The Redwater Sinkhole sat like a scar on the earth — a massive pit swallowing the entire area that used to be Rio Linda, CA. The city was gone, swallowed, collapsed, whatever you want to call it. Now it was wrapped in metal walls, guard towers, and heavy floodlights that never shut off.
Even though this dungeon was ranked F (White-tier) — the lowest — it made Sacramento and the government millions in monster parts, Life Cores, and skill seeds. White meant the dungeon was stable, zero risk of a break. Dark Blue and Black? Those meant grab your family and RUN.
Walking toward the entrance, I felt the Awakeners watching from the walls — C and D ranks posted with rifles, blades, and a few magic constructs floating lazily nearby. Their auras hummed against my perception, like cheap stereo speakers trying to impress a high-end sound system.
Sacramento used the Redwater Sinkhole as a starter dungeon for newbies. Plenty of deaths, sure, because beginners love biting off more than they can chew.
A little like me…
But I'm built different.
I flashed my new Awakeners License at the guards. They scanned it, gave me a nod, and let me pass into the boundary.
A sinking feeling pulled me under — like gravity flipped sideways — and after ten seconds, I was standing inside the dungeon for the first time.
Damp cavern. Rust-red stone. Thick fog rolling across the ground. Awakeners parties gathered their gear and buffed up.
Then I saw him.
Damien Pierce.
Walking ego. Family money mascot. High school headache.
He spotted me too — and of course he had a squad with him.
Damien Pierce's Squad (C-rank Party: "Pierce Dominion")
Damien Pierce – Lightning Knight, C-rank, nature's mistake
• Rosa Vance – Fire Mage, D-rank, meaner than he is
• Troy Hale – Berserker, big dude, no thoughts
• Nia Wynnt – Healer/Support, too nice for that squad
• Gale Knox – Rogue, sneaky, small-time scammer
• Kaspar "Kazz" Morello – Ranged Marksman, wannabe hotshot
Six of them.
Average gear.
Loud auras.
All attitude.
Damien grinned wide.
"Kaelen Hardeman. Didn't think Redwater took charity cases."
I didn't even look at him. Just kept walking.
He stepped closer, voice raised so the people around could hear.
"You buying a tour pass? Or planning to die before the first floor? We don't want blood on the ground before lunch."
I leaned in just long enough for only him to hear me.
"You talk too loud for someone with C-rank lungs."
I walked away.
Damien froze — then whispered after me:
"Keep running your mouth. You won't make it out."
Whatever.
He'll be a footnote in my story.
──────────────────────────────────
FIRST FLOOR — BLOOD & WELCOME GIFTS
──────────────────────────────────
The first monsters I encountered were four towering beasts — two species mixed together like nature was drunk.
Gouger Talons – 2.1 meters tall
Gray-black reptilian bipeds with claws long enough to carve cement. Teeth like broken glass. Their eyes glowed burning red, tracking movement like hawks. Mirebacks – 1.9 meters
Slimy amphibious humanoids with mushroom-like growths down their spine. They screeched like drowning pigs and spat corrosive saliva.
Four monsters total. Three F-ranks, one E-rank.
They spotted me and lunged.
My instincts snapped like a whip.
[Genesis Singularity]
A black orb detonated into existence between us — then flickered into ten micro-singularities. They spun, locked onto the monsters, and—
5 seconds.
That's all it took.
First Gouger Talon: Imploded, limbs folding inward like crushed tin.
• Second Gouger: Pulled into its own shadow and shredded.
• Mireback #1: Vaporized mid-leap.
• Mireback #2 (E-rank): Got half a warning screech out before it got erased.
Silent.
Clean.
Gone.
I exhaled slowly, adrenaline spiking.
"Holy shit… that felt good," I said out loud, grinning.
A whole party would struggle with that pack. But me?
That was a warm-up.
As I approached the corpses, a notification dropped into my vision.
[DING]
[Spatial Inventory Unlocked]
A boundless dimensional space for equipment, treasures, cores, and artifacts. Zero cap. Zero decay. Cannot store living entities.
Everything on the ground shimmered — cores, loot, monster materials — then vanished into my inventory.
Another notification hit instantly:
[DING]
[Boundless Potential — Unlocked]
Boundless Potential Effects:
• All gains multiplied by ×7
• 55% chance any loot or core upgrades +4 ranks
• 45% chance loot or core jumps to Ultimate Tier
• +45% permanent EXP gain
• +85% comprehension, control, and skill mastery
• +4 skill points every 2 seconds
Holy.
Shit.
I felt something shift inside me — my mind sharper, my essence flowing differently, my understanding of the singularity deepening instantly.
The monsters dropped:
Loot Obtained (after Boundless Potential):
From 3 F-ranks:
• 3 Life Cores (2 upgraded to D-rank, 1 jumped to B-rank)
• Sharpened Talon-Claws (upgraded to Rare)
• Mireback Gland (Epic-tier after upgrade)
From the E-rank Mireback Brute:
• 1 Life Core (jumped to A-rank)
• Acid Spit Sac (Legendary-tier after upgrade)
• Dungeon Thread x14 (material used for reinforced gear)
This was ridiculous.
Monsters dropped more value for me alone than they did for entire parties.
And that was just the first floor.
──────────────────────────────────
THE GRIND — FLOORS 2 → 19
──────────────────────────────────
I tore through the dungeon like it insulted my mom.
No wasted movement.
No wasted energy.
Just pure destruction.
Every floor had 4–6 monsters pop up at once.
Didn't matter.
Genesis Singularity
— pull, crush, erase.
By Floor 10, I was moving faster than the monsters could register.
By Floor 15, I was predicting attack patterns before they formed.
By Floor 19, I was laughing.
My Spatial Inventory ballooned:
Total Monsters Killed: 375
Species mix:
• Gouger Talons
• Mirebacks
• Mireback Brutes
• Scalehounds
• Crystal-Fang Crawlers
• Ember-Lurkers
Total Loot (after Boundless Potential multipliers):
80+ Life Cores
– 35% were Focus Cores (upgraded massively)
– Dozens jumped 3–4 tiers
– 5 hit Ultimate Tier
• Skill Seeds x10 (from mini-boss floors)
• Dungeon Materials x120+
• Rare Gear Components x47
• Monster Essences x33
Estimated total value?
$1.3–$1.7 million
…from twenty minutes of work.
Normal awakeners?
They get maybe $5k–10k each per run.
If the boss is generous.
Me?
I was printing a career.
By the time I reached Floor 20's boss door, I felt unstoppable.
"FUCK YEAH!! LET'S GO!!"
I kicked the door open.
──────────────────────────────────
BOSS ROOM — THE FLAMEBACK DEVOURER
──────────────────────────────────
BAMMM!!
The door slammed shut behind me.
The chamber lit up with molten-red veins across the walls.
Heat blasted my face.
The floor trembled.
Then the boss emerged.
Flameback Devourer (F→E Mutant Variant)
4.8 meters tall
• Lava-red scales, each plate overlapping like volcanic armor
• A dorsal ridge glowing molten orange
• Eyes like burning coals
• Jaw strength capable of biting through steel
• Skills:
– Flame Torrent Breath
– Devourer's Charge
– Magma Carapace
– Molten Swipe
Normal F/E awakener parties avoid this thing unless they have a suicide contract.
Even C-ranks treat it with respect.
Me?
I smiled.
[Quad Perihelion Array] — Activated.
Weapons snapped into orbit around me — katana, spear, P90, chain sickle swirling with micro-singularity sparks.
The boss roared — the whole room shook.
Attack 1 — Katana:
One slash.
A reality-cutting arc severed half the Devourer's flaming dorsal ridge.
Attack 2 — Spear:
Pierced its joint plate — micro-gravity ripples destabilized its stance.
Attack 3 — Katana return strike:
Sheared off a forearm.
Attack 4 — Spear thrust:
Pinned it through the chest.
Attack 5 — P90:
Curving gravitational bullets hammered its exposed core.
Attack 6 — Combo Finisher:
Chain sickle wrapped the boss's neck — mini-singularity ignited —
P90 shot the singularity mid-swing—
BOOM.
The Devourer imploded from the inside out.
Particles scattered like sparks.
I stood alone in silence, breathing steady.
A dark blue teleport crystal rose from the floor.
Boss cleared. Solo.
──────────────────────────────────
LOOT — BOSS DROPS
──────────────────────────────────
It dropped:
Skill Seed: Minor Regeneration
• Skill Seed: Appraisal Eye
• Flameback Plate (Rare → Legendary)
• Devourer's Heart Core (E → S-rank)
• Molten Fang (Rare)
• Dungeon Key Fragment x3
• Ember Essence (Epic)
Not the flashiest skills, but I knew from past lives:
Upgraded all the way, they become stupidly powerful.
I stored everything.
No hesitation.
──────────────────────────────────
AFTERMATH — THE REALIZATION
──────────────────────────────────
Standing alone in that room, something clicked.
Peak D awakening.
Soloing an entire dungeon.
Hundreds of kills.
Millions in loot.
Boundless Potential unlocked.
But the kicker?
Focus still blank.
Essence infinite.
Endless energy.
Boundless…
Limitless…
Infinite…
It hit me.
Hard.
Maybe I don't HAVE a Focus stat.
Maybe my Focus IS infinite.
A fireworks show went off in my skull.
I steadied my breath.
"Fuck it," I whispered.
"All or nothing."
The world was dangerous.
Monsters, awakeners, governments — everything was shifting.
If I wanted to survive?
I needed stronger defensive and passive skills.
High-tier ones.
Expensive ones.
The cheapest good passives started at $600,000.
Good thing I'd just made triple that.
"Where to start…?" I muttered.
And stepped through the teleport crystal