Chapter 0 – Prologue – The Gates Open

An empty, dark hall lay quiet for hundreds of years. Of the Three Great Dungeons, two of them lay dormant, inaccessible for years. That was, until today.

Pushing open the two gigantic metal doors, a man with a foul aura silently yet dramatically let light into the the vast, empty hall of darkness. Once the absurdly large doors were completely open, his silhouette was cast into the shadows, an evil grin appearing on his face and in the shadow. Waltzing into the hall, he proclaimed.

"Let the Dungeon be open once again!"

A woman watched with cautiousness and curiosity. She was the Administrator of Floor 0 of the dungeon, The Goddess of the Gates of Life and Death. A smile showed on her face. She began to laugh increasingly louder as the spirits of the hall rose from their slumber at the sound of her haunting voice. The spirits and Shades began to moan and scream at the sight of the light coming from the beyond the doors. Those who had hid in the darkness waiting for the gates to open began to curiously make sense of their situation. Some even made their way towards the doors in anticipation.

Briskly, the man draped in a long black cloak put on a mask with red lines through where his eyes would be. His aura raged with royal darkness as his eyes shore a mischievous red glow behind the mask. On his back was a large circular artifact with a turtle inscription that emitted a blue hue of energy. Menacingly, he began his monologue to the mass of monsters.

He raised his hands in victory, and declared, "For centuries you have waited. I shall conquer this dungeon as your new King. For millennium, you have waited, but do not fear, nor falter. The prophecy has come true, and destiny is upon us. I shall claim this Dungeon and then, the world, as my prize. Go into the world and wreak havoc! Today is the dawn of a new era. Today is the era of Hell!"

The demons, Shades, and spirits began to bow in worship, cheering and howling. At the man's beckoning, they swarmed past him into the light of day. Slowly, he started to move forward through the horde towards the Goddess, who stood patiently watching at the end of the hall. They locked eyes throughout the event, and as the monsters of the depths swarmed the world above, he smiled.

With every step, streams of souls swept past him while allowing space for him to move. He took his time strolling through the monsters unafraid, and he greeted the monsters as they went past him. Eventually, he made his way a few feet before the Goddess. Taking his mask off, he looked down on the Goddess and then took a step back, bending down and politely reaching his hand out to her like a noble would to a Queen.

The Goddess stared at the man perplexed. He was handsome yet weak in aura.

Years ago, a prophecy was made known throughout the dungeon: 'One day the doors shall open, and the one who will open the doors shall be its next king'. This man may very well be trying to play the part with nothing to back it up. It was best to be cautious.

The one who Ruled over the Dungeon of Hell and the first to ever conquer the Dungeon was named the First Deathless, unkillable and ruthless. An Authority above the gods, The First Deathless slaughtered the previous owner of the dungeon and took it for his own. The man lay before her now was like an entertainer, monologuing to a crowd, playing the part of a Demon Lord while being a sheep himself.

She didn't take his hand. He waited for an uncomfortable amount of time before whispering, "How long has it been since your 'King' has been missing?"

In a rage the Goddess unleashed her aura. The creatures still in the hall trembled and fell to the ground lifeless, not daring to move, some, not even daring to breathe. She was an invincible power at the top of the world. As an A Ranked Goddess, no one in their right mind would provoke someone of her caliber. For all in tense and purposes, a Goddess like her was stronger than 99.9% of anyone she would come in contact with.

Without flinching at all, the man raised his head and looked at her straight in the eyes and said, "It appears I hit a soft spot. Not many in this dungeon should know of the missing Lord of Hell." The man absentmindedly itched his head as if to provoke the Goddess. "If you don't believe I possess the necessary qualifications to fulfill your precious prophecy, feel free to penalize me. It will be more fun conquering my dungeon that way." He grinned from ear to ear sadistically.

The Great Goddess of the Gates of Life and Death Diana, a Goddess with a lengthy title and burdensome job of bringing the souls of the deceased onto the journey of accepting their death, had never been so confused before. An ant not even half the strength of Herself had never been so audacious! She was enraged but held herself back.

Many Floor Administrators frequently discussed the meaning behind the prophecy. Their Authority and Lord, The First Deathless, The Great Demon Lord, had gone missing over three hundred years ago.

"Would the First Deathless choose a successor like this child?" She thought.

"Was He about to die of old age and wanted to leave behind a prophecy of hope?

"Was the prophecy invented by the Sector Administrators who wished to keep order in wake of The First's disappearance?"

"Was it really a lie?"

"Would The First Deathless reincarnate instead?"

"Is this kid really The First Deathless in disguise?"

"No, no, The First never acted like this…"

She often pondered who the man would be who opened the doors after they were sealed shut so long ago, if they were to open at all. When the First Deathless went missing, she had hoped the prophecy was meant as hope from the Deathless Himself to His faithful subordinates. This hope was shattered upon seeing the underwhelming man before her.

Without their Authority, the gates would remain shut, and their schedule of opening and closing the dungeon would be derailed. In fact, it was already derailed! This child should have never been able to open the gates from the outside…

One thing was for certain, however. The man before her had a background anchored in one of the absolute Authorities, the deities above the Gods. No one besides them could set in motion a plan to open the gates. Lost in thought, she pondered to herself, "There should only be around 12 of them left alive, could it be him? No maybe her? No maybe that creature? Perhaps that thing?"

While she stood there examining the man, his playful and sadistic expression grew even more twisted with delight as he watched her think deeper and deeper on the complex nature of their situation. In one silent moment, he took his hand he still had out for her, reached up slightly, and lightly slapped her in the face. The slap echoed throughout the entire Floor, causing every terrifying monster, spirit, and Shade to gulp and tremble with fear. For a moment, not a sound was heard besides the racing hearts of the creatures.

Breaking the tension in the air, the man ran past the Goddess like a child yelling, "Stop thinking about it so hard! You're making me wait too long Diana. Let's get a move on; this dungeon won't conquer itself!" He playfully skipped past the stunned Goddess and did a small hop in the air as he raced towards the end of the Hall.

Dumbfounded, the Goddess expanded her aura and looked at the man who had run past her like she was in fact the ant in this situation. Reaching her hand out, she froze the man in place and brought him back in front of her.

"Child, you do not seem to understand the gravity of this situation. You cannot slap a Goddess. You open the doors of a dungeon sealed shut by the Authorities and waltz in here like you own the place. Where is the proof behind your words? Know your place!" She lectured.

"This is the Dungeon of Hell. Hell's Dungeon. This is not a playground. Now answer me. Who are you? Who sent you here? How do you know my name? And what gives you the right to slap the Goddess of the Gates of Life and Death in the face?" Her brooding aura slammed against all the beings in the hall, including the man, pushing them all into the ground with their faces shoved down on the cold metal ground solely by pure energy. The scariest shades and demons cried for mercy, and as their cries grew quieter under the pressure, she retracted her aura, allowing the man to respond.

Slowly brushing the dust off of his cloak, his face was no longer playful but indifferent. A downward scowl with glowing red eyes suddenly appeared on his face as he pierced her eyes with his vicious glare. A domineering yet weak and demented aura blasted off of him in rage.

"I am Lavilin, the new King of this Dungeon, and you, are now my Goddess! I alone don't need a party, power, nor a backing to conquer this place. My will is absolute. Have you not heard the prophecy? Does it matter who I am, was, or will be?" He angrily grasped the hand of the Goddess tried to drag her away towards the end of the floor this time. The Goddess didn't budge at all.

"If you're mad at me, cripple my aura, break some of my bones, do anything! I will conquer this dungeon no matter how difficult it becomes!" He smiled and laughed as he looked into the beautiful red eyes of the Goddess. "I have no Authority backing me! Don't ask me how I know so much, it'll spoil the fun!" Lavilin grunted out while trying to pull Diana harder.

She was shocked and couldn't comprehend Lavalin's insane response. Flabbergasted by Lavalin's demeanor, she was so shocked that she let herself be vacantly dragged towards the edge of the vast hall. The creatures stood up trembling and stealthily left the hall into the outside world above.

Lavilin laughed at her response and gleefully marched onwards.

And just as the Gates of Life and Death had closed hundreds of years ago, so had they opened once again, ushering in the dawn of a new era.