The Rank-D portal pulsed in a deeper, almost liquid sapphire—denser, heavier, as though every molecule of air trembled with anticipation.
I inhaled, exhaled, and stepped through without a second thought.
Twilight stone greeted me. Jagged towers loomed from a cracked plain of slate-gray rock. Partly buried statues lay half-forgotten in the dust, their features worn into blank, mournful masks.
Above, violet clouds churned in slow spirals, distant lightning arcing like silent warnings.
A system prompt hovered before my eyes:
[Shattered Bastion]
Threat Level: D
Type: Solo
A faint smile curved my lips. "Let's see how warm this warm-up really is."
The moment my boots hit the ancient stone, I unleashed every advantage I had.
"Greater Danger Sense."
The world snapped into sharpened focus. Threads of menace traced themselves through the air—attack vectors, shifting weights, unstable ground a dozen meters ahead.
"Forest's Embrace."
Beneath my armor, sinuous vines of glowing green coiled around my torso, siphoning mana in a steady pulse.
Mana: 1.55 / 3.1
"Greater Boost."
My muscles wound tighter, reflexes spring-loaded and primed.
Three spells humming in perfect harmony—and I felt rock-steady. Infinity, my silent sentinel, stood guard over every reserve.
A quartet of Stone Sentinels emerged, humanoid constructs hewn from the same bleak rock that underfoot. Their joints glowed with pale blue sigils as they advanced in eerie synchronization.
One leapt.
My enhanced instincts shrieked a warning half a heartbeat before impact. I slipped aside like water.
"Greater Explosion."
I flicked my wrist at the sentinel's midpoint. A pinpoint detonation blossomed outward; the golem shattered in midair, shards raining like deadly hail.
Two more charged from flanks.
"Rock Formation."
A curved wall of jagged stone erupted between us. I vaulted over my own creation and loosed—
"Magic Blast."
A lance of condensed light seared through a sentinel's chest, punching a fist-sized cavity clean through its core.
The remaining construct swung its blade-arm.
"Protection Sphere." '
A crystalline globe snapped into being around me. The blade slammed against it, rattling the barrier but failing to breach my defense.
I responded with a point-blank Greater Explosion that reduced the golem's torso to dust. Again, my mana dipped—only to be clamped back to the midpoint by Infinity's quiet hum.
I laughed, thrill dancing through me. "This is absurd."
I abandoned caution. Layer upon layer of stone platforms sprouted beneath my feet, launching me skyward to rain down successive detonations.
Inside my rolling Protection Sphere, I rammed through clusters of lesser constructs like a battering ram. Magic Blasts lashed out in rapid succession. Greater Danger Sense pulsed ever onward, preempting every hidden threat.
By the time I breached the inner courtyard, my spell proficiencies gleamed with notifications:
[Protection Sphere proficiency increased]
[Greater Explosion proficiency increased]
[Greater Danger Sense proficiency increased]
Perfect. Let them climb.
From the shattered throne room, the Dread Warden emerged: a colossus of black iron and fractured crystal, its banner-torn cape drifting in the sickly wind. Runes along its greatsword flickered alive.
"Dread Warden (D-Rank Boss)"
Traits: Adaptive Defense, Mana Pulse
Its first swing carved a shockwave through the air. I raised Protection Sphere—impact hammered me backward, but the barrier held. Forest's Embrace wove healing into bruised flesh.
"Magic Blast."
A beam struck its chest. The armor shimmered, buffing itself. The second shot glanced off with far less effect.
"Adaptive," I mused. Then: "Let's change the game."
"Rock Formation."
Jagged pillars surged around its legs. The Warden shattered one and swung its sword—only to have its knee joint rent by a mid-swing Greater Explosion. Cracks spiderwebbed into the metal.
"Again."
Another detonation. The leg buckled, and the Warden stumbled. In retaliation, it unleashed a radial Mana Pulse like a tidal wave.
My Protection Sphere fractured but held; Forest's Embrace patched torn flesh in an instant. I grinned, unshaken.
"You can't outlast me."
I honed my next Magic Blasts into surgical needles, firing relentlessly into the cracked knee until the leg collapsed entirely. The boss dropped to one knee.
I stepped forward, calm as dawn.
"Greater Explosion."
The blast detonated inside the chest seam, ripping through armor. I followed with a final, concentrated Magic Blast into the exposed core. Light erupted. The Dread Warden disintegrated in a storm of iron and crystal shards.
Silence reclaimed the Bastion. The reward bloomed before me:
Body Stat Core ×1
Mana Stat Core ×1
[Heal] (E-Rank Spell Book)
I swept the book into my hands. "Touch-based healing," I murmured as the system window expanded. Useful. Versatile.
"Learn."
The tome dissolved into green light. Warmth anchored in my palms.
[Spell acquired: Heal (E)]
"Quality Upgrade."
[Heal → Greater Heal (D)]
Energy crackled, refining tissue repair instantly. I absorbed the stat cores—another pulse of power. When the dungeon expelled me, I strode out unshaken.
At the Bureau exchange, I traded spare drops for 4,000 credits. My balance read 12,000—still shy of a guild entrance fee, but not for long. Momentum, after all, was everything.
That afternoon I approached the Obsidian Crest headquarters: a sleek monolith of obsidian glass and reinforced steel, its silver sigil glinting in the sun. A red scanner swept over my eye. Processing… Access Granted. The doors parted inaudibly.
Inside, the air thrummed with controlled mana. Training halls branched left, strategy rooms right, and screens cycled dungeon rotations and party invites. I was guided to a conference chamber where five players waited. One rose as I entered.
Tall, steady, late twenties, his aura calm but intense. "I'm Kael," he said. "C-Rank. I lead Strike Team Three."
"Cain," I replied.
"We saw your performance in the Crimson Quarry. Impressive."
He tapped the table and mission outlines flickered to life. "You'll serve as hybrid artillery and defensive support—flexible positioning. We start tonight, in a C-Rank dungeon. Cohesion test first."
Reasonable. "Understood."
Before departure, Kael suggested a meal in the guild cafeteria. Simple protein plates, nutrient-dense greens. He watched me over the rim of his glass.
I finished my meal with practiced calm.