Hunter of the Lost Gates-Chapter 20 - : Into the Ruins of Dusk

The **Lost Gate pulsed**, its unstable form distorting the air like a heatwave. The ruins around Sai trembled, cracks forming in the ancient stonework. The battle with the **Order's Executioner** had ended in an unexpected retreat, but the tension in Sai's body hadn't faded.

The words still echoed in his mind:

*"You are still incomplete."*

The Executioner had **recognized something in him**, something tied to the Abyss. And yet, he had chosen to **walk away**.

That meant one thing—**whatever lay inside this gate was important.**

Sai's **Lost Gate System** flickered.

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**[Lost Gate Unsealed.]**

**[Dungeon Type: ???]**

**[Enter?]** **[Y/N]**

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Aldrin and his hunters stood a short distance away, watching warily. The fight had left them shaken, and though the Order had retreated, it was clear they were **far from finished**.

*"Are you seriously going inside?"* Aldrin asked, arms crossed. His expression was unreadable, but Sai could hear the tension beneath his words.

Sai exhaled, glancing at the ruins around them.

*"If the Order wanted to erase this place, then there's something inside they don't want anyone to see."*

Kara, the red-haired scout, frowned. *"That doesn't mean you have to be the one to walk into it."*

*"I don't have a choice."* Sai tightened his grip on his daggers. *"I need to know the truth."*

Aldrin studied him for a long moment before finally sighing.

*"You're either the bravest or the dumbest hunter I've ever met."*

Sai smirked faintly. *"Probably both."*

Then, without another word, he **stepped forward.**

The moment he crossed the threshold, the world **shattered.**

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### **The Abyss Beckons**

Sai's body was pulled downward, an overwhelming **gravity** dragging him through the **darkness**. He felt weightless yet heavy, as if his very existence was being stretched thin.

The **whispers** started again.

Soft at first.

Then—**louder.**

*"You are close."*

*"You came back."*

*"Break the seal."*

Sai **gritted his teeth**, willing himself to move, to fight against the crushing force pulling him deeper. The air around him was thick with something **ancient**, something that coiled around him like unseen chains.

Then—

**Light exploded around him.**

Sai **hit solid ground**, rolling forward as the weight in his chest vanished. His breath came in sharp gasps as he pushed himself up, his fingers tightening around his daggers.

He was **inside.**

And what he saw made his blood run cold.

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### **The City Beneath the Ruins**

Sai stood in the middle of a **forgotten city.**

Towering structures stretched high into the cavernous space, their surfaces **covered in glowing blue runes.** Bridges of stone and metal connected floating platforms, and in the distance, he could see **monuments built in the shape of warriors, their hands gripping weapons that pulsed with long-forgotten power.**

This wasn't just a dungeon.

This was a **civilization that had been erased.**

His **Lost Gate System** reacted instantly.

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**[Dungeon Identified: The City of Exiles]**

**[Status: Time Distortion Active]**

**[Warning: Entities Detected]**

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Sai's grip on his daggers tightened.

*"Entities?"*

A **soft shuffle** echoed through the empty streets.

Sai turned sharply—just in time to see **a figure watching him from the shadows.**

Not a monster.

A **human.**

Or at least—**something that once was.**

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### **The Forgotten Ones**

The figure stepped into the dim glow of the rune-lit streets, and Sai's breath caught.

It was a **man**, clad in tattered armor that bore **no emblem, no markings**. His face was **partially obscured**, but Sai could see the **unnatural glow in his eyes**—pale blue, almost like the rune markings covering the city.

*"Another one,"* the man murmured. His voice was rough, worn.

Sai raised his daggers slightly.

*"Who are you?"*

The man studied him for a moment before shaking his head.

*"That doesn't matter. What matters is that you don't belong here."*

*"Neither do you."* Sai narrowed his eyes. *"What is this place?"*

The man exhaled.

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*"A graveyard."*

Then—**he moved.**

Faster than Sai expected.

A **blade arced toward him,** glowing faintly with an energy that felt **too familiar.**

Sai **reacted instantly.**

**Abyssal Step.**

He blinked backward just as the blade **slashed through where he had been standing.**

The man didn't hesitate.

He **closed the distance**, striking again. Sai twisted his body, parrying the attack—but the moment their weapons **clashed, a pulse of energy erupted outward.**

The force sent Sai **staggering back.**

*"Tch."* Sai exhaled, regaining his footing.

This man—**he was using something like the Abyss.**

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### **A Duel in the Forgotten City**

The man **attacked again**, his blade weaving through the air with **fluid precision**. Sai dodged, his instincts **working overtime** to track the attacks.

This wasn't a mindless enemy.

This was a **trained fighter**.

A hunter.

And yet—**his movements were unnatural.**

Sai **ducked under a slash, twisting mid-air to deliver a counterstrike**—but the moment his dagger made contact, the man's **form flickered.**

Sai's blade **passed through him like mist.**

His breath hitched.

*"You are untrained,"* the man said, his voice almost **disappointed.** *"Unfinished."*

Sai clenched his teeth.

*"What does that mean?"*

The man stepped back slightly, his glowing eyes scanning Sai carefully.

*"The Abyss has marked you, but you have yet to claim it."*

Sai felt a **cold chill** creep up his spine.

*"You're like the Order's Executioner,"* he muttered. *"You've been touched by it too."*

The man's lips curled slightly.

*"Executioner?"* He exhaled. *"They don't know what they serve. But you... you might."*

Before Sai could ask what he meant—

The **ground trembled.**

A deep, **distant sound** echoed through the cavernous city.

Sai's System **flashed a warning.**

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**[Event Triggered: Awakening of the Forgotten]**

**[Warning: Gate Stability at Critical Levels]**

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Sai turned sharply toward the source of the sound.

At the heart of the city, where the largest monument stood—

**A massive stone doorway had begun to open.**

And beyond it—

**Something was waiting.**

The man in front of Sai straightened.

*"It has begun."*

Sai's breath was steady, but inside, **his instincts screamed.**

Something was **waking up.**

And it wasn't supposed to.

He had come here for answers—**but now, he had no choice but to fight for them.**

As the doorway continued to **creak open**, revealing a darkness **too deep, too endless to be natural**, Sai clenched his daggers.

*"What's behind that door?"* he asked.

The man didn't answer.

He just smiled faintly.

*"You'll see soon enough."*

Then, in an instant—**he vanished.**

Sai **gritted his teeth.**

The **Abyss was moving.**

And now, he was **right in the middle of it.**

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