The light beneath Issei's feet shattered.
Crimson cracks spiderwebbed across the crystalline platform as reality itself warped around him. The starlit void twisted—folded—and in the next breath, Issei was falling.
No… plummeting.
Wind screamed in his ears. Fire licked at his skin. The stars vanished, swallowed by a dark horizon.
And then—
[Dungeon Trial Initiated: Rebirth Through Blood]
[Objective: Survive. Eliminate All Hostiles. Evolve.]
His body slammed into the ground with a thunderous impact, stone and dirt erupting around him. But he didn't feel pain. Not even a bruise.
Slowly, he rose to his feet, taking in his surroundings.
A desolate canyon stretched in all directions, jagged rock walls towering high above. The sky overhead was blood-red, smeared with clouds like torn flesh. Pools of black liquid bubbled across the cracked earth, emitting an acrid stench of decay.
And then he heard it.
A screech.
Not human.
Not even animal.
It came from behind a nearby ridge—accompanied by heavy, skittering footsteps.
[Warning: Lesser Abomination detected. Species: Shadow Ripper. Rank: E-.]
Issei turned as the creature lunged over the ridge.
It was a nightmare given form.
Six limbs. Bladed arms like scythes. Skinless muscle over bone. Its face was nothing but a gaping maw filled with serrated teeth, eyes glowing yellow in an otherwise featureless skull.
[Initiating Combat Interface.]
[Skill Unlocked: Basic Combat Arts]
[Skill Unlocked: Mana Manipulation Lv.1]
"Great Sage," Issei muttered as he dropped into a stance. "Combat analysis."
[Confirmed.]
[Analyzing enemy…]
[Weaknesses: Eyes, underbelly. Speed: Moderate. Intelligence: Low. Caution advised—acidic blood detected.]
"Noted."
The Shadow Ripper charged.
Issei moved.
Faster than he expected.
His body was lighter, more refined, every movement fluid and precise. He sidestepped the swipe of its bladed arm and drove his fist upward into its gut.
The creature shrieked, acid spraying from its mouth as it staggered back.
No damage to him.
Not yet.
He ducked under another swing and kicked the abomination's leg out from under it. As it collapsed, he seized a sharp stone from the ground and rammed it into one of its glowing eyes.
The scream that followed nearly ruptured his eardrums.
[Enemy Vitality: 12%... 6%... 0%. Target eliminated.]
The body dissolved into black mist.
[You have gained 80 EXP.]
[You have leveled up: Level 1 → Level 3]
[Stat Points Earned: +20]
Issei exhaled slowly, the golden glow in his eyes intensifying.
That had felt… good.
Not in the perverse, lustful way he used to feel. No.
This was control. Precision. Power.
For the first time in his life, he wasn't weak. Wasn't some joke of a boy who only thought with his dick.
He was a predator now.
And this world?
His proving ground.
[Would you like to allocate your Stat Points?]
"…Not yet. I want to see what else this place throws at me."
[Understood. Monitoring combat performance.]
He walked through the canyon, every sense on high alert. The wind carried unnatural whispers. Shadows twitched just out of sight. He knew more would come.
And they did.
Wave after wave.
Lesser beasts. Mutated wolves. Bone serpents. Insectoid horrors.
But with each battle, he grew stronger. Faster. Smarter. Each fight brought with it new skills, new understanding.
[New Skills Acquired:]
– Battle Instinct Lv.2
– Mana Blade (Prototype)
– Enhanced Reflexes Lv.1
– Blood Resistance Lv.1
[Level Up: 3 → 7]
[Stat Points Available: 65]
His movements became sharper. His eyes keener. His fists could now carve flesh like steel. He conjured blades of pure mana, slicing through enemies with terrifying efficiency.
But with strength came silence.
With silence, reflection.
Between battles, his mind drifted—back to the park. Back to her.
Yuma.
No. Raynare.
Her laughter. The way she kissed him just before plunging that spear through his chest.
His fists clenched. The ground cracked beneath his feet.
[Emotional spike detected. Suppressing.]
"No," he whispered. "Don't suppress it."
[Override accepted.]
"I want to feel it. I want to remember. I don't want to forget what she did."
[Memory anchors stabilized.]
He stood at the top of a cliff now, watching the corrupted canyon below burn with the remains of his enemies.
"…Great Sage. Am I still human?"
[Query: Complex. Physically, no. You have begun your evolution.]
[Soul Status: Hybridizing. Dragon Influence Detected. Mana Core Expansion: Ongoing.]
"So… I'm becoming something else."
[Affirmative. You are becoming what this world fears.]
He looked down at his hand.
It pulsed with crimson light. The Boosted Gear, still dormant, glowed faintly beneath his skin—like a dragon sleeping just beneath the surface.
"…And what is that, exactly?"
[A Tyrant.]
Hours passed. Or days.
Time had little meaning in the dungeon.
Eventually, Issei stood before a massive gate at the heart of the canyon. Carved into black stone, it bore ancient runes that pulsed with blood-red mana.
[Boss Room Detected.]
[Warning: Dungeon Guardian ahead. Rank: C.]
[System Suggestion: Allocate Stat Points before engagement.]
He opened his menu.
[Current Stats]
Level: 7
HP: 740
MP: ∞
STR: 52
AGI: 48
VIT: 41
INT: 60
WIS: 45
LCK: 10
Stat Points Available: 65
"…Balance is strength."
He distributed the points:
+20 STR
+15 AGI
+10 VIT
+10 INT
+10 WIS
Final Stats:
STR: 72
AGI: 63
VIT: 51
INT: 70
WIS: 55
[Stat Allocation Complete.]
[Great Sage suggests activating combat buff: Battle Focus Mode Lv.1]
"Do it."
[Activating.]
A golden circle formed beneath his feet. His aura surged outward—twisting the wind itself. The Boosted Gear flickered to life across his left arm, a red gauntlet forming for just a second before vanishing again.
Soon, a voice echoed in the back of his mind. Soon, Partner…
His lips curled into a grim smile.
He stepped forward.
The gate began to open.
The stench of death flooded out.
A massive shadow loomed within.