It was supposed to be a normal morning. The streets of Yangpu District buzzed like any other weekday—commuters on e-bikes weaving through traffic, vendors calling out for customers, students in uniforms hurrying toward their schools. I was standing outside a noodle stall, waiting on a takeout order, still thinking about the quest that appeared last night.
Solo another C-rank dungeon, huh?
Piece of cake.
I had the system now. Unlimited mana. A skill ranked SSS+++. Inventory space. Even a map function that slowly filled in as I walked. And when I lay in bed last night, still processing everything, the strangest new tab had appeared:
[Talent Tree Unlocked – Pending Synchronization…]
I had no idea what that meant. Yet.
But that quiet moment ended in an instant.
Because the sky split open with a deep, warping boom. Not thunder. Not a construction blast. A gate.
And it was massive.
People screamed, pointing toward the highway interchange down the road. A shimmering vortex had appeared in midair—dark, flickering at the edges like a flame about to go out of control. The kind of gate you read about in headlines but never saw with your own eyes.
And I knew the feeling in my chest instantly: Dungeon Break.
[Warning: Dungeon Break detected. Rank: A.]
I stared at the system window floating before me, blinking. An A-rank break? In the middle of a crowded city?
I threw some cash at the stall uncle, grabbed my noodles, and ran.
By the time I arrived at the elevated overpass, the scene had already fallen into chaos. Screaming civilians were fleeing the area, cars were crashed into the median, and a group of B- and C-rank hunters were forming a shaky perimeter.
But it was clear—they were overwhelmed.
Black, hulking figures were spilling out of the gate—Abyssal Hounds, six-legged beasts with glowing red eyes and jaws that could crush steel. Every few seconds, more leapt into our world, teeth gnashing, claws sparking against the road.
I saw a young hunter, barely older than me, slam his sword into one. It didn't even flinch. The beast knocked him flying into a lamppost.
And they just kept coming.
I ducked behind an abandoned car, heart pounding. The hunters were shouting, organizing lines, but it was no use. They weren't strong enough.
And I was.
So I made a decision.
I pulled my hoodie tight over my head, pulled the strings low to shadow my face. Then I stepped out from cover, slowly raising my right hand toward the nearest cluster of monsters.
No time for hesitation.
I snapped.
"Ultra Explosion."
The moment my fingers clicked together, everything stopped.
Sound drained from the world like air from a vacuum. Even the monsters froze mid-leap, their forms suspended as if time itself had stuttered.
Then the color changed.
From between my fingers, a violet glow ignited. Not the fiery orange of normal explosions. This was deeper—cooler. It shimmered like liquid amethyst, flickering and swirling like a galaxy collapsing in on itself.
One of the hunters gasped. A woman's voice.
"…It's beautiful…"
Then came the detonation.
The air inhaled and then collapsed outward. A violet pulse expanded like a dome, sweeping across the overpass. Every Abyssal Hound within range was vaporized on contact—no screams, no blood. Just silence, then nothing.
I stood there, palm open, breath even. My hoodie still shaded my eyes.
One by one, the remaining hunters stared at me, stunned into silence.
Who wouldn't be?
As the dust cleared and the gate finally shimmered out of existence, I turned to go. The system pinged me softly in the background, but I ignored it for now. I just wanted to disappear.
But then—
"Wait!"
A voice—clear, sharp, and feminine. I slowed but didn't turn.
"Are you an… S-rank hunter?"
I didn't respond.
I just ran.
By the time I rounded the corner and ducked into an alleyway, the system finally hit me with the notifications it had been holding back:
[Congratulations! You have cleared an A-Rank Dungeon Break (Solo).][New Title: Dungeon Breaker (Hidden)][You have been granted a reward: Mask of the Phantom (SS Rank)][Mask of the Phantom – SS Rank Equipment]
Effect 1: Hides facial identity
Effect 2: Conceals aura and hunter rank
Effect 3: Blocks tracking from most systems
And then came something even stranger.
[Talent Synchronization Complete.][New Talent Acquired: God of Swords]
I stared at the message. My pulse skipped.
"God of Swords?" I muttered under my breath.
As if in response, something shimmered in my inventory. A blade—not summoned, but waiting. Ancient. Bound to me.
[New Quest Available: Test the Sword's Potential.][Optional: Seek out a Blade Instructor.]
I tucked myself into a quiet bus stop, finally catching my breath. People were still running through the streets, sirens echoed in the distance, and I was sitting there, hoodie up, sipping lukewarm noodle broth like nothing had happened.
But everything had changed.
An A-Rank dungeon, cleared with a single snap.
An SS-rank mask, hiding my presence.
And now… the God of Swords talent. Whatever that meant.
My hands weren't shaking. I wasn't afraid.
I was just… alive.