The Boy Who Walks Beyond The End-Chapter 52: Into the Dark

The massive obsidian gate loomed ahead, half-buried in roots and moss. Etched runes glowed faintly, pulsing with an ominous rhythm—like a heartbeat.

Around it, first-year students gathered in teams, silent and tense. Some fidgeted with weapons. Others whispered plans. Only Zen's team stood still.

Zen stared at the entrance.

Lyra whispered beside him, "Feeling the pressure, oh fearless leader?"

"No," Zen replied, his voice calm. "I'm thinking."

[System: "DUNGEON ENTERED! Welcome to: 'Caverns of Lost Howls' – Danger Level: C+. Ambient Threat: Medium. Recommended mood: mild anxiety with a dash of dread."]

Zen stepped forward as the gate cracked open, groaning with ancient magic. A cold wind spilled out—and with it, darkness that felt... alive.

Sylvia's ice sword hummed with magic. "Let's go."

---

Inside the Dungeon

The dungeon was a maze of shifting stone, bioluminescent fungi, and dripping water. The ground crunched beneath their boots. Every corner pulsed with monster presence.

[System: "Environment analysis: Low visibility, echo-rich acoustics. Hostile presence detected. Would you like to activate Passive Perception Mode?"]

Zen nodded slightly.

[System: "Ping! Skill activated: [Perception Pulse Lv.1] – Scanning..."]

From the shadows, three beasts lunged.

Low-class beasts—two leaping Hound-Bats and a Slagfang, a bear-like creature made of molten stone and teeth.

Zen reacted instantly.

"Sylvia—freeze right! Lyra, stay behind me and watch for the bat's flank!"

Sylvia spun her ice blade wide, summoning Frozen Wall. The hound slammed into the shield, stunned. Lyra raised a hand, a sigil glowing on her wrist.

"Healing Circle—cast!"

A golden ring spread beneath them. Zen surged forward.

[System: "New Skill Unlocked! [Glacial Drive Lv.1] – You dash forward cloaked in ice. Your next attack gains +30% speed and may freeze the target."]

Zen's form blurred—ice flaring around him. He blinked forward, slicing the Slagfang across the belly. The creature roared, staggered, then froze—its molten chest crystallized in an instant.

Sylvia finished the job—Glacial Spear through the heart.

Lyra gasped. "Zen! Behind you!"

The final hound-bat dove—teeth bared.

Zen turned—

Too late.

But Lyra stepped in.

"Barrier!" she shouted, throwing up a golden hexagon.

The bat slammed into it, dazed—and Sylvia skewered it from the side without missing a beat.

Silence returned.

The team stood over three corpses, breathing heavily.

[System: "Enemy Defeated. +240 EXP. MP restored. Lyra's sass: undamaged. Zen's cool factor: up 2 points."]

Lyra chuckled. "You okay? Looked like that bat almost ruined your hair."

Zen gave her a rare smile. "You saved me."

"Of course," she said brightly. "I'm not letting some ugly overgrown dog ruin my future date."

Zen flushed.

[System: "ALERT! Heart rate spike detected. Please remain calm. Enemies may smell embarrassment."]

Sylvia ignored them. "More coming," she said. "I hear heavy breathing. And not yours, Zen."

Zen raised his blade again. "Let's finish this."

---

The dungeon stretched deeper now—twisting, turning, humming with ancient energy. Faint echoes bounced off stone like whispers that never belonged to them.

After the last wave of beasts, the trio pushed further in, passing bones half-frozen, half-charred. Torchlight danced along cracked walls carved with forgotten languages.

Lyra was walking backward in front of Zen, waving her glowing hand like a mock tour guide.

"And here we have the beautiful Murder Caverns of Doom. On your left—bones. On your right—oh look, more bones. And just behind you—"

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

Zen raised a brow. "Let me guess. More bones?"

"Nope." She smirked. "Just me. Aren't you lucky?"

Zen sighed, but a faint blush betrayed him.

[System: "Incoming flirt detected. Countermeasures failing. User 'Zen' is now: 45% flustered. 55% pretending to be fine."]

Sylvia, walking ahead, muttered, "Should I walk slower or faster to avoid this nonsense?"

Lyra turned to her, hands on her hips. "Don't lie, Syl. You live for this."

Sylvia didn't blink. "I live for silence."

Zen chuckled quietly—but the light in his eyes flickered. He stopped suddenly.

"Something's off."

The air turned cold—not icy like Sylvia's magic, but heavy, still, suffocating. The moss on the walls shriveled. Even the glowing fungi dimmed.

[System: "WARNING: Major threat detected. Sub-boss class entity approaching. Codename: 'Gravemaw Beast.' Classification: Mid-Boss. Weakness: Ice and Light. Threat Level: B."]

Zen drew his sword.

From the shadows ahead, it emerged.

A Gravemaw Beast—towering, hunched, stitched from corpses. Its lower jaw split open in four directions, revealing black flames. Its claws dragged metal chains behind it, and its eyes glowed with hollow hate.

Lyra's teasing vanished. "That... is hideous."

Sylvia raised her blade. "I've fought worse. But only in nightmares."

The beast roared—and charged.

Zen moved first.

[System: "Skill Activated: Glacial Drive!"]

He blinked in ice, but the Gravemaw was faster than expected—its chain lashed out, grabbing his ankle mid-dash. He slammed into the wall.

"Zen!" Lyra cried.

She raised her hands, casting Healing Surge, golden light pouring over him.

Sylvia lunged, blade glowing pale blue, and slashed across the Gravemaw's flank. Ice spread—but didn't freeze.

[System: "Analysis: Target has fire resistance. Adjust tactics."]

"Lyra! Hit it with light—center mass!" Zen ordered as he stood.

Lyra's hands glowed, forming a radiant sigil. "Shining Lance!"

A beam of divine light pierced the Gravemaw's chest. It shrieked—black flames bursting outward—but still stood.

Zen gritted his teeth. "Time to test it..."

He closed his eyes.

The mark on his palm shimmered.

[System: "New Skill Unlocked! [Frozen Requiem Lv.1] – A spiraling slash of cursed ice. Deals massive AoE damage and has a chance to petrify."]

He opened his eyes—cold and focused. Energy rippled across his blade.

He stepped forward, raised it, and—

SLASHED

An arc of howling frost swept out in a spiral. The Gravemaw roared as its body was encased in cursed ice, spreading like a parasite. It staggered. Shattered.

It fell.

Silence.

[System: "Mid-Boss Defeated! EXP +960. Loot generated: Corrupted Heart (quest item), 1x Dagger of Ashbone, 240 Gold Shards."]

Zen exhaled.

Lyra ran to him, checking his arm. "You okay? You look like a cursed popsicle."

"I'm fine," he muttered.

She smirked. "Good. I'd hate to lose my lunch date to a demon popsicle."

He paused. "...You're still on that?"

"I never stop," she said sweetly.

[System: "Romance Questline Progress: 18%. Keep flirting to unlock secret scenes."]

Sylvia walked past, brushing dust from her shoulder. "Let me know when you two are done emotionally undressing each other."

Zen turned crimson again. "It's not—!"

[System: "Denial remains strong. Blush counter: +2."]

---

The team moved forward, deeper into the dungeon, knowing more monsters awaited. But now... they were ready.

Even if Zen's heart wasn't.