The moment the Dawn Breakers stepped through the shimmering purple and green portal, the oppressive chill of the cemetery was replaced by a humid, primal heat. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and something acrid, like ozone mixed with ancient decay. The hovercraft receded, leaving them at the edge of a vast, alien landscape.
The unforgettable drone hummed directly behind them, a silent sentinel broadcasting their every move to the Academy.
Before them stretched a colossal, prehistoric world. Giant, gnarled trees, unlike anything on Earth, pierced a sickly green sky. Enormous, luminescent fungi pulsed with an eerie light, casting grotesque shadows. The ground was uneven, a mix of tangled roots and steaming pools of murky water. Strange, guttural roars echoed in the distance.
"Alright, everyone," Kenji's voice cut through the oppressive atmosphere, calm and resolute. "This is it. Death's Doorstep. We've trained for this. Stick together, trust your instincts, and trust each other. We get in, we neutralize the core, and we get out. Together." He met each of their eyes, projecting a confidence he hoped would mask the chilling dread the System's warning had instilled.
Gauntlet of A-Rank Horrors
Their journey into the prehistoric dungeon was a relentless gauntlet. The first creatures to emerge from the dense foliage were Venom-Skinned Raptors, swift, reptilian demons with razor claws and tails that lashed out, spraying corrosive venom.
"Yuna, suppress the long-range threats! Hiroki, frontal assault! Saki, keep shields up and watch for splash damage! Goro, flank and disrupt!" Kenji barked, already in motion.
Kenji moved like a ghost, a blur of white-gold energy. He was everywhere at once, deflecting venomous spittle with pinpoint Spiritual Shields, intercepting charging raptors with devastating Divine Light blasts that ripped through their hardened hides. He used his enhanced Agility and Spiritual Enhancement to dart between them, executing precise strikes that cleaved limbs and shattered demonic cores.
The Raptors were fast, but Kenji was faster. He'd anticipate their lunges, placing himself precisely where he could cut off their attacks on his teammates. He'd unleash torrents of Spiritual Manipulation to blind and disorient them before delivering a killing blow.
As the first wave fell, heavier, more resilient demons emerged: Gore-Billed Terrors, massive, flightless birds with beaks like sharpened bone and hides tougher than steel. Their thunderous charges shook the very ground.
"Focus fire on their legs!" Kenji commanded, weaving between the chaos. He manifested multiple Spiritual Chains, binding the legs of one Terror, causing it to stumble. "Hiroki, now!" Hiroki, empowered by Kenji's presence, unleashed a devastating spiritual construct that shattered the Terror's leg. Yuna's spiritual arrows, guided by Kenji's precise calls, found weak points.
But the sheer number of demons began to weigh on them. Wave after wave. Sweat beaded on their foreheads, their spiritual energy reserves, even Kenji's, felt the strain. Hiroki's aggressive charges became less controlled, his breathing ragged. Saki's healing spells were constant. Goro moved with practiced efficiency, but his movements were heavy. Yuna's aim, while still deadly, wavered slightly from fatigue.
A massive, hulking Boulder-Arm Demon lumbered into view, its arms made of craggy rock, easily shrugging off their attacks. It brought down an arm the size of a tree trunk, aiming for a weary Hiroki.
"HIROKI, MOVE!" Kenji roared, and in the same instant, he was there. He intercepted the blow with a powerful Spiritual Shield, bracing against the immense impact. The ground cracked beneath his feet, but the shield held. With his other hand, Kenji channeled Divine Light into a concentrated beam, firing it directly into the Boulder-Arm Demon's glowing core. The demon roared, then slowly disintegrated into dust.
One more wave. Shadow-Eyed Stalkers, chameleon-like demons that vanished and reappeared from the prehistoric shadows, attempting to pick off the weary team.
"They're flanking us! Saki, protective barrier! Yuna, wide area scan!" Kenji's commands were sharp, unwavering.
He drew upon every ounce of his enhanced Agility and Spiritual Enhancement. He moved so fast he seemed to blur, a whirlwind of spiritual energy. He pinpointed the invisible Stalkers using his Spiritual Perception (LVL 3), then, with brutal efficiency, unleashed a series of rapid, piercing Spiritual Manipulation attacks. He was a force of nature, overwhelming the last of the demons with a surge of relentless power.
Finally, the cavern went silent. The air, heavy with the scent of ozone and demonic ash, seemed to vibrate with residual energy. The Dawn Breakers stood, panting, bruised, and spiritually drained, but alive. Every single A-rank demon had been accounted for. Kenji, though outwardly unscathed by direct hits, felt the deep fatigue of sustaining his immense power for so long.
The True Test: A Deity's Warning
"We… we made it," Saki gasped, collapsing to his knees, utterly spent.
"That was… insane," Hiroki wheezed, leaning heavily on a glowing mushroom. "You… you saved us so many times, Kenji."
Goro simply nodded, his eyes wide with a mixture of exhaustion and profound respect. "You weren't just fighting alongside us, Kenji. You were holding the entire line yourself."
Kenji looked at his team, a surge of fierce protectiveness swelling in his chest. He had defied the System's initial warning. They were all alive.
"Not yet," Kenji said, nodding towards a massive, ancient stone door that pulsed with the same oppressive, cold energy he had felt at the cemetery entrance. This was it. The boss chamber.
As they approached the door, the System's blue overlay flashed in Kenji's vision, more insistent than ever.
[CONGRATULATIONS, HOST, FOR MAKING IT THIS FAR.]
[WARNING: YOUR NEXT TASK WILL GET SOMEONE KILLED.]
[THIS BEAST MAY BE TOO HARD FOR YOU TO TAKE ALONE.]
Kenji gritted his teeth. He had defied it once, he could defy it again.
[CRITICAL MISSION PARAMETER: IF HOST IS ABLE TO DEFEAT THE BEAST ALONE, HOST WILL GET 20 SKILL POINTS AND ONE NEW SKILL.]
[ADDITIONAL REWARD: BUFF CHARM (BUFF TEAMMATES FOR 1 MINUTE, 24 HOUR COOLDOWN).]
[NOTE: HOST MAY CHOOSE NEXT SKILL IF NO ONE DIES.]
[GOOD LUCK.]
The System's message was chillingly clear. It wasn't just a warning; it was a challenge. A gamble. His teammates' lives for unimaginable power. And a single, terrifying caveat: "if no one dies."
Kenji looked back at his exhausted team. He could push them, force them into this final battle. But the System's warnings had never been wrong so far, only incomplete. This was an S-rank boss, cloaked, potentially beyond their combined A-rank power.
He couldn't risk them. Not now, not after everything. He had to face this alone.
"Stay here," Kenji said, his voice flat, devoid of emotion. He was already channeling his remaining energy, preparing himself.
"What? Kenji, no!" Akari cried out, realizing his intent. "We fight together! We're a team!"
"I'm going in alone," Kenji stated, his eyes fixed on the ominous door. "This one's mine." He turned to face his worried teammates, a grim determination on his face. "Just trust me. I'll be back."
He pushed open the massive stone doors. They groaned, revealing an even larger, darker chamber beyond, filled with an ancient, terrifying presence. The drone hummed, following him into the abyss. His teammates, helpless, could only watch the live feed.