Kai woke up to sunlight creeping across his ceiling.
The house felt unusually quiet.
He stepped out of his room and saw the dining table already cleared. A short message blinked on the wall display.
Early patrol. Back late. – Dad
He stared at it for a moment, then shrugged lightly.
"Of course."
He moved quickly after that. His younger siblings were still half asleep when he knocked on their doors. "Up. School."
A pillow flew toward him from inside one room.
"Five minutes!"
"You said that yesterday."
Within fifteen minutes he had them dressed, fed, and halfway out the door. He stood there until their shuttle lifted off.
Then he looked at his left hand.
The icy-blue dragon ring curled around his finger, faint light glinting along its scales. The tiny carved dragon looked almost alive when sunlight hit it. His father had given it to him last year without much ceremony. Just a simple: "You'll need it eventually."
Diamond-grade. Tier 1.
Most students would faint if they knew.
Kai rotated his wrist slightly and felt the familiar subtle tightening in his circulation. The ring didn't flood him with power or anything flashy. It just made everything feel… smoother. Tighter. More under control.
Especially when he tried to condense his Black Ice.
He smiled faintly.
"Overgeared," he muttered.
And today, he was going to take full advantage of it.
The Overgeared lived up to its name.
The massive awakened equipment complex stood like a shining fortress in the center district. Layers of protective arrays shimmered faintly across its glass exterior, and even the guards at the entrance carried weapons most students would only see in advertisements.
Kai parked casually and stepped inside.
Cold air brushed his face as sliding doors opened.
Inside, it was chaos — but organized chaos. Weapons hovered in display fields. Combat suits rotated slowly under white lights. Holographic projections demonstrated flashy skills on loop. The place smelled faintly of metal and ozone.
A sharply dressed sales assistant approached almost immediately.
"Welcome to The Overgeared. Looking for your first dungeon loadout?"
Kai nodded. "Tier 1. Fire-aligned dungeon."
The assistant's eyes flicked briefly to the dragon ring. Recognition flashed. His posture straightened slightly.
"Understood. Weapon class preference?"
"Dagger."
"Budget range?"
Kai's lips curved faintly. "Not a problem."
The assistant smiled professionally. "Right this way."
They stopped before a suspended row of blades.
"This section is Silver-grade Tier 1. Suitable for Levels 10 through early twenties. Balanced channeling, excellent durability."
A platinum dagger rotated beside it, polished and beautiful.
"Platinum-grade offers stronger base reinforcement," the assistant added.
Kai shook his head lightly. "Silver first."
The assistant nodded and brought down three options.
Kai's attention locked onto one almost immediately. Slim, clean edge, faint silver runes etched along the blade's spine.
"This one?" the assistant asked.
Kai lifted it and infused a thin layer of Black Ice.
The blade darkened instantly, frost crawling neatly along its edge without spreading wildly.
"Ah," the assistant said, understanding. "That model carries a minor passive effect — enhanced penetration against heat-aligned creatures."
Kai smiled properly this time.
"I'll take it."
The assistant hesitated. "You're sure you don't want Platinum? Stronger base stats."
"I'm not cutting rocks," Kai replied lightly. "I'm cutting lava."
The assistant blinked, then chuckled. "Fair point."
Payment processed.
Next came combat suits.
"This is Gold-grade Tier 1," the assistant said carefully while presenting a sleek black suit with silver reinforcement lining. "Excellent durability, strong heat resistance."
Kai ran a hand across the material.
"Good enough."
"Good enough?" the assistant repeated.
Kai slipped it on. The suit adjusted instantly, tightening around his frame perfectly.
"Actually," he said calmly, "better than good enough."
The assistant laughed softly. "Very well."
Wei almost screamed when he saw him outside.
"Is that Gold-tier?!"
Min stared at the suit, then at the dagger, then at the ring.
"…You robbed a vault."
Kai shrugged. "Family perks."
Wei circled him dramatically. "This is bullying. You awakened yesterday!"
Min shook her head but there was a faint smile on her lips. "At least now we won't die from rookie mistakes."
"Confidence," Wei corrected. "We won't die because we have him."
Kai rolled his eyes slightly. "Normal difficulty."
"Lava Nest," Wei said excitedly. "Let's go roast some wolves."
The dungeon gate shimmered orange.
Heat rolled out even before they stepped through.
Inside, the air hit like opening an oven.
Cracked stone stretched forward in uneven layers, rivers of slow-moving lava glowing between jagged rock. The ceiling dripped molten fragments that cooled midair and shattered on the ground.
Wei wiped his forehead dramatically. "Okay. This is hot."
Min scanned ahead. "Movement."
Three shapes stepped out from behind a molten pillar.
Lean bodies. Red-black fur streaked with glowing lines. Their eyes burned bright.
"Cinderwolves," Wei whispered. "Cool."
The first one lunged.
Kai stepped forward instead of back.
Black Ice coated his dagger thin and tight, the dragon ring pulsing softly as if helping hold it together.
The wolf spat a burst of flame.
The flame met the blade—
And fizzled.
Kai slashed across its flank in one smooth motion. The Silver dagger bit deeper than expected. The wolf stumbled mid-air.
Wei whooped. "That's disgusting!"
Min stepped in and finished it cleanly.
The other two wolves split directions.
Wei chased one, wind blades slicing through hot air. Min intercepted the other with her shield.
Kai flicked his wrist, spreading a narrow line of frost across the ground. Not wide, just enough.
The wolf's footing slipped.
Wei capitalized instantly.
Within seconds, silence returned.
Wei grinned at Kai. "Bro. That dagger was a good choice."
Kai twirled it once. "Obviously."
Deeper in, the ground trembled faintly.
The lava along the walls bubbled harder.
Something burst from below with a spray of molten rock.
A bulky creature with a rounded body and thick magma-crusted armor climbed out, snorting steam.
"Lava Armored Mole," Min said.
Elite.
It slammed one massive claw into the ground, spraying heat fragments.
Wei dodged backward. "That thing looks angry."
"It is," Kai replied lightly.
The mole charged.
Instead of attacking the thick armor, Kai slid to the side and aimed for the softer joint near its foreleg.
Black Ice compressed tightly along the dagger.
He struck.
Steam burst upward violently as frost met molten heat.
The mole shrieked.
Wei laughed. "You poked its weak spot!"
Min smashed her shield into its side.
The mole rolled partially, exposing its underside.
Kai didn't waste time.
Second strike.
This time the creature collapsed fully.
Wei pumped a fist. "Elite down!"
"Focus," Min warned.
But she was smiling.
The chamber opened wider ahead.
Three tall figures stood near a lava stream, their antlers glowing bright like torches.
They looked almost majestic.
"Molten Antler Stags," Kai said quietly.
One lifted its head slowly.
Then it charged.
The ground shook with each step.
Wei tried a wind burst.
The stag barely slowed.
Min braced.
Kai moved straight toward it.
"Are you crazy?" Wei yelled.
Probably.
The stag lowered its antlers, lava dripping from the tips.
Kai met it head-on.
At the last second he angled his blade upward.
Black Ice surged along the edge, compressed as tightly as he could manage.
The molten antlers collided with frost.
Steam exploded everywhere.
For half a heartbeat, the stag hesitated.
That was enough.
Min slammed into its side.
Wei cut across its hind legs.
The stag fell.
The remaining two weren't as confident after that.
They went down much faster.
Wei exhaled dramatically. "Okay. I believe in you now."
"You didn't before?" Kai asked.
"I believed moderately."
Min shook her head. "You always believe loudly."
The final chamber was massive.
Lava cascaded from the ceiling like fiery waterfalls.
At the center stood something enormous.
A towering Lava Giant made of cracked stone and flowing magma.
It opened glowing eyes slowly.
Wei swallowed. "That's… big."
The Giant stepped forward.
Each movement cracked the ground.
Min tightened her grip. "Boss."
The Giant raised one arm and slammed it down.
Shockwave.
They staggered but held.
Kai studied its movements.
Every time the molten core in its chest brightened, it prepared to attack.
He glanced at Wei and Min.
"Distract. I'll handle the center."
Wei grinned. "Trust you."
Min nodded once.
The Giant swung again.
Min absorbed part of the blow.
Wei darted around its leg, slashing and retreating.
Kai waited.
The core brightened.
There.
He dashed in.
The Gold suit absorbed the worst of the heat as he drove the Silver dagger straight toward a crack in the Giant's chest.
Black Ice met molten core.
Steam roared upward violently.
The Giant bellowed and swiped him aside.
Kai rolled and stood immediately.
"I'm fine!" he shouted before Wei could panic.
The Giant lifted its arm again.
Min slammed her shield into its knee, forcing it to stagger slightly.
The core flared bright.
Kai ran again.
This time he didn't hesitate.
He poured everything he had into one clean thrust.
The dragon ring glowed faintly blue.
The dagger pierced deeper.
The molten glow flickered wildly.
Wei shouted and unleashed a full wind burst into the crack.
Min followed with a powerful charge.
The Giant froze.
Cracks spread across its body.
Then it shattered outward in a burst of cooling stone fragments.
Silence.
Wei collapsed backward laughing. "That was awesome!"
Min let out a slow breath. "We survived."
Kai withdrew the fading frost from his blade.
He looked toward the dungeon exit.
He felt… good.
Not invincible.
But ready.
Wei threw an arm over his shoulder. "Hard mode next week?"
Kai glanced briefly toward the distant southern skyline visible beyond the dungeon gate.
"Maybe," he said lightly.
But inside, he was already thinking ahead.
Fourteen days.
And today was only the beginning.