The plummet down the disused utility shaft was jarring, depositing Dream Weaver into a suffocating darkness. Min-jun landed hard, his short blades clattering against concrete, the impact sending a fresh jolt of pain through his bruised ribs. He immediately rolled, bringing his blades up defensively, his "Danger Sense" thrumming, not with an immediate hostile presence, but with the lingering dread of the unknown.
"Light!" he rasped, his voice hoarse.
Ji-won, despite her own shaking, managed to conjure a more stable, albeit still small, mana orb, illuminating their immediate surroundings. They were in a narrow, unkempt service tunnel, the air thick with dust and the faint, sweet-metallic scent of raw mana. Rusty pipes crisscrossed above them like skeletal veins, and the ground was uneven, strewn with crumbling debris.
"Everyone alright?" Min-jun asked, pushing himself up, his eyes scanning the gloom. So-yeon was already at his side, her hands glowing as she poured healing mana into his side, alleviating the worst of the ache. Chul-soo, ever vigilant, positioned himself at the rear, his shield forming a solid wall against whatever might emerge from the darkness.
"Just... bruised," So-yeon murmured, her brows furrowed in concentration. "And a little tired."
"My mana's low," Ji-won admitted, her voice barely a whisper. "That illusion took a lot out of me."
Min-jun nodded. They were in a dire situation. Isolated, deep within an unstable dungeon, hunted by two of the most powerful guilds, and running on fumes. Survival was paramount, but so was finding a way out, a way to grow.
He closed his eyes, focusing. His "Environmental Mana Resonance" pulsed, feeling not just the instability, but a stronger, stranger mana signature beneath them. It wasn't chaotic like the upper levels; it was ancient, almost primordial. It felt familiar, a faint echo of the distorted rune he'd glimpsed in his research and his uncontrollable dreams.
"We need to go down," Min-jun stated, pointing to a set of corroded metal stairs spiraling downwards into deeper darkness. "My resonance is picking up something... significant. And an exit, I think. It's too far to sense clearly, but there's a strong mana flow further down."
The descent was arduous. The stairs were slick with slime and broken in places, forcing them to rappel down makeshift ropes made from discarded wiring. Min-jun led, his short blades providing purchase against the crumbling walls, his resonant sense guiding him away from unstable sections.
Kim Min-jun
* Rank: F
* Level: 30
* Strength: 46
* Agility: 82
* Stamina: 55
* Mana: 35
* Unique Skill: Lucid Dream Training (F-Rank) - "Environmental Mana Resonance" is now highly refined, allowing for detailed interpretation of ambient mana signatures, including structural integrity and subtle presence detection. "Tactical Flow Foresight" can project short-term 'optimal path' within complex environments. Current Focus: Deep Dungeon Survival, Ancient Mana Signature Analysis, Resource Conservation in Combat.
As they descended, the air grew denser, the ambient mana more potent. The walls transitioned from concrete and rebar to rough-hewn stone, then to something almost glassy, shimmering with embedded crystals. This was no ordinary dungeon. This was an ancient ruin, perhaps a forgotten core where dungeon rifts manifested.
Their first encounter in this deeper level proved Min-jun's instincts right about higher-ranked threats. From a crystal-encrusted cavern, a Mana-Infused Golem emerged. It was a lumbering, humanoid creature composed of solidified mana and rock, its movements slow but devastatingly powerful. Its entire body pulsed with a faint, dangerous aura.
Mana-Infused Golem
* Rank: C+
* Level: 32
* Strength: 40
* Agility: 15
* Stamina: 50
* Mana: 30
* Special Abilities: Mana Armor (reduces physical damage), Mana Burst (occasional AoE mana explosion), Slow but powerful attacks.
"Giant!" Ji-won gasped, shrinking behind Chul-soo.
"Don't engage directly, Chul-soo!" Min-jun ordered, his eyes darting. "Its Mana Armor is too thick. So-yeon, ready healing on impact points. Ji-won, illusions to distract its head and arms! Focus on its legs!"
Chul-soo braced his shield, but instead of charging, he began to circle the Golem, drawing its attention, his shield reflecting its powerful, slow swings. His "Steel Shield" skill was now so refined it could absorb immense kinetic energy, allowing him to hold ground even against creatures far stronger.
Park Chul-soo
* Rank: E
* Level: 21
* Strength: 32
* Agility: 11
* Stamina: 32
* Mana: 15
* Skill: Steel Shield (E-Rank) - Enhanced kinetic absorption and counter-force generation. Can now generate a small, short-duration mana-dampening field (E-Rank) on impact to reduce mana-based attacks.
Ji-won's mana-infused illusions flickered around the Golem's massive head, creating false targets, making it flail its arms in frustration. Her growing control allowed her to conjure convincing distractions, drawing the Golem's attacks away from their vital core.
Han Ji-won
* Rank: F
* Level: 17
* Strength: 11
* Agility: 22
* Stamina: 18
* Mana: 55
* Skill: Minor Illusion (F-Rank) - Highly effective sensory illusions (visual, auditory, minor tactile suggestion). Can project limited "mana-ghost" illusions (F-Rank) that draw direct attacks.
Min-jun moved like a shadow, his short blades humming. He wasn't aiming for the Golem's armored body. His "Tactical Flow Foresight" showed him the weak points – the narrow joints where its legs connected to its main body, areas where its mana armor was thinnest. He would dart in, deliver a rapid series of precise slashes and thrusts, and then retreat before its slow, crushing retaliation. He used his "Environmental Mana Resonance" to feel the Golem's internal mana flow, sensing the faint power channels that animated it, aiming his blades where disruption would be most effective.
So-yeon, observing the fight, noticed Min-jun's relentless pace was causing tiny tears in his muscles. Her healing mana, now far more potent and mana-efficient, preemptively flowed into his legs and arms, mending the micro-damage as he fought, allowing him to maintain his impossible speed for longer. Her ability to apply a minor mana-dampening field on Chul-soo's shield also helped mitigate the Golem's Mana Burst attacks.
Lee So-yeon
* Rank: E
* Level: 20
* Strength: 11
* Agility: 13
* Stamina: 18
* Mana: 65
* Skill: Minor Regeneration (E-Rank) - Drastically increased healing output and mana efficiency. Can now sustain a minor "Mana Barrier" (E-Rank) on allies and apply a continuous, low-level regenerative aura.
The fight was a grueling dance of evasion and precise strikes. Min-jun would hit, retreat, and his team would cover him, distracting and defending. It took time, but eventually, the Golem's movements grew sluggish. Its mana armor flickered, its power waning under Min-jun's relentless, targeted attacks. Finally, with a powerful, resonant thrust that found a critical mana node in its leg joint, Min-jun severed a key connection. The Golem shuddered, its mana dissipating, and it crumbled into a pile of inert rock and glittering mana dust.
They had won, but the exhaustion was profound. So-yeon immediately began widespread healing, trying to restore their stamina. As she worked, Min-jun's "Environmental Mana Resonance" picked up something else, something very strong, just ahead. It wasn't a monster. It was a structure.
They moved forward, deeper into the cavern, the air growing thick with ancient, pulsing mana. And then they saw it.
It was a colossal, octagonal chamber, the walls constructed from the same glassy, crystal-infused rock that lined the tunnels. In the center, suspended in the air by invisible mana currents, was a swirling vortex of raw, unrefined mana – a nascent Dungeon Core. It pulsed with an almost organic rhythm, creating ripples in the air. Surrounding it, embedded in the walls and floor, were intricate, glowing runes, some familiar, some entirely new. And there, etched prominently into the very rock beneath the core, was the distorted rune Min-jun had glimpsed on the old map, amplified, clear, and thrumming with immense power.
It was a dimensional anchor, just as Professor Kim had theorized, but far more complex and ancient than anything he could have imagined. This wasn't just a C-rank dungeon. This was a direct point of origin, a raw tear in reality, actively manifesting monsters and mana, and being stabilized by these ancient runes. This was a core dungeon.
Min-jun felt a powerful pull from the rune, a connection to the chaotic dreams he sometimes experienced. He realized this wasn't just an exit; this was the source. This was where the rifts truly began, and perhaps, where they could be controlled.
His "Lucid Dream Training" skill shimmered, his understanding of the universe expanding in that moment. The F-rank skill, tethered to this anomaly, was finally showing its true colors. His vision blurred, not from fatigue, but from the raw influx of information.
Kim Min-jun (Updated)
* Rank: F (but functionally far beyond)
* Level: 31
* Strength: 48
* Agility: 85
* Stamina: 58
* Mana: 40
* Unique Skill: Lucid Dream Training (F-Rank, but evolving) - "Environmental Mana Resonance" now allows limited interaction with ancient rune structures, recognizing their purpose and potential. "Tactical Flow Foresight" can project complex, long-term strategic paths within a dungeon. Has gained a nascent understanding of "Mana Signature Replication" (F-Rank, extremely limited). Current Focus: Dungeon Core Analysis, Rune Interpretation, S-Rank Evasion.
This core dungeon was far beyond anything Dream Weaver was equipped to handle. But it also represented an unimaginable opportunity. To understand the source of the dungeons, to potentially manipulate it, to gain a level of power that transcended the normal Awakener System.
They were trapped between the wrath of two S-rank guilds above, and a living, breathing dungeon core below. But in this perilous situation, Min-jun didn't feel despair. He felt a profound sense of purpose. This was what his unique skill was for. This was the true path of the Dream Weaver. And it was just beginning.