Light folded inward, and for a split second, Rex felt like his body had been pulled through something too small to contain it. It was his first day at a dungeon so he was excited. The cold air brushed his skin.
He opened his eyes. They stood inside a cavern. Dim blue crystals clung to the walls, casting uneven light across jagged stone. The ground was damp, uneven, and stained in places that didn't look like water.
The smell hit him next. It smelt like a dead morgue. The string scent of unfamiliarity hit him hard.
"Welcome to your first gate," Kaito said casually, stepping forward. His voice echoed faintly through the cave.
"Stay sharp."
Rex exhaled slowly, forcing his heartbeat to steady. His fingers twitched at his sides not from fear alone, but anticipation. The System flickered.
[Dungeon Type: Demon Cavern]
[Recommended Rank: D]
[Warning: Hostile entities detected]
"…Yeah," Rex muttered. "I figured."
The team moved in formation, Kaito at the front, two others covering the flanks, and Rex somewhere in the middle. No one trusted him yet, and honestly, he didn't blame them.
Water dripped somewhere deeper inside the cave. Then a guttural growl was made somewhere far and it echoed across the tavern.
Rex's body reacted before his mind did. His muscles tensed, breath slowing, eyes scanning the darkness. Then something moved.
From behind a cluster of rocks, a creature crawled out. It obliviously wasn't human. Its skin was gray and stretched tight over bone. Horns curved from its skull, and its eyes burned a dull red. Its claws scraped against stone as it let out a rasping snarl.
"Demon scout," Kaito said calmly. "Easy pickings."
One of the hunters stepped forward, blade flashing but Rex moved first. He didn't think. He just acted. His body remembered the penalty zone, the wolves, the cold, the constant threat of death.
He closed the distance in a burst. The demon barely reacted before Rex grabbed a jagged stone from the ground and drove it forward.
CRACK!!!
The impact echoed. The creature staggered, shrieking, black blood spilling from its temple.
Rex didn't stop. He slammed the stone again and again until the demon dropped. Silence followed.
For a moment, no one spoke. Then his system flickered.
[Enemy Defeated]
[Level Up]
[+1 Strength, +1 Agility]
Rex froze.
"…What?"
The notification hovered in front of his eyes, faint but undeniable. A surge of energy pulsed through his body subtle, but real. His grip tightened unconsciously.
"Hey," one of the hunters called. "You good?"
Rex blinked, snapping out of it. "Yeah. Just… reflex."
Kaito studied him for a second, then smirked slightly. "Not bad for a newbie."
But Rex barely heard him.
Level up…
So it works like this. It was pretty much as he had anticipated and he just couldn't wait to try more perks.
They moved deeper. The cave narrowed, then opened into a wider chamber. Crystals jutted from the ceiling like frozen lightning. Shadows stretched unnaturally across the walls.
And then more demons. Three this time. They crawled out from the darkness, hissing, claws scraping.
"Take them," Kaito ordered.The team split instantly.
Steel clashed against claw. Sparks flew. One hunter drove a blade through a demon's throat while another blocked a swipe that would've gutted him.
Rex hesitated for half a second. Then stepped in. One demon lunged at him with surprisingly fast speed. Too fast for the old him.
Rex shifted sideways, barely avoiding the claws. His heart spiked but his body stayed calm.
He grabbed the creature's arm mid-swing and wisted it. A sickening crack echoed. The demon shrieked. Rex drove his knee into its chest, sending it stumbling back. His eyes darted around looking for a weapon, anything..
Then he found it. A broken blade on the ground. He snatched it and lunged. The demon tried to recover but it was too late.
The blade pierced its neck. Warm blood spilled over his hand.
[Enemy Defeated]
[Level Up]
[+1 Strength, +1 Endurance]
Rex inhaled sharply. This feeling…Addictive. Across the chamber, Kaito moved like a veteran giving clean and efficient strikes. He dodged a swipe, stepped in, and countered every attack. He was top good to be taken down that easily. Rex smirked. He would level up soon enough and would become a world class Hunter.