Chapter 5: Not A Scratch

Chapter Five

"What...?" Aiden’s voice escaped his mouth in stunned disbelief. "What just happened?"

He wasn’t the only one stunned. Every single warrior around him was frozen in place, staring at the gruesome scene before them.

Hayley... one of the strongest warriors among them. A powerful Level Thirteen. She had just died. Just like that. Without anyone even touching her. Scout talent or not, Hayley was still an elite-level warrior. She had survived countless battles and dangerous situations in the past. Yet now... she was dead. And none of them had even seen what killed her.

Aiden and the remaining eighteen warriors sucked in cold breaths. They had all witnessed what happened. There was no doubt about it. Hayley had been using her talent... Peering Gaze.

She had peered deep into the massive cave, most likely trying to locate the dungeon boss and determine exactly how powerful it was. And whatever she had seen... was enough to kill her without even touching her. Fear overwhelmed the senses of every remaining warrior.

"Everyone, retreat!" Aiden shouted. ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

He was strong. Sturdy. Perhaps even too strict at times. But he wasn’t a fool.

For Hayley to die simply from looking at whatever terrifying existence was waiting deeper inside the dungeon... that kind of opponent wasn’t something any of them could face. The situation was far more dangerous than he could have ever imagined.

The warriors immediately turned around and began running. No one complained. No one argued. Not even Hurld. They simply wanted to get out. Soon, they reached the dungeon gateway once more. But the moment they arrived... they stopped.

The gateway was sealed. The entrance they had used to enter Dungeon X was no longer there. A barrier had completely covered it. The entire group halted. One after another, they turned toward Aiden. Fear was written across every single face.

The way Hayley had died was something none of them had ever witnessed before. And there was one thing humanity feared more than almost anything else... the unknown.

"Sir Aiden..." One of the warriors swallowed hard. "What should we do now?" His voice trembled. "The gateway has been sealed."

Aiden remained silent. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the sealed gateway before them. He studied it for several seconds. Then, after a while... he finally came to a conclusion.

"We’re going to break it."

The warriors’ eyes widened. "What?!" "Break the gateway?" "Are you serious?!"

Breaking a dungeon gateway was considered a taboo. A very serious one. After all, destroying a dungeon gateway could cause a dungeon break. And when a dungeon break occurred, the monsters inside could spill into the outside world. If there were cities or settlements nearby... the consequences could be disastrous.

It would brought about chaos, destruction and countless deaths. That was why any guild, group, or individual warrior who deliberately resorted to breaking a dungeon gateway and causing a dungeon break would be judged extremely harshly.

The punishment could range from an enormous fine... to life imprisonment... and even death. The exact punishment depended on the severity of the dungeon break and the amount of destruction it caused. So, no sane person would willingly choose to break a dungeon gateway. But Aiden didn’t believe they had another choice.

"Listen up, everyone." Aiden’s voice became firm. "If we break the gateway, we’re going to be punished." He looked around at the terrified faces surrounding him. "We may be punished severely. There is even a possibility that we could be sentenced to death." He clenched his weapon.

"But if we fail to get out of this dungeon..." His expression hardened. "...we’re all going to die for sure."

Silence. The warriors exchanged glances. Aiden raised his voice. "Make your decision now."

With that, he unsheathed his weapon. His eyes blazed with determination as his aura surged violently around him. The warriors hesitated. Only for a few seconds.

Then one of them stepped forward. Another followed. Then another. One after another, they joined Aiden. None of them wanted what had happened to Hayley to happen to them next. They would rather face the punishment waiting outside than remain trapped inside this nightmare.

Even Michael agreed. He stared at the sealed gateway with a deep frown. Breaking the gateway was wrong. He knew that. After all, the cities near the dungeon would be the first to suffer the aftermath if their actions triggered a dungeon break. Countless innocent people could die.

But Michael wasn’t a foolish saint either. There was no way he was going to stay behind. Not when the sense of danger he had been receiving from this dungeon had increased by several magnitudes with every passing second. He clenched his teeth.

I’ll report everything the moment I get out. Hopefully, a higher-leveled warrior can arrive in time to stop the dungeon break before it causes too much destruction. Hopefully...

Michael nodded. He had made his decision. There was nothing else he could do. Seeing that everyone had accepted the decision, Aiden nodded as well. It wasn’t as though they had any other choice.

"Alright." He raised his weapon. "Use your strongest skills." His voice echoed through the cavern. "Put everything you have into one attack." Aiden’s eyes narrowed. "Strike at my signal."

The warriors immediately began preparing their strongest offensive skills. Aiden lifted his sword. The moment he activated its active skill, a dark-red aura erupted from the blade. The crimson energy wrapped around the weapon like raging flames, making the sword appear incredibly intimidating.

But that wasn’t all. Aiden activated every offensive skill in his arsenal. His talent surged. His aura grew heavier. The energy surrounding his body continued to rise. The dark-red radiance around his sword became brighter and brighter. He was preparing everything he had... for a single attack.

An attack powerful enough to break the gateway.

Aiden’s eyes burned with determination. He was not the only one. The rest of the warriors also powered up their attacks to the absolute limit of their abilities as they prepared to break down the gateway, while the air trembled violently and even the surrounding space seemed to tighten under the overwhelming pressure of their combined power.

One might have called this overkill. After all, this was only supposed to be a Level 10 dungeon, and the gateway shouldn’t have been too strong. They couldn’t have been more wrong. Gateways were built to last. They were not ordinary structures that could simply be destroyed through brute force.

Even a Level 10 dungeon gateway would require several Level 10 warriors, if not more, to break. And yet, there were nineteen warriors standing before it. Nineteen powerful warriors, most of whom were already beyond Level 10. This should have been more than enough.

"Now!" Aiden’s roar thundered across the dungeon. His sword came crashing down. At the exact same moment, the rest of the warriors also launched their attacks.

BOOOOOM!

The entire space trembled. Nineteen of the most powerful attacks unleashed by elite warriors struck the mid-sized gateway simultaneously, and the resulting explosion was so violent that the ground beneath their feet shook, while a massive cloud of dust and debris erupted and swallowed the gateway completely.

For a moment... no one spoke. They simply waited. Slowly, the explosive force began to dwindle. The violent shockwaves weakened. The dust settled little by little. And then... everyone froze.

The reason was simple: their collective attacks... had done absolutely nothing to the gateway. Not even a scratch.

Aiden’s face instantly turned pale. "Impossible..." His mouth opened slightly in shock. The force behind their combined attacks was not something a Level 10 gateway was supposed to withstand. No. Not at all. Aiden was a powerful Level 15 warrior, and most of the others standing beside him were also beyond Level 10.

The combined might of their strongest skills should have been enough to erase the gateway instantly. After all... it was only a Level 10 gateway. And yet, when the last traces of dust finally disappeared, the gateway stood there completely untouched. Not a single crack. Not a single dent. Not even the slightest sign that it had been attacked.

Aiden’s eyes trembled as he stared at it. For the first time since entering Dungeon X... his gaze was filled with genuine worry. "No..." His fists tightened. "This is not right." He took a deep breath before forcing himself to remain calm. "Don’t give up hope. Let’s try one more time."

The others exchanged uneasy glances before eventually nodding. They couldn’t give up. Not yet. They still had a chance. At least... that was what they desperately wanted to believe.

Once again, the warriors gathered their strength. Mana surged through their bodies. Their skills activated. Their weapons were raised. And with everything they had left... they struck the gateway again.

BOOOOOMMM!

The explosion was even more violent this time. The resulting shockwave blasted several warriors backward, causing some of them to crash onto the ground while others staggered several steps before coughing up blood. Their faces were pale. Their bodies trembled. But none of them cared about their injuries.

They all stared toward the gateway. They waited. They desperately waited for the dust to fade so they could see the result of their effort. Slowly... the dust began to settle. And when the gateway finally came into view once more... their hearts sank. Despair washed over them in waves. The gateway... had not a single scratch.

"What the hell...?" One warrior’s face became paler than snow. "How can it still be standing without even a scratch?" Another warrior clutched his aching chest, his breathing ragged. "This dungeon... this dungeon must be cursed." His voice trembled.

"How can that gateway remain standing after all that?" Tears gathered in his eyes. For the first time, the terrifying thought that they were all going to die here took root inside his heart. And he was not the only one. The same fear spread through the others.

Perhaps... perhaps they should have listened to Michael. Perhaps they should have left the dungeon much earlier. Maybe their situation wouldn’t have become this dire if they had listened to him.

Aiden noticed the despair in the eyes of his warriors. His teeth clenched. He turned his gaze toward the gateway once more. It remained completely unblemished. It almost looked as though it was mocking them. Mocking their attacks. Mocking their strength. Mocking their desperation.

"I don’t believe it..." Aiden’s voice was low. "I can’t believe it." He tightened his grip around his sword. "There is no way this Level 10 gateway can be unbreakable!" He suddenly raised his voice. "Everyone, don’t despair!"

The warriors slowly looked toward him. "The only thing standing between us and safety is this gateway." His voice became deeper and more confident.

"We are warriors. Giving up before we’ve given it everything we have would be laughable." Aiden raised his sword. "Let’s do this. I’m certain we’ll break it soon." He stared at the gateway with fierce determination. "Just one more try... or a few more."

His confident tone somehow managed to inspire the others. The despair in their eyes didn’t disappear completely... but the warriors slowly regained their fighting spirit. They nodded. Then, once again... they took formation. They gathered every remaining ounce of strength they possessed.

"Now!" Aiden shouted.

And they attacked. Again. And again. And again. Minutes passed. Eventually... the warriors collapsed. Some dropped onto their knees.

Others fell flat onto their backs, their bodies completely drained. Their faces were pale. Their breathing was heavy. Their mana reserves had been almost completely depleted. They had given everything they had. Every skill. Every ounce of strength. Every desperate attack. And yet... the gateway remained standing.

Aiden’s sword finally slipped from his hand and fell to the ground with a metallic clang. His face was pale as well. But unlike the others... his paleness wasn’t caused by mana depletion. No. It was caused by something far worse. Fear. Intense, suffocating dread.

Aiden stared at the gateway before them, his body trembling slightly.

"How..." His voice was barely a whisper. "How on earth is this supposed to be possible?" They had attacked the gateway more than five times. They had used everything within their capacity. They had unleashed their strongest skills.

They had combined the power of nineteen warriors. And yet... the gateway still remained whole. Aiden’s eyes widened. "Holy hell..." His breathing became increasingly unsteady.

"It doesn’t even have a scratch." He stared at the gateway as though looking at something that shouldn’t exist. "Not a scratch..."