The air itself grew heavier across the dungeon floor. Students froze, their breaths caught in their throats. Even the distant screeches of monsters could not pierce the silence that followed his name appearing at the very top.
Whispers began.
"Who the hell is he?"
"No way… did he kill all those monsters alone?"
"And what path is that? Those skills I have never seen anything like it."
The murmurs spread like wildfire, every pair of eyes snapping toward the dark haired boy calmly wiping monster blood off his blade. His expression didn't hold triumph, or even excitement just a calm, almost bored detachment as if what he had done was nothing worth mentioning.
Akane's hand trembled as she looked down at the corpses of the monsters she had just killed. The effort it took, the sweat dripping from her brow…
Yet his ranking alone made her feel small.
No… no it's impossible. He was weak, I know he was weak…!
Her jaw tightened, anger bubbling in her veins. Souta hadn't just beaten her in the exam he had erased her from the spotlight entirely.
Meanwhile, Aoi's gaze lingered on him differently. That quiet, predatory aura it wasn't like the others who fought for glory. Souta's eyes didn't chase praise, They hunted. Something in her gut twisted.
Then, Souta looked their way, his eyes swept across Akane and Aoi, holding each of them for just a second. That single glance made Akane grit her teeth in fury, while Aoi involuntarily averted her gaze.
And just like that, he looked away dismissively, as if they weren't worth remembering.
The dungeon itself reacted.
Rumble.
The rough grounds shook violently, glowing cracks of mana split across the stone floor, pulsing with ominous energy.
"W-What's happening?!"
"Is the dungeon… evolving?!"
Then came the roar.
A deep, guttural sound rolled through the field, thick with killing intent. The ground trembled as a hulking shadow emerged from the heart of the dungeon.
From the abyss stepped a beast twice the size of the Dreadfangs. Its onyx fur was streaked with molten red lines, glowing as though fire itself pulsed through its veins. Venom dripped from its fangs, sizzling against the stone floor.
[Lavafang Alpha — Lv. 37]
Panic spread instantly. Students staggered back, some still bruised and gasping from their earlier battles.
"Form a team!" someone shouted desperately. "We can't take it down alone!"
Alliances scrambled together, clumsy formations of terrified students.
But Souta stood perfectly still.
His hand rested on the hilt of his blade, his eyes unblinking, Calm and Waiting.
"…Perfect," he whispered under his breath. "Five minutes left, and they throw out a B Rank monster? Heh, guess this one's meant for me."
The Lavafang Alpha raised its head and unleashed a deafening roar. Flames burst from its maw, washing across the field like a tidal wave of fire. Screams erupted as students were engulfed, their bodies transmitting out of the dungeon in flashes of light.
Akane immediately rallied those near her. "We'll strike from the flanks! Surround it!" Her gaze flicked briefly toward Souta, still motionless, Tch! Just standing there acting superior Let's see how long you last.
Students charged, their blades rang out against the monster's molten fur only to rebound harmlessly. The Alpha's claw swung down with brutal force, shields splintering like glass. Its tail whipped across the grounds, launching bodies through the air.
They weren't warriors, they were children, pretending to fight.
"D-Damn it, it's too strong!"
"We can't, we can't fight this thing!"
That's when Souta moved.
The cracked stone under his foot shattered as he shot forward, weaving effortlessly through the beast's flames. His blade sliced one clean strike, precise as he dug his blade into the joint of its foreleg.
A shallow cut.
But in the exact right spot.
The Alpha staggered, roaring in pain. In that moment, Souta ducked low, sliding beneath its chest, His blade thrust upward, carving through thick flesh.
Blood sprayed, hissing as it hit the burning cracks of stone.
The battlefield froze.
H…he injured it?!
Students watched in disbelief, a boy not even B-Rank, moving like a shadow against a monster that could end them all in seconds.
"What is he…?" someone whispered.
"His path, his skills… nothing about him is normal…"
Aoi's lips parted, Her heart racing in disbelief and joy. He is fighting like it's nothing. This…this is what I want to become.
Souta landed lightly, his expression calm. But inside, his pulse thrummed with exhilaration, Finally something worth drawing his blade against.
The Alpha's burning eyes fixed solely on him now.
Ignoring everyone else.
"Good," Souta whispered, lifting his blade. "Come at me."
The monster's roar shattered the air, its body lunging forward with explosive speed. Flames erupted once more, engulfing the cavern.
And Souta vanished.
One moment he stood still. The next, his body blurred into motion, a shadow slicing through the inferno. His blade cut deep across the Alpha's shoulder, molten blood spilling like lava.
The beast howled, swiping with claws that cracked the ground. Souta's figure twisted, bending like water, slipping past each deadly strike, every movement was deliberate, every strike was precise.
But the Alpha was no ordinary monster.
Its molten lines blazed brighter. Flames surged, faster and hotter. The surrounding oxygen thinned under the heat.
The Lavafang Alpha unleashed a storm of fire and fury.
And in the heart of that storm and only one figure danced.
Amber eyes gleaming, blade flashing, every strike sharper than the last.
~suprisingly that dagger of his is good~
…
The wolf's howl echoed in the dungeon, a deep, rumbling sound that made the grounds vibrate. Souta's chest heaved, every breath scraping his lungs like fire. His blade dripped black blood, and his vision was a little blur, but he still struggled to see.
The wolf circled him, hackles raised, its crimson eyes gleaming with hunger, Its growl carried more than instinct, It carried vengeance.
"Come on…" Souta muttered, gripping his sword tighter. His fingers trembled from exhaustion, but his eyes burned with defiance. "You're not the only one who's lost everything."
The wolf lunged.
Its body blurred, faster than before, claws whistling through the air. Souta barely sidestepped, the wind of its strike tearing at his sleeve. He countered, slashing upward, but the beast twisted midair and landed behind him with impossible grace.
Pain flared across his back its claws had grazed him, ripping through skin. He hissed but spun, forcing his blade down in a desperate arc steel met flesh,The wolf yelped as the blade carved across its shoulder, blood spraying.
Both staggered back but refused to fall.
The wolf crouched low, foam at its jaws, eyes narrowed. It was waiting.
Souta raised his blade and whispered, "Cursed Curiosity."
[Trait Activated – Cursed Curiosity]
+5 Power Boost (Strength, Agility, Endurance) for duration of battle.
Warning: Monster corruption triggered. Enemy strength and agility increased by +10.
His trait flared to life, The world warped, shadows tightening, and a shiver crawled across his skin as his blade pulsed with unnatural energy. His vision tunneled onto the wolf every twitch, every breath, every bead of blood dripping from its wound.
The beast charged souta did too.
The clash was raw no tricks, no distance, just survival.
The wolf's fang grazed his cheek, nearly tearing half his face off. Souta's dagger stabbed into its side, but the beast twisted and ripped away, taking part of the blade's edge with it. They collided again, and again, until the dungeon rang with the sound of bone against steel.
Finally, Souta roared and drove his knee into the wolf's ribs, stunning it. He lifted his blade high, both hands gripping the hilt, and brought it down with all the strength he had left.
The blade sank deep into the wolf's skull.
The monster convulsed, let out one final, shuddering cry then collapsed, twitching, before falling still.
Souta stood over it, panting, but he still rose his head high like nothing happened, there is this composure he had that could make people shiver.
Ding!
[You obtained a new title]
[Field ruler]
The notification flickered before his eyes, but Souta only let out a smirk.