Prologue
[Awakening Class!]
[SSS Rank Class Unlocked]
[You have now unlocked: Monster Devourer!]
Aldin stared at the floating screen of text in front of him with pure shock. This may have been the power he had always wanted but he never would have imagined that he would have gained it like this.
He fought through the pain and coughed blood all over the dungeon floor.
"How? I was just an F rank a couple minutes ago…!"
Chapter 1
Aldin started being an adventurer as early as he could. As early as Adventurer's Association would allow, since then he's been an adventurer for five years…
Five years.
Five long years.
And yet—
"…Tier F," he muttered, staring at the dull iron plate hanging from his neck.
Tier F. Beginner class. The kind of rank people earned in their first few months before quickly climbing upward.
Aldin never climbed.
It wasn't because he didn't try. He'd taken every request he could, accepted every party invitation that didn't immediately fall apart, and trained his body until his muscles screamed in protest. But his class—no, his ability—was the problem.
Beast Exorcist.
A skill that allowed him to dispel debuffs inflicted by monsters.
Poisons. Curses. Paralysis. Madness effects.
Anything a monster placed upon a person, Aldin could erase.
It sounded useful.
People didn't agree.
"Why bring a guy who just removes debuffs?"
"Doesn't kill anything."
"Not a Sword Saint, not a Mage, not even a tank."
And so Aldin remained what the guild boards quietly labeled him as—
Useless.
"Aldin!"
He flinched as a sharp voice snapped him back to reality.
"Focus!"
The voice belonged to Tiffany, her blade already slick with goblin blood. She stood effortlessly in the middle of the battlefield, sword resting on her shoulder as if the fight were little more than a warm-up exercise.
Sword Saint.
A real one.
Aldin swallowed and nodded. "S-sorry."
The goblin ambush ended almost as quickly as it had begun. Eli's spell incinerated the stragglers, while Sara calmly called out positions from the backline, her eyes glowing faintly as her class activated.
Rising Dawn.
That was the name of the squad Aldin had somehow—miraculously—been accepted into.
A newly formed guild. Fast-rising. Already famous among the lower city for clearing requests at an absurd pace.
And absurd efficiency.
The only reason Aldin was here at all was painfully obvious.
Four members, at least, were required to enter this mission.
And they were arrogant enough to believe one extra body—even an F-rank one—wouldn't matter.
"Another clean clear," Eli said with a relaxed smile, staff resting against his shoulder. His robes barely even had dirt on them. "No injuries. No potions used."
Aldin hesitated. "Um… that's probably because—"
"That's because we're strong," Tiffany cut in flatly. "Nothing else."
Eli chuckled, waving a hand. "Now, now. Don't be harsh."
Aldin glanced around at them. Everyone had much more impressive classes than him.
Tiffany — Sword Saint, lightning-fast and terrifyingly confident.
Eli — Royal Magus, their leader, overflowing with mana and charisma.
Sara — Ultimate Viewpoint, a strategist who could read the battlefield like a living map.
Everyone but Aldin was B-rank, at least for now. With their awakened classes and abilities, their careers looked promising.
And the dungeon they were standing in?
"An A-rank dungeon…" Aldin muttered under his breath.
This is what gave Aldin a sense of unease. As strong as someone could be at B rank the jump from B to A was astronomically high. Many adventurers had fallen victim and died trying to clear a A rank dungeon without proper preparation. Even with a team full of A rankers. This situation was worse than that.
The dungeon was estimated to be A-rank. Meaning it could be worse.
Much worse.
Aldin knew his teammates were strong but the deeper they got into the dungeon, the more this task seemed like biting off more than what they could chew, even for them…
At first Aldin thought that this mission would be fine with the Rising Dawn, given their immense power and reputation…but something did not seem right. Within the five years of Aldin being an adventurer, he had developed a sense for how monsters should act. These monsters did not seem to be actively trying to defend their home and territory. They seemed like they were afraid…Aldin had a bad feeling about this.
He did not want to find out what the monsters were afraid of.
"I… I think we should consider retreating," Aldin said quietly. "This dungeon feels outside our current—"
"Shut up."
Tiffany didn't even turn to look at him.
"You're only here because the Association wouldn't let us enter with three people."
Sara ignored him entirely, eyes scanning the dungeon walls, analyzing mana trails only she could see.
Eli gave Aldin a sympathetic smile. "I understand your concern. Truly. But with teamwork, even impossible odds can be overcome."
He paused, tilting his head. "You're what—D rank?"
"…F," Aldin corrected.
Eli blinked. "…Right. But still—your skill has been invaluable. We haven't had to use a single potion since entering."
Aldin froze.
That was true.
No poison damage lingered. No curse effects slowed them down. No exhaustion debuffs stacked during fights.
No casualties.
"…I guess," Aldin admitted.
Sara finally spoke. "Something's off."
Everyone turned to her.
"The mana flow is wrong," she continued. "The monsters aren't aggressive—they're fleeing. It's like they're being driven away from something deeper in."
Tiffany scoffed. "Probably the boss."
"Most likely," Sara agreed. Then her lips curved slightly as she glanced at Eli. "So… Mr. Hero. Still want to proceed?"
Eli looked ahead, eyes gleaming.
"The enemies so far have been easy," he said. "We can't climb past B-rank without taking risks."
He raised his staff and pointed deeper into the dungeon.
"We're going forward."
Aldin tightened his grip on his fist.
For some reason…He couldn't shake the feeling that this dungeon didn't care about ranks at all…
"That's the spirit," Tiffany said with a grin, resting her sword across her shoulders.
"…Okay," Sara replied simply.
Aldin didn't share their confidence.
Something twisted uncomfortably in his chest as they moved deeper into the dungeon. The passages grew wider, the air heavier, and yet the monsters kept falling with unsettling ease. Goblins, warped beasts, even a few elite variants—none of them posed a real threat to Rising Dawn.
Still, Aldin's bad feeling refused to fade.
Five years, he thought. Five years at F-rank…
Maybe this was it. Maybe if he survived this dungeon—if he contributed—he could finally move forward.
The thought burned brighter than his fear.
Eventually, they reached it.
The boss gate.
A massive stone door carved with ancient runes, mana pulsing faintly through its seams like a slow heartbeat. The team halted, setting down packs and downing healing potions, sharpening blades and restoring mana reserves.
Eli exhaled, stretching his shoulders. "Alright, Sara. Best approach?"
He looked to her with certainty. Her skill had never failed them before.
Silence.
The dungeon felt… quieter.
"…Sara?" Eli prompted.
Her brows slowly knit together. "I can't see it."
Tiffany blinked. "Huh?"
"There's nothing beyond the door," Sara said, unease creeping into her voice. "No outline. No mana signature. No predictive paths."
That had never happened before.
Aldin's heart sank.
"T-then we should leave," he said quickly. "If something can't be perceived by your skill, doesn't that mean it's too strong to read? Maybe its power level is—"
Sara's eyes snapped to Eli.
"Why," she said coldly, "is an F-ranker looking down on my ability?"
The words struck like a slap.
Aldin froze. That wasn't—he hadn't meant—
His mouth opened, then closed again.
It's too late, he realized.
Tiffany clicked her tongue. "If you can't sense it, then get closer. Simple."
She rested a hand on her sword. "Basic formation. Me and Eli up front. Sara and Aldin in the back."
Sara hesitated. "I should be able to sense something," she muttered. "If this really is a lack of skill… then going in blind is inefficient."
Everyone went quiet.
She lifted her gaze slowly.
"Therefore," Sara continued calmly, "I propose killing Aldin. I'm pretty close to leveling up and the experience points should be enough to raise my ability's effectiveness."
Aldin's blood ran cold.
W-what?!
He thought to himself, stumbling backward.
Tiffany burst out laughing. "Oh gods, you should see your face!"
Eli laughed too, wiping a tear from his eye. "That's a sick joke, Sara."
…But the way his lips curled told Aldin he genuinely found it funny.
The laughter didn't reach Aldin's chest.
Seeing his expression, Eli cleared his throat. "Alright, alright. Let's vote."
He raised his hand. "Show of hands. Who wants to enter the boss room?"
Tiffany's hand shot up.
Sara's followed.
Only Aldin's stayed down.
Eli nodded. "Majority rules. Don't worry—we'll retreat if things get bad. You won't die."
That word lingered far too long.
"…Okay," Aldin said weakly.
No going back now.
Mana surged around Eli as he cast reinforcement magic over his body. Veins of light traced across his arms as he gripped the massive gate.
"Let's do this!" he said.
Then he pushed.
The stone doors groaned—then burst open.
The air was tense, everybody braced themselves to see something truly horrifying, the dark abyss slowly enveloped them before they could see what was inside.
Then they finally saw it… the whole team was shocked.
Everyone froze.
The boss… was dead.
A massive minotaur lay crumpled in the center of the chamber, its body split open, horns shattered, blood pooling up beneath it. Whatever had killed it hadn't struggled.
For several seconds, no one spoke.
Then—
"…Wow," Tiffany said. "And after all that worrying."
She laughed. "Guess Aldin was scared of a corpse!"
Eli groaned dramatically. "Unbelievable. No points. No glory. I'm filing a complaint with the Association. This dungeon wasn't ranked appropriately at all…"
"Oh please," Tiffany shot back. "You're just mad you can't keep up your rising stars reputation."
Aldin let out a shaky breath—and laughed.
Relief flooded through him so hard his legs nearly gave out.
He glanced at Sara, expecting her to join in.
She wasn't smiling.
Her face had gone pale. Her eyes were locked on the ceiling.
"…Sara?" Aldin asked.
Slowly, he followed her gaze upward.
When his eyes laid sight on the ceiling, he immediately panicked.
A glowing magic circle spun above them, engraved with symbols so complex they hurt to look at. It rotated faster—brighter—
Aldin's knees buckled.
Sweat began to profusely drop from his head as he thought to himself.
"Oh…crap…"
He stumbled back before he hit the stone floor just as—
BOOM.
The world exploded in a purple light.