes opened.
This time—
not light.
Not darkness.
But pure emptiness.
The Hollow Warden staggered.
"YOU…"
"…ARE A WOUND."
_______________________________________________
Arakio stood up.
His body trembled violently.
"Maybe,"
he said quietly.
"But I'm learning how to fill myself."
_______________________________________________
The dungeon screamed.
The cracked core in the Warden's chest began to glow.
This wasn't the end.
This was the beginning of the fight.
_______________________________________________
Chapter 5 Ends
_______________________________________________