SSS Unknown: Dark Knight's Legacy

Since that day, they hadn't seen Unknown again. The only message he left behind read, "When the time comes, I will return."

Ten days had passed. The steady flow of water in the cave and the decaying body of the giant centipede provided all the resources they needed, so they didn't have to leave the cave for hunting. They did, however, occasionally need to fend off monsters that wandered in.

Leaving the cave wasn't an easy option either. The outside was teeming with monsters—from Skeletons and Slimes to Scavenger Bats. Occasionally, Cave Goblins could be seen fighting these creatures.

Luckily, the decomposition rate of the Shadow Wolves was faster than expected. Just two days later, they were able to leave without much trouble.

"I'm so bored," Boar grumbled. "When are we going outside? We've been here so long that I've completely forgotten what we were supposed to be doing."

"Exploring and waiting for the time-space rift to open," Meat replied, unbothered.

"Why are you two so calm?" Boar continued. "We've been stuck here for a month!"

"I know you're frustrated, but yelling and complaining won't help," Meat answered, still seated as he redrew the cave's layout.

Despite the Ogre race's usual resilience to the darkness of caves, thanks to their goblin ancestry—Boar seemed like an exception.

He gets annoyed when sitting in a cave for so long.

"Alright, Steel," Boar said, his voice laced with impatience. "What's the plan after we conquer the Goblin Fortress?"

"We renovate it and wait for the scouting team," Steel answered without looking up.

"But what if the rift doesn't open?"

"It will open," Steel replied, his tone firm. "The king will do whatever it takes to obtain the [Sword of Desire], and in the meantime, we'll stick to the mission."

"Oh, and if that really did occur, the prize would be something like life extension or evolution? The cores from the king are high-quality and almost guaranteed to succeed," Boar insisted.

"Unlike those untested cores that could cause your body to explode if you absorb them," Steel countered sharply, glaring at Boar.

"Ugh, what are you trying to say? If that guy hadn't stopped me, we could've done this on our own!" Boar snapped, growing angrier.

Meat sighed and shook his head, unable to offer anything useful to his frustrated friend.

"Didn't you learn anything yet?" Steel asked, his voice quieter but carrying a heavy meaning.

"Huh? Say that again, louder!" Boar demanded, his temper flaring.

"Forget it," Steel muttered, turning away.

Meat ignored the exchange, focusing on his map. But then, an odd sensation washed over him—a strange distortion in the air, a shift in the dungeon's very essence.

In an instant, everyone's minds were thrown into disarray. Their spatial perception was warped, and a chilling sense of unease swept over them. The air seemed to pulse with a dark, foreign energy, unlike anything they had encountered before. Something was happening. Something was changing.

"Has the time-space rift opened?"

The sensation was unmistakable. It was the same feeling they had experienced when they first entered the gate.

But this time, the sensation was even stronger, more intense. It felt as though a much more powerful rift had been torn open.

And the cause of this phenomenon was none other than Unknown.

Steel, Meat, and Boar exchanged tense looks. 

They all felt it—the air thick with the presence of something unnatural, something foreign. The very fabric of space seemed to tremble around them, vibrating with the sheer force of the rift's opening.

And that marked a sea change in the process of overcoming this dungeon.

***

While they remained hidden, Unknown pressed forward, delving deeper into the dungeon, driven by his insatiable thirst for power.

He had already surpassed many of the dungeon's challenges, slaying everything in his path with ruthless efficiency. 

His strength had grown undeniably, but with each victory, a toll was being exacted on his body. The weight of his blackened sword, the armor he wore, and the oversized blade forged from the elder centipede's tail all bore down on him, making every step feel more burdensome than the last.

His greed for power had led him to push beyond his limits, and now exhaustion was beginning to catch up with him.

Without warning, his foot slipped on the slick stone floor. Before he could react, he lost his balance and tumbled, rolling uncontrollably until he crashed into the ground.

"What the hell?!" he cursed as he struggled to right himself.

He had fallen into a pit, but it wasn't very deep. Luckily, the fall hadn't caused any significant injuries, just a bruised ego.

Frustrated, he pushed himself up and glanced around, realizing he had fallen into a labyrinthine maze beneath the dungeon, its layout unfamiliar and unsettling. He sighed, weary from both the journey and the continuous combat.

As his blurry vision cleared, he saw that the path above was blocked by an invisible barrier, and the walls surrounding him were similarly sealed. There was no way to break through them, and no clear way out.

"Tch, I should've brought some food with me," he muttered in irritation. His mind shifted from anger to pragmatism as he placed a hand on his forehead and took a deep breath, trying to compose himself.

Pulling a map from his bag, he studied it carefully. Based on his memory, he was roughly 10 kilometers from the Goblin Fortress and nearing a previously marked area of interest.

'This is the first time I've seen architecture like this,' he thought, eyes narrowing as he tried to make sense of the strange surroundings.

He attempted to activate [Magic Vision], hoping to glean more information about the maze. But as soon as the magic flared to life, it was immediately stifled by the dense magical saturation in the air. The maze was teeming with arcane energy, making his efforts largely ineffective.

"...Alright," he muttered to himself, resigned. "Looks like I have no choice but to find my way out myself."

Determined, he pulled a piece of cloth and some charcoal from his pack. With methodical precision, he began sketching a map of his surroundings, documenting the maze as he explored.

For hours, Unknown moved methodically along the right side of the walls, convinced that following this path would eventually lead to some kind of breakthrough, even if it meant reaching a dead end. It was a slow, deliberate strategy that at least ensured he wasn't overlooking anything.

But after five hours of trekking through the maze, frustration began to set in. Every path he explored led to yet another dead end.

'All of them are dead ends,' he thought bitterly.

Despite his best efforts, he couldn't find any sign of an exit. His mind raced with questions, and he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

'...Alright, calm down. I'm sure I didn't miss any paths. So what's the problem here?'

His gaze wandered to the walls, where he noticed several clock symbols etched into the stone. Some of the clocks pointed to 12:30, others to 4:55, and one marked 19:13.

'What does this mean? I don't understand.'

He furrowed his brow, trying to make sense of the symbols. But for now, he couldn't afford to get distracted. There were more immediate concerns, such as his hunger and the need for rest.

With a sigh, he gathered some materials from the maze—twigs, dry leaves, and a few moss patches—and started a fire. The lack of monsters in the maze meant he was safe, but the presence of small creatures, like the hardy rats, was undeniable. They scurried through the maze, unaffected by the strange atmosphere.

'After I finish eating, I'll need to figure out the path the rats take,' he thought.

The meal he prepared was far from gourmet—minced rat meat boiled with water he had found in the damp patches of the maze. He added herbs that resembled onions and garlic, their taste similar, if not identical, to the real thing.

'It's edible, though it would be better with salt,' he mused, chewing on the food. While it nourished him, the lack of seasoning left something to be desired.

His thoughts turned to the possibility of finding salt. He was certain that, somewhere in this vast dungeon, it existed. But the thought of spending more time observing the creatures to track down the salt—a task that would likely be as tiresome as it was unappealing—left him feeling drained.

He longed for a shortcut, a way to solve the puzzle of the maze without all the tedious observation. But for now, all he could do was eat, rest, and try to think of his next move.

'I want to get out of here.'

The thought lingered in his mind, echoing like an unshakable truth. Yet, as soon as it formed, another question arose to challenge it.

'But what will I do once I'm out? It seems like the world outside isn't any better.'

The uncertainty gnawed at him. The world he saw from the soldier's perspective was one filled with conflict and bloodshed.

It seemed as desolate as the maze he now found himself in. But even so, he longed to escape, if only to experience sunlight, to experience the warmness of it.

There was something about the fervor, the purity of it, that called to him. He wasn't sure if it was a memory or a dream, but the thought of a life beyond his current existence was tempting.

'I want to live a human life, not as a bloodthirsty monster,' he mused, though doubt lingered. He couldn't remember what it was like to live as a human, but the desire for it was undeniable.

As he sat near the warm fire, the weariness of his long journey through the maze began to take its toll. His eyes grew heavy, and the exhaustion that had plagued him for days finally won out.

Recently, he had hardly slept. His bloodthirsty instincts kept him on edge, and the constant disturbances from the monsters only made it harder to find rest. 

But here, in this isolated maze, there was an eerie sense of calm. Nothing threatened him. No monster's roar echoed in the distance. For once, there was peace.

Wrapped in the warmth of his black cloak, he drifted off, as if the fabric itself were a comforting blanket. His body relaxed, and for the first time in ages, he slept deeply—calmly, as a child might.

But sleep was not without its own dreams.

In the dream, he found himself standing amid a barren wasteland, under a strange sun. 

The sunlight, though, was wrong. It was blackened, obscured, as if the very sky had been corrupted. In his hand, he gripped a sword—a strange, otherworldly weapon—amidst the rubble and ruins.

Despite the desolation surrounding him, there was no sorrow. No sadness. Instead, he felt a strange sense of joy, as though he had found something he had been searching for, something he had long been denied:

Freedom.

But then.

"Master, I'm waiting for you."

A voice came suddenly, soft but clear, echoing in his mind. It was unfamiliar, and yet it tugged at something deep within him.

"…Whose voice is that?" he murmured, his brow furrowing in confusion.

The dream faded as quickly as it had appeared. Unknown jolted awake, his heart racing, sweat beading on his skin. His senses came back to him in a rush, but the exhaustion that had clung to him felt slightly lighter now. 

"Have I been asleep for that long?"

Unknown stood up, feeling lighter than before, as though the weight of his worries had dissolved during his sleep. He stretched his stiff limbs, his mind now clearer, and resumed his journey through the maze.

Following his earlier plan, he positioned himself at a distance from the rats, watching them closely as they scurried along the maze's labyrinthine paths.

The walls were solid, covered by an impenetrable barrier, making it impossible for the rats to slip through any narrow gaps. Therefore, Unknown deduced that their origin lay somewhere else.

True to his expectations, the rats eventually led him to a stone door. It was hidden in a narrow alley, the dead-end obstructing further movement. 

The door required force to open and rotated inward, revealing a small hole just large enough for the rats to crawl through. No matter how much force he applied to the door, it wouldn't budge. But upon closer inspection, Unknown noticed something etched onto the door's surface: a circular symbol.

'What's this?'

He studied the door again, scanning for any other distinguishing features, but aside from the scenery, there was nothing special. His eyes drifted back to the circle.

'A clock?'

He mused, but there were no hands on the circle, only an engraving that resembled the outline of a clock face.

'No, there are no hands on it.'

Unknown tried to draw clock hands onto the disk but to no effect. Frustrated, he sighed and leaned against the door, considering his next move.

'Guess I'll just have to wait.'

So he waited, patient but still uneasy. Time seemed to stretch on as he contemplated the puzzle, considering every possible solution. After two hours of stillness, the circular disk suddenly began to glow, and clock hands materialized, showing the current time: 00:00.

Quickly, Unknown tried entering the three times he had recorded throughout the maze. He turned the clock hands to 4:55, 12:31, and 19:13, but nothing happened.

As the time on the clock ticked away, the hands slowly began to fade, and Unknown realized the time was running out.

'That's right, it's morning, noon, evening, and night.'

The three times represented moments in the day—4:55 AM for waking up, 12:31 PM for lunch, and 19:13 for dinner.

'So it's tomorrow, right?'

With this assumption, he concluded the times were based on a strict schedule. The intervals between them were almost exactly 7 hours apart, and all the minutes were odd numbers.

'The last period should be...'

"2:07."

He adjusted the clock hands to 2:07, hoping he had deciphered the puzzle correctly. To his surprise, the disk glowed brightly, and with a satisfying click, the door unlocked.

"That's lucky. I actually guessed right?"

Unknown stepped through the door, and the musty, dusty air of the room hit him like a wave. The smell made him sneeze, and he brushed off his hands in an attempt to rid himself of the dust particles that seemed to cling to everything.

'But wait, isn't the gap between 2:00 and 5:00 not exactly 7 hours?'

He thought for a moment, doubt creeping in.

'Maybe I just got lucky. My guess might not have been right.'

He pushed the thoughts aside, reminding himself that the door had opened, so there was no time to second-guess his luck.

Inside the room, the air was thick with dust, and there was only one item of note: a crimson helmet with a skull design. 

Its dark, oppressive magical aura seemed to suffocate the very air around it, making Unknown feel uncomfortable. The intensity of the magic emanating from the helmet was tangible, and the anxiety gnawed at him.

He took a cautious step forward, staring at the helmet. 

Despite the discomfort it caused, Unknown couldn't resist the pull of curiosity. What was this item? What purpose did it serve? He reached out, but a part of him hesitated, sensing that whatever this was, it might change everything.

Even though it looked exactly like a trap, he still picked it up. 

As soon as the helmet made contact with his hand, an intense, suffocating pressure surged through him. His senses were immediately overwhelmed, and for a moment, he felt as though his very being was being crushed under the weight of an unimaginable force.

'True power always lies in the will. O challenger, are you willing to die countless times to attain strength?'

The voice echoed in his mind once more, colder and more overpowering than before. Unknown's heart raced, but he didn't flinch. He had already decided—he would take the risk.

He was desperate for power, desperate to escape this cursed place, and he would do anything to achieve it.

"Let's give it a try."

"I wound never back off from a challenge."