Sylara's blade sliced cleanly through another Lingol's throat. The creature barely had time to react before its head tumbled to the ground, its lifeless body collapsing a second later.Her breath remained steady, the violet flames around her PanthoBlade still flickering.
Only one Lingol remained.
But then——she saw it.
Across the ruined street, at the edge of the battlefield, the last Lingol loomed over a fallen man, its massive foot raised, ready to crush him like an insect.
The man on the ground was trembling, his face pale and streaked with dirt and blood. His hands clawed at the rubble beneath him, desperate to push himself away, but his body was too weak, too broken. His eyes were wide with terror, locked onto the monster above him, as if already seeing his death.
Sylara's eyes widened. "Damn it! We're too late!"
She surged forward, her feet pounding against the shattered pavement, but she already knew—She wouldn't make it in time.
Akira saw it too. His mind sharpened, calculations racing at lightning speed. "Tch."
"Even at full speed, I'm too far to reach him in time." Then—his eyes flicked to the ground.
A small stone.Likely debris from the destroyed buildings. "Maybe..." There was no time to hesitate.His fingers tightened. "Energy Infusion." The stone pulsed with raw white energy, glowing faintly as white mana surged into it.
Akira hurled it.
The moment it left his hand, it became a streak of white light, cutting through the darkness like a shooting star—CRACK!
The stone struck the Lingol's head with a sharp impact. It didn't kill the creature—far from it—but it stunned it, its foot pausing inches above the man's trembling body.For a brief, crucial second, the Lingol staggered, shaking its head.And that second was all Akira needed.
BOOM!
White lightning erupted from his body as he launched forward at full speed.The Lingol barely had time to blink. "White Lightning—Engage."
Akira arrived.
His fist, wreathed in raw power, struck the monster's chest like a thunderclap—BOOOOM!
The impact ripped through the Lingol's body, its monstrous frame convulsing as white electricity surged through its veins.Then—its red eyes flickered.And it collapsed.
Lifeless.
Silence.
The man on the ground stared up at Akira, his chest heaving, his face still frozen in shock. His hands shook as he tried to push himself up, but his strength failed him. Tears streamed down his face, mixing with the dirt and blood.
"Th-Thank you! Thank you…!" he croaked, his voice breaking. "I thought—I thought I was—"
Akira didn't respond immediately. He simply extended a hand, pulling the man to his feet with a firm grip. The civilian stumbled, his legs still unsteady, but he managed to stand. His gratitude was palpable, his trembling hands clutching Akira's arm as if it were the only thing keeping him upright.
Before Akira could say anything, the heavy thudding of boots filled the air.
A squad of T.E.RR.A operatives arrived, their armor scratched and dented from battle but their postures firm. The leader, a broad-shouldered man with a weathered face and a scar running down his left cheek, stepped forward. His eyes were sharp, weary but professional, and they flicked between Sylara and Akira with a mix of respect and wariness.
Sylara straightened. "Sylara Veilheart, Guild Master of Silver Aegis." The moment her name left her lips, recognition flashed in their eyes.
They saluted instinctively. "It's an honor," the leader said, his voice gravelly but steady. He glanced at the civilian, who was now being supported by one of the operatives. "We'll take it from here."
One of the squad members, a younger woman with a bandaged arm, spoke up. "All the monsters in this zone have been neutralized. This was a B-rank outbreak. However—" she exhaled, her voice tinged with frustration, "we have yet to locate the dungeon entrance."
"I don't know why, but with this much scattered mana in the air, we can't pinpoint the exact location of the dungeon."
Sylara nodded. "Understood."
The leader turned to his team, his voice firm. "Secure the perimeter and check for any signs of the gate. And get this man to safety—now."
As the operatives moved into formation leaving both of them alone again, Sylara's gaze drifted to Akira.He was standing still, eyes cast downward—as if staring at the ground. "What a monster."
She clenched her fingers around the PanthoBlade. "That last attack... what the hell was that?"
"A mere stone infused with his power nearly made a C-rank monster kneel. A Lingol, at that.I've seen his fight against the Troll King before, but now—He's sharper. More precise. More determined and even more terrifying."
"It's true A blade that knows its purpose will always cut deeper." She exhaled, shaking the thought away. There was no time for distractions.
"Akira." He blinked, lifting his gaze. "We need to find the entrance."
He nodded. "Yes." As they moved, Akira's thoughts drifted to his status screen."I've gained three levels in total from this battle alone. The difference is tangible—my body feels stronger, more refined.It's a given. Higher-ranked monsters mean faster leveling.Even though Sylara did most of the killing, I only incapacitated them before she finished them off, yet the ones I took down still contributed significantly to my growth."
"Not bad," he muttered under his breath.But there was no time to dwell on it. "Let's finish this."
Then—A new presence emerged.
From the shadows of the wrecked city, a lone figure stepped forward.Much smaller than the Lingols, standing at seven and a half feet at most, but its appearance was almost identical.Different eye color, though—its eyes were blue, glowing with unnatural light.Its gaze locked onto them, unblinking.
Akira's voice was calm. "Is that the boss?"
Sylara saw it.Her face paled.
Then—"Oh, shit. We're screwed."
Akira's gaze didn't waver. He studied the creature standing before them, its seven-and-a-half-foot frame eerily still. Its blue eyes glowed with an unnatural light—intelligent, calculating. A stark contrast to the mindless brutality of the Lingols they had just fought.
Sylara exhaled sharply. "It's a Golion Tant."
"A Middle Boss," she added.
Akira frowned. "A what?"
Sylara didn't take her eyes off the creature. "Stronger creatures—like guardians that stand before the real boss. They started appearing in B-rank and above dungeons about two years ago."
Akira processed the information quickly. "Only in B-rank dungeons and above, huh?"
Sylara gave a small nod. "But that's not the real problem." Her grip on her sword tightened. "The real problem is the boss of this dungeon."
Akira's brows furrowed. "What about it?"
Sylara's voice dropped lower, barely audible over the cold breeze sweeping through the battlefield. The air carried the scent of burnt flesh and blood. The Middle Boss remained motionless, its eerie gaze fixed on them. Watching.
Sylara continued, "Not just instincts or battle awareness—actual intelligence, like a human. It can communicate, strategize. And I guarantee—" Her violet eyes darkened. "You might think it's like the Troll King you fought before, but I guarantee—it's nothing like that. It's several levels above."
Akira fell silent.
Sylara's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "I've fought one before," she admitted, her tone laced with something Akira rarely heard from her. Not fear. Not hesitation. Caution. "And it was bad. Really bad."
Akira's jaw clenched. If Sylara—one of the strongest Stars he knew—was saying that, then this was a different kind of monster entirely.
Sylara exhaled. "But I hope I'm wrong."
Akira tilted his head slightly. "You don't sound convinced."
"I'm not," she admitted.
"So this monster, the Middle Boss, marks that the boss is super strong?" Akira asked.
"Yes," Sylara replied. Then, shaking her head, she refocused. Their eyes turned back to the Middle Boss.
The monster's blue eyes locked onto them, as if listening.
Then—it grinned.
Sylara's eyes sharpened. "First, let's kill this one. We'll think about the boss later."
Akira cracked his knuckles. "Fine by me."
Lightning sparked around his fingertips. His lips curled into a smirk. "Let's see if this one can last longer than the others."
System, scan him, Akira commanded in his mind.
[User Request: Scanning Target...Providable 100%]
[Name: Golion Tant]
[Type:Beast]
[Abilities:]
[Predator's Instinct: Predicts opponent's attacks based on movement patterns.]
[Regenerative Flesh: Rapidly heals minor wounds within seconds. Major injuries require time.]
[Weaknesses:]
Silver-Infused Weapons: Cause wounds that heal significantly slower than normal.
Mana Flow: If overwhelmed with excess mana at once, its regeneration shuts down briefly.
Akira narrowed his eyes, his gaze flickering to the Golion Tant. The creature grinned wider, its blue eyes gleaming with something unsettling.
"Let's see how fast it learns when it's getting its skull caved in," Akira muttered.
The moment Sylara and Akira moved, the ground cracked beneath them.Sylara shot forward like a violet streak, the PanthoBlade igniting with purple mana. Akira was right beside her, his body flickering with white lightning.
The Golion Tant reacted instantly.With a chilling snarl, it lunged—not recklessly, but with calculated precision. Its sharp claws gleamed as it slashed straight for Sylara's throat.
But she was faster—CLANG!
Her sword met its claws mid-air, violet sparks flying as she redirected its strike to the side.
In that same instant—Akira was already in motion.He dipped low, a blur beneath the Golion's guard, and slammed a lightning-infused fist into its exposed ribs—BOOM!
The impact sent a shockwave rippling through the creature's body, forcing it to skid back across the ruined pavement.But its regeneration kicked in immediately. Flesh stitched itself together—as if his attack had never landed.
Sylara didn't hesitate.With a sharp exhale, she leaped, spinning mid-air as the Pantho Sword carved downward.The Golion reacted.
Too late—SHRRRKKK!
Her blade bit deep into its shoulder, sending a spray of blackened blood across the battlefield.But the Golion didn't scream.It grinned.
"Predictable," it hissed.
Akira's eyes narrowed. "It's adapting."
The Golion suddenly twisted, using the momentum of Sylara's strike to shift its weight—its knee rocketing straight toward her stomach.Sylara barely had time to brace—But then Akira caught its leg mid-air.
Lightning crackled around his arms as he held the Golion's leg in place, veins bulging from the force.
"You learn fast," Akira muttered. His grip tightened. "But I learn faster. And just so you know, all my stats have skyrocketed."
With brutal force, he lifted the Golion into the air and slammed it headfirst into the ground—BOOOOM!
The street split apart from the sheer force of the impact.Sylara didn't waste a second.Before the Golion could recover, she landed right beside its downed body—her sword descending like an executioner's blade.
SLASH!
Its arm flew off, cut clean from the socket.For the first time—the Golion screamed.Its blue eyes flickered wildly. "No... I will not..."
Akira watched its regeneration slow. The system scan's weakness flashed in his mind."Overloaded Mana Flow."
His eyes sharpened. That's it.He met Sylara's gaze. "Hit it with everything you've got. We need to flood its body with mana." Sylara understood immediately.
Without hesitation, she slammed her palm onto the Golion's chest, violet mana bursting from her hands, surging into the creature's body.
At the same time—Akira placed his own palm against its forehead.
"Try regenerating from this.—White Lightning: FULL POWER."
A surge of pure white electricity erupted from his arm, pouring into the Golion's body like a tidal wave of mana.It convulsed violently, veins bulging, stretching—then bursting.
Its regeneration failed.Akira didn't hesitate.He reared back his fist. "End of the line."
And then—BOOOOM!
His fist caved in the Golion's skull.
The creature's body twitched, its blue eyes flickering—dim, unfocused. A garbled sound escaped its throat, more than just a dying growl.A whisper.
"Sorry... I failed you..."
Akira's eyes narrowed. "Failed who?"
But before he could question further, the Golion's body went limp. Its glowing eyes faded, the eerie light vanishing into the darkness. Akira exhaled, watching the last flicker of life leave the creature's eyes. "A monster... apologizing?"
Then— "Ding!"
[System Notification]
[Congratulations! You have defeated Golion Tant (Middle Boss).]
[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 user's level has increased, the body will be restored to peak condition.]
"Akira exhaled, rolling his shoulders as the familiar surge of power coursed through him. His wounds faded, and his stamina was restored as he deactivated Soul Infusion, returning to his normal state.
Sylara stood beside him, catching her breath, before giving him a small smirk. "You monster."
Akira smirked back. "You too."