For the first time since Trevor got his system, he had actually unlocked two essences at once.

Despite not knowing the exact use of the Essence Cloner card, he immediately activated it on instinct, together with the Eyes of Hades.

Mr. Austin’s movements slowed down just enough for Trevor to finally intercept him, his still hands striking with precise control.

Trevor was now in a tight situation as the steel blade came rushing down toward his head.

He immediately leapt out of the way just as Alex’s weapon smashed into the wall, the steel rod breaking chunks of it apart on impact.

"You might actually be using ancient magic. That should be the reason you are able to replicate my skills like that," Alex said, staring straight into his eyes.

But Trevor didn’t flinch - not even once.

"Boys, kill her now, right in front of Mr. Trevor. Let us see exactly what he would actually want to save her," Mr. Alex said, a sly smile spreading across his face.

The men immediately moved to grab Mia. They didn’t hesitate. It was as though the life they were about to take wasn’t even human.

Trevor reacted instantly. He charged straight toward his mom, leaping about three feet into the air, his longsword positioned to strike.

But he was just too late.

As he moved toward her, he was held back tightly by Mr. Alex.

Just before the blade could make contact with Mia, she suddenly broke an egg on the floor.

Everything immediately turned white before Trevor, and before he could even process what was happening, he found himself standing in a vast land that barely had any light.

The sky looked dark, like it was about to rain, and everywhere around him showed no sign of life.

But before he could even begin to think things through, he felt it - a deep, instinctive warning in his gut.

He didn’t react outwardly despite the feeling. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The risk involved was immense, even life-threatening, but if he could be precise, he might be able to eliminate one of his problems before it even had the chance to begin.

Trevor kept up his act.

He continued looking around the vast space as though he were confused, as if he couldn’t understand what he was doing in such a place.

But deep down, his instincts and mind were razor sharp.

Then, without warning—

He heard a loud, guttural roar behind him.

Without thinking twice, he turned and struck with his steel hands.

Just as Trevor had anticipated, Alex had also appeared in the same vast, lifeless place.

And of course, Trevor knew exactly what this place was.

Alex knew it too.

It was a mana-stored dungeon.

If someone died here, they would respawn in the real world. Suicide was not an option either - if someone attempted it, they would simply respawn within the dungeon itself.

Only powerful dungeon explorers were provided with such materials by their guilds.

Creating one required an already conquered dungeon, combined with other mana-saturated components.

Now Trevor was one hundred percent sure that Alex knew something.

Maybe not everything - maybe he didn’t know they were Avaitors - but he almost certainly knew they were dungeon explorers.

All Trevor needed to do was wait for about ten minutes and complete the task. After that, he would respawn with a hidden reward.

Normally, this kind of setup was used to give explorers time to escape from their predators.

Trevor took a deep breath and glanced at Alex’s unconscious body.

He wasn’t dead yet. If he were, he would have already respawned.

And Trevor had no intention of letting that happen.

If Alex respawned now, it would spell doom for his mom, who would have to face about five men all at once.

Trevor was certain Alex was the strongest among them, and with him removed from the situation, the burden on his mom was significantly reduced. That alone brought him a measure of relief.

Soon, the dungeon system finally chimed.

"Welcome to the Primordial Piece Dungeon, created by the Avaitors."

"To respawn in your original location, you must destroy the three Primordial Towers and retrieve the Crystal of the Fallen Dragon from the third tower."

"Failure to complete this task will result in automatic death and respawn at a random location."

Trevor took a deep breath to steady himself.

He had read about dungeons like this not long ago, and even the book had explicitly warned that they were extremely dangerous and should be avoided at all costs.

Yet here he was.

This kind of dungeon was originally designed for a single person. But if two people entered, one could simply kill the other, forcing a respawn.

To prevent abuse of that loophole, guilds had collectively agreed to remove that information from the dungeon’s system interface.

So unless someone was actively trying to die, they wouldn’t realize it was even an option.

But top scholars like Trevor and high-ranked hunters like Alex knew that loophole existed.

That was exactly why Trevor had attacked him immediately, even though he knew Alex wouldn’t truly die.

Trevor finally deactivated his essence and calmed his mind.

What he needed to do now was complete the system’s mission before Alex regained consciousness.

If he succeeded, he would respawn back in the house exactly where the egg had been broken, while Alex would be sent to a random location.

Trevor held his breath.

There was also a timer hovering above his head.

It was obvious - if he failed to complete the mission within the allotted time, the system would kill him automatically.

He scanned his surroundings carefully. Everything looked lifeless.

’Where the hell am I supposed to find three Primordial Towers and retrieve a dragon’s crystal in a place like this?’ Trevor thought, forcing himself to stay calm as the effects of the cards he had used began to wear off.

Just as he was processing his thoughts, a screen appeared before him.

[Eyes of Hades has entered cooldown mode]

[Essence Cloner has entered cooldown mode]