Name: Steamgnashers
Level: 24
Rank: C
Skill: Acidic Breath
The first beast lunged before I could breathe.
Its chitinous body slammed into the stone floor, six legs skittering like a nightmare made of armor and hunger. Its eyes four of them burned a sickly yellow, focused on my chest like a target it already owned.
I barely dodged.
Stone shattered behind me as its claw gouged the wall. I rolled, came up with my dagger drawn, and slashed out of reflex. Sparks flew off its hide like metal striking metal.
"Too thick," I muttered, leaping back.
Two more crawled from the shadows. Bigger than wolves, their jaws unhinging like snakes. The dungeon wasn't holding back.
My system pinged in my head:
[Warning: Multiple Hostiles Detected]
Estimated Threat Level: Moderate
Combat Style: Pack Hunt
Suggested Action: Retreat.
Retreat? I want to see the end of this.
"Thanks, system," I muttered. "Super helpful." but no way am retreating.
The first beast came again fast, heavier than it looked. It pounced, leading with its claws. I ducked under, pivoted on instinct, and slashed across its underbelly.
This time, I hit flesh.
It shrieked, twisting mid-air, blood hissing across the floor. Acidic I jumped back, heart pounding.
That was one. Two left.
They circled me now.
Not stupid monsters. These weren't F-rank slimes or goblins. These things moved with coordination like soldiers.
I couldn't overpower them.
Not yet.
I exhaled, low and slow. Let my senses widen.
That was the thing ever since this second life started, I felt it a part of me that didn't panic when it should have. That wanted to know more, even as danger snapped its jaws.
The beasts spread out one in front, one to my left. The third, wounded, limped back into the shadows, hissing.
Good. More pressure.
I gripped the handle of my dagger tighter.
Observe the rhythm. And wait for the moment.
So I did.
One stepped forward testing me. The other crept along the left wall, slow and low.
My boot scraped slightly. Deliberate.
The one on the left lunged
And that was my opening.
I turned toward the one in front instead.
It blinked too late. It hesitated, thinking I was distracted.
I charged it full force.
My blade hit right under the jaw, where the plates didn't fully meet. A direct thrust. It screeched, spraying blood, trying to clamp down
But I was already sliding under it, twisting my body like I had done this a hundred times.
"INSTINCTS."
One clean pull. My dagger sliced its throat open.
The body collapsed behind me with a wet thud.
I didn't get to celebrate.
The one that lunged earlier now came again, faster and angry.
But now I understood its rhythm.
It pounced from the right wall expecting me to dodge left.
I did dodge.
But not left.
I ducked forward, slid under its body as it passed over me, then stabbed upward with all my strength.
The blade hit spine. Not deep, but enough to throw it off.
It screamed, flipping midair, crashing into the wall behind me.
The injured one returned again.
Three red slashes already marked its underbelly from before but now its mouth hung open wider planning to do something.
A glow formed in its throat.
Wait. Magic?
[Skill Detected: Acid Spit]
"Oh, come on."
I bolted just as it fired.
A stream of neon-green liquid exploded across the floor where I had been standing. Steam hissed, and the ground melted like butter.
I slid behind a rock pillar, breathing hard. My arms ached. The dagger was about slipping from my hand . I wasn't built for this yet. Not physically.
But mentally?
I had experience and that was what has been keeping me alive but as for skill am still limited.
"STATUS."
———~Ω~———
Name: Souta Kael
Age: 18
Race: Human
Class: Hunter of Boundless path
Title: Reborn one
Level: 3 [23/30]
Rank: SSS
Attribute points: 3
Health: 72/100
Mana: 280
Stamina: 300
Strength: 32
Agility: 39
Endurance: 36
Intelligence: 27
Luck: 9
Skills: 2
Traits: 3
—————————
Ok, my stamina and health dropped real bad and I have 3 attribute points, maybe I should add that to strength
I blinked.
and stood up slowly, I was still breathing heavily but I have to fight there is no going back.
The beast roared, charging again. Acid foamed at the corners of its mouth.
This time, I didn't dodge.
I ran forward, blade low.
At the last second, I threw my dagger towards it as distraction.
It hit it and struck the ground in front of it, a distraction.
That half-second was all I needed.
I used void step and vaulted over its back.
My hand snapped as I hit the beast with my hand, with sent it flying to a wall.
I picked my dagger and rushed straight for it i brought it down into the soft joint behind its neck, where the plates curved open when it turned.
One stab. Deep.
The creature screamed, flailed and bucked wildly
But I held on.
I dug the blade deeper, using my full body weight, until it crashed into a wall and finally slumped down, twitching.
Silence.
[Level up]
Breath, Mine Rapid, too loud in my own ears.
Three beasts. Down.
My legs gave out for a second, and I knelt there, trembling not from fear, but from the fight.
[C-Rank Beasts Defeated: 3]
EXP Gained: 30
Attribute Points: +3
New Skill Unlocked: Instinct Dodge (Lv.1)
—A passive skill that increases the chance to evade fatal attacks by sensing danger instinctively.
Loot Acquired:
—Beast Fang Dagger (Rare)
A dagger crafted from the fang of a C-rank predator. Slightly boosts critical hit rate and speed.
+2 Agility | +3% Crit Chance
—Monster Core (C-Rank) ×2
Can be used for crafting and upgrading equipment
—Metal Plating Fragment (Uncommon Armor Crafting Material)
—A chunk of metallic hide peeled from the Steamgnasher's armored back. Still warm to the touch and incredibly tough.
Hm, not bad at least I got a new skill and dagger.
Ok, let me take a little rest to build more streng…
But before I could finish my words, the ground rumbled.
A low, bone-deep hum vibrated through the stone. From deeper in the dungeon.
Something else had woken up.
And it was coming.
***
⟢ Outside the Dungeon ⟣
The group of four still stood outside the gate, stunned. Watching the gate as it glows hoping souta would step outside.
Still no collapse, one of them whispered.
"Is… is he still alive?"
No one answered.
The green hue of the gate shimmered ominously
Then, with a strange lurch, the gate rippled. Just for a second.
***
⟢ Back Inside ⟣
I stood, bruised, and breathing like I had just run a marathon in full armor but I was regaining my strength little by little.
The dungeon was shifting.
The next room pulsed with heat. The moss along the walls browned, curling inward. A foul smell wafted toward me.
Something was waiting.
[New Threat Detected: Dungeon Mini-Boss Approaching]
Title: C-Rank Beast – Steamgnasher
Type: Aggressive / Territorial / Enhanced Senses
Estimated Threat: Critical for current level
Ha ,great not even the final boss yet, I exhaled slowly.
And for some reason, despite everything, despite how close I had come to dying again I was still pushing forward
To be continued…