Chapter 32: The First Gatekeeper!

Standing at the edge of the platform, Aiden slowly lifted his head. His gaze settled on the yawning tunnel stretching into endless darkness.

The oppressive silence seemed capable of swallowing light itself.

Deep within that tunnel awaited the dungeon’s first gatekeeper...

And beyond it... the true final boss of the Abandoned Subway Station.

Aiden retrieved one [Rough Whetstone] and carefully ran it along the edge of his kitchen knife.

A faint metallic gleam shimmered across the blade.

Its killing power increased once more.

He tightened his grip around the handle. "Alright... The warm-up is over."

Feeling the steadily growing strength coursing through his body and the familiar rhythm of battle settling back into his instincts, Aiden’s eyes sharpened.

"It’s time to meet the master of this place."

Without another word, he stepped forward. His figure disappeared into the suffocating darkness of the tunnel.

The true trial of the dungeon was only just beginning.

...

The tunnel stretched on without end, lit only by intermittent emergency lights that pulsed across the walls like the fading heartbeat of a dying man.

The air grew colder and heavier with every step.

Dampness clung to the concrete, carrying the acrid scent of rust, machine oil, and something far more unsettling...

Decay.

Railway tracks disappeared into the darkness beneath Aiden Cross’s feet. Thick industrial pipes ran alongside them, weaving past abandoned maintenance equipment whose looming silhouettes resembled countless watchful eyes hidden in the shadows.

Aiden’s pace never faltered, but every sense was on high alert.

He knew the first boss awaited him on the maintenance platform ahead.

As he rounded a bend, the tunnel opened into a broader chamber, then Aiden stopped.

Standing in the center of the platform was a towering figure with its back turned to him.

Each movement produced the heavy groan of strained machinery.

"Huff..."

"Huff..."

The sound almost resembled breathing.

The creature stood nearly three meters tall, a grotesque construct stitched together from twisted scrap metal, severed cables, and the mangled remains of several human corpses.

Its massive arms were as thick as hydraulic pistons, ending in enormous metal pincers and spinning drills caked with dried, dark-red grime.

At its core was a bulky steel chassis with exposed gears and hissing pipes, its surface dotted with indicator lights that flashed in frantic, erratic patterns.

"Terminate..."

"Terminate..."

"Terminate..."

Its fragmented robotic voice echoed throughout the chamber, accompanied by warning sirens buried somewhere within its metallic frame.

[Out-of-Control Engineering Mech (Boss)]

[Level: 6]

[Traits: Heavy Strike • Drill Thrust • Overload Release (Area Arc)]

A Level 6 Boss was a deadly opponent for an ordinary five-person party.

But Aiden Cross was no ordinary player.

His attributes far exceeded what his level should allow, and with his advanced combat experience, battlefield awareness, and collection of Soul Traits, defeating the monster was within his capabilities.

Even so, he refused to charge in recklessly.

He remained motionless, his sharp gaze studying every subtle movement of the Engineering Mech.

Then his eyes narrowed and thermal Perception activated.

The world immediately gained another layer.

But this time... Something was wrong.

The Engineering Mech was there.

Aiden could see it with his normal vision. Yet through Thermal Perception, its outline was strangely difficult to distinguish.

Its metal components emitted only a small amount of heat, barely more than the surrounding environment.

The temperature of its frame had gradually equalized with the cold metal, concrete, and pipes surrounding it.

Its heat signature practically merged with everything around it.

Aiden’s brows furrowed. ’It’s hiding its configuration.’

The low heat produced by its mechanical components wasn’t enough to create a distinct thermal signature.

Instead, it blended almost perfectly with the surrounding environment.

The mech had effectively disappeared into the thermal landscape.

Aiden studied it for another second. ’If I rely on Thermal Perception like I did against living creatures, it’ll actually interfere with my judgment.’

He immediately deactivated the trait and his vision returned to normal.

The Engineering Mech became much easier to read. Not because it had changed... But because Aiden had stopped looking for something that wasn’t there.

’Mechanical targets are completely different.’

Several seconds passed, then Aiden moved.

As the boss completed its slow, lumbering turn, its back momentarily exposed near a stack of rusted oil drums.

Aiden slipped forward like a phantom.

His hand rose as he activated the Thorn Flower Demon Soul trait, ’Root Entanglement!’

Mana surged into the ground. Dark-green roots burst through the metal floor, twisting rapidly around the Engineering Mech’s massive right leg.

The roots wrapped tightly around its joints.

But—

CRACK!

Several of them snapped almost immediately. The level difference, combined with the mech’s metallic construction, greatly weakened the binding effect.

Still, the roots held for a fraction of a second, but that was enough.

Aiden’s free hand immediately formed a gun-like gesture. ’Pressure Shot!’

Mana surged through his arm and concentrated at his fingertips.

BANG!

A compressed burst of highly pressurized force erupted forward.

It struck the emergency power box mounted on the far side of the platform.

BOOM!

The box exploded in a shower of sparks. The platform plunged into near darkness.

The emergency lights flickered wildly before several of them went out completely.

At the same time, the Engineering Mech’s indicator lights went haywire. Its movements suddenly became sluggish.

"System... instability..."

Aiden’s eyes gleamed. ’Just like I remember.’

This was the hidden mechanic of the first boss. The power box wasn’t part of the boss’s body, but destroying it disrupted the electrical system feeding the maintenance platform.

It didn’t disable the mech completely. But it interfered with its movement and delayed its reactions.

And that tiny window was all Aiden needed. He lunged forward like a hunting cheetah. He didn’t bother retrieving the kitchen knife from his storage.

Against the mech’s thick metal frame, even the Slightly Sharp trait wasn’t enough to turn an ordinary kitchen knife into a weapon capable of slicing through its components.

That didn’t mean the trait was weak. The Engineering Mech was Level 6 and Aiden was only Level 3.

Considering the fact that it’s component are thick enhanced metals, the difference was simply too large.

But while the kitchen knife won’t get the work done, blunt weapons with enough power should be enough to rattle it continuously...

So instead of using the kitchen knife, Aiden pulled the [Vinewood Staff] from his back.