The air in the abandoned factory complex crackled with an almost tangible malice. Min-jun's "Danger Sense" screamed, a blaring alarm in his mind. This wasn't just a sense of monster presence; it was the cold, calculated intent of human hunters. He gripped the hilts of his short blades, his eyes sweeping through the gloom of the dilapidated industrial building, scanning the shadows that stretched like hungry claws.
"Hold!" Min-jun barked, his voice cutting through the oppressive silence, instantly stopping So-yeon, Chul-soo, and Ji-won just inside the factory entrance. "It's a trap. Lionheart."
Before the words fully left his lips, figures detached themselves from the deeper shadows. They were clad in sleek, dark combat gear, emblazoned with the distinctive lion insignia. Their mana flared, cold and aggressive.
Leading the ambush was Lee Jae-bum, a B-rank Vanguard known for his relentless close-quarters assaults. He was a stocky, powerful man, wielding a heavy reinforced gauntlet that hummed with a low mana hum.
Lee Jae-bum (Lionheart Vanguard)
* Rank: B
* Level: 32
* Strength: 50
* Agility: 20
* Stamina: 45
* Mana: 20
* Skill: Fortified Gauntlet (B-Rank) - Channels mana into a gauntlet to drastically increase striking power and durability, capable of shattering defenses. Reduces user's overall speed.
Flanking him were two C-rank operatives: Kim Do-yeon, a C-rank Sniper with a crossbow that glowed faintly with mana, and Choi Min-ki, a C-rank Sentinel, whose body seemed to subtly harden as he prepared for combat.
Kim Do-yeon (Lionheart Sniper)
* Rank: C
* Level: 28
* Strength: 15
* Agility: 30
* Stamina: 20
* Mana: 35
* Skill: Mana Bolt (C-Rank) - Infuses crossbow bolts with mana for increased piercing power and minor explosion on impact. Enhanced accuracy.
Choi Min-ki (Lionheart Sentinel)
* Rank: C
* Level: 29
* Strength: 35
* Agility: 25
* Stamina: 38
* Mana: 15
* Skill: Iron Skin (C-Rank) - Temporarily hardens the user's skin, providing significant resistance to physical damage. Reduces user's mobility slightly.
"Well, well, the little F-rank rats walked right into the cheese," Jae-bum sneered, his voice echoing in the cavernous space. "Grandmaster Jin-ho sends his regards. He wants you to learn your place, permanently."
"Ambush from the front!" Min-jun yelled, instantly drawing his short blades. "Chul-soo, cover! So-yeon, ready healing! Ji-won, distractions, now!"
His "Tactical Flow Foresight" flared, showing him probabilistic attack vectors – Jae-bum's head-on charge, Do-yeon's aiming for So-yeon, Min-ki moving to cut off escape. He simultaneously activated "Environmental Mana Resonance," feeling the weak, unstable mana of the decaying factory seep into his body, subtly enhancing his agility.
Jae-bum bellowed, charging forward, his fortified gauntlet swinging in a devastating arc towards Min-jun. Simultaneously, Do-yeon's crossbow hummed, launching a mana-infused bolt directly at So-yeon's chest.
Chul-soo reacted instantly. With a roar, he slammed his shield down, anchoring it as a temporary barrier, blocking Jae-bum's initial charge. His Steel Shield skill rippled, absorbing the tremendous kinetic force, but Chul-soo grunted, pushed back a step by the sheer power.
"So-yeon, now!" Min-jun yelled, as he twisted, his enhanced agility making him a blur. He moved between the crossbow bolt and So-yeon, deflecting it with the flat of his left blade. The bolt ricocheted off the concrete pillar behind them, exploding with a shower of sparks. The resonance of the unstable dungeon around them seemed to shiver.
"Flicker illusions behind Min-ki!" Min-jun ordered Ji-won, who was already conjuring faint, darting shadows around the Sentinel, trying to draw his attention.
Min-jun then lunged at Jae-bum, who was still locked in a power struggle with Chul-soo's shield. His short blades were a dance of silver, targeting the gaps in Jae-bum's armor, his joints, the exposed parts of his neck and arms. He wasn't trying to cut deep; he was trying to annoy, to disrupt, to force openings. His strikes landed with precise, stinging impacts, making Jae-bum grunt in frustration.
"Focus fire on the F-rank!" Jae-bum roared at his teammates, abandoning his direct assault on Chul-soo to deal with the elusive thorn in his side.
Min-ki, breaking from Ji-won's fleeting distractions, activated his Iron Skin. His body hardened, taking on a metallic sheen, and he moved to flank Min-jun, aiming to box him in. Do-yeon repositioned, her crossbow humming again, aiming for Min-jun's head this time.
Min-jun felt the combined pressure. His "Danger Sense" was a constant thrum. He couldn't sustain a direct fight against three Awakeners, especially not in this unstable environment. He needed to create chaos, and then escape.
"Chul-soo, shield charge on Jae-bum! So-yeon, focus a mana barrier on Ji-won and yourselves! Ji-won, give me everything you've got on that far support beam!" Min-jun barked his orders, pointing towards a rusted, precariously balanced metal support beam high above their attackers.
Chul-soo, with a powerful grunt, activated his E-rank Shield Charge. He lowered his shoulder, his body suddenly surging forward, slamming his reinforced shield directly into Jae-bum. The B-rank Vanguard, caught off guard by the sudden burst of momentum, stumbled back, momentarily winded.
Simultaneously, So-yeon concentrated, a faint, green mana barrier forming around herself and Ji-won, protecting them from Do-yeon's next bolt, which exploded harmlessly against the shimmering barrier.
Ji-won, her eyes wide with fear but resolve, poured her mana into a single, complex illusion. She projected a flickering image of hundreds of tiny, glowing sparks emanating from the unstable support beam Min-jun had pointed at, accompanied by the subtle, unsettling sound of grinding metal. It was a visual and auditory illusion designed to mimic structural collapse.
The Lionheart members, trained to identify threats, instinctively glanced up. That single, precious moment of distraction was all Min-jun needed.
"Now!" Min-jun bellowed, and with a burst of "Environmental Mana Resonance," he launched himself towards the unstable dungeon access point at the back of the factory. He didn't just run; he moved in a zigzag pattern, throwing off Do-yeon's aim, his short blades flicking out, parrying any stray shots.
As he reached the access point, which was a corroded metal hatch leading down, he didn't try to force it open manually. Instead, with a flash of insight from his dream training, he identified a series of rusted bolts holding the hatch in place. He rapidly struck them with the pommels of his short blades, using precise, rapid impacts that leveraged the weapon's weight to resonate with the unstable structure of the factory. The sound was like a sharp, metallic screech.
The small, repeated impacts, combined with the inherent instability of the dungeon and Ji-won's lingering illusion of structural failure, had an immediate and catastrophic effect. The entire support beam that Min-jun had pointed at, already weakened by time and dungeon energy, groaned ominously. Dust and debris rained down.
"Collapse!" Jae-bum roared, looking up in panic. "Fall back!"
The Lionheart team, momentarily caught between Min-jun's escape and the perceived structural collapse, had to choose. Their instinct for self-preservation won. Jae-bum quickly pulled Min-ki back, while Do-yeon scrambled for cover as the support beam gave way with a thunderous crash, sending a cloud of dust and rubble cascading into the factory.
Min-jun didn't look back. He kicked the now-loose hatch open and leaped into the darkness below, quickly followed by Chul-soo, who covered the rear with his shield, and then So-yeon and Ji-won. The unstable ground beneath them shuddered as they descended.
They landed in a narrow, damp tunnel, the sounds of the collapsing factory echoing above them. They had escaped the ambush, but they were now deep within the actual unstable dungeon, in unfamiliar territory.
"Are you all okay?" Min-jun asked, his voice strained, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The pain in his ribs from the exhibition match, exacerbated by the intense combat, flared.
So-yeon immediately began her healing work. Chul-soo scanned their surroundings, shield ready. Ji-won, shaking slightly, conjured a small, glowing mana orb to provide light.
They had escaped Lionheart's snare, but they were far from safe. They had survived, but at a cost. The fight had been a desperate gamble, and they had barely made it out. This was a whole new level of danger. Lionheart wasn't just playing games anymore. They were playing for keeps, and Dream Weaver had just shown they could bite back. The road ahead was going to be brutal.