"Brother! Hey, brother! Wake up! Time to get up!"
Xiyau was shaking Rantaro's arm with more energy than necessary.
"Mmm… just a little more," Rantaro groaned, dragging the blanket over his head, clearly unwilling to face the morning.
Xiyau let out an exasperated sigh. "Okay, fine! I'm leaving for school. Your breakfast is on the table!"
The front door clicked shut.
Time slipped by.
The clock kept ticking. Rantaro didn't move. Not even a grunt.
Then—more time passed.
Somewhere in the distance: "Seriously?! Still sleeping?!"
Eventually, after what felt like forever, Rantaro yawned and slowly sat up, hair completely disheveled, eyes still half-shut.
System Notification:
New Task – Kill an A-Rank Monster.
"A-Rank?" he muttered, rubbing his eyes. "Tch… easy."
He stood, stretching, then grinned to himself.
"Wait... I've got an S-Rank Ruin Pass. Let's make this more interesting."
No hesitation. He activated the pass.
A black portal swirled open. Rantaro stepped in.
---
The Dungeon.
The air hit him like a wall—thick with the scent of blood and iron. Mist rolled across the stone floor, swirling between twisted pillars. Movement flickered within it.
Eyes. Claws. Monsters. Dozens.
Rantaro rolled his neck until it popped. His expression was almost bored.
"Let's end this fast."
Shadow Step.
In an instant, he vanished into the dark.
The first monster—a giant fang wolf—never had a chance.
SWOOSH!
Rantaro appeared behind it. One clean, effortless slash, and the beast split open from head to tail. Blood sprayed across the dungeon walls.
Before the others could react, he was gone again. A blur in the mist.
Another flash—another kill.
He tore through the monsters like a ghost. Every step silent. Every strike fatal. His sword carved through flesh and bone like it was nothing.
A deafening roar shook the ruin. A massive stone golem charged him, fists slamming into the floor with enough force to crack the stone.
Rantaro didn't flinch.
As the golem swung down, he sidestepped, slipped in close, and drove his foot into the creature's knee.
CRACK!
Stone shattered. The golem buckled.
He jumped—one powerful leap—and brought his blade upward in a perfect arc.
Stone split like paper.
High above, an alpha serpent dived toward him, fangs bared, body coiled like a whip of muscle.
Rantaro didn't even look.
He flipped his sword into a reverse grip and stabbed upward in one smooth motion.
The serpent shrieked, pierced mid-air—its body twisting before slamming to the ground in a dead heap.
THUD.
Three blade trolls circled in, snarling, each one swinging a massive jagged sword. They barked and screamed, trying to overwhelm him.
Rantaro crouched slightly, eyes glowing with cold resolve.
"You think numbers will save you?"
One troll rushed in. Rantaro ducked low and cut clean through its arm. The limb hit the ground before the troll even screamed.
The second came from the side. Rantaro flipped backward, twisted mid-air, and brought his sword crashing down. The blade split its skull with brutal precision.
The third troll hesitated, trembling where it stood.
Rantaro gave a slow, wicked grin.
He walked toward it—calm, steady. The troll stumbled back.
Too late.
In a single motion, Rantaro cleaved it from shoulder to hip. The two halves fell apart like doors being opened.
Silence.
In under ten minutes, half the ruin was clear. Not a single monster remained.
Only the soft drip of blood echoed through the dungeon halls.
---
System Notification:
Level Up!
Level Up!
Level Up!
Level Up!
Level Up!
Level Up!
Level Up!
System Notification:
Task Complete. Host has successfully killed an A-Rank Monster.
Current Stats:
Strength: 121
Speed: 117
Intelligence: 89
Skills: Dark Step (100% Mastery)
Class: None
Rank: C
Aura: None
Level: 69
Dark Sword Style: 50% Mastery
Dark Berserk: 5%
Stat Points: 126
---
Rantaro casually wiped the blood from his blade.
"Tch. Not even a warm-up."
Without a backward glance, he turned and walked deeper into the dungeon.
His figure vanished into the shadows—calm, quiet... and deadly.