The deeper I went into \[Green Paradise], the thicker the air became. The emerald glow from the trees painted the world in shifting shades of green, beautiful yet unsettling. Every step felt like it echoed, though the soft grass should've muffled my footsteps.
I wasn't alone anymore.
Rustling leaves. Low growls. The faint gleam of eyes between the underbrush.
I tightened my grip on the dagger. "Come out."
The first \[Verdant Wolf] lunged, followed by three more. A hunting pack. Their coordination was better than goblins—fast, efficient, deadly.
I raised my hand. "Fireball."
The first orb of flame roared to life and shot forward, colliding with the lead wolf in an instant. It yelped, engulfed in fire, and collapsed in a heap of smoke and ash. The others didn't falter—they split, circling me from both sides.
"Fireball. Fireball. Fireball."
Three spheres lit the clearing. I flicked my wrist, sending them toward each wolf. Explosions rang out, shaking the earth. The air reeked of burning fur. Two wolves disintegrated into particles, leaving faintly glowing \[Vitality Cores] behind.
But the third wolf had been faster, diving past the blast radius. It lunged at me from behind, fangs bared. Instinct took over—I spun, pressing my palm against its chest.
"Fireball."
The wolf ignited point-blank, the force hurling me backward onto the grass. I coughed from the heat, but when I looked, there was nothing left of the beast but fading motes of light.
I lay there for a moment, staring at the glowing canopy above, chest heaving. Not from exhaustion—but from adrenaline.
I could cast endlessly. That much was true. But I had no training, no finesse. If I hadn't reacted quickly, that last wolf could've torn out my throat.
I pushed myself up, retrieving the three cores left behind. My satchel was already clinking with their faint glow.
Then the ground rumbled.
A howl tore through the forest, deeper and more guttural than anything I'd heard before. The trees shook, scattering glowing leaves into the air like sparks. My blood ran cold.
\[Warning: Dungeon Boss Detected]
The words flickered in the corner of my vision, glowing red across my status screen.
Branches snapped ahead as a massive shape emerged.
A \[Verdant Alpha Wolf]. Twice the size of the others, its fur shimmered like living jade. Its eyes burned with an unnatural green light, and with every step, the ground seemed to pulse.
The beast lowered its head, baring fangs longer than daggers.
My instincts screamed to run.
Instead, I raised my hand. "Fireball."
The first orb flew, striking its shoulder in a blast of flames. Smoke curled upward, but when the fire cleared, the Alpha only snarled—barely singed.
"Stronger hide… great." I muttered.
The wolf charged. Faster than the others, a blur of green light. I barely rolled aside before its claws carved trenches into the earth where I'd been standing.
"Fine," I hissed, forcing calm into my racing thoughts. "Let's see what *infinite mana* really means."
I stretched out both hands.
"Fireball. Fireball. Fireball. Fireball—!"
A storm of flames erupted around me, spheres igniting one after another. I hurled them at the Alpha, the air filled with explosions as fireballs struck in relentless succession. The wolf roared, thrashing, its fur burning, body staggering under the onslaught.
But it kept coming. Even ablaze, it lunged through the smoke, eyes blazing with fury.
"Then take *all* of it!"
I clenched my fists, unleashing fireball after fireball, faster, hotter, brighter. The forest itself began to burn, emerald trees cracking under the heat. The Alpha howled, body collapsing as its fur melted away, and with one final fireball to the skull—
*BOOM!*
The beast exploded into fragments of light, leaving behind a massive glowing core that pulsed with vibrant green energy.
Silence fell. Only the crackle of flames remained.
I stood there, chest heaving, sweat dripping down my brow. Not from exhaustion—because I still wasn't tired—but from the sheer scale of what I'd just done.
One man. Alone. And I had just burned down a dungeon boss.
The glowing \[Alpha Vitality Core] pulsed in the grass. I bent down slowly, picking it up. Warmth spread through my hand, stronger than any core before.
"This…" I whispered, staring at the core as firelight reflected in my eyes, "…is only the beginning."