We spent several days investigating the area around the giant sealed door, searching for keys or hidden passages—but found nothing. We only stumbled across more dead Hunters and traces of dark magic, which did nothing for our morale.

  “Maybe… we should call it quits,” I muttered, letting my discouragement show.

  Elena scowled. “Have you forgotten why we came here? There’s got to be a source of dark magic somewhere in this Abyss. You really want to turn back now?”

  “No,” I said firmly. I wasn’t willing to give up. I was just out of ideas.

  Then one day, as we re-examined the sealed door, we noticed a strange dark magic circle carved into a cracked wall. A hunch told me it might be important. Elena touched it, and faint mana stirred—only to burst into a violent black surge that forced her back.

  “Tch, dark magic again!”

  At that moment, my Domination crest throbbed. I quickly pressed my palm against the black aura, disrupting it. It broke apart like a splintering vibration, sending bits of stalactite raining down. Beneath that rubble lay a small secret passage.

  “This might be a hidden path,” I said, excitement sparking in my chest.

  Elena and I exchanged glances, then crawled inside.

  Inside was a wider chamber than expected: rows of crumbling stone pillars, the floor studded with fragments of crimson crystals. They glowed faintly, like they were part of the dungeon’s core.

  In the center stood a small altar, with a doll-like figure resting on top, encircled by faint red-black mana. Elena approached warily, but it didn’t react.

  Probably unwise to poke it. Tension prickled in the air as I scanned the rest of the chamber. Then I spotted another stone door—this one looked openable.

  “Should we give it a try?”

  “Yeah. Let’s see what’s inside.”

  Together, we shoved the door open. A gust of stale air rushed out, carrying a sudden draft.

  And then I saw her—a humanoid figure with bright red hair, huddled in the darkness. At first, I thought she was a lifeless mannequin. But as we drew closer, I realized she was… alive? Or something close to it.

  “What the—who is she?” I whispered, glancing at Elena.

  The figure slowly raised her head.

  “…Master?”

  That single word made my heart skip. Her eyes, like glass beads, reflected a dreamy glow.

  “You… opened this place? Finally?”

  She looked like a teenage girl, beaming an eerie yet radiant smile. Close up, I noticed she was stunningly beautiful. I was too shocked to speak.

  “Wh-who are you?” I managed.

  Elena tensed and stepped back. “What’s your deal? You don’t look human.”

  The red-haired girl stood unsteadily, the crimson core shards at her feet glowing and feeding her some kind of mana.

  “My name… is Lavi. I’ve been asleep here for a long time. You woke me, Master.”

  Her voice was sweet yet sent a chill down my spine.

  “‘Master’…?” I echoed, stealing a glance at Elena.

  Elena grimaced. “Master? You actually know us?”

  Lavi tilted her head, then caught sight of the crest on my palm. Her eyes lit up with excitement.

  “Of course! That crimson Domination mana—yes, it has to be you, Master. You’re the reason I could awaken.”

  It sounded absurd, but something about her was definitely connected to these core fragments.

  Elena scoffed. “You’re talking nonsense. He’s just a Hunter.”

  “Nope,” Lavi countered in a playful tone. “He carries the ‘Hand of Corruption’—that’s why he was able to free me. Dark magic used to torment me, but Master’s power feels different.”

  Her sweet, enthusiastic voice made my heart pound, and I didn’t know how to respond.

  Before I could gather my thoughts, Lavi suddenly wobbled, nearly collapsing.

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  “Ugh… guess I’m still low on mana…”

  On instinct, I reached out to steady her. My arm encircled her small waist—warm, soft, entirely too close.

  “Wow, Master is hugging me himself,” she said with a bright sparkle in her eyes, pressing into me.

  “Hey—wh-what are you doing?” I stammered.

  “Being a dungeon core, or close enough, means your Domination mana is an incredible energy source for me,” she explained.

  Elena let out a derisive cough. “Ugh, this suspicious creature starts with a hug. Great.”

  She tried to pry Lavi away from me, but Lavi turned her gaze on Elena with an almost feline wariness.

  “Oh? You must be the older sister who’s already by Master’s side?”

  “What? ‘Older sister’—?” Elena sputtered, speech failing her. I shot her an apologetic look.

  Lavi smiled sweetly. “I bet I can be more useful. I’m basically the core, after all. I can even purify dark magic or toxic mana.”

  Elena froze. “Purify…? You can do that?”

  “Yes. The experiments that polluted me with black mana were awful, but as a core, I can still handle multiple types of mana.”

  Lavi waved her fingers, causing the red crystals around her to flare. The black aura lingering on a nearby altar visibly receded.

  Our eyes went wide. Could she stabilize Elena’s residual dark magic?

  It sounded too good to be true, but her demonstration was convincing enough.

  Lavi turned back to me, gripping my arm with large, pleading eyes.

  “Master, please let me join you. It’s been so lonely here.”

  Her innocent smile was disarming, yet I felt an odd warmth. Some intangible charm made it hard to refuse.

  “Wait, Hyunwoo, don’t rush,” Elena cut in, looking pissed. “How do we know we can trust her? If she’s a core, she might be tied to whoever messed up this dungeon with dark magic.”

  “That’s impossible,” Lavi said, rolling her eyes. “I hate dark magic. It hurt me more than anything. I much prefer Master’s Domination mana.”

  It was almost like a budding harem conflict. I raised both hands, trying to calm them.

  “Let’s… take this slowly. Lavi, if you can really help us, then I’ll cooperate too.”

  “Okay! Master, you’re the best!” She beamed and rubbed her cheek against my arm. Heat rose in my face, and Elena let out another disgruntled cough.

  Despite the tension, the possibility that Lavi could suppress dark magic—and help us fight—sparked hope in me.

  Soon after, she gave a quick demonstration: gently touching Elena’s black mark. With a pulse of crimson energy, some of Elena’s pain receded.

  “It’s actually working,” Elena murmured, visibly surprised.

  “See? I’m useful,” Lavi said proudly, only for Elena to snap back:

  “That doesn’t mean I trust you. You could have hidden motives. I won’t let my guard down.”

  “Fine, older sister,” Lavi teased. “But Master likes me, so that’s enough.”

  As she flashed a sugary smile at me, I felt my chest tighten in confusion. I’d never met someone so… openly affectionate.

  In the end, we agreed to take Lavi as a companion. She wanted to explore outside the Abyss; we needed her help to deal with the sealed door.

  The moment Lavi joined us, everything got louder. Her core powers allowed us to spot monsters and traces of black magic more easily, making our exploration more efficient. Even Elena—though she complained—soon relied on Lavi’s abilities in battle.

  “Just call me Lavi!” she chirped. “Though I love it most when Master says my name!”

  “Uh… Lavi,” I answered awkwardly, and she giggled “Hehe!” each time. Elena would glare at her, grumbling how a “childish creature” could possibly be a dungeon core.

  Lavi ignored her completely, clinging to me whenever she could. My heart thundered every time, and Elena’s glances grew sharper.

  A few days later, we returned to the sealed door in the grand hall. Lavi pressed her hand against the surface, channeling her core mana. The sigils glowed faintly, definitely reacting, but it still wouldn’t open.

  “Just a bit more. I’m sure we can break it soon!” Lavi declared in a sweet voice. Elena watched in silence, arms crossed. I stood there, reflecting on how bizarre this all was:

  A dungeon core, personified as a girl, calling me Master…

  “Let’s keep trying,” Lavi said, turning to me with a bright smile. “I want to see the world beyond this Abyss!”

  I flushed, sensing her excitement. “If we do this together, I’ll grow stronger, and you’ll be free.”

  “Heehee…” Lavi giggled happily, and Elena gave a loud, exasperated cough.

  “All right, enough lovey-dovey talk,” Elena snapped. “We should regroup. We don’t want to get ambushed here.”

  She shot us a sour look while Lavi stared back with defiant eyes.

  Great… that tension’s only going to get worse.

  In the end, we decided to retreat to our makeshift camp and plan our next move. Lavi clung to my arm, refusing to let go, calling me “Master” every other word. Elena bristled but didn’t kick her out—she’d seen Lavi quell dark magic firsthand.

  So our new three-person party would venture deeper into the Abyss of the Dead, seeking to unravel the secrets of black magic and the core.

  —End of Chapter 6