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348 lines
7.4 KiB
Markdown
348 lines
7.4 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: "Chapter 314: Hunting"
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slug: "ch-314"
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novel: "Dimensional Keeper: All My Skills Are at Level 100"
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number: 314
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views: 0
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likes: 0
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wordCount: 1238
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createdAt: "2026-04-13"
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---
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Max's tone didn't change. "I'm splitting off."
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It was calm. Steady. Like he was just going for a walk.
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Grey took a step forward. "You're walking back into that? Are you mad?! You saw what happened! That fog—"
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"I know what happened," Max interrupted, his eyes sharp now. "But my decision's made."
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Grey's brow furrowed deeply. "That place isn't normal. You think just because you survived it once, you can do it again?"
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Max shrugged. "I'm not here to survive. I'm here to finish what I came for."
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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.
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Max didn't wait for a response.
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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.
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Because he could feel it. A faint, unmistakable sensation.
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His bloodline. Burning in the distance.
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Alice.
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Somewhere in the Mourning Depths, she was alive. The vial she carried—his blood, his black flame—was still pulsing.
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Still calling back to him.
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And he would find her.
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Before Grey could say another word, a soft but stern voice came from the side.
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"You'll die if you go alone." Amara's eyes met Max's. "You should reconsider."
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Max turned to her slowly. There was a calmness in his gaze, but also something else—determination.
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"I appreciate your concern," he said. "But I won't die. I know what I'm doing."
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Amara didn't press further. She only frowned, clearly unsettled, but said nothing more.
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Just then, another voice echoed in Max's mind—gentle, anxious.
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"Max, what are you doing? Leader told us to stay together. To watch each other's backs."
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It was Callie. Her vital essence transmission was filled with worry.
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He turned his head slightly and looked at her.
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She stood a few feet behind him, her white mask concealing her face. But he could feel the emotion behind it.
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"I know," Max said softly. "But I have to do this."
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He gestured lightly toward Old Man Grey.
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"You'll be safe with him. Trust me. He'll get you to the 1500-mile zone."
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Callie didn't respond immediately.
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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.
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But… she couldn't.
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Not with the way he looked. Not with the quiet fire in his voice.
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In the end, she only nodded.
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"Don't die," she said, barely above a whisper.
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Max gave her a small smile.
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"I won't."
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And then—
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Without another glance back,
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Without hesitation,
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Without fear—
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He turned.
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And walked straight back into the black fog.
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Max didn't hesitate.
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Didn't pause.
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Didn't even glance over his shoulder.
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Old Man Grey's words drifted behind him, laced with warning, but also a sliver of resignation.
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"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."
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Max just gave a simple nod. His voice was calm. Steady.
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"I know. It's my decision. So anything that happens to me… will be my fault."
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No dramatic exit. No last words.
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He turned away—
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And stepped into the fog.
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The moment he crossed the threshold, the world changed.
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Sound disappeared.
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Light dimmed.
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The warmth of the others… gone in an instant.
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The fog wrapped around him like a shroud. Soft at first—like drifting smoke—
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But with every step, it thickened. Grew heavy. Dense. Wet.
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It began to press in from all sides, clinging to his clothes, coiling around his skin.
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His boots crunched over brittle ground.
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Bone dust. Maybe worse.
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The air buzzed with something ancient. Something sick.
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Infernal energy.
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It filled the air like static. Vivid. Hungry. Alive.
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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.
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"Max, first pretend you're not its enemy…"
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Blob's voice was steady. Cautious.
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"I'll find its core. We only have one chance. One. If we miss… it'll never fall for the same trick again."
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Max didn't reply—he didn't need to.
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He simply gave the slightest nod.
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He understood everything.
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This wasn't a fight.
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It was a hunt. A delicate one.
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And this time—he wasn't the predator.
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Not yet.
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According to Blob, Sinful Bone Frames didn't linger near the surface.
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They slept.
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Buried thousands of feet underground, their wills dormant for centuries.
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But the moment they sensed a vulnerable soul walking too close…
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They rose.
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And they hunted.
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It was only during that moment—when they surfaced, searching for prey—
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that they were exposed.
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That was his window.
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His only window.
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Once they vanished again, it would take days… weeks… lifetimes…
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to lure them back out.
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And in this fog-choked death field of the Mourning Depths,
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Max didn't have a lifetime.
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—
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So he played the fool.
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He moved like he was lost. Confused.
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Stumbled now and then. Slowed down.
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Sometimes he sped up… sometimes paused.
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Like prey.
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He kept his soul force dimmed, buried deep.
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He let the pressure build. Let it wrap around him like vines.
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—
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Then—
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A sound.
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Soft. Floating. Ancient.
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A woman's voice, whispering through the mist.
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"Lonely… I'm so lonely… come down and play with me…"
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It wasn't loud.
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It didn't echo.
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It just existed. Everywhere. Nowhere.
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A lullaby spoken by a ghost.
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Max stopped walking.
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His foot hovered over the earth for half a second.
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His breath caught.
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Then—
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A faint gleam lit his eyes.
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It came.
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The Sinful Bone Frame was here.
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Max's mind went cold.
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The moment the song echoed through the fog, he felt it.𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢
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Not just the melody—
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But the pull.
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It slithered through his ears.
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Crept down his spine.
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And reached for his soul.
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But unlike last time…
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He didn't panic.
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His mind remained still.
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Calm.
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He could feel the structure of the song this time.
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Could taste the thread of will woven beneath its sweetness.
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It was elegant… but deadly.
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A trap made of melody.
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It didn't aim to kill him directly.
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No, it was much more dangerous than that.
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It sought to open a door—
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One that led into the Soul Palace.
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The moment his soul responded to it…
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That door opened.
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And the hunter stepped through.
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If someone had no understanding of soul constructs—no awareness of will—
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they wouldn't even realize what was happening.
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They'd simply be enchanted.
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Wander in blindly.
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And then… they'd never return.
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—
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Max blinked once—
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and the world changed.
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The choking fog, the gray light, the smell of death—
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Gone.
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Now, he stood in a vast, lush wilderness.
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Emerald grass danced in the wind.
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The sky above was a flawless blue, with soft clouds floating lazily across it.
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Wildflowers bloomed in every direction.
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There was no killing intent here.
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Just peace.
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And warmth.
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The sudden shift jarred his senses.
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Even knowing it was fake—his breath still hitched.
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His mind tried to anchor itself. Tried to find a crack in this illusion.
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But then—
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A soft voice broke the silence.
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"Stay with me… Follow me…"
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He turned.
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And froze.
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Standing before him… was Alice.
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Her long, fiery red skirt swayed in the wind.
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Her red hair shimmered under the golden sun.
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Her expression was soft. Eyes filled with longing.
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It was her.
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Same voice. Same presence. Same warmth.
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The illusion was flawless.
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Too flawless. |