Dorian's eyes widened in shock.
It was the first time he had ever seen a dungeon in this region.
From the looks of it, the dungeon must have formed a long time ago but had only revealed itself recently. Everything about it felt ancient.
Kael quietly observed the surroundings.
Glowing mushrooms grew along the rocky walls, casting dim light across the cavern. The air smelled damp, thick with moss that spread across the ground and stone surfaces.
Kael glanced toward Dorian.
Dorian understood the look immediately.
He nodded and stepped forward.
Kael and Julian followed closely behind him, both fully alert, their senses sharpened.
After only a few steps deeper into the cave...
A pack of wolves appeared.
Dozens of glowing eyes stared at them from the darkness.
Low growls filled the air.
Dorian pulled out his axes.
Without hesitation, he dashed forward.
With a powerful horizontal swing, his axe sliced clean through the air,
Five wolves were instantly decapitated.
Blood sprayed across the stone floor.
Kael and Julian jumped forward from behind him.
Kael moved to the left.
Julian took the right.
Both drew their weapons.
Kael fought with calculated precision. He exploited every opening, dodging attacks while wasting as little movement as possible.
Julian, on the other hand, moved like a wild storm...
He rushed through the wolves like raging wind, his chain weapon whipping through the air like a tornado, shredding through the beasts one after another.
Together, the three of them advanced deeper into the dungeon, slaughtering wolf after wolf.
But something felt strange.
The deeper they went,
The environment began to change.
The damp cave walls gradually became dry.
The air felt heavier.
The wolves they encountered were stronger.
Yet their numbers had drastically decreased.
Eventually, they reached what looked like the end of the cavern.
And there...
A massive wolf appeared.
It was nearly three times the size of the others. Its fur was the same dark black, but faint streaks of purple ran through it. Its eyes burned with savage intelligence, and a reddish aura surrounded its body. The creature stared at them intensely.
Then it roared.
A horrifying cry echoed throughout the chamber, so powerful that the sound alone made their ears bleed. Dorian immediately understood.
This was the Alpha.
The dungeon boss.
It was powerful, no doubt about it.
But if all three of them attacked together,
They had a chance.
Dorian glanced toward Kael and Julian.
Blood trickled from both of their ears, yet their eyes were locked onto the Alpha with fierce determination.
Dorian shouted,
"Boys! If we push through together, we can take it down! Charge after me!"
He crossed his axes in front of him and rushed forward.
The force of his charge created a shockwave, distorting the air as he tore across the ground.
The Alpha tried to dodge...
But it wasn't fast enough.
The impact struck its body, sending the massive wolf crashing violently into the cave wall.
Dust exploded into the air.
Before the dust could even settle. Kael and Julian moved.
Both dove forward.
Kael raised his sword, a faint silver glow spreading across the blade.
"|Execution Crash|."
Mana condensed along the edge of his sword as the blade cut through the air toward the wolf.
At the same time,
Julian swung both ends of his chain weapon with both hands.
"|Whistling Death|."
The chain accelerated instantly, its speed breaking the sound barrier and producing a sharp, piercing whistle.
The blades struck the Alpha, pinning both its upper and lower body to the ground, immobilizing it.
That moment,
Dorian seized the opportunity.
He leapt into the air, both axes raised high above his head. Mana surged across the blades, glowing even brighter than before.
"|Death Blow|."
His axes came down.
The Alpha was sliced clean in half.
Silence fell across the dungeon.
All three of them collapsed onto the floor, exhausted. They had conquered the undiscovered dungeon.
Yet something felt wrong to Kael.
He slowly sat up and looked toward Dorian.
"Sir Dorian," Kael said, "if the wolves were at the top of the food chain here, shouldn't their hunting behavior be more aggressive? Why would they rely so heavily on hiding in shadows and ambushing prey?"
Dorian frowned slightly.
"I believe they used that pattern to hunt efficiently," he replied. "Ambushing prey allows them to kill quickly."
Kael shook his head slightly.
"But there are more efficient ways for predators to hunt. Why would they specifically rely on shadows out of all possible strategies? And we haven't seen many other beasts here besides the wolves."
Dorian placed a hand on his chin, thinking.
Then suddenly,
The ground shook.
All three of them instantly grabbed their weapons and stepped back.
A moment later..
The ground beneath the Alpha's corpse exploded.
A gigantic mouth burst out from below.
The Alpha's body was swallowed in a single bite. The massive wolf looked like nothing more than a mouse compared to the creature that had appeared.
Dorian's eyes widened in horror.
He immediately turned and shouted,
"RUN! It's a dragon!"