Asher had exactly three seconds to regret his life choices.
The growl echoed again—closer now—followed by the scrape of claws against stone.
"…Okay," Asher muttered, rolling his shoulders. "Let's establish some boundaries."
Something darted out of the shadows.
Fast.
Too fast.
Asher barely twisted aside as a blur zipped past his face, missing him by inches. Wind tore at his cheek.
"…WHAT was that?"
The thing skidded to a stop near the cavern wall.
It stood upright—sort of.
Lean body. Long limbs. Skin stretched tight over muscle like it skipped leg day and upper body day but never missed cardio. Its head twitched unnaturally, eyes darting around like it was vibrating internally.
It didn't snarl.
It chittered.
Asher hated that immediately.
A system window popped up.
[Enemy Identified]
Skitter Hound
Rank: F
Trait: Extreme Mobility
Asher squinted.
"…That's not a wolf."
The Skitter Hound vanished.
Not invisibility.
Movement.
It blurred again, reappearing behind him.
Asher yelped and ducked as claws scraped across his back, tearing fabric.
Pain flared.
[Damage Conversion – Active]
Strength surged.
"Okay!" Asher shouted, spinning around. "We're doing this!"
He swung.
Missed.
Hard.
The Skitter Hound zipped away, bouncing off the cavern wall like gravity was optional.
Asher stood there, breathing hard.
"…Stop moving."
The creature chittered louder.
That felt rude.
Another blur.
Asher reacted on instinct this time, twisting just enough to avoid a full hit.
[Adaptive Combat Sense – Learning]
Pattern Recognition: 12%
"Oh," Asher said, eyes narrowing. "You zig before you zag."
The Skitter Hound lunged again.
Asher swung again.
Still missed.
"…I hate you."
It clipped his leg, knocking him sideways.
Asher hit the ground hard, sliding across stone.
Pain bloomed.
Strength followed.
[Damage Conversion – Active]
Asher pushed himself up, breathing faster.
"Okay," he said, pointing at the creature. "We need to talk about your attitude."
The Skitter Hound bounced off the wall, then the ceiling.
The ceiling.
Asher stared.
"…That's cheating."
It dove.
Asher braced, arms up—
—and the creature rebounded midair, changing direction at the last second.
Asher swung where it wasn't.
Again.
"STOP—"
The Skitter Hound slammed into his side, sending him crashing into a pillar.
Stone cracked.
Asher slid down, coughing.
[Adaptive Combat Sense – Learning]
Pattern Recognition: 31%
"…Okay," Asher groaned. "You're not random."
He wiped blood from his lip and stood.
"You're baiting reactions."
The creature paused.
Just for a fraction of a second.
Asher smiled.
"Got you."
He didn't chase.
He waited.
The Skitter Hound lunged again, confident, fast—
Asher stepped into the attack instead of away from it.
Pain exploded as claws tore into his shoulder.
[Damage Conversion – Active]
But his fist connected.
Hard.
The Skitter Hound slammed into the cavern wall, stunned.
Asher didn't give it time to recover.
He lunged forward and punched again.
And again.
The creature screeched, trying to move, but Asher stayed close—crowding it, denying space.
"…No more zoomies," he grunted.
One final punch crushed its chest.
The Skitter Hound went limp.
Silence fell.
Asher stood there, chest heaving, arm hanging uselessly at his side.
"…I hate fast things," he said weakly.
A screen appeared.
[Personal Dungeon – Cleared]
Performance: Acceptable (Reaction Improvement Noted)
Rewards:
• Angelic Coin x18
• Skill Fragment Detected
Asher leaned against the wall, sliding down to sit.
"Acceptable," he repeated. "I'll take it."
The fragment expanded.
[Skill Fragment – Detected]
Name: Burst Step (Minor)
Type: Active
Effect: Short-distance burst of movement.
Asher's eyes widened.
"…You're joking."
[Assimilation Available]
Cost: None
Risk: Low
Asher laughed.
A tired, giddy laugh.
"Oh, that's poetic."
[Skill Assimilation – Complete]
Burst Step (Minor) – Acquired
Asher stood slowly, testing his legs.
He took one step—
—and blurred forward a few feet before stumbling.
"…WHOOPS."
He caught himself on the wall, heart racing.
"…Okay," he said, grinning despite everything. "That's going to get me killed."
The dungeon shimmered faintly, resetting.
Asher looked around, then sighed.
"I should go back to work tomorrow," he muttered.
Then he glanced at the reset notice.
"…After one more run."
The dungeon did not object.
Which worried him.