Awakening Of The Forgotten World

Dain wiped the blood from his arm, the sting still fresh from the Shadowfang Pack's attack. His breathing was steady now, his body already adjusting to the wounds.

The battle had been his first true test outside the safety of Eldrin's Hollow. And though he had won, it was a stark reminder—he was alone now.

No militia.

No Edric to watch his back.

No Maelin to heal his wounds.

Just him, his sword, and the system.

A notification flashed.

[Dungeon Detected: Ruins of Black Hollow - 1 Mile Ahead]

• Threat Level: Unknown

• Status: Unexplored

Dain exhaled, gripping Silverlight tightly.

He had come this far.

And now—it was time to take the next step.

The path ahead was wild.

Thick roots broke through the cracked stone road, remnants of a time when this place was once traveled by many.

Now, it was abandoned.

The trees pressed in from either side, their dark branches twisting overhead, forming a tunnel of shadows.

The deeper he went, the more the air grew cold.

Not from the weather.

But from something else.

A system message appeared.

[Dungeon Sense (Lv.1) Activated]

• A supernatural presence has been detected.

• Proximity: Less than 500 meters.

Dain tensed.

The forest was silent.

Too silent.

No insects. No birds.

Only the faint whispers of wind passing through the twisted branches.

His hand hovered over his sword hilt.

Whatever lay ahead—it was already aware of him.

After another fifteen minutes of walking, the dense trees suddenly opened up.

Dain stepped into a clearing, his boots crunching over broken stone.

And there—it stood.

Massive stone pillars, cracked and broken, lined the edges of an ancient courtyard.

Vines snaked through the ruins, wrapping around half-collapsed structures, their faded carvings nearly consumed by time.

At the far end, embedded into the side of a massive rock formation, lay the entrance.

A pair of stone doors, etched with strange runes and sigils, stood partially ajar.

Dain's heartbeat quickened.

A notification appeared.

[You have discovered: Ruins of Black Hollow]

• First Explorer Bonus: +100 Experience

• Dungeon Entrance Unlocked

The moment the message appeared, the ground beneath him shuddered slightly.

A gust of wind rushed past—cold, unnatural.

Like a warning.

Or a greeting.

Dain clenched his fists. "What happened here?"

This place was wrong.

And yet, the system had led him here.

There had to be a reason.

Dain approached one of the fallen pillars, running his fingers along the faded carvings.

The images were ancient, almost erased by time.

But he could still make out figures—warriors clad in heavy armor, wielding massive swords and staffs.

Beneath them—monsters.

Or perhaps, people turned into monsters.

The carvings told a story.

A battle? A curse?

Dain's mind raced.

Then—a system notification appeared.

[Lore Fragment Discovered: The Cursed War]

• This ruin was once a battleground between the Order of the Hollow Star and the Tainted Ones.

• Those who fell here were never given peace.

Dain's stomach tightened.

Not just a dungeon.

A graveyard.

And if the system was warning him…

Then something was still down there.

Waiting.

Dain moved toward the dungeon entrance, stepping carefully across the cracked stone floor.

The air grew colder the closer he got.

Then—he noticed something.

At the base of the massive stone doors, a mark was carved into the ground.

It was a circle of jagged lines, twisting inward like a vortex.

Dain's eyes narrowed. "I've seen this before."

He had seen similar markings back in the dungeon beneath Eldrin's Hollow.

A system notification confirmed it.

[Warning: This dungeon is cursed.]

• Unnatural forces detected.

• Threat Level: HIGH.

Dain exhaled slowly.

"A cursed dungeon," he murmured.

This was new.

The ruins beneath Eldrin's Hollow had been dormant.

But this place?

It was still active.

And that meant—the curse remained.

A Choice of Fate

Dain stood before the massive stone doors, his pulse steady.

A new prompt appeared.

[Enter Dungeon: Yes / No]

For a moment, he hesitated.

This wasn't just another dungeon.

This was something worse.

The system itself was warning him.

But if he turned back now—

What was the point of leaving the village?

He had chosen this path.

And he wasn't going to run from it.

Dain's hand tightened around Silverlight.

Then, without hesitation, he selected [Yes.]

The doors groaned open.

A blast of cold air rushed past him—filled with the scent of damp stone and decay.

The torches along the walls lit up on their own, casting an eerie blue glow into the depths.

Dain took a slow breath—

And stepped inside.

The doors rumbled shut behind him.

Darkness swallowed him whole.