THE ZOMBIE SYSTEM-Chapter 24: Entering the B-Rank Dungeon: The Demon’s Labyrinth

A Step into the Unknown

The moment Leon stepped through the dungeon's threshold, the outside world vanished.

The oppressive heat hit him first—thick, humid, unnatural. The air reeked of burnt flesh and sulfur, and the walls of the labyrinth pulsed as if they were alive.

His boots pressed against a black stone floor, slick with something wet. He glanced down.

Blood.

It wasn't fresh, but it wasn't dry either.

Leon narrowed his eyes and took a slow breath. His fingers tightened around his mana gun, his other hand instinctively calling forth his Elite Sorcerer and Warrior Zombie. The moment they materialized, the Sorcerer's skull flickered with eerie green fire, and the Warrior's massive frame tensed, ready for battle.

Something was watching them.

A low whisper echoed through the tunnels, crawling over his skin like a thousand unseen fingers.

"More prey has entered... Let us see how long he lasts."

Leon whirled around, gun raised, but there was nothing—only the deep, endless darkness stretching ahead.

This wasn't like other dungeons.

Something was different.

The Labyrinth's First Test

Leon moved carefully, every step calculated.

Most dungeons had a clear path forward, but this was a true labyrinth. The tunnels twisted in unpredictable ways, leading to dead ends and forked paths that made no sense.

After about fifteen minutes of walking, he came across something concerning.

A hunter's corpse.

Leon crouched down, examining the body. The armor was shredded, the flesh peeled away in long, jagged strips, but the disturbing part was the expression.

The man had died screaming.

Leon's Sorcerer tilted its head, its skeletal fingers twitching. The air around them grew colder.

A shadow shifted in the tunnel ahead.

Leon stood up, slowly raising his gun.

The whispering returned, this time right behind him.

"Run."

Leon didn't hesitate—he spun, aiming his gun just as the walls themselves seemed to move.

A horrific shape lunged from the darkness—a demon goblin, but corrupted beyond reason.

Its body was bloated with writhing tendrils, its eyes hollow and leaking black sludge. The moment it screeched, Leon pulled the trigger.

BANG.

A mana bullet tore through its head, but instead of falling, it convulsed, twisting unnaturally before lunging again.

Leon's Warrior Zombie intercepted, slamming a massive cleaver down, splitting the creature in half.

For a moment, the dungeon was silent.

Then—

The corpse began to move.

Leon's eyes sharpened.

"They regenerate."

Sure enough, the black sludge pulled the two halves together, and within seconds, the monster was whole again.

A dungeon where monsters couldn't die normally.

Great.

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Adapting to the Labyrinth's Rules

Leon stepped back, recalculating. If these things could regenerate, a normal kill wouldn't work.

He raised a hand. "Sorcerer."

His Elite Sorcerer's eyes flared, responding immediately. Dark energy surged from its skeletal fingertips.

[Soulfire Barrage]

The new spell launched five burning projectiles, each one striking a different part of the demon goblin. Unlike Leon's bullets, these didn't just wound—they burned away the monster's essence itself.

The goblin let out a distorted screech, thrashing violently before finally disintegrating.

So that's the trick.

Normal damage wouldn't work. Soul-damaging attacks did.

Leon let out a slow breath. His Sorcerer had just become his most valuable summon in this dungeon.

He reloaded his gun, stepping forward.

The whispers grew louder.

The dungeon was aware of him now.

Deeper Into the Labyrinth

Leon moved cautiously through the twisting corridors, his summons at his sides.

Every corner was a potential trap, every shadow a possible ambush.

Soon, he reached a larger chamber—a wide-open space filled with strange, glowing symbols on the floor.

The moment he stepped in, the symbols pulsed.

Leon's instincts screamed at him to dodge.

A trap.

He rolled to the side just as massive spikes shot up from the ground, nearly impaling him.

His Warrior Zombie wasn't as lucky—one of the spikes ripped through its torso, pinning it in place.

Leon didn't panic. Instead, he snapped his fingers.

[Reconstruct Undead]

A dark aura rippled over the Warrior Zombie's body, and the moment it disintegrated, it reformed at Leon's side—good as new.

The dungeon wasn't playing fair.

Fine. Neither would he.

The Whispers Take Form

The deeper Leon ventured, the more he noticed it—the whispering wasn't just sound anymore.

It was shaping itself.

The walls themselves began to shift unnaturally, twisting into grotesque faces with hollow eyes and gaping mouths.

And then—

One of them spoke directly to him.

"We remember you... Necromancer."

Leon's breath slowed.

"You remember me?"

"Your kind has walked this path before... but none have returned."

Leon's grip tightened on his gun.

Then, the voice laughed.

"Turn back now... or become part of us."

Leon's lips curled into a grim smile.

"You're underestimating me."

The laughter vanished.

And then—

A roar shook the entire labyrinth.

The Real Threat Appears

The temperature in the dungeon dropped instantly. The walls trembled, dust falling from above.

Then, from the tunnel ahead—

Something massive moved.

Leon's gut tensed.

His Sorcerer's flames dimmed, as if sensing something even it wasn't prepared for.

Then it stepped into the light.

A demon beast, taller than any goblin he had seen. Four muscular arms. Black chitin plating its flesh. Hollow eyes burning with red light.

And in its chest—

A pulsing red crystal, beating like a heart.

A notification appeared.

[System Alert: B-Rank Mini-Boss Detected – Demonic Juggernaut]

Threat Level: High

Leon exhaled slowly.

"Well then."

He spun his gun, stepping forward.

"Let's see what you've got."