Rex walked toward the Level Assessment Hall located at the center of the castle. The hall was crowded as always; people lined up to measure their power. But the moment Rex stepped inside, the noise faded into silence.
Whispers followed.
"That's him… the one who survived the S-Rank dungeon…"
"They say he's insanely strong now…"
Rex ignored them.
With calm, steady steps, he approached the glowing crystal at the center.
The old examiner smiled kindly.
"Place your hand on the crystal, son."
Rex didn't speak.
He simply rested his hand on the surface.
At first, the crystal glowed lightly.
Then brighter.
Then it began to rumble with overflowing energy.
Blue.
Purple.
Then a blinding golden light filled the hall.
The examiner's eyes widened in shock.
On the screen behind him, massive letters appeared:
A–RANK
The hall exploded into chatter.
"No way!"
"At his age?!"
"He's a monster!"
The examiner turned to Rex with excitement.
"Well done, boy! You should be proud! Very few in this castle ever reach A-Rank!"
Rex's answer was calm. Cold.
"…It's not enough."
The examiner froze.
Rex lowered his hand and stepped away from the crystal, his expression unchanged.
"I need to do better."
And with that, he left the hall without another word.
A New Target
The wind blew across the castle courtyard as Rex walked in silence. People glanced at him, but no one dared approach. Somewhere inside him, a dull ache still lingered…
…but tears no longer came.
He had already chosen his path:
S–Rank.
Not for fame.
Not for glory.
For revenge.
Rex entered the castle's Knowledge Tower. He flipped through mission reports, dungeon archives, and monster classifications. Hours passed like minutes.
Then he stopped on a page.
S-Rank Dungeon Mutation Cases
Cause: Unknown
His eyes sharpened.
"So that's how it is…"
He closed the book and headed straight to the training grounds. Even late into the night, the sound of his blade cutting through the air echoed across the stone floor. Aura waves cracked the ground beneath his feet.
The instructors watched from afar.
"If he keeps this up… he might really reach S-Rank one day…"
But no one realized the truth:
Rex wasn't just growing stronger.
Inside him…
a dangerous silence was forming.
And silence…
is always the calm before the storm.