Hell's Gate
Morning arrived at the Imperial Academy.
The atmosphere was lively.
Students filled the massive academy grounds while preparing weapons, magic tools, and supplies.
Today was different.
Today—
They would enter the ancient dungeon beneath Luzuno Kingdom.
A dungeon untouched since before the Great War a thousand years ago.
According to ancient records—
No one had ever reached its deepest floor.
Some books even claimed the dungeon had no end.
An infinite abyss.
And the deeper the floors became—
The stronger the monsters grew.
At the center platform stood the new Principal of the Imperial Academy.
Aera.
The second strongest instructor after Jin Law himself.
Calm.
Beautiful.
And feared by the students.
Beside the academy gates stood Jorem and CEE casually grilling fish while ignoring the tension around them.
Principal Aera looked toward the students.
“This dungeon contains monsters far stronger than surface monsters.”
“Some creatures in the deeper floors possess strength comparable to Heroes.”
The students became nervous instantly.
“But unlike surface monsters…”
“They lack intelligence and strategy.”
“They only know instinct.”
She raised her hand.
“The objective is simple.”
“Earn the highest points by eliminating monsters.”
“The stronger the monster…”
“The higher the score.”
Then six instructors stepped forward.
The students divided themselves into six elemental teams.
Fire.
Water.
Earth.
Wind.
Lightning.
And Gravity.
Each instructor would lead one team.
Meanwhile—
Jorem and CEE remained outside the dungeon entrance as observers.
Or at least—
That was the official explanation.
Soon—
The massive dungeon gates opened.
BOOOOM!!!
Cold air exploded outward from the darkness below.
The students swallowed nervously.
Then—
They entered.
Floors 1–5
The first floors were filled with Goblin-type monsters and armored beasts.
The students fought confidently.
Fire magic exploded through tunnels.
Wind blades cut through monsters rapidly.
The Earth Team crushed giant stone beasts with coordinated attacks.
Meanwhile, the Water Team trapped enemies inside freezing currents.
The instructors nodded approvingly.
The students were far stronger than before the war.
One student shouted proudly after defeating a giant armored wolf.
“We can clear this easily!”
But the instructors remained alert.
Because everyone knew—
The true danger started deeper below.
Floors 6–10
The atmosphere changed completely.
The dungeon became darker.
The mana density increased heavily.
New monsters appeared.
Shadow spiders.
Venom drakes.
Crystal beasts.
Several students became injured during sudden ambushes.
The Wind Team nearly got wiped out after flying creatures attacked from above.
But Instructor Vel managed to save them with massive tornado magic.
Meanwhile, the Gravity Team fought a gigantic cave serpent.
The battle destroyed half the tunnel before the students finally killed it together.
The students began realizing—
This dungeon was nothing like surface battles.
Floors 11–15
The deeper floors became massive underground ruins.
Ancient structures appeared everywhere.
The monsters here moved faster.
Hit harder.
And some possessed strange abilities.
One monster distorted sound itself, causing several students to panic.
Another creature copied magic attacks.
The instructors were finally forced to fight seriously.
Explosions shook entire floors.
Several elite students defeated a giant magma beast together after a long coordinated battle.
But exhaustion slowly began spreading among the teams.
The deeper they went—
The heavier the pressure became.
Floors 16–20
Silence.
The dungeon became unnaturally quiet.
Even the students stopped talking.
The monsters here possessed terrifying auras.
Some creatures were already comparable to warriors from the Great War.
Massive skeletal dragons wandered ancient ruins.
Blind humanoid monsters moved through walls.
One monster erased magic itself around it.
The students struggled heavily now.
Several teams almost died repeatedly.
The instructors constantly protected them while fighting at full strength.
Even they were becoming tense.
Then—
On the 20th Floor—
Everything stopped.
A single figure stood silently in the center of the ruined chamber.
A man.
Holding a sword.
The atmosphere instantly became terrifying.
The students froze.
Some collapsed from the pressure alone.
The six instructors attacked immediately with their strongest magic.
Fire storms.
Gravity distortion.
Lightning destruction.
Earth spears.
Wind slashes.
Water dragons.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The entire floor exploded apart.
But—
The man casually dodged every attack without moving from his spot completely.
As if all the attacks meant nothing.
The instructors’ faces turned pale.
They attacked again desperately.
Sword arts.
Combination magic.
Ultimate techniques.
Nothing touched him.
The mysterious man simply stood there calmly.
Unbothered.
Then—
He slowly placed his hand on his sword.
At that exact moment—
A figure appeared instantly beside him.
Jin Law.
No one saw his movement.
Not even the instructors.
Jin Law calmly touched the man’s sword before it could fully leave its sheath.
Silence.
Then suddenly—
The mysterious man disappeared completely.
Gone.
The students finally panicked.
Instructor Aera shouted immediately.
“ALL STUDENTS RETREAT!”
“NOW!”
Several injured students were carried upward while others rushed desperately toward the surface.
Outside the dungeon entrance—
CEE and Jorem calmly grilled fish near the gate.
Then suddenly—
The students burst out from the entrance in panic.
“There’s a monster—!”
“No…”
One student trembled heavily.
“That thing isn’t a monster…”
Jorem immediately stood up.
Meanwhile, CEE narrowed his eyes slightly.
“…I didn’t notice it.”
That alone shocked Jorem slightly.
Moments later—
The instructors emerged exhausted.
Sweating.
Terrified.
Weakened.
Not like some of the strongest people in the empire.
Jorem looked at them seriously.
“What happened?”
No one answered immediately.
Finally, Instructor Aera spoke quietly.
“…Something impossible.”
CEE calmly stood.
Then he and Jorem entered the dungeon themselves.
The deeper they went—
The more horrifying the monsters became.
But to them—
It changed nothing.
Gigantic monsters were erased instantly.
Ancient creatures died before even reacting.
Entire floors collapsed from the force of their movements.
For ten straight hours—
They descended deeper and deeper.
Until finally—
They reached the deepest floor.
Silence greeted them.
Not darkness.
Not destruction.
But peace.
An endless sea stretched before them beneath a gigantic moon.
The atmosphere was calm.
Beautiful.
Peaceful.
Yet that very peace felt terrifying enough to make even instructors—
Or Gods—
Feel fear.
Ten hours before -
The moment Jin Law touched the swordsman’s blade—
Space distorted silently.
Then both of them disappeared from the dungeon completely.
An unknown domain.
No sky.
No ground.
Only endless darkness and a calm sea reflecting an enormous moon.
The mysterious man stood peacefully upon the water with his sword resting on his shoulder.
Meanwhile, Jin Law faced him calmly.
The God of Absolute Force.
The strongest among the Eight Gods.
Even in silence—
His aura alone could crush worlds.
But the swordsman remained unbothered.
The peaceful atmosphere around him never changed.
Then Jin Law spoke.
“…Where are you going? Don't leave when I'm talking to you”
The man slowly looked toward the moon.
“…Let's end this now”
Silence followed.
Then—
Jin Law vanished.
BOOOOOM!!!
The sea exploded apart instantly.
His speed surpassed sound, lightning, and even perception itself.
Nearly infinite speed.
The strongest force in existence condensed into his fist.
Yet—
The swordsman calmly tilted his blade slightly.
Jin Law’s attack missed.
No explosion.
No panic.
Only a peaceful dodge.
Jin Law attacked again.
And again.
Thousands.
Millions of strikes.
The domain shattered repeatedly from the overwhelming force.
But the man simply avoided every attack calmly with his sword movements.
Elegant.
Precise.
As if he already knew where every strike would appear.
Hours passed.
The battle continued endlessly.
The God of Absolute Force unleashed overwhelming magic capable of destroying kingdoms.
The sea evaporated.
The moonlight distorted.
Reality itself cracked apart.
Yet the swordsman still remained calm.
Peaceful.
Terrifyingly peaceful.
Then—
Silence.
Jin Law fell onto the shattered sea.
Blood spread beneath him slowly.
His body was broken.
His breathing weak.
The strongest of the Eight Gods had lost.
The swordsman stood nearby quietly.
No pride.
No killing intent.
Only silence.
Then Jin Law smiled faintly while blood flowed from his mouth.
“…I chose the south…”
A weak laugh escaped him.
“…because I met a girl there.”
The moon reflected across the blood-covered sea.
Then—
Jin Law closed his eyes.
And died.
Far away—
Inside the destroyed monster throne room—
The mysterious woman sat calmly upon the broken throne.
The moment Jin Law died—
She slowly closed her eyes.
The two figures beside her remained silent.
Then the woman quietly spoke.
“…The balance now favors the north.”
The atmosphere in the room became heavier.
The man beside her smiled faintly.
“So the strongest God has fallen.”
Meanwhile, the woman standing nearby looked toward the distant south.
“…What will that man do now?”
Silence returned once more.
Terrifying.
Peaceful.
As if the world itself was quietly waiting for something far worse to begin.
The deepest floor of the dungeon remained silent beneath the enormous moon.
The endless sea moved gently beneath the pale moonlight.
Peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Then suddenly—
The atmosphere changed.
Jorem stopped moving instantly.
For the first time—
Shock appeared on his face.
Far ahead across the sea—
A gigantic gate slowly emerged from the darkness.
A massive gate of fire.
So enormous that it looked endless.
The flames did not spread wildly.
They burned quietly.
Calmly.
Yet the pressure coming from the gate alone distorted the surrounding space.
CEE silently stared toward it.
Meanwhile, Jorem remained frozen.
Even a God could feel fear before that thing.
Then—
The deeper they focused on the gate—
The more terrifying it became.
Faint sounds slowly echoed from inside.
Screams.
Crying.
Endless suffering.
Countless voices layered together as if millions of souls were trapped beyond the flames.
The sound was distant…
Yet unbearably clear.
The sea itself began trembling slightly.
Jorem slowly narrowed his eyes.
“…What is that?”
No answer came.
Only the endless cries from beyond the gate.
Like a world filled only with despair existed behind it.
Meanwhile—
CEE remained calm.
Silent.
Watching the burning gate beneath the giant moonlight while the peaceful sea slowly moved around them.
The endless fire gate stood silently across the sea.
The screams beyond it echoed endlessly.
Crying.
Suffering.
Despair.
Even the peaceful atmosphere of the deepest floor felt distorted by its existence.
Jorem slowly stepped forward.
Flames erupted around his body instantly.
The sea beneath him evaporated.
His divine aura exploded across the endless ocean.
The God of Fire smiled faintly.
“…Then let’s see what you are.”
BOOOOOOM!!!
An overwhelming inferno covered the sky.
The moonlight itself seemed consumed by his flames.
CEE silently watched nearby.
Then—
Jorem raised his sword.
All his divine fire condensed into a single point.
A terrifying power capable of erasing kingdoms.
Even space itself cracked apart from the heat.
Jorem smiled confidently.
And swung.
SLAAAAASH!!!
A gigantic wave of divine fire tore across the endless sea toward the gate.
The ocean split apart completely.
Reality distorted violently.
Then—
The attack struck the gate directly.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The entire deepest floor shook endlessly.
Silence followed.
Smoke slowly spread across the sea.
Jorem smirked slightly.
But after several seconds—
Nothing happened.
The gate remained untouched.
Not even a scratch.
The screams beyond it continued calmly.
As if his strongest attack never existed.
Then suddenly—
Jorem’s expression froze.
His body trembled violently.
He slowly dropped to one knee while clutching his head tightly.
“…Ghh…!”
CEE looked toward him calmly.
“What’s happening?”
Jorem didn’t answer.
His breathing became unstable.
His eyes widened.
Then—
Flashbacks exploded through his mind.
Memories.
Thousands of years of memories.
Ancient battlefields.
Burning worlds.
Gods screaming.
Endless darkness.
The enormous fire gate.
The north.
The south.
The Great War from a thousand years ago.
Everything.
Jorem’s pupils trembled heavily.
“…No…”
More memories flooded him.
The truth behind the Gods.
The true purpose of RODEM.
Why the barriers existed.
Why the war never truly ended.
And finally—
His mission.
The mission he had forgotten for thousands of years.
The flames around him became unstable.
The peaceful sea trembled violently.
Jorem slowly looked toward the endless gate with shaking eyes.
Then he whispered—
“…So that’s what this world really is…”
