The aftermath of the battle still lingered. The scorched earth sizzled with the remnants of magic, the air dense with the acrid scent of burning energy. Ryan stood silently amid the ruin, cloaked in a heavy stillness. Behind him, his Flame Imps and Nightmare Imps lined up with military precision.
He had just cleared the fourteenth wave of monsters. But unlike before, there was no wait for a system prompt. His gaze lifted to the sky instead, senses stretched taut. His mental field pulsed faintly—an uncanny disturbance, something unfamiliar was brewing in the ether.
And then, the system prompt rang out like thunder:
[Wave 15 · Forced Spawn]
[Final Boss Arrival]
The sky darkened.
A massive six-pointed hexagram of black and gold unfolded overhead. Lightning crawled along the arcane lines, and the air thickened with crushing weight. The ground beneath him began to tremble.
[Name]: Sagulrus, the Abyssal Binder
[Race]: Greater Demon (Chaos Abyss)
[Strength]: 400
[Agility]: 280
[Intelligence]: 320
[Willpower]: 320
[Endurance]: 5000
[Skills]: Soulbind Chains, Chaos Thunderfield, Abyss Spawn, Blood Oath Ignition
[Soulbind Chains]: Immobilizes summoned units for five seconds and severs spiritual links.
[Chaos Thunderfield]: AoE lightning attack causing confusion and stun to targets with low willpower.
[Abyss Spawn]: Summons 2-3 lesser demons every 30 seconds.
[Blood Oath Ignition]: When HP drops below 30%, enters Berserk Mode. All stats +30%, continuous regeneration.
[Note]: This is a mirrored projection of a fallen Abyssal officer from 'that war'. It has no will of its own, but retains full combat instincts.
From the rift in the void, a pair of vertical pupils lit with violet flames snapped open.
The demon descended—six wings folded around its massive frame, bone armor clashing with iron chains, black fire and storm dancing around its body. When its feet hit the ground, the terrain cratered a full meter deep, dust and gravel erupting.
Ryan's expression finally shifted.
"…A projection? This level of intensity far exceeds standard exam parameters."
Without hesitation, his command rang through the mental field:
"Full formation shift—Breach Formation. Defensive grid: Flow Mode."
Fifteen Nightmare Imps moved in a sweeping arc, forming wings on both flanks. The Flame Imps fell back a half-step, fanning out into a wide-range assault pattern.
Sagulrus let out a guttural roar.
Chains of black light surged from his hands, lashing into two Nightmare Imps. The spiritual links shattered on impact—both summons fell into temporary disarray. A heartbeat later, twin bolts of Chaos Thunder crashed down from above, striking Ryan's pre-positioned firepower nodes.
The summoning array shuddered.
Far above, in the observation tower, Eldric shot to his feet. "A control-type boss?! With anti-summon interference—this isn't something student dungeons are equipped to handle!"
Harker's face was pale, jaw tight. "Is this a mirror spell malfunction? Or was the system breached mid-test?"
Principal Hope simply watched the screen, smiling faintly. "Whatever the cause… he won't retreat."
——
Indeed, Ryan didn't flinch.
"Switch to Plan B. Spiral flank formation, disrupt anchors, pressure the core."
Three units of Nightmare Imps formed a spiraling charge, while the Flame Imps triangulated their fire, targeting Sagulrus's left chest plate.
The boss retaliated.
[Summon: Abyss Spawn]
Four demon spawn burst into reality—bone spikes lining their backs, claws primed to rip. They surged toward Ryan's rear guard.
"Five, Seven, Twelve—intercept. Fireline holds. Focus core."
His spiritual web danced. Every tactical shift was anticipated 0.3 seconds ahead of enemy motion.
Flame clashed with claw. Slowly, Sagulrus's health dipped.
Thirty percent.
The demon bellowed. Chains exploded into fragments, black flames erupting skyward.
[Blood Oath Ignition] Activated.
The real battle had begun.
Now towering like a tyrant of hell, Sagulrus radiated power. Thunder and flame licked across his form. Each strike tore the air apart with deafening force. The summons were pushed back—Ryan's formation began to waver.
He closed his eyes. Focus sharpened.
"End him."
The Flame Imps launched synchronized fireballs. The Nightmare Imps lunged from three directions, forming a crushing triangle of dark force.
Ten seconds.
With a final roar, Sagulrus collapsed, body shattering into smoke.
[Target Eliminated]
[Points Calculating…]
[Preparing Transmission…]
Ryan exhaled slightly.
He didn't speak—only glanced at his reflection in the scorched earth.
But then—everything froze.
The system prompt vanished.
No sounds.
No movement.
Silence, as though the world itself had blacked out.
Not just for him.
Across the battlefield, all examinees halted. A single beam of black-gold light rose from the ground beneath their feet.
No warning.
No countdown.
No teleport animation.
Just a sick, gut-level sense—
"Something's wrong."
In the next instant, Ryan was pulled into the light.
——
When he opened his eyes again, he wasn't where he had been.
The world around him was gray and pale, a realm half-rendered—like an unfinished game environment.
No sky.
No earth.
No time.
And surrounding him—familiar faces.
Silvia,Arwen,Gavin,Emily.
And every other examinee, who should've been separated across different instance zones.
All of them were here—drifting in this twisted void.
No system panel.
No interface audio.
No test prompts.
Everything had been… unplugged.
Ryan looked upward, toward the frozen spiral of cracks hovering above.
He murmured:
"This isn't a dungeon."
"…It's a trap."