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SM/DC Chapter 53 : A Dungeon Awaits!
🕑 Added 2025-03-09 22:57:33 +0000 UTCThe morning sun barely peeked through Gotham’s ever-present gloom as Arthur Blackwynd stood in an empty lot near his home, stretching his arms with a satisfied sigh. His daily quest was done, and at this point, it was light work a formality rather than a challenge. The rewards barely made a dent in his strength anymore.
But then, a new notification flashed before his eyes.
Arthur had barely materialized inside his room when a familiar blue screen popped up in front of his face.
[System Alert: Level 90 Reached
Requirements Fulfilled]
[The ??? Key can now be used to unlock a dungeon.
Details will be revealed once you reach the target location.
Target Location: Titans Tower, Jump City.]
Arthur blinked once.
Then twice.
Then he let out the most exhausted sigh known to mankind, rubbing his temples as if the sheer audacity of the System was giving him a migraine.
"You've got to be kidding me." His voice was flat, but the sheer exasperation in his eyes could burn a hole through the notification screen.
“Of all places...of all goddamn places in the world...why Titans Tower?!”
He threw his hands up, pacing the room. "Now I have to infiltrate? Great. Because that's exactly what I needed in my life right now...breaking and entering into the home of a bunch of people who already do not exactly like me."
He dropped onto his bed, running a hand down his face. "I’m not exactly welcome there, System." He said it slow, as if talking to an idiotic intern that didn't quite understand how social consequences worked.
The System, of course, offered no response.
Arthur groaned. “I swear, I think you are doing this just to mess with me.”
Arthur’s brow furrowed. He pulled out the key from his inventory, rolling it between his fingers. It was still just as unassuming as before...dark metal, smooth to the touch, yet cold like it didn’t belong in this world. And yet…
[System Message: The Key’s Name remains till you reach target location.]
Arthur chuckled. “I can use it now, but you still won’t tell me what the hell this key actually is or where it leads? Nature of this dungeon ?” His fingers tightened around the object as a slow smirk tugged at his lips. “Interesting… It feels different from the Tower of Fate’s key. Like it’s something else entirely.” His mind whirred with possibilities, but the excitement was clear on his face.
****
Arthur stepped into his home, shaking off the cold from the outside. The place was quiet—George had ensured that no unnecessary staff was around. Just them and the secrets of Gotham.
Inside the dining room, George was already waiting, reading a newspaper while sipping on black coffee in a pristine porcelain cup. He glanced up, eyes sharp despite his calm demeanor.
“I see you finished you training session, You’re back early, Master Arthur.” He folded the newspaper neatly and set it aside. “Did the city not provide enough entertainment?”
Arthur smirked, pulling out a chair and dropping into it. “Let’s just say I found something… more interesting.”
George raised an eyebrow, waiting.
Arthur spun the key between his fingers, watching how the morning light reflected off it. “I’ll be leaving today.”
George didn’t flinch, simply tilting his head. “For how long?”
Arthur exhaled through his nose, staring at the key as if he could force it to reveal its secrets. Finally, he admitted, “I honestly don’t know.”
A moment of silence. George observed him carefully, then placed his cup down with a soft clink.
“I see.” He adjusted his tie, looking completely unfazed. “Then I assume you’ve taken the necessary precautions?”
Arthur chuckled. “Come on, George. Have a little faith. I know what I'm doing.”
George sighed, rubbing his temple. “Master Arthur, ‘faith’ is for men who don’t have plans. I trust you, yes, but I would rather trust that you’ve prepared accordingly.”
Arthur leaned back, arms behind his head. “I have.” His grin widened. “Well… mostly.”
George pinched the bridge of his nose. “That is not reassuring in the slightest.”
Arthur stood, tossing the key into the air and catching it. “It wasn’t meant to be.” He gave George a sharp look. “Just keep an eye on things while I’m gone. If anything happens, use my shadows they will obey you.”
George sighed but gave a small nod. “Of course, sir.” Then, a knowing look crossed his face. “And what about your… ah, Gotham plan?”
Arthur’s smirk deepened. He didn’t answer directly...just glanced out the window, where the city’s dark skyline loomed in the distance.
The Joker’s shadow was still out there, doing exactly what Arthur instructed.
Arthur grabbed his coat and stepped toward the door. The key pulsed faintly in his grasp.
George, standing near the entrance, watched him carefully. Then, with a subtle smirk, he said, “Do try not to disappear entirely, Master Arthur.”
Arthur laughed. “Relax. I’ll be back before you even miss me.”
Arthur adjusted his coat, rolling his shoulders like he was getting ready for a casual stroll instead of stepping into something potentially life-threatening. George, ever composed, watched him with a look of measured patience, like a butler preparing for yet another one of his master’s reckless adventures.
Arthur exhaled and casually said, “Alright then.”
“Exchange.”
In an instant, his body was engulfed in shadow, sucked into the ground like ink spilling into water. And just as quickly
something else took his place.
A hulking, inky black shadow demon stood where Arthur had been, its glowing eyes staring straight at George. Its form flickered like smoke, but its sheer size made the room feel much smaller than it actually was.
For a long, long second, there was nothing but silence.
George, completely unfazed, blinked once and adjusted his cufflinks. Then, in the same calm, dignified tone he used for everything else, he simply said
“Oh.”
He gave the creature a once-over. “Hello.”
The shadow demon tilted its head like a confused dog.
George, still as composed as ever, gestured toward the dining table. “I assume you don’t partake in coffee?”
The shadow creature let out a deep, guttural growl that rumbled the floor beneath them.
George nodded, completely unbothered. “Yes, I thought as much.”
He picked up his newspaper again and went back to reading, as if a shadow monster standing in the room was just another Tuesday.
****
Jump City -
Arthur stepped out of the shadows, now back in Jump City.
The familiar skyline stretched before him, the dim glow of streetlights casting long shadows against the towering buildings. And off in the distance, standing like a monument, was Titans Tower.
Arthur exhaled through his nose, crossing his arms. "It would've been way easier if I had just assigned a shadow soldier to one of the Titans." He muttered, his gaze locked on the distant 'T' shaped fortress. "Could've had eyes and ears inside by now."
But no, he never did. And for good reason.
His blue eyes flickered as he remembered that Raven had been the first to sense his powers, long before he even made a move.
"She'd sniff them out. Probably exorcise or something on the spot, too. I need to test that out though, it will give me some insights about certain Magic users." His lips twitched at the thought of watching his carefully planted spy get blasted into oblivion by a pissed-off half-demon.
Arthur rubbed the back of his head, weighing his options. He could try to be subtle. Sneak in. Use the shadows, avoid confrontation. And access the dungeon. Minimize risk.
But after a solid five seconds of pretending he had patience, he sighed.
"Ah, fuck it." He cracked his neck, shaking off the tension. "I’ll just go ahead and waltz in like nothing happened."
His lips curled into a grin, equal parts cocky and suicidal.
No plan. No backup. Just confidence and bad decisions.
****
Arthur stood at the edge of the shore, staring at the tower of his so-called ‘peers’ with mild annoyance. It loomed like a monument of past troubles, a place where he was neither welcome nor forgotten.
He let out a long breath. "Alright… here goes nothing."
With a flicker of motion, he vanished.
His body blurred across the ground, moving like a ghost cutting through the night. Every step barely touched the surface, leaving behind faint ripples as he closed in on the Tower’s perimeter.
But then, his instincts screamed.
Arthur’s stride shifted, his boots slamming against solid ground as he abruptly halted. His head tilted slightly, sensing it. A presence. Nearby.
Slowly, his gaze lifted.
And there she was.
Raven.
Floating just above the tower, shrouded in a midnight cloak, her hood partially drawn over her face. She sat suspended in the air, legs crossed in meditation, her violet eyes barely open, glowing faintly in the dark. The wind shifted, rustling the edges of her cloak.
Arthur clicked his tongue. "Tch… of course, it had to be her."
