I took a deep breath, my legs still shaky from the sheer weight of what had just happened.


    I had just been asked—no, chosen—by a god-tier dragon to inherit its power and put it out of its misery.


    Insane. Absolutely insane.


    And yet, here I was.


    Following the colossal beast deeper into the dungeon.


    Ignis Aureum moved with an unsettling grace for a creature of his size, his massive obsidian-scaled body weaving effortlessly through the cavern, his golden eyes glowing like embers in the dim light.


    "You lack strength. That much is undeniable." His voice rumbled through the cavern. "But raw strength alone is not enough to survive in this world. You must learn to fight. To adapt. To kill."


    I swallowed.


    Yeah. No pressure or anything.


    "Your first trial awaits, outsider."


    I frowned. "Wait, wha—?"


    A chilling snarl cut through the air, and my body immediately tensed.


    Something moved in the shadows ahead, its sheer size making the ground tremble slightly beneath my feet. Glowing crimson eyes locked onto me, filled with hunger.


    Then, it stepped forward.


    A massive beast, nearly the size of a truck, emerged from the darkness.


    Its body was covered in thick, black fur, bristling like needles. Its fangs gleamed under the cavern’s eerie glow, long and curved like a predator built for tearing prey apart. Muscles rippled under its hide, its clawed paws sinking into the stone beneath it.


    A blue screen flickered into my vision.


    [Monster Identified]


    [Name:] Abyssal Direfang


    [Rank:] A


    [Level:] 42


    [Danger Level:] EXTREME


    [Skills:] Shadow Stalker, Crimson Rend, Predator’s Instinct


    I felt my stomach drop.


    "A-Rank?!" I wheezed, spinning to face Ignis with wide eyes. "Are you insane?! That thing is, like, fifty times stronger than me!"


    Ignis let out a low, amused rumble.


    "Then fight smart, not strong."


    "That’s easy for you to say! You could roast it in a second!"


    "And yet, you are the one who must learn."


    I barely had time to process before the Direfang lunged.


    My instincts screamed, and I threw myself to the side just as the beast’s claws slammed down where I had been standing a second ago. The impact sent shards of rock flying, one of them cutting across my cheek.


    I staggered, gripping my arm. Shit. This thing was fast.


    "Move, outsider! Do not hesitate!" Ignis commanded.


    I gritted my teeth. Right. Skills. What do I have?


    I focused—


    [Limit Break] activated.


    A sudden surge of energy coursed through me, my body feeling like it had been kickstarted into high gear. My movements felt sharper, my senses clearer.


    I darted left, narrowly avoiding another claw swipe, then twisted my body to get behind the beast.


    Think. I can’t overpower it, but I can outmaneuver it.


    I clenched my fist and focused again—


    [Mana Control] activated.


    A faint heat coursed through me as I channeled magic, a rudimentary blast of fire forming in my palm. I barely had control over it, but it was better than nothing.


    I flung the fireball at the beast’s face.


    It exploded against its fur, but the attack barely phased it—it only angered it more.


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    "Pathetic. Do not simply throw attacks blindly!" Ignis barked.


    I cursed. I was burning way too much stamina, and this thing wasn’t even tired.


    The Direfang snarled, then blurred forward.


    It was too fast—


    Its claws slashed toward me, but at the last second, my body moved on its own.


    [Instinct] activated.


    I twisted, narrowly avoiding a fatal hit, but pain exploded in my arm as its claws raked across my shoulder.


    "Argh—!" I hit the ground, gasping in pain. Blood dripped down my arm.


    This wasn’t working. If I didn’t do something, I was going to die.


    Then, suddenly—my vision flickered.


    Another blue screen appeared.


    [Appraisal EX: Weakness Identified]


    The Direfang’s fur is resistant to direct magic. However, its underbelly is vulnerable.


    Crimson Rend requires a charging period. Exploit the opening.


    I froze.


    That’s it.


    I staggered to my feet, ignoring the throbbing pain.


    I only had one chance.


    The Direfang’s claws gleamed with a deep red glow, its Crimson Rend attack preparing to strike.


    This was the opening I needed.


    I gripped a sharp shard of broken stone from the cavern floor, adrenaline surging as I sprinted forward.


    The Direfang lunged—


    I ducked low, skidding under its belly just before the attack launched.


    Then—


    I drove the jagged rock deep into its stomach.


    The beast howled, convulsing violently as black blood sprayed from the wound. Its body trembled, its massive form staggering before it finally collapsed, the cavern floor shaking with its final breath.


    A loud ding rang in my ears.


    [Abyssal Direfang – Eliminated]


    Level Up!


    I gasped, my body finally giving out as I fell onto my back, panting hard.


    I did it.


    I actually killed something.


    The adrenaline slowly began to fade, replaced by a strange, small sense of achievement.


    But before I could even catch my breath—


    A deep rumbling echoed through the cavern.


    I froze.


    Ignis let out an amused chuckle.


    "Hah. And so, you learn the first rule of the dungeon, outsider."


    I swallowed hard, turning my gaze to the cavern ahead—


    Where two more pairs of glowing crimson eyes emerged from the shadows.


    My sense of achievement?


    Immediately shattered.


    ——————————————


    I lay on my back, my lungs burning as I gasped for air. My body felt like lead, every muscle screaming in exhaustion.


    But I had done it.


    I had actually killed an A-rank monster.


    I wanted to laugh—or at least check the spoils of my victory. My vision flickered to the still cooling corpse of the Abyssal Direfang, my mind already wondering what kind of loot it might have dropped—


    Then the ground rumbled violently beneath me.


    A low, familiar growl sent a bone-rattling vibration through the cavern.


    I stiffened.


    No. No, no, no—


    The very air shifted, thickening with heat and pressure.


    A deafening roar shattered the cavern walls, the sheer force of the sound sending cracks racing through the stone.


    Then, it emerged.


    The Infernal Titan Behemoth.


    Its colossal form moved with terrifying weight, molten veins glowing brighter than before, its sheer presence suffocating. The cavern floor beneath it cracked and melted as it stepped forward, its molten claws sinking into the stone like it was nothing more than wet clay.