The Death Knell

Ye Yousheng was certain he hadn’t seen wrong.

That girl—

The one in the red hood—

Was the same girl who had sold him the game disc.

Even from a distance, the small frame—

The iconic red velvet hood—

And the basket in her hand—

There was no mistaking it.

The enchantments on the Whisperwind Dagger had been recharged by Lulu—

So without hesitation—

He activated it.

“Wind Step.”

In an instant—

His speed surpassed human limits.

Even Olympic-level athletes would’ve been left in the dust—

As he shot forward like a blur.

And yet—

He couldn’t catch her.

Not even close.

Every time he reached a corner—

She had already turned the next one.

Not even her face—

Only fleeting glimpses of her back.

“Hey! Wait!”

He chased at full speed—

But it felt like chasing something unreal.

Like Alice chasing the White Rabbit.

Or a wolf chasing Little Red Riding Hood.

No matter how far he ran—

There was no end.

At some point—

He started to wonder—

Was she doing this on purpose?

Letting him see just enough—

To keep him following—

But never letting him catch up.

Leading him somewhere?

Whatever the reason—

He had to find out.

If possible—

He wanted answers.

Was she behind his mis-summoning?

Was she connected to Yiwu’s sealing?

What was the relationship between that game and this world?

Too many questions.

“Damn it… where did she go…”

Eventually—

He lost her.

Completely.

No trace.

“…Still not going to show yourself?”

“…Whatever. I’ll head back—”

Back?

…Back where?

He froze.

He had no idea where he was.

Didn’t remember the route.

Didn’t know the streets.

He had been too focused on chasing her.

Meaning—

He was lost.

In a massive unfamiliar city.

Even Lulu wouldn’t be able to find him here—

Life detection was useless in a crowded place like this.

“…Alright, I’ll just ask someone—”

He was about to ask for directions to Lulu’s potion shop—

When—

Bzz—bzz—

His phone vibrated.

He instinctively pulled it out and answered.

“…Huh?”

Only then did it hit him.

No signal.

So who—

“Yousheng!”

Yiwu’s voice came through.

Relief hit instantly.

“Yiwu? You can call me now?”

“How are you doing that?”

Inside the phone—

Yiwu hadn’t been idle.

She couldn’t escape—

But she had figured out how to use parts of the phone.

She had wanted to tell him earlier—

But he had suddenly run off chasing the red hood.

She didn’t interrupt—

Because she could feel his urgency through their contract.

Only now—

After he lost her—

Did she call.

And what she saw—

Was urgent.

“Forget that for now!”

“Get away from there, Yousheng!”

“There’s a magic circle under your feet!”

“…What?”

White light exploded in his vision.

He looked down—

A one-meter-wide magic circle.

His body reacted instantly.

He jumped—

Too late.

The teleportation had already activated.

Even his speed couldn’t outrun it.

The world twisted—

And when it settled—

He was somewhere else.

Dark.

Oppressive.

Rotting stench filled the air.

Dim, flickering lights clung to the walls—

Swaying without wind.

Black walls surrounded him—

Made of some unknown material.

Above—

Nothing but endless darkness.

“…A dungeon.”

There was no need to guess.

He looked down—

The teleportation circle was still there.

But—

Without magic—

He couldn’t use it.

Whoever set this trap—

Knew.

They didn’t even bother destroying the circle.

Because it didn’t matter.

“Yousheng, be careful!”

“Something’s coming!”

Yiwu warned.

He slipped the phone back into his pocket—

Holding his breath.

His heart pounded.

His palms sweated.

His mind—

Calm.

His body—

Ready.

This place—

Was worse than the spider nest.

Clank…

Clank…

Heavy footsteps echoed—

Metal scraping against stone.

Then—

It appeared.

A monster in full gray armor.

A massive blood-stained hammer on its shoulder.

Dragging a corpse behind it.

And instead of a head—

A bell.

Inside the cracked bell—

A bloodshot eyeball stared out.

Name: Death Knell
Lv: 50 (Third Tier)
HP: 4300/4300
MP: 640/640

Skills:
[Smash Lv8]
[Block Lv4]
[Heartbreaker Hammer Lv6]
[Death Resonance Lv7]

He had been teleported—

To the 21st floor.

The boundary between mid and deep layers.

A place only third-tier adventurers dared enter.

And this monster—

Was one of the most feared.

<Detected killing intent: 1, directly ahead>

“…Yeah.”

“This is just peak bad luck.”

He sighed—

Then drew his dagger.

“Hehe… what an idiot.”

“Fell for it so easily~”

In a dark alley—

The girl in the red hood giggled—

Standing over the magic circle.

Another figure approached—

Elegant.

Beautiful.

She removed the red hood.

Black hair spilled out.

The red hood girl clicked her tongue and snatched it back.

“Hey, you’re the same as always.”

“Still nasty.”

“And what’s with the hat?”

“You never used to wear one.”

The newcomer—

A golden-haired woman with a floral crown—

Butterfly wings made of light shimmering behind her.

And—

She looked exactly like Yiwu.

“Mind your own business!”

The red hood girl stuck out her tongue.

Then pulled out a crystal ball.

“You came because of him, right?”

“Want to see where I sent him?”

The golden-haired woman frowned.

“Why are you targeting him?”

“Who are you working for?”

“That hat—someone gave it to you, didn’t they?”

“Not telling~”

“Oh—there it is!”

“Wow, he’s REALLY unlucky.”

“He ran into Death Knell.”

“That thing usually stays below the 25th floor…”

“And he got it on the 21st?”

“Damn… his luck is tragic.”

“…What?!”

The golden-haired woman rushed forward—

Seeing the scene.

“You sent him into the dungeon?!”

“He doesn’t even have magic!”

The red hood girl smirked.

“Isn’t that because you cursed him?”

“That’s why he ran into the worst possible enemy~”

“…!”

She froze.

It was true.

That curse—

Played a role.

“I didn’t mean to…”

“I just said ‘go die’ in anger…”

“I didn’t think it would actually turn into a curse…”

But she snapped back quickly.

“I came to remove the curse!”

“And you sent him away?!”

“Move—I’m going to him!”

“…Hm?”

She looked down—

The red hood girl was already destroying the magic circle.

Half of it was ruined.

“Oops~”

“If you told me earlier, I wouldn’t have broken it~”

Her grin said otherwise.

“YOU—!”

“Fix it right now, Loki!”

“I~ don’t~ want~”

Only the creator of the circle could repair it.

No one else knew the coordinates.

“He’ll die!”

“With his exhausted soul, he can’t use the Goddess of Life’s power!”

“He will die!”

“…No, he won’t.”

Loki—

For once—

Was serious.

Completely certain.

“He won’t die.”

“Because—”

“He’s immortal~”