The forest crackled with tension. Threads of magic shimmered faintly in the air above the clearing, forming a translucent dome over the combatants. The words of the system still echoed in Miles' mind.
[Battle for the Fragment – Stage 1]
[Miles Thorn vs. Rolf Hesse]
Rolf stood tall, blood glistening on his lip, his chest heaving not from exertion but exhilaration. The runes around the dungeon entrance pulsed in resonance with the dome, as though the [Chamber of Whispers] itself watched with interest.
Miles circled him slowly, scythe at the ready, every breath measured.
"You cleared this place, didn't you?" He asked.
"Took me three days. Thought it was going to kill me halfway through." Rolf grinned, licking the blood from his teeth.
"No wonder you're camped outside it."
"It changed me." Rolf said. "Same as your Dungeon did to you, unless you're just a thief."
