Cold wind continued to blow through the frozen forest.
Snow slowly fell from the gray sky.
Do-Yoon walked through the endless white landscape while wearing the winter coat he got from the Ice Goblin Warrior.
The coat helped a lot.
Without it, he was sure he would've frozen to death already.
As he walked, a system notification appeared.
[Frost Goblin Defeated]
[Experience Gained]
Do-Yoon smiled.
A few hours earlier he had defeated another Frost Goblin.
Then another.
Then another.
And another.
And another.
In total, he had already defeated five more Frost Goblins.
At first, fighting them was difficult.
Very difficult.
But after obtaining Demon's Domain and increasing his Strength stat, things became much easier.
His attacks hit harder.
His movements felt stronger.
Even his Blood Rush skill seemed more powerful than before.
Now when a Frost Goblin appeared, Do-Yoon no longer panicked.
Instead, he immediately rushed forward and fought.
However...
Something was bothering him.
The experience points were getting lower.
The first monsters gave him plenty of experience.
Now the rewards felt much smaller.
Do-Yoon sighed.
"So leveling up is getting harder."
The system didn't respond.
"Of course you're not answering."
Do-Yoon continued walking.
Hours passed.
Then even more hours passed.
The frozen forest seemed endless.
Every direction looked exactly the same.
Trees.
Snow.
Ice.
More snow.
More trees.
And even more snow.
Do-Yoon felt tired.
Very tired.
His eyelids felt heavy.
His body felt slow.
At first he couldn't understand why.
Then he remembered something important.
He hadn't slept properly.
Not for one day.
Not for two days.
Three whole days.
Three days of fighting.
Three days of exploring.
Three days of trying not to die.
It was honestly impressive he was still standing.
His body wanted a bed.
His brain wanted a bed.
His soul wanted a bed.
Everything wanted a bed.
But the dungeon wasn't going to magically give him one.
So he kept walking.
Eventually, something strange appeared between the trees.
Do-Yoon stopped immediately.
His eyes narrowed.
"...What is that?"
Standing in the distance was a figure.
Humanoid.
Tall.
Almost his height.
Dark blue skin.
A mask covered its face.
The creature looked different from the Frost Goblins.
Much different.
Do-Yoon immediately became alert.
His first thought was simple.
Monster.
Without wasting time, he activated Disk Dash.
The snow exploded beneath his feet.
Within seconds he reached the figure.
Before it could react—
Do-Yoon grabbed its neck.
The masked figure froze.
Do-Yoon's Blood Rush activated.
A red blade formed around his hand.
He prepared to attack.
Then—
The figure suddenly spoke.
"Wait!"
Do-Yoon froze.
"...Huh?"
The figure struggled.
"Please don't kill me!"
Do-Yoon blinked.
Then blinked again.
The monster...
Was talking?
His grip loosened slightly.
For a moment he wondered if it was a trap.
Maybe some intelligent monster.
Maybe some weird dungeon ability.
Maybe he was hallucinating from lack of sleep.
The figure quickly spoke again.
"Please! I don't want to die!"
The voice sounded strangely feminine.
Do-Yoon tilted his head.
"...Wait."
"Are you a girl?"
A few seconds of silence followed.
Then the figure slowly nodded.
"Yes."
"I'm a girl."
The moment Do-Yoon heard that—
He immediately let go.
The girl stumbled backward while rubbing her neck.
Do-Yoon awkwardly scratched his cheek.
"...Sorry."
The girl looked surprised.
"You're apologizing?"
"Well..."
Do-Yoon coughed.
"I thought you were a monster."
The girl stared at him.
Then looked at his red hair.
Then at the strange blood blade.
Then at his black cape.
Then back at him.
"You almost killed me."
"...Sorry."
The girl sighed.
Do-Yoon looked at her mask.
"Why are you wearing that thing?"
The girl hesitated.
Then answered.
"So monsters won't recognize me."
Do-Yoon nodded slowly.
That actually made sense.
Then the girl removed her mask.
The moment she did—
Do-Yoon froze.
Completely.
His brain stopped working.
The girl had bright blue eyes.
Long silver-blue hair.
Soft facial features.
She looked beautiful.
Very beautiful.
Do-Yoon's face instantly became red.
His mind started panicking.
"Why is she so pretty?"
"Why is she looking at me?"
"What am I supposed to do?"
"Help."
Meanwhile, the girl looked confused.
Do-Yoon quickly looked away.
He suddenly found the snow extremely interesting.
Very interesting.
After a few moments, he finally managed to calm himself down.
Then he pointed somewhere random.
"You should go."
The girl blinked.
"...That's all?"
"Yes."
"You're not going to ask questions?"
"No."
The girl stared at him.
Then laughed softly.
"You are strange."
Do-Yoon chose to ignore that.
The girl smiled.
"Thank you for not killing me."
Then she started walking away.
Do-Yoon nodded.
Everything was fine.
Everything was peaceful.
Then—
A Frost Goblin suddenly jumped out from behind a tree.
The creature rushed toward the girl.
She gasped.
The goblin raised its weapon.
Do-Yoon moved instantly.
Disk Dash activated.
His body disappeared.
The next moment—
Three red slashes appeared.
The goblin stopped moving.
Then collapsed into the snow.
Dead.
The girl stared in shock.
Do-Yoon casually shook the blood off his blade.
"Are you okay?"
The girl quickly nodded.
"Y-Yes."
"Good."
The girl smiled gratefully.
"Thank you."
Do-Yoon nodded.
Then turned around.
He still had a boss to find.
Unfortunately.
Just as he started walking away—
The girl called out.
"Wait."
Do-Yoon turned around.
"What?"
The girl looked hesitant.
"You helped me twice."
"Yes?"
"Is there any way I can help you?"
Do-Yoon thought for a moment.
Then immediately answered.
"Where is the boss room?"
The girl froze.
"...What?"
"The boss room."
Silence.
The girl looked completely speechless.
Most people would've asked for treasure.
Information.
Food.
Directions.
Anything.
But this random human wanted the boss room.
The thing everyone avoided.
The thing everyone feared.
The girl stared at him.
"...You want to fight the boss?"
"Not really."
"Then why?"
"I need to clear the dungeon."
The girl looked even more speechless.
After a long moment she sighed.
Then pointed.
"It's right behind you."
Do-Yoon turned around.
Nothing.
Just snow.
Trees.
And more snow.
He blinked.
"...There's nothing there."
The girl suddenly understood.
"Oh."
"You're human."
"Yes?"
"You can't see it."
Now Do-Yoon became confused.
The girl walked forward.
Then placed her hand on empty air.
A ripple appeared.
Like water.
Do-Yoon's eyes widened.
Then—
A massive gate slowly appeared.
It was enormous.
Covered in ancient symbols.
The gate looked older than the forest itself.
Do-Yoon stared.
"...Oh."
The girl smiled slightly.
"Now you can see it."
Do-Yoon looked impressed.
For once, he was actually impressed.
"That's cool."
The girl opened the gate.
Darkness waited beyond it.
Cold air flowed out.
Much colder than the forest.
Do-Yoon suddenly felt nervous.
The girl looked at him.
"You really plan on going inside?"
Do-Yoon nodded.
The girl sighed.
Then stepped aside.
"Good luck."
Do-Yoon smiled.
"Thanks."
Then he walked through the gate.
The moment he entered—
Everything changed.
A terrifying pressure filled the room.
Do-Yoon's smile disappeared instantly.
His legs trembled.
His breathing became difficult.
The air itself felt heavy.
Very heavy.
Like an invisible mountain was crushing him.
His knees hit the ground.
Boom.
Pain shot through his body.
"W-What..."
Sweat appeared on his forehead.
The pressure continued increasing.
Every instinct in his body screamed danger.
Death.
Death.
Death.
Everything told him to run away.
Immediately.
Do-Yoon struggled to stand.
But even standing felt impossible.
Then he realized something.
This pressure wasn't even an attack.
It was only the boss's aura.
Only its presence.
Only the energy leaking from its body.
And that alone was enough to force him onto his knees.
Fear slowly appeared in Do-Yoon's eyes.
For the first time since entering this dungeon—
He genuinely felt hopeless.
Slowly he turned around.
Maybe he could leave.
Maybe he could come back later.
Maybe—
The exit was gone.
The giant gate had completely closed.
Do-Yoon froze.
"...No."
He rushed toward it.
Nothing happened.
The gate didn't move.
Didn't open.
Didn't react.
Silence filled the chamber.
Then realization hit him.
The door would only open after the boss was defeated.
Which meant—
He was trapped.
Do-Yoon slowly looked deeper into the darkness ahead.
The terrifying aura continued flowing from somewhere inside.
The actual boss hadn't even appeared yet.
And already he could barely breathe.
His hands trembled.
His body shook.
His instincts screamed at him.
This wasn't a battle.
This was suicide.
If the boss's aura alone was this terrifying—
Then how powerful was the boss itself?
And for the first time in a long time—
Do-Yoon truly wondered if this was where his journey would end.