The first star crashed into the city center.


    It wasn’t a burning ball of gas or a meteor. It was **something else.**


    Something **alive.**


    A sphere of writhing black mass, pulsing with an eerie glow, hit the ground with a soundless impact. The moment it touched the earth, **reality warped.**


    Buildings near the impact site **shifted and changed**, twisting into bizarre, impossible shapes. The people closest to it… **vanished.**


    Kiran didn’t wait to see what would happen next.


    He turned and ran.


    ---


    The **Akashic Record** was breaking reality apart.


    Since the arrival of **Mana**, the world had been mutating. Evolution was happening at an impossible rate. Some people became stronger, faster, or smarter overnight. Some **changed in ways no one could understand.**


    Stolen story; please report.


    But the worst part?


    The **world itself** was evolving.


    New landscapes were appearing out of nowhere. Cities were being swallowed by **forests, deserts, or frozen wastelands.**


    And then there were the **dungeons.**


    Places that **should not exist**—massive, labyrinthine structures filled with **monsters, traps, and impossible creatures.**


    No one knew **why** they appeared.


    No one knew **what** was inside them.


    Because no one had ever returned from the ones that had already emerged.


    And now…


    Kiran was about to see one **form in real time.**


    ---


    {Dimensional Instability Surging. Dungeon Manifestation Imminent.}


    A deep, vibrating hum filled the air. The ground beneath Kiran’s feet **shuddered.**


    And then—


    **The world… cracked.**


    Right in front of him, **space itself fractured.** A jagged, gaping wound in reality tore open, stretching **hundreds of meters wide.**


    It was a **dungeon entrance.**


    A **massive, spiraling abyss**, pulsating with an unnatural energy.


    The people who had survived the city’s collapse stood frozen, staring at it in horror.


    No one spoke.


    No one **dared** to move.


    Because something was coming out.


    ---


    Kiran’s heart pounded as he slowly backed away.


    {Dungeon Type: Unknown. Rank: Unstable. Threat Level: Catastrophic.}


    Catastrophic.


    Of course it was.


    (Why wouldn’t it be?)


    Something **moved** inside the abyss.


    A **shadow.**


    No, a **presence.**


    Something that didn’t belong to this world.


    Kiran felt a sharp, sudden **pain in his head.**


    For a split second, he saw **something staring back at him.**


    Something ancient.


    Something that **knew his name.**


    And then—


    **It reached out.**


    The dungeon entrance **exploded outward**, and a massive **tidal wave of darkness** surged forth, swallowing the streets.


    Kiran barely had time to react.


    Then—


    Everything went black.