Deep within the dark prison cells—where no scream could ever be heard—

a large number of hunters had already been captured, thrown into cages like livestock... reduced to mere entertainment.

Tools. Nothing more.

Used to put on a spectacle that catered to the twisted desires of creatures Ethan knew nothing about.

Ethan lay inside his cell, speaking with Raiden in the one beside him,

carefully extracting as much information as he could.

From his towering companion, he learned that Raiden had only arrived a few days ago...

and had already fought in two matches—winning both.

The same applied to Chai,

and to Alicia ... who had somehow managed to survive as well.

They weren’t the only hunters captured either.

Dozens had been taken... and some had already died.

"The matches we fought so far... were against other monsters imprisoned here," Raiden said in a low voice.

"But some hunters... were forced to fight each other."

Ethan nodded slowly, understanding the implication immediately.

"How many hunters have been captured?" he asked.

Raiden paused, thinking for a moment.

"I don’t know the exact number... but we’re less than twenty."

"Those things don’t hunt in the outskirts.

They only go after people who reach the depths...

they have no interest in the weak."

Realizing why he had never encountered them during his entire month in the outskirts,

Ethan quietly processed the situation.

"Is there any chance... help might come from outside?"

With their powers suppressed inside these enchanted cells,

Ethan found himself placing faint hope in those who had survived beyond this place—

like Moon... or the First Squad, none of whom seemed to be imprisoned here.

Raiden didn’t deny it.

But he didn’t believe in it either.

"We arrived here just a few days ago, Ethan...

but some of the hunters have been here for weeks."

"The problem is... this place is deep within the city.

Anyone trying to reach us would have to fight their way through monsters far stronger than anything in the outskirts."

"So... the chances of rescue are slim," Ethan muttered, leaning back against the wall with a quiet sigh.

Even if help came...

it would take time.

A lot of it.

Understanding the severity of their situation, Ethan spent the next several hours listening to Raiden and Chai recount what had happened.

Meanwhile, his eyes scanned the cell over and over again ...

trying to understand why he couldn’t summon his abilities... or even use his blessings.

Even Crow Sage Sight, which wasn’t a combat blessing, failed to activate.

That alone deepened his confusion.

’Blessings suppressed... Aura Armor disabled... what exactly is causing this?’

The more he examined the cell,

the more it appeared... completely ordinary.

Just a prison room.

Nothing more.

He asked the others, but they were just as clueless.

The only thing they knew...

was that their powers remained sealed at all times ...

except when they were thrown into the arena above.

That realization led Ethan into a dead end.

He had never heard of a dungeon that could suppress blessings entirely.

For the first time in a long while...

he felt powerless.

Even his vast knowledge of the game—

his greatest advantage—was useless here.

His prolonged silence eventually drew Raiden’s attention again.

"Ethan... what should we do?"

At that question, a faint half-smile formed on Ethan’s face.

"Why are you asking me?

I’m the last one who got here, remember?"

Hearing the sarcasm in his tone, Raiden frowned slightly, running a hand through his thick hair.

"I just thought... you’d have a plan.

You always do."

"Not this time."

Ethan stared at the ceiling as he spoke.

"I’ve realized something recently... I’m terrible when it comes to the unknown."

"If I don’t have at least some information about my opponent...

I can’t win."

His voice was calm ...

but serious.

Every victory he had achieved until now—

against the Ember Hunter...

the Legacy Dungeon... even Matheus ...

had been built on prior knowledge.

He was a strategist.

A planner.

Someone who turned information into victory.

But Old Ashvarn...

was outside all of that.

A completely unknown territory.

New monsters.

New rules.

New horrors.

’...I thought I was doing well.

Spent a whole month getting stronger...

just to lose to the first monster I met... because I knew nothing about it.’

"I’m nothing but a damn cheater," Ethan said out loud, turning away as he lay down on the cold stone floor.

Raiden frowned, unable to understand him.

"I don’t understand you, Ethan...

You never lost hope when you were just level one ... weak and helpless.

But now... you have the strength to rival even the strongest hunters...

and yet you’re giving up?"

The others in nearby cells listened in silence.

Ethan... simply didn’t respond.

"I’ll give you one thing, Raiden," he said after a moment.

"You’re right about one thing...

You really don’t understand me."

"Go to sleep.

Try thinking of something tomorrow."

...

Silence filled the prison for a while.

But Raiden wasn’t at ease.

"What if... they put us against each other tomorrow?"

"A fight to the death... where one of us has to kill the other."

His words sent a bitter weight through Chai and Alicia.

Even Ethan... didn’t want that outcome.

"Are you trying to curse us, Raiden?"

"Shut up and forget it.

Even walls have ears... and we don’t want them hearing something like that."

"...Damn it."

Raiden cursed under his breath, retreating to the center of his cell once there was nothing left to say.

The word curse itself had been thrown around so many times in their exchange—

again and again—until it began echoing inside Ethan’s mind,

lingering there like a fragment of something he had yet to grasp.

Raiden lay down on the cold floor, trying to shut everything out.

Chai watched the two from a distance, clearly wanting to step in and ease the tension,

but finding himself at a loss for words.

Meanwhile, Alicia sat apart from them, completely consumed by despair,

her silence heavier than anything else in the room.

In that suffocating stillness, Ethan reached behind his neck ...

his fingers brushing against the mark of his cursed Blood Eclipse.

And then .. It hit him.

A sudden realization surged through him, forcing him to his feet,

a sharp glint of clarity igniting in his eyes.

"I’ve got it! It’s a curse!" he shouted, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade.

Everyone turned toward him at once.

"What are you talking about?" Raiden asked, startled by the abrupt shift in Ethan’s demeanor.

But Ethan ignored the confusion.

He had finally found the answer he’d been searching for.

"The reason we can’t use our powers... our abilities...

is simple."

"We’re cursed."

His words made several of them pause—

understanding slowly beginning to take shape.

"There are three types of curses," Ethan continued.

"Blood curses."

"Like the ones that bind the Heart clan to the ruling family."

"Mark curses..."

"Those divided into five stages, manifesting as visible symbols."

"And conditional curses..."

He narrowed his eyes slightly.

"I’m certain what’s affecting us falls into the last category."

Conditional curses were, by far, the weakest ...

but also the easiest to cast and apply.

They were temporary.

Activated only when specific conditions were met.

"...Most likely, the condition this time is being captured inside that strange bag," Ethan concluded.

"Once the condition is fulfilled... our powers are sealed."

His reasoning spread through the room like wildfire.

It was too logical .. too precise for anyone to refute.

"I see... so that’s what happened," Raiden muttered, realization dawning on him.

Hope ... faint but real began to return to the others.

"If it’s a conditional curse, then breaking it should be easy," Chai added quickly.

"This would’ve been over instantly if we had a priest with us...

but since we don’t, the only option is to find the caster... and kill them."

The solution sounded simple ..

Too simple.

And just as momentum began to build ..

Another voice cut in.

"Your name is Ethan, wasn’t it?"

The mysterious man from the distant cell spoke again.

His tone alone made it clear—

he was far older than any of them.

"You’re clever. I’ll give you that."

"You figured out the curse."

"But it changes nothing."

Ethan’s lips curled slightly.

"Does it?" he replied calmly.

"In my opinion... it changes everything."

The man sighed.

"Then you’re more naïve than I thought." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"To kill that creature, you need your power."

"And to use your power... you need to be inside the arena."

"And once you’re there..."

"You’ll be surrounded by monsters on all sides."

"...Which makes your entire conclusion meaningless."

The fragile hope that had just formed—

shattered once again.

But Ethan didn’t flinch.

Instead, he leaned into the moment—

his curiosity sharpening.

"You sound awfully pessimistic," he said.

"You must’ve been here for a long time."

"...."

No response.

Still, Ethan pressed on.

That man intrigued him far too much to stop now.

A human.

Not a hunter.

Older.

The only logical conclusion...

was that he was one of the city’s original inhabitants.

And yet ...

Ethan rejected that idea instinctively.

Ashvarn had been buried for centuries.

No one should still be alive.

"...Old man," Ethan called out.

"How about we make a bet?"

"If I win, you tell me who you are... and where you came from."

"And if you win..."

"You can ask anything you want from me."

Silence followed.

But Ethan’s smile didn’t fade.

Because he knew—

what he would say next would hook him.

"I bet..."

"...that I’ll get all of us out of here tomorrow."

The reaction was immediate.

Whispers spread across the cells ...

disbelief, confusion, even ridicule.

No one believed him.

Not even for a second.

But that wasn’t the point.

Because it worked.

"You naïve little brat..."

The man spoke again.

"Why would I gamble with you?

And why would I want anything from you?"

"You’ll die at my hands regardless...

just like all the others before you."

Ethan’s eyes narrowed.

"...So you’re saying you’ve killed many who ended up here."

"Yes."

The man answered without hesitation.

Tension tightened across the prison.

"During my time here...

I’ve seen countless people like you."

"And every single one of them..."

"...died."

His words were heavy—hostile—final.

And yet ...

Ethan laughed.

A quiet, almost amused laugh.

"That must’ve been hard," he said lightly.

"Watching them die."

"Ethan—!" Raiden whispered urgently, trying to stop him.

Too late.

"You arrogant child..."

"You want a bet?"

"Fine."

"Let’s make it interesting."

"You say you’ll get everyone out tomorrow..."

"And I say..."

"...you won’t even live to see the day after."

The moment the mysterious man accepted ...

Ethan’s smile widened instantly.

"Then we’ll see."

And just like that ...

the wager was set.

Between a man shrouded in mystery...

and Ethan Heart ...

who had just bet everything...

on escaping within twenty-four hours.