The massive dragon towered above Jin Seo Ryun, its two heads glowing with molten rage. The air itself seemed to ripple with heat, and the ground beneath him cracked and burned. He stood frozen, his knees trembling.
"What… What is this?" Jin whispered. "Am I dreaming? Or… is this hell?"
The Last Queen Flame Dragon opened its enormous mouths, revealing rows of jagged, fire-coated teeth. Flames erupted from its throats, rolling toward him in an unstoppable wave of heat and destruction. Jin's instincts kicked in as he dove to the side, barely avoiding the fire.
The flames licked at his clothes, and the edges of his hoodie ignited, burning away in moments. The searing heat scorched his skin, and he let out a guttural scream.
"This can't be real!" he shouted, rolling across the ash-stained ground to extinguish the embers clinging to his body. His heart raced as the dragon's fiery eyes fixed on him, its steps shaking the very earth.
Pain coursed through his body, and panic gripped his mind. "If this is a dream, I need to wake up," he muttered, stumbling to his feet. "If this is hell, I must've done something terrible to deserve it."
The dragon roared, one of its massive claws swiping at him. Jin barely dodged, the claw missing him by inches but sending a gust of wind that knocked him to the ground. He coughed, his body trembling from exhaustion.
The battle was relentless.
The dragon's flames tore through the air, scorching the earth. Jin scrambled, dodging and rolling, but the beast's attacks were merciless. A claw raked across his side, drawing blood. He cried out in pain, clutching the wound as he fell to his knees.
The dragon's second head struck like a serpent, its massive jaws snapping inches from him. The force of its movements sent Jin tumbling backward, his vision blurring from the impact.
His breathing was ragged. His body ached. His clothes were in tatters, barely clinging to his scorched skin.
He lay on the ground, motionless, as the dragon loomed over him.
"Am I going to die here?" Jin whispered. Tears mixed with the blood and ash on his face.
Memories of his life flashed before him—his miserable existence as a second-class citizen, the countless nights he spent starving and freezing, the humiliation he endured at the hands of people like Tae Joon. He had been nothing but a weak, powerless outcast, discarded by society and left to rot.
And yet, despite all the pain, he was here. Alive. Somehow given a chance.
Jin clenched his fists, his body shaking. "If I'm not dead… If this is real… If whatever this is is giving me a chance to be more than a pathetic, ordinary person… I won't die here!"
The dragon roared, lifting its massive claw to crush him.
A chime echoed in Jin's ears.
[System Notification: Tool unlocked. Blade of Severance acquired.]
[Skill unlocked: Dash Lv. 1.]
Suddenly, a small, curved blade materialized in Jin's hand. It was jet black, its edge shimmering with a faint, purple light. He stared at it, the weight of it feeling strangely perfect in his grasp.
"What… is this?" Jin muttered, his voice filled with awe.
The screen reappeared before him:
[Skill: Dash Lv. 1 activated.]
Before he could react, his body moved on its own. He shot forward in a blur, the world around him becoming a haze of motion.
The dragon's claw slammed into the ground where he had been lying, but Jin was already behind it. The beast let out a confused growl as Jin reappeared near its hind legs, the blade in his hand glowing brighter.
Jin moved like lightning.
The dragon roared and swung its tails at him, but he dashed away just in time, the skill carrying him across the battlefield in an instant. He darted back in, slicing through the dragon's thick, scaly leg. The blade cut deeper than he thought possible, green and red blood spraying from the wound.
The dragon howled in pain, turning its massive heads toward him, but Jin was already gone, moving to its side. He slashed at its body, cutting through the thick armor-like scales.
"Faster," he muttered, his adrenaline surging. "I have to be faster!"
The dragon unleashed another torrent of flames, but Jin dashed away, the fire scorching the ground behind him. He reappeared near its front leg, slicing through it before dashing to its side again.
The dragon swung its claws wildly, its movements growing more erratic as it struggled to keep up with Jin's speed. He dashed again, appearing near its neck, and slashed at one of its throats.
The beast roared in fury, one of its heads snapping at him, but Jin ducked and dashed away. He reappeared near its eyes, his blade glowing fiercely as he struck.
The blade pierced the dragon's eye, and the beast let out an earth-shaking scream, the sound reverberating through the ruined landscape.
Jin stumbled back, panting, as the massive creature thrashed in agony. The ground quaked beneath him, and the dragon's movements slowed.
With one final, deafening roar, the Last Queen Flame Dragon collapsed, its enormous body crashing to the ground. The impact sent a shockwave through the air, and silence fell over the battlefield.
Jin stood still, his chest heaving as he stared at the fallen beast. Blood—green and red—covered his body, soaking into his skin and what remained of his clothes.
He staggered forward, collapsing onto the dragon's massive belly. His arms trembled as he held himself up, his breathing labored.
The blade in his hand began to fade, its glow dimming until it disappeared completely. Jin stared at his empty hand, his mind racing.
"Did I… just kill that thing?" he muttered. "Something… that powerful?"
He let out a weak laugh, his head falling back against the dragon's lifeless body. "I've never killed anything in my life. Not even a rat. And now this?"
A soft chime broke through his thoughts.
[System Notification: Last Queen Flame Dragon defeated.]
[User Ascension: 5%]
[Reach 100% to unlock a class and a specific skill.]
Jin's eyes widened as more notifications appeared.
[Tool unlocked: Blade of Severance.]
[Special Attributes: Cuts through all matter below Rank B. Increases user's attack speed by 20%.]
[Reach 50% Ascension to unlock blade skill.]
[Skill unlocked: Dash Lv. 1.]
[Won Bank: 10,000,000 Won earned.]
Jin blinked, staring at the glowing numbers. "Ten… million… Won?" he whispered, his voice filled with disbelief. "Did I just… make that kind of money by killing this thing? What the hell is going on?"
A new notification appeared.
[Trial complete. Removing user from Trial Zone.]
Before Jin could react, the world around him began to dissolve. The ground crumbled, the sky faded, and a swirling void consumed everything.
Jin's eyes shot open, and he found himself lying on the floor of his small, wooden apartment.
The familiar sight of cracked walls and the faint smell of dampness filled his senses. He sat up, his breathing unsteady, and looked around.
"What the hell just happened to me?" he muttered, his voice filled with confusion and exhaustion.