Floor 19 was supposed to be stone.
Claustrophobic.
A transition zone.
But when Noah and his team stepped through the descending tunnel, what greeted them was not stone—but sky.
Artificial, yes—but endless.
Above them, a blood-red sun hung in the clouds. Beneath their feet was a dead field of scorched grass, blackened trees stretching like clawed fingers. The wind was wrong—dry, sterile, and humming faintly like circuitry.
Lili's voice broke the silence.
"…Where the hell are we?"
Noah took a slow breath, his pupils narrowing.
"This… isn't Dungeon architecture."
Cassandra whispered, "It's a battlefield."
Welf knelt and touched the cracked soil. "This isn't just a corrupted floor. This was made."
The system chimed in Noah's mind.
> [Entering Zone: Echofield – Memory Fragment Layer]
Warning: Environmental conditions do not match Orario dungeon generation patterns.
Memory distortion in effect.
Local timeflow: inconsistent.
Threat classification: UNKNOWN.]
Noah clenched his fists.
This is a fragment of Kevin's past.
The Dungeon copied it.
Or worse—absorbed it.
Suddenly, the wind shifted.
The landscape blurred.
And they were no longer alone.
Figures flickered across the horizon.
At first, they seemed like shadows—half-formed, shifting between frames like broken memories. Then they gained shape.
Armor. Spears. Blades. Soldiers.
Not adventurers.
Not monsters.
Welf took a step back. "Are those… people?"
Noah's eyes hardened.
"No."
The lead figure stepped forward, face cracked, eyes glowing red with seared flame leaking from its mouth.
Its voice was a whisper made of static.
"...Kevin..."
Noah raised a hand slowly. "It recognizes the template."
The shadow-knight raised its blade—and the others followed, armor clanking in sync.
> [Memory Construct Hostiles Detected]
Designation: Echo Soldiers
Function: Legacy Suppression
Note: They are fragments of those Kevin once fought—reconstructed by the Dungeon.]
They charged.
Noah didn't hesitate.
"Hold formation!"
Cassandra raised a barrier.
Welf's greatsword burst into flame.
Naaza set traps. Lili vanished into the mist, crossbow in hand.
Noah moved like lightning, Flame Step activating mid-air. He reappeared behind one soldier and fired two precise shots into the neck, dropping it instantly.
But the body twitched—glitching, then reconstructing like a rewound video.
"They don't die easy!" he shouted.
Welf cleaved one in half—and watched as it reassembled in moments.
"These things are running on code," Noah growled. "Not life."
He opened the new system ability:
> [Helios Drive: Fire Resonance Field Lv1 – ACTIVE]
Creates an aura around the user that destabilizes memory-based entities and enhances team defense.
He slammed his palm into the ground—golden fire burst outward in a 10-meter radius.
The soldiers within it began to crack—visibly.
Their forms warped.
Their regeneration stalled.
"Now!" Noah shouted.
Welf moved in like a meteor, shattering two with one burning arc.
Naaza's traps exploded in unison.
Lili picked off the weakened ones.
One charged straight for Cassandra—Noah blinked beside it and uppercut it with a burning fist, shattering its head mid-run.
They fought through waves of them—phantoms built from war and old flame.
Finally, as the field shrank, the last soldier collapsed into flickering dust.
Silence.
Only their heavy breaths remained.
> [Memory Conflict Resolved]
Zone stability: 32% – decreasing.
New Objective Unlocked: Reach the Echo Tower.]
At the far end of the dead field, a spire rose—black steel, jagged, scarred by ancient flame.
Noah stared at it.
"The Dungeon's trying to show me something."
Welf wiped soot from his face. "Or trying to kill you with a really elaborate illusion."
Cassandra whispered, "Then why does it feel real?"
Noah said nothing.
He walked toward the tower.
And as he did, a new system prompt flashed:
> [Memory Synchronization Incomplete.]
Warning: Approaching threshold—Kevin's last battlefield.
His heart beat faster.
The flame inside him responded.
This wasn't just a corrupted floor.
It was a message.
And soon, he'd find out who left it.