---
title: "Chapter 314: Hunting"
slug: "ch-314"
novel: "Dimensional Keeper: All My Skills Are at Level 100"
number: 314
views: 0
likes: 0
wordCount: 1238
createdAt: "2026-04-13"
---

Max's tone didn't change. "I'm splitting off."

It was calm. Steady. Like he was just going for a walk.

Grey took a step forward. "You're walking back into that? Are you mad?! You saw what happened! That fog—"

"I know what happened," Max interrupted, his eyes sharp now. "But my decision's made."

Grey's brow furrowed deeply. "That place isn't normal. You think just because you survived it once, you can do it again?"

Max shrugged. "I'm not here to survive. I'm here to finish what I came for."

The statement caught Grey off guard. He didn't know what that meant, but the weight behind Max's words made his chest feel tight.

Max didn't wait for a response.

He looked out across the hazy land ahead—into the very same fog that had devoured a genius before their eyes. But this time, he wasn't afraid.

Because he could feel it. A faint, unmistakable sensation.

His bloodline. Burning in the distance.

Alice.

Somewhere in the Mourning Depths, she was alive. The vial she carried—his blood, his black flame—was still pulsing.

Still calling back to him.

And he would find her.

Before Grey could say another word, a soft but stern voice came from the side.

"You'll die if you go alone." Amara's eyes met Max's. "You should reconsider."

Max turned to her slowly. There was a calmness in his gaze, but also something else—determination.

"I appreciate your concern," he said. "But I won't die. I know what I'm doing."

Amara didn't press further. She only frowned, clearly unsettled, but said nothing more.

Just then, another voice echoed in Max's mind—gentle, anxious.

"Max, what are you doing? Leader told us to stay together. To watch each other's backs."

It was Callie. Her vital essence transmission was filled with worry.

He turned his head slightly and looked at her.

She stood a few feet behind him, her white mask concealing her face. But he could feel the emotion behind it.

"I know," Max said softly. "But I have to do this."

He gestured lightly toward Old Man Grey.

"You'll be safe with him. Trust me. He'll get you to the 1500-mile zone."

Callie didn't respond immediately.

She lowered her head slightly, fists tightening beneath her robe. Her heart told her to stop him. To say something—anything—to make him stay.

But… she couldn't.

Not with the way he looked. Not with the quiet fire in his voice.

In the end, she only nodded.

"Don't die," she said, barely above a whisper.

Max gave her a small smile.

"I won't."

And then—

Without another glance back,

Without hesitation,

Without fear—

He turned.

And walked straight back into the black fog.

Max didn't hesitate.

Didn't pause.

Didn't even glance over his shoulder.

Old Man Grey's words drifted behind him, laced with warning, but also a sliver of resignation.

"Max, since you are planning to head alone then do so. But know that whatever happens to you… will not be blamed on my Divine Palace."

Max just gave a simple nod. His voice was calm. Steady.

"I know. It's my decision. So anything that happens to me… will be my fault."

No dramatic exit. No last words.

He turned away—

And stepped into the fog.

The moment he crossed the threshold, the world changed.

Sound disappeared.

Light dimmed.

The warmth of the others… gone in an instant.

The fog wrapped around him like a shroud. Soft at first—like drifting smoke—

But with every step, it thickened. Grew heavy. Dense. Wet.

It began to press in from all sides, clinging to his clothes, coiling around his skin.

His boots crunched over brittle ground.

Bone dust. Maybe worse.

The air buzzed with something ancient. Something sick.

Infernal energy.

It filled the air like static. Vivid. Hungry. Alive.

Max lowered his presence to the bare minimum—his aura sealed so tightly not even a ripple leaked out. His heart slowed. His breathing turned shallow. He became a shadow within the shadow.

"Max, first pretend you're not its enemy…"

Blob's voice was steady. Cautious.

"I'll find its core. We only have one chance. One. If we miss… it'll never fall for the same trick again."

Max didn't reply—he didn't need to.

He simply gave the slightest nod.

He understood everything.

This wasn't a fight.

It was a hunt. A delicate one.

And this time—he wasn't the predator.

Not yet.

According to Blob, Sinful Bone Frames didn't linger near the surface.

They slept.

Buried thousands of feet underground, their wills dormant for centuries.

But the moment they sensed a vulnerable soul walking too close…

They rose.

And they hunted.

It was only during that moment—when they surfaced, searching for prey—

that they were exposed.

That was his window.

His only window.

Once they vanished again, it would take days… weeks… lifetimes…

to lure them back out.

And in this fog-choked death field of the Mourning Depths,

Max didn't have a lifetime.

—

So he played the fool.

He moved like he was lost. Confused.

Stumbled now and then. Slowed down.

Sometimes he sped up… sometimes paused.

Like prey.

He kept his soul force dimmed, buried deep.

He let the pressure build. Let it wrap around him like vines.

—

Then—

A sound.

Soft. Floating. Ancient.

A woman's voice, whispering through the mist.

"Lonely… I'm so lonely… come down and play with me…"

It wasn't loud.

It didn't echo.

It just existed. Everywhere. Nowhere.

A lullaby spoken by a ghost.

Max stopped walking.

His foot hovered over the earth for half a second.

His breath caught.

Then—

A faint gleam lit his eyes.

It came.

The Sinful Bone Frame was here.

Max's mind went cold.

The moment the song echoed through the fog, he felt it.𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Not just the melody—

But the pull.

It slithered through his ears.

Crept down his spine.

And reached for his soul.

But unlike last time…

He didn't panic.

His mind remained still.

Calm.

He could feel the structure of the song this time.

Could taste the thread of will woven beneath its sweetness.

It was elegant… but deadly.

A trap made of melody.

It didn't aim to kill him directly.

No, it was much more dangerous than that.

It sought to open a door—

One that led into the Soul Palace.

The moment his soul responded to it…

That door opened.

And the hunter stepped through.

If someone had no understanding of soul constructs—no awareness of will—

they wouldn't even realize what was happening.

They'd simply be enchanted.

Wander in blindly.

And then… they'd never return.

—

Max blinked once—

and the world changed.

The choking fog, the gray light, the smell of death—

Gone.

Now, he stood in a vast, lush wilderness.

Emerald grass danced in the wind.

The sky above was a flawless blue, with soft clouds floating lazily across it.

Wildflowers bloomed in every direction.

There was no killing intent here.

Just peace.

And warmth.

The sudden shift jarred his senses.

Even knowing it was fake—his breath still hitched.

His mind tried to anchor itself. Tried to find a crack in this illusion.

But then—

A soft voice broke the silence.

"Stay with me… Follow me…"

He turned.

And froze.

Standing before him… was Alice.

Her long, fiery red skirt swayed in the wind.

Her red hair shimmered under the golden sun.

Her expression was soft. Eyes filled with longing.

It was her.

Same voice. Same presence. Same warmth.

The illusion was flawless.

Too flawless.