The two hours had passed.
Akira stood before the dungeon entrance—a swirling abyss of darkness set against jagged mountain rock. The air here was different. Thicker. Charged. He could feel the raw energy bleeding from the portal like a silent warning.
Unlike the usual E-rank dungeons, this was a D-rank. Stronger monsters. Deadlier terrain. Yet, the app had no intel on it. No maps. No threat analysis. Just a single line of caution:
"Proceed at your own risk."
Akira smirked. "No details, no problem.As long as I have the system that will do."
He wasn't impatient, though. There was still time before his slot opened. Dropping to the ground, he launched into his Daily Quest—push-ups, sit-ups, squats. Each movement precise, honed into muscle memory. Before long, a familiar chime rang in his ears.
[Daily Quest Complete]
[Congratulations! +2 Attribute Points awarded.]
[Perfected Symmetry in effect. Allocating stat points equally across all attributes: Strength, Agility, Stamina Endurance, and Intelligence increased by +2 each.]
A faint warmth spread through his limbs. Not dramatic, but noticeable. His stamina refilled, his muscles feeling just a bit sharper. Marginal gains. But gains nonetheless.
The countdown expired. The portal shimmered like black glass.
"Time to go."
Stepping forward, the world twisted around him. For a split second, there was nothing. Then—impact. His boots hit sand. The heat slammed into him next, thick and dry like an oven. He exhaled slowly, eyes scanning the environment.
A jungle, but not alive.
Gnarled trees stood like skeletal remains, their branches stripped bare. Shadows stretched unnaturally across the cracked earth. A stale, musty scent clung to the air, laced with something metallic. Blood? No. Something older.
The ground trembled.
It was faint at first, like a distant drumbeat. Then—stronger.
Akira's body tensed. His fingers curled around the Pantho Blade, his instincts already screaming.
Something was coming.
The sand erupted.
A massive form shot out, scales glistening in the dim light. Its elongated snout snapped shut with a wet clack, rows of needle-like teeth gnashing. Clawed hands dug into the sand, moving with unsettling speed.
A Deevral.
Akira's eyes narrowed. "New type." His Status Window flickered to life.
DING!
[Name:Deevral]
[Type: Mutant Beast]
[Abilities: Bone-Crushing Bite, Blood Drain]
[Weakness: Sensitive Underbelly]
His smirk widened. "A game-changer, huh?"
The creature lunged. No hesitation. No wasted movement.
Fast.
Akira dodged, feeling the rush of air as the monster's jaws clamped inches from his side. The sand beneath him exploded as it twisted back, trying to catch him on the recoil.
But he was faster.
He pushed off, a blur of motion, twisting behind it. The Deevral's exposed underbelly came into view. There.
His Pantho Blade flashed.
Steel met flesh—deep, precise. The creature shrieked, its body convulsing as blackened blood sprayed across the sand. It wasn't dead yet. But it would be.
The Deevral thrashed violently. Claws raked the air—grazing his arm.
Pain flared. Blood dripped.
Akira hissed, glaring at the wound. The sting was sharp, but it only fueled his determination.
"You'll pay for that," - He muttered, his voice low and cold.
The Deevral lunged again. Too predictable.
Akira ducked low, blade flashing once, twice. A deep slash to its hind legs. A final thrust to its gut.
The beast spasmed, eyes rolling back. Then—it gave it's last breath.
A familiar pulse shot through him.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations! You have leveled up.]
[+5 Stat Points awarded.]
[Perfected Symmetry in effect. Allocating stat points equally across all attributes: Strength, Agility, Stamina Endurance, and Intelligence increased by +1 each.]
The change was immediate.
His breath steadied. His muscles tightened, power coursing through his limbs. The sting in his arm vanished. His senses sharpened—he could feel it.
Faster. Stronger. Sharper.
He rolled his shoulders, testing the newfound lightness in his step.
"Yeah. This system really is the best—it's like a cheat code."
One Hour Later
Twenty Deevrals lay in pieces around him. Their blackened blood soaked the sand, filling the jungle with the stench of death. Akira exhaled slowly, wiping sweat from his brow.
It had been fun at first—testing his new strength, feeling himself grow. But after the fifteenth kill, the challenge had dulled.
He was beginning to think this dungeon was too easy.
Then the ground moved.
Not like before. This was deeper. More violent.
A heavy, rhythmic hum filled the air, reverberating through the sand. It grew—low, menacing—until the entire jungle trembled.
Akira froze, his grip tightening on the PanthoBlade. His instincts screamed at him to move, but he held his ground, eyes scanning the shifting sand.
Then, the earth split open.
A behemoth of a creature erupted forth.
Sand Maw.
It towered over him, a colossus of glistening stone-like scales. Its gaping maw was lined with jagged teeth, large enough to swallow him whole. The air crackled with static as it growled—a deep, guttural sound that sent a chill down his spine.
His Status Window flickered again.
[Sand Maw]
[Type: Mutant Beast]
[Abilities:]
[Quicksand Trap / Tremor Strike / Armored Scales ]
[Weakness: Exposed Neck—attacks to this area bypass its armored hide.]
Akira exhaled, steadying his grip on the Pantho Blade.
This wasn't like the others. This thing was a real threat.
His pulse quickened, but not in fear.
Excitement.
A slow smirk crept onto his lips. "About time," he muttered. "I was starting to get bored."
The Sand Maw moved.
And the real fight began.