The Uber pulled down the street and parked in front of the imposing structure. As Dante and SteelArm stepped out, the driver glanced at the light blue gate and sighed. "Good luck to you guys!" he called out, giving them a wave before driving off to his next job.
Dante and SteelArm approached the entrance of the gate, their hearts pounding with anticipation. As they got closer, they spotted two figures waiting for them. One was a large, muscular man with bright yellow hair and intense brown eyes. Next to him stood a woman draped in a long robe, a staff resting in her hand.
"I'm Elara, and this giant man is Kieran," she introduced with a friendly smile.
Kieran nodded, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "From what I heard from my guild master, this gate is supposed to be D-rank, but he mentioned that a similar gate appeared on an island near Florida." He turned his gaze to them, his eyes glinting with determination. "My class is Lightning Master, if you haven't picked up on that."
Dante returned the nod, feeling a surge of confidence. "Got it. Are you all ready?" he asked, standing a single step away from the gate.
Elara and Kieran exchanged glances before nodding in unison. Elara raised her staff and activated a spell that enveloped them in a shimmering aura, enhancing their defenses and increasing their attack power.
Dante felt the energy coursing through him as he took a deep breath. He activated [Phantom Materialization] twice, summoning his protective armor and materializing his spear in hand. The others followed suit, preparing for whatever lay ahead.
With a determined look, Dante took the first step forward, crossing the threshold of the gate. The world around them shimmered and transformed.
Suddenly, they found themselves in a vast, open area that felt surreal. They stood inside a colossal enclosure that resembled a grand aquarium, the walls composed entirely of transparent glass. A single path stretched out before them, leading deeper into the mysterious expanse.
Surrounded by a mesmerizing display of marine life, they gasped at the sight. Schools of vibrant fish swam gracefully past, their scales shimmering in the soft, ambient light. Sharks glided ominously through the water, their powerful forms silhouetted against the bright hues of corals. Strange, bioluminescent creatures danced in the shadows, their ethereal glow creating an otherworldly ambiance.
The glass barrier separated them from the thriving underwater world, allowing them to marvel at the beauty and danger that lay just beyond their reach. It was breathtaking and disorienting, leaving them both awestruck and anxious.
"Is this for real?" Dante whispered, unable to tear his eyes away from the majestic scene.
SteelArm felt a shiver run down his spine as he took in the mesmerizing beauty. "It's incredible, but it also feels… wrong in a way."
Dante stepped forward, gripping his spear tightly before resting it over his shoulder. His voice was calm but firm. "Let's go." With a slight crack of his neck, he took the lead, his sharp eyes locked on the path ahead.
The others followed closely behind, their senses on high alert. The eerie silence was only broken by the occasional rippling echoes from the surrounding water. Schools of fish moved in synchronized patterns, but something felt… off. As they walked, sharks lurking in the depths momentarily stopped, their dark, predatory eyes locking onto them. It was as if they were being studied. The moment stretched uncomfortably before the creatures resumed swimming, vanishing into the blue abyss.
Then, a shadow—vast and imposing—approached from the distance.
A massive whale emerged, its sheer size making everything else seem insignificant. Its dark, ancient eye fixed on them, radiating something beyond simple curiosity—an intelligence that sent a cold shiver through their spines.
Without warning, the whale surged forward, its titanic body slamming against the glass with bone-rattling force. The impact sent a deep, resonating boom through the structure, shaking the very glass beneath them. The force of the collision vibrated through their bodies, nearly knocking them off balance.
Dante braced himself, gripping his spear as his heart pounded. "The hell was that?" he muttered under his breath.
SteelArm exhaled sharply, his muscles tense. "It's testing the barrier…"
Elara's grip on her staff tightened as she scanned the glass for any fractures. "If it hits hard enough, who's to say it won't break?"
Kieran narrowed his eyes at the massive creature before them. "I don't think we want to find out."
As the whale slowly drifted back into the depths, its colossal presence still looming over them, an unsettling realization sank in.
"We're... being watched by everything." Dante said in a low voice, his eyes scanning the world around them.
Thirty minutes passed, their footsteps echoed against the smooth floor as they pressed forward, every step accompanied by the eerie silence of the deep.
The colossal whale suddenly emerged from the abyss once more, its hulking form barely visible in the dim, shifting light. Its movements were slow, deliberate—like a predator toying with its prey.
Then it struck.
The creature hurled its massive body against the glass with a deafening, earth-shaking impact. The sheer force sent a tremor rippling through the entire structure, nearly throwing them off their feet again. Dante instinctively widened his stance, his spear raised, while SteelArm clenched his fists, his muscles tensing for a fight that wasn't his to start.
Then, as quickly as it appeared, the whale drifted back into the darkness, swallowed by the abyss.
Sharks circled the glass now, their sleek bodies weaving through the currents in perfect synchronization. Their dark, soulless eyes remained locked on the group, unblinking, unwavering. But they weren't just moving—they had stopped.
All around them, the sea life had gone deathly still. Schools of fish hovered in place, their bodies frozen as if held by some unseen force. The once-calm currents of the water seemed to slow, thickening into a suffocating stillness.
Dante swallowed, gripping his spear tighter. "This isn't normal..."
Elara's voice was barely above a whisper. "They're waiting."
Kieran exhaled, his hands crackling with faint arcs of electricity. "For what?"
"There's no telling…" SteelArm muttered, his voice low, tense. His sharp gaze flickered across the countless sea creatures that had once watched them with eerie stillness—schools of fish, sharks, eels, and more, all now swimming frantically into the abyss, desperate to escape.
"But this sure as hell isn't a good sign." His fists clenched at his sides. "If this glass breaks…" He exhaled sharply, his expression darkening. "We're all fucked—plain and simple."
Dante clenched his jaw as the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. His grip on his spear tightened, his instincts screaming at him that something was very, very wrong.
Then the glass began to tremble.
The sharks that had been watching them so intently twitched before turning in unison, their attention snapping away from the group. Without hesitation, they darted off, disappearing into the dark waters. Schools of fish followed, scattering like leaves in a storm, their panicked movements disrupting the eerie stillness that had held them in place moments ago. Even the creatures that had barely acknowledged their presence—eels coiled around coral, jellyfish drifting idly—fled into the abyss.
As the group kept walking, they made their way into a large opening, holes in the glass beneath them, yet the water stayed idle not flooding the entire place somehow. Then the small amount of light they had from the glass dome vanished. The world became dark and they couldn't see a thing, but they felt it. Something swam up from the hole. Kieran shot a bolt of electricity up into the sky and did it multiple times to cover the area before they could see what it was.
A creature that looked like something none of them could explain stood behind the hole within the glass. The creatures eyes, as dark and predatory as a shark, gills around its body, a nose, all blue and lime green in color. It stared at the group before putting his hand to the side and suddenly a trident flew through the glass breaking it instantly creating a hole in the side of the glass, yet the water remained idle, not seeking into the glass somehow.
The creature stood and stared at the group.
"I'm not taking any risks," Dante muttered, exhaling sharply as his armor flickered out of existence, reforming around his spear. The weapon's blade extended, pulsing with raw energy as he activated [Phantom Annihilation]—a skill he hadn't used in a long time.
And then, he vanished.
Not just his body—his presence itself disappeared. His mana signature was erased, his form erased, as if he had never been there in the first place. The creature's black, abyssal eyes scanned the area, its predatory instincts on high alert. Then, its gaze shifted.
Reflections. Dozens of them.
Dante's image flickered across every inch of the glass surrounding them, each copy an identical illusion. Then—shatter. The already fragile glass fractured further, distorting reality as multiple versions of Dante lunged forward at once.
[Phantom Lunge].
The spear shot forward, Dante and his copies striking as one, aiming for the creature's heart.
The creature simply closed its eyes.
In a flash, a monstrous shape burst from the darkness above—a shark, faster than Dante, its jaws snapping shut around Dante's wrist before the blade could connect.
CRUNCH.
Blood sprayed through the air as the shark ripped his hand clean off before vanishing back into the abyss, the wound so sudden Dante barely processed it. He stumbled, landing on one knee at the edge of the gaping hole beneath them. Below, an entire horde of sharks circled like vultures, their lifeless black eyes locked onto the blood dripping into the water.
Dante jumped back to the group, gripping his arm, breath ragged. His teeth clenched so hard his jaw ached. "Shit—watch out!"
Elara was already moving, sprinting to his side, her staff glowing as she channeled a healing spell. Light gathered around Dante's stump, stopping the bleeding, but as she worked, her face paled.
"T-That bite... it had an effect," she whispered, voice tinged with alarm.
Dante and the others turned to her, tension thick in the air.
Dante was the first to speak, still gritting his teeth through the pain. "What the hell? A side effect? What is it?"
Elara's hands trembled slightly as she focused more mana into the spell. "It's some sort of poison. A curse-like venom... but I can cure it."
She didn't hesitate, casting the purification spell immediately. The poison dissipated, and she resumed mending his wound.
But even as she worked, the creature still hadn't moved.
"Shit…" SteelArm muttered, his fists clenching at his sides. His eyes darted around the battlefield—the fragile glass beneath their feet, the endless void of water above, the eerie silence of the watching sea creatures.
"This terrain… it's a damn nightmare." His voice was laced with frustration. "Most of my skills are useless here. There's no solid ground to anchor to."
Despite his words, he didn't hesitate. He activated [Iron Fortress]. A deep, metallic hum resonated through his body as his skin hardened, taking on the sheen of reinforced steel. His already massive frame became even more imposing, a living bulwark standing between his team and the creature that had just maimed Dante.
SteelArm planted himself firmly, bracing for whatever came next. His gaze locked onto the creature's cold, abyssal eyes.
And it watched back.
"Kieran, you're the only one here who can actually hurt that bastard," SteelArm said, keeping his stance firm. His eyes never left the creature as it shifted its grip on the trident, bringing the weapon in front of itself in a slow, deliberate motion.
A swirling veil of water formed around the creature, an undulating barrier that distorted its shape like a mirage. The pressure in the air shifted, the weight of something unnatural pressing down on them.
Kieran clenched his fists, electricity crackling at his fingertips. "Tch... Yeah, I figured as much." He lifted his arm, sparks igniting along his forearm as he gathered mana. "I'm not about to hold back."
The moment his words left his mouth, the creature moved.
In an instant, it thrust its trident forward—not at them, but at the glass itself. A deep, resonating crack echoed through the battlefield as thin fractures spiderwebbed across the dome. The sharks circling outside recoiled before vanishing into the abyss.
And in the next heartbeat—it was gone.
Vanished. No ripple. No sound.
Kieran's electricity surged as he spun around. "Where the hell—?"
Before he could finish, a shadow loomed from below. The hole in the glass beneath them darkened, and without warning, the creature shot up from the abyss like a spear, its trident aimed straight for Kieran's chest.
"BELOW YOU!" Dante's voice rang out like a gunshot.
Kieran instinctively kicked off the ground, throwing himself backward just in time—but the danger wasn't over.
A deafening crack echoed through the chamber as the glass dome above fractured, the impact sending tremors beneath their feet. From the opening above, a monstrous shark dove straight down, its gaping jaws stretching wide enough to swallow Kieran whole.
SteelArm saw it first.
With a grunt, he threw himself forward, shoving Kieran out of the way just as the beast's teeth clamped down—on his own arm.
The force shook the ground beneath them, but SteelArm barely flinched. He stared into the creature's dead, black eyes before his lips curled into a snarl. His muscles tensed as his hardened flesh resisted the crushing bite. Then, with a deep breath, he thrust his arm deeper into the shark's maw, forcing its jaws even wider.
"Big mistake."
With a ferocious roar, SteelArm ripped his arm apart in opposite directions, tearing the shark in half with sheer brute strength. The two halves of the beast fell lifelessly to the ground, blood pooling at his feet.
Elara wasted no time, casting a spell to purge any lingering toxins from the bite wound before reinforcing SteelArm's defenses. He flexed his fingers, feeling no resistance, then stepped back into his protective stance, activating [Iron Fortress] once more.