The rain slowly began to weaken.
Dark clouds still covered the sky, but the violent storm had calmed into a steady drizzle. Water flowed along the cracked pavement, washing away the black blood of the monsters.
Kael stood beside the corpse of the Bonecrawler, breathing slowly as the system windows faded.
Behind him, Daniel was still staring at the dead creature in disbelief.
"We… we actually survived," Daniel said quietly.
Kael glanced at him.
"For now."
Daniel scratched the back of his head nervously.
"So… what happens next?"
Before Kael could answer—
A strange vibration spread through the ground.
At first it was faint.
Then it grew stronger.
BOOM.
The earth trembled.
Both of them turned toward the sound.
Far down the street, the air itself began to distort.
It looked as if reality was bending inward.
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"…What is that?"
Daniel suddenly froze.
A blue system window appeared in front of him.
His eyes widened as he read it.
"Oh no."
"What?" Kael asked.
Daniel swallowed.
"A Gate."
The distortion in the air expanded rapidly.
Dark energy swirled together like a vortex.
Within seconds, a massive black portal formed in the middle of the street.
It was at least fifteen meters tall.
The air around it crackled with unstable energy.
Another system notification appeared.
[Global Announcement]
A Dungeon Gate has appeared.
Location: Sector C-17
Threat Level: Unknown
People began to scream in the distance.
Some ran away in panic.
Others stared in shock.
Daniel looked terrified.
"This is bad… this is really bad."
Kael kept watching the portal.
"Why?"
Daniel turned toward him.
"Because Gates spawn monsters."
"…We already knew that."
Daniel shook his head quickly.
"No. I mean a lot of monsters."
As if proving his point—
Something moved inside the portal.
A large shadow stepped forward.
Then another.
Then dozens more.
Kael's expression hardened.
The monsters began crawling out of the Gate.
Some looked like twisted wolves.
Others had long insect-like limbs.
And a few were even larger than the Bonecrawler.
The street quickly filled with growling creatures.
Daniel stepped backward in horror.
"There are too many…"
Kael's system activated again.
A crimson message appeared.
[Major Event Detected]
The next message followed immediately.
[Event Quest Generated]
The First Collapse
Description:
The arrival of the Gate marks the beginning of chaos.
Objective: Survive the Gate outbreak.
Bonus Objective: Cause maximum disruption.
Reward: High
Failure: Death
Kael sighed.
"…Of course you would say that."
Meanwhile, more monsters continued to pour out of the Gate.
The street was becoming a battlefield.
Daniel grabbed Kael's arm.
"We need to leave!"
Kael didn't move.
Instead, he stared at the portal.
Something about it felt strange.
Almost familiar.
The crimson system window flickered again.
[Hidden Reaction Detected]
Kael frowned.
"What now?"
The system responded with a single line.
[The Gate recognizes you.]
Kael's eyes widened slightly.
"…What?"
Before he could question it further—
A powerful roar erupted from inside the portal.
The ground trembled violently.
The smaller monsters suddenly moved aside.
Something massive was coming through the Gate.
A huge claw slowly emerged from the darkness.
Then a giant armored head followed.
The creature stepped fully into the street.
It stood nearly six meters tall.
Its body was covered in black armor plates, and its glowing red eyes burned like embers in the darkness.
Daniel's voice trembled.
"…That's a boss monster." The creature looked directly at Kael.
For a moment, the entire street fell silent.
Then the system spoke again.
[Boss Monster Detected]
Abyss Sentinel
Level: 12
Kael let out a slow breath.
"Level twelve…"
The monster roared.
And the night descended into chaos.