CHAPTER 2 — NIGHTFALL OF THE FIRST GATE
1. A School Drowning in Chaos
Screams echoed through the hallways like a chorus of terror.
The lights flickered violently, swinging overhead as if the building itself were panicking. Lockers slammed open from the tremors, sending textbooks spilling across the shaking floor.
Some students ran blindly.
Some froze in fear.
Some cried, hugging their friends.
But Raven Solas stood still.
Calm.
Cold.
Focused.
His black coat fluttered from the warm breath of the monster corpse at his feet—its blood evaporating into the air like smoke.
Aria stared at him as if she had never seen him before.
Lia trembled beside her, gripping her skirt so tightly her knuckles turned white.
Raven ignored the panic around him and instead focused on the air.
Because he could feel it.
The Gate was not done.
This was just the beginning.
A low hum vibrated through the hallway, resonating like the heartbeat of a dying world.
"Everyone. Move." Raven commanded.
His voice sliced through the chaos.
But no one moved—until the shadow servant beside him stepped forward, its presence radiating an eerie, supernatural pressure. Students backed away instinctively, creating a path.
Raven looked at Aria and Lia.
> "Stay close. If you fall behind even once, you'll die."
Aria swallowed. "You… you crushed that monster with one hand."
Lia whispered shakily, "That wasn't even human…"
Raven didn't answer.
There was no time.
---
2. The Second Wave
The floor rumbled again.
Dust rained from the ceiling.
Cracks split across the walls.
Then—
BOOM!
A violent burst of light exploded from the staircase below. The ground beneath their feet glowed with the sickly purple energy of spatial distortion.
Another monster crawled out…
Then another…
Then another.
Three this time.
[Corrupted Hellhound – Level 6]
[Corrupted Hellhound – Level 6]
[Corrupted Hellhound – Alpha Variant – Level 10]
Students screamed and bolted in every direction.
The Level 10 Alpha Hellhound roared, snapping its jaws with bone-breaking force.
Lia collapsed on her knees, paralyzed.
Aria grabbed her shoulders, pulling her back.
"Move, Lia!" Aria yelled.
But Lia shook uncontrollably, tears falling.
Raven walked forward slowly, cracking his knuckles.
His shadow servant took position beside him, forming two shadow-blades from its arms.
Raven's voice was barely above a whisper:
> "Shadow Veins—Second Surge."
His veins turned pitch black.
His eyes glowed with a deep violet light.
His muscles tightened like drawn steel.
BOOOOOOM!
Raven vanished.
Teleport speed was impossible for a normal human—
but Raven wasn't normal.
The Alpha Hellhound didn't even have time to growl before Raven's fist slammed into its jaw, shattering its bone structure and launching it through two walls.
The other two hounds lunged at his back.
Shadow Servant intercepted them—its body absorbing their claws like fluid darkness—then cutting both monsters into ribbons with precise, emotionless strikes.
Raven crushed the Alpha's remaining skull fragment under his boot.
Silence.
Only the crackling spatial energy remained.
Lia stared wide-eyed.
"R-Raven… that was impossible…"
Aria whispered, "Just… who are you?"
Raven turned to them, his eyes still glowing.
> "I'm the person who will keep both of you alive."
---
3. Choosing the Survivors
A cluster of students gathered near the stairwell—scared, shaking, some injured.
A boy limped toward Raven. "P-Please… help us!"
A girl sobbed. "My leg… I can't move—"
Raven scanned them.
He recognized several faces.
People who died in the old timeline.
Some he could save.
Some… would only drag others down.
But this time, the system changed things.
A notification appeared:
[New Sub-Quest: Choose Your First Survivors]
Difficulty: A
Details: Select a group of humans to protect and guide. Their potential will grow based on your choices.
Rewards scale with:
Number saved
Talent level
Future contribution
Raven clenched his jaw.
This was new.
The old system never offered anything like this.
Aria tugged his sleeve. "Raven… we should help them!"
Lia nodded quickly. "We can't abandon them!"
Raven kneeling beside the injured student.
> "Listen carefully. If you follow me, you follow my rules. No crying. No panicking. No running ahead. Understand?"
The injured boy nodded vigorously. "Y-Yes!"
Raven scanned the group again—choosing three more students who had hidden potential in the previous timeline.
Four survivors added to the group.
The System chimed:
[Selected Survivors: 4]
[Estimated Talent Growth: High]
[Bonus Reward: +2 Shadow Servants (Locked until Gate Clear)]
Raven exhaled.
Good.
Very good.
---
4. The Awakening Core
The floor glowed again.
A massive circular rune formed beneath the school—spanning the entire foundation of the building.
Raven's heart pounded.
> "This is bigger than last time…"
Aria grabbed his arm. "What do you mean last time!? This never happened before!"
Lia whispered, "Raven… did you know this would happen?"
Raven looked at them with a chilling calm.
> "Yes. And this is only the first day."
Before they could respond, the system screamed:
[WARNING — GATE EVOLUTION IN PROGRESS]
[Rank Up: From E → D → C]
[Boss Monster Emerging]
The entire school shook violently.
The floor split open.
Dark tendrils of energy surged out like lightning.
Students fell to the ground, covering their heads.
A massive shape crawled out…
Twisted…
Armored…
Dripping with void energy.
[CORRUPTED DIRE BEHEMOTH – LEVEL 25 – DUNGEON BOSS]
The monster was huge—its body nearly breaking through the ceiling, its claws as long as spears, its roar shaking the building like a thunderstorm.
Aria froze in shock.
Lia collapsed again, crying.
The four selected survivors screamed.
Even the shadow servant took a step back.
But Raven smiled.
A slow, cold, dangerous smile.
> "This time, I kill you before you kill half the school."
---
5. The Boss Fight
The Dire Behemoth charged.
The shockwave blew lockers off their hinges and shattered windows in a storm of glass.
Raven activated everything.
[Shadow Veins — Overdrive]
[Abyssal Endurance — Temporary]
[Dark Sight — Activated]
His entire body surged with power—enough to break a normal human into pieces.
He roared back, sprinting forward.
The Behemoth swiped a claw the size of a truck—
Raven ducked under it, sliding across the floor, then SLAMMED his fist into the Behemoth's leg.
CRACK!
A portion of the monster's leg bone shattered.
But the Behemoth didn't fall.
It roared and stomped—sending shockwaves that collapsed half the hallway.
Raven leaped onto its arm, sprinting up its limb like a staircase.
The monster swung again—
Raven jumped, using its horn as leverage—and plunged his shadow-covered fist into its eye.
The Behemoth screamed, thrashing violently.
Aria shielded Lia. Dust and concrete fell around them.
"RAVEN!! COME BACK!!"
He didn't.
He drove deeper into the monster's head, using shadow energy to carve through bone and flesh.
The Behemoth crashed into walls.
Raven was thrown off—slamming into the ground hard enough to chip the floor.
He coughed blood.
Lia screamed his name.
The monster recovered—charging again.
Raven pushed himself up, wiping his mouth.
> "Still not enough… fine."
He spread his arms wide.
[COMMAND: SHADOW SERVANT—FUSE]
The shadow servant dissolved into a dark mist, swirling around Raven like a storm.
His aura multiplied.
His eyes glowed like a demon king.
He sprinted again.
Leaped.
And with every ounce of strength—
Raven delivered a final punch to the monster's core.
BOOOOOOOOOM!
The Dire Behemoth exploded into black shards—its body dissolving into energy.
Silence.
Dust.
Shaking breaths.
Raven fell to one knee.
Then—
The System chimed.
[DUNGEON GATE CLEARED]
[Experience Gained: 18,900]
[Level Up: 1 → 18]
[Shadow Servants: +2]
[Skill Unlocked: Shadow Dominion]
[Evolution Material: Abyssal Heart (1)]
Raven stood, exhausted but victorious.
The students stared at him like he was a god.
Aria approached slowly.
"Raven… you saved us all."
Lia hugged him from behind, sobbing into his back.
He closed his eyes.
This time…
He wouldn't fail.
---
6. The First Night — A New Beginning
The dungeon gate collapsed.
The school lay in ruins.
Sirens echoed in the distance.
Raven walked outside into the sunset.
The sky was turning red.
Aria and Lia stood beside him.
The four survivors followed behind.
The wind carried the faint scent of ash.
The apocalypse had begun.
And this time…
Raven would walk the world as a reborn monster king.