Chapter 15: Luo Shen's Ascent
The morning sun cast a warm glow over the city as I made my way to school. My strides were steady, confident — a sharp contrast to the hushed tension that seemed to hang in the air. Word had spread like wildfire: Zhang Wei, once feared and respected, had been beaten by me.
The kids who used to trail behind him now watched me with a mix of awe and unease. They clustered in tight groups in the hallways, whispering as I passed. Their eyes never left me, as if expecting me to explode at any moment. But I ignored them. I had bigger things on my mind than playground politics and empty stares.
Later in the day, I met up with a few of my friends. Some of the girls had started gravitating toward me too, drawn in by the confidence and strength I now carried like a second skin. We laughed, talked, shared some harmless jokes — though I made sure to keep my stories light. Nothing too close to the truth. They didn't need to know what I did after school hours. Not yet.
When the final bell rang, I headed home, but I wasn't done for the day. I had my sights set on a B-Rank dungeon. It wasn't the highest challenge out there, but it was efficient. And more importantly — it was empty. I'd considered going for an A-Rank, but there just weren't enough of them around. The few that did exist were constantly being scouted or occupied by other hunters. I wasn't in the mood to share.
So, with my dagger in hand and a mind sharpened by battle, I entered the B-Rank dungeon alone.
The place was textbook — traps, puzzles, and the usual roster of monsters. But to me, they were routine. I moved like a shadow, dodging claws, leaping over pressure plates, and dishing out precise, surgical strikes. The creatures inside didn't stand a chance.
By the time I reached the boss chamber, I already knew how it would end. The creature waiting for me was massive — all claws, muscle, and rage. Its roar shook the stone walls. But I didn't flinch.
I studied its movements, learned its rhythm. When it charged, I was already behind it. When it roared, I was mid-strike. It didn't take long. A dagger plunged deep into a weak spot, and the beast crumbled with a final, furious screech.
I collected everything it dropped — enchanted items, rare crystals, even a couple of powerful artifacts. All of it valuable.
Not wasting a second, I headed to the Underground Auction House. That place was chaos — buzzing with activity, filled with hunters, collectors, and merchants hungry for a deal. When I presented my loot, the auctioneers raised their brows in quiet surprise. I knew I'd brought in quality.
The bidding was a blur of raised hands and shouted numbers. In the end, I walked away with a clean 87 million yuan in profit. Not bad for one dungeon run.
For the rest of the week, that became my rhythm. School by day, dungeons by night. I stayed under the radar during class — just another student. But once the sun went down, I was back in the shadows, carving through B-Rank dungeons like a blade through silk.
I knew those dungeons inside and out now. Their traps couldn't touch me. Their monsters felt like training dummies. Each run brought me stronger gear and rarer loot, and every trip to the auction house added another fortune to my growing wealth. By week's end, I was sitting on hundreds of millions.
But unlike other hunters, I didn't need to waste a coin on gear upgrades or skill training. My System handled all of that — with limitless storage and direct skill enhancements. There was no master on Earth who could teach me more than what the System had already unlocked.
As the seven-day cooldown for the Special Dungeon ticked to zero, I felt a surge of anticipation. I'd grown stronger, richer, sharper. The System had transformed me into something far beyond what I once was. The Special Dungeon would be my real test — a chance to push past everything I'd faced so far.
And I was ready.
The countdown finally hit zero.
Seven days. That's how long I'd waited, grinding B-Rank dungeons, building my wealth, sharpening my instincts. And now, the System pulsed with a familiar notification:
> [SPECIAL DUNGEON: ENTRY UNLOCKED]
Classification: A-Rank (High Risk)
Difficulty Warning: Intelligence-Level Monsters Detected
Estimated Threat: S-Rank (Entry Level)
My fingers hovered over the confirmation window for a second. Then I exhaled slowly — and accepted.
> [Teleporting…]
The world around me dissolved into light. My feet left the ground, and an instant later, I was standing in a place that didn't feel like any dungeon I'd ever experienced.
No stone corridors. No narrow halls.
Instead, I was in what looked like a ruined fortress, half-swallowed by an overgrown forest. Thick mist clung to the air. The sun didn't shine here — only pale light filtered through the clouds above, as if this entire realm was frozen in permanent twilight.
And then I felt it.
Eyes.
Watching me.
I crouched low instinctively, dagger in hand. The System didn't warn me for nothing. This place wasn't like the typical A-Rank dungeons — not even close.
A rustle in the trees — then another. I shifted my weight and leapt back just in time to avoid a flying spear that embedded itself in the stone where I'd been standing.
Figures emerged from the treeline — not beasts, but humanoid monsters. Tall, sleek, armored in bone and metal, each one carrying weapons. They weren't just attacking — they were coordinating.
One flanked. Another moved to intercept my retreat path. Two hung back with bows drawn. A squad.
> [System Alert: "Sentient Hostile Units Detected — Coordinated Combat Patterns Identified"]
My heart rate jumped, but I steadied myself. This wasn't a random mob encounter. This was war.
They came at me together, swift and precise. I ducked a slash, parried a spear, rolled aside as an arrow hissed past my cheek. I'd fought plenty of monsters before — but not like this.
Every move I made, they reacted. If I broke their formation, they reassembled. If I isolated one, another covered its retreat. Their tactics weren't just efficient — they were learned.
For a moment, I struggled to keep up.
And then, the System's cold voice broke through the chaos:
> [Current Power Rating: B-Rank — Mid Tier]
[Recommended Combat Class for Dungeon: A-Rank (Peak) or Higher]
Tch.
So that's where I stood. B-Rank Mid, according to the System. I'd always suspected it was holding back its official evaluation — I'd crushed B-Rank bosses like ants, after all. But here? In this place?
I was finally facing something that pushed back.
I tightened my grip on my dagger, heart pounding. If I treated this like every other dungeon, I'd die here. Plain and simple.
But if I adapted… if I elevated…
Then maybe I'd survive.
I switched gears — stopped thinking like a solo raider. I matched their coordination with controlled aggression. When they flanked, I used terrain. When they predicted my movements, I became unpredictable — shifting rhythm, feinting attacks, baiting them into overcommitting.
The fight stretched on — minute by brutal minute. My body burned, sweat ran down my back, cuts lined my arms. But eventually…
One dropped.
Then another.
Then the last three, cornered and disoriented, fell before me in a blur of steel and shadow.
I stood there, chest heaving, surrounded by the bodies of my enemies.
I wasn't unscathed — far from it. But I was alive.
> [Wave One: Complete]
[Warning: Additional Units Approaching — Prepare for Next Engagement]
I gritted my teeth and wiped the blood from my face. So this was the Special Dungeon's true nature. Intelligence. Adaptation. Relentless teamwork.
An A-Rank on paper — but S-Rank in spirit.
And me?
Still ranked B by the System.
But it didn't matter.
Because strength isn't just stats and classifications.
It's how far you're willing to go when everything is stacked against you.
And I wasn't done yet.