I Ascend Alone-Chapter 118: Dungeon Break

The weapons district of City-A was nothing short of breathtaking. Towering steel-and-glass structures shimmered under the late morning sun, each storefront glowing with pristine energy displays and cutting-edge tech. Holograms of legendary weapons rotated above entrances, while sleek transport drones zipped by overhead. This wasn't just a marketplace—it was a monument to innovation, power, and the pride of humanity's finest warriors.

Mirae walked a few steps ahead of us, clearly intrigued by how much the district had evolved.

"Gods," she breathed out, turning slowly in place. "I remember when this area was still half construction site and the most advanced thing around was a kinetic blade with self-repair enchantments."

Leon chuckled beside me. "You're aging yourself, Mirae."

She shot him a look. "Says the guy still using the same jacket from our raid days."

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Leon smirked but didn't argue. I walked a bit slower, taking it all in. Sleek display cases lined the shopfronts—swords, guns, spears, and armor fitted with mana-reactive plating. Hunters milled around casually, some chatting with shopkeepers, others testing weapons inside mana-dampened trial rooms visible through transparent barriers.

Mirae stopped at a high-end armory store and let out a low whistle.

"Oh, this is what I'm talking about," she muttered, nodding toward a glass-encased spear mounted in levitation. Its haft was wrapped in darkened silver, while the blade gleamed with pale golden edge runes—balanced and deadly, with refined enchantments that flickered with heat.

"You know we're not here to shop," Leon reminded her, but his tone was light.

"Then we shouldn't have come to the weapons district," Mirae shot back, eyes still on the spear. "Let me just tag it. I'll pick it up later."

I smiled at the exchange. Despite her obvious prowess and intensity, there was a grounded ease to her around Leon—something that made them feel less like legends and more like people.

Then, without warning, the ground shuddered.

A low tremor rolled beneath our feet—enough to jostle storefront displays and make several pedestrians stumble. The vibrant hum of mana in the area warped, turning sharp and erratic.

I instinctively scanned the surroundings. "That wasn't normal."

Leon's expression turned serious immediately. His hand moved to his earpiece, tapping the comms line. "Leon Vael reporting. Just felt seismic activity in Sector Nine. Confirm cause?"

There was a pause, then a rush of static.

[Leon—this is Control. Confirmed incident. A sudden dungeon break just occurred three blocks northeast of your position. Localized burst signature—category not yet classified. Emergency response units are mobilizing.]

The message ended with a sharp beep, and all around us, the district began to react. Red warning glyphs lit up above the buildings. Automated defenses emerged from concealed compartments, while alarm drones soared upward, projecting evacuation alerts in multiple languages.

[EMERGENCY: UNREGISTERED DUNGEON BREAK. PLEASE EVACUATE. HUNTERS REPORT TO NEAREST RESPONSE NODE.]

Mirae had already drawn her spear from her dimensional seal, her demeanor shifting in an instant. The air around her pulsed slightly as enchantments activated across her gear.

"Well," she said, spinning the spear once. "That's one way to kick off a stroll."

Leon cracked his knuckles. "Three blocks isn't far. We move fast, assess, contain. Ryzen?"

I was already nodding. "Right behind you."

Mirae smirked. "Let's make sure the city doesn't crumble while I'm still window shopping."

The three of us took off down the street, weaving past scattering civilians and activating our hunter IDs as we crossed into the engagement zone. The sounds of chaos grew louder with each step—the unmistakable echo of destruction waiting just ahead.

The further we pushed toward the source of the dungeon break, the louder the chaos became. The polished streets of City-A, once calm and orderly, now echoed with the sounds of distant explosions, shattering glass, and panicked shouts. Plumes of smoke rose just beyond the skyline ahead, curling into the clear morning sky like an ugly stain.

Automated security drones zipped overhead, scanning the perimeter and broadcasting hazard warnings. A few early-arriving Hunters darted toward the affected zone, most mid-tier but well-equipped—S-Ranks were likely still en route.

Leon led us down a narrow side corridor that cut through the outer ring of the weapons district, bypassing a congested evacuation route.

"Control said the break occurred three blocks northeast," he muttered, eyes scanning the skyline. "Looks like it's erupting near Market Tower."

Mirae slowed for just a second, brow furrowed. "That tower's full of civilian vendors. If the rift opened inside the structure..."

"Casualties could be serious," I said grimly.

We turned the corner—and there it was.

A gaping tear hovered in the air like a jagged wound in reality itself, hovering just twenty meters above the base of the Market Tower. Spatial distortions crackled along its edges, and dense mana bled out in chaotic pulses. From its heart, figures were emerging—beasts clad in stone-like scales and armor, their eyes glowing crimson.

These were Volcanic Drakes—rare, aggressive subspecies adapted to subterranean magma nests. Normally only found in high-tier dungeons, and never this close to a city.

"Drakes," Leon muttered, drawing his weapon. "Ten... twelve—no, more are still coming through."

Mirae's eyes flashed as she twirled her spear once, then stabbed it into the pavement, sending a ripple of detection mana outward. "Over twenty," she confirmed. "A full clutch. Something forced them out."

I could feel the mana surge building within me as I flexed my fingers. "Whatever caused the rift didn't come through first—it pushed these forward like a test."

Leon turned toward us. "Standard formation. Ryzen, you take the left flank. Mirae, you're on control—keep the spill contained. I'll draw aggro and keep them away from civilians."

Mirae grinned. "You're giving orders like I'm not higher ranked than you."

"You're my wife," Leon said with a wry smirk. "That puts me in mortal danger if anything goes wrong."

She laughed—brief, sharp—and then vanished in a flicker of movement, spear already glowing with magic as she launched toward the nearest drake.

I activated my gear in a pulse of darkened silver light, shifting smoothly into position. "I've got the left."

Leon nodded once. "Let's clear this out before reinforcements arrive. Don't hold back."

Then he leapt forward, crashing down with a shockwave that sent two drakes flying, already tearing into them with vicious precision.