(All stats increases by 2.)

(Indomitable Marksmanship ranked up to B rank. Neither pain nor fatigue can shake your aim—each shot is a testament to unyielding resolve.)

(Shadow Storage ranked up to D rank. The void within the shadows deepens, allowing you to carry more within their embrace.)

(Night Vision ranked up to A rank. Your eyes pierce the darkness with absolute clarity, making the night your ally in every sense.)

(Skills Night Vision and Enhanced Perception can be fused.)

Just like many times before, I woke up to several notifications in my vision. And just like many times, it was too much for me to read at the moment I woke up. I stretched, my joints crackling as I let out a noise that was half moan and half growl. The morning came not with warmth but with the cold bite of the stone despite my own cloak and a blanket that wasn’t with me when I collapsed to the floor. Must be Thalia’s doing. The notifications hovered persistently in my vision, a constant reminder of the progress I had made. I barely glanced at them before dismissing most of the information for later.

(Skills Night Vision and Enhanced Perception can be fused.)

That one caught my attention, though. A fusion option wasn’t something to overlook. The last time I had fused skills, it had resulted in Full Combat Mastery. While I didn’t like its name, its effects were apparent. But Night Vision was a Spark skill while Enhanced Perception was a personal skill. What would be the resulting skill?

I filed that thought away. There was no time to focus on it just yet. Despite being used to getting up early, I wasn’t a morning person, and decisions I made before I could fully wake up had the chance the backfire.

Pushing off the stone I’d collapsed onto, I stretched, my joints cracking like brittle wood. The sharp ache in my left shoulder reminded me of the moment I hesitated last night—the arrow I dropped when Gökbörü faced danger. My chest tightened briefly at the memory, and I covered my face with my palm.

“How?”

I asked myself. Someone I cared about, someone who trusted me was about to take a hit that could kill them and what did I do? Panicked and dropped my arrow.

The pup lay slightly away from me, his wounds all healed thanks to his immense regenerative abilities.

“He has Mana Hide and Regeneration. He would been fine- or at least still be alive.”

I tried to reassure myself but several voices climbed to the surface.

"But what if he hadn't been fine? What if that one moment was all it took to lose him?"

The voices gnawed at the edges of my resolve, whispering doubts I’d worked so hard to bury. I clenched my fists, the nails biting into my palms as if the pain could ground me. Gökbörü stirred, his ears twitching as if he sensed my turmoil even in sleep.

"You’re supposed to be better than this. You need to be better than this.”

“Or everyone will die. Again.”

I shook my head violently as if the momentum would get those thoughts of me like specks of dust. But they were here to stay. I crouched beside Gökbörü, resting a hand gently on his fur. His eyes flickered open, sleepily meeting mine, and he yawned in a way that made him seem far too innocent for the battlefield.

“Morning, fleabag.”

He bit my hand, hard enough to change my expression but not enough to draw blood or damage me.

“You grew once again. Can I see?”

Name Gökbörü Strength 35 Agility 50 Vitality 40 Mana 50 Charisma 25 Defense 30 Personal Skills Monstrous Strength B(Active)

Combat Instinct B(Passive)

Enhanced Senses B(Passive)

Regeneration A(Passive)

Ice Wolf’s Breath A(Active)

Greater Ice Resistance B(Passive)

Abnormal Status Resistance B(Passive)

Predation B(Passive)

Synchronization ?(Passive & Active)

Mana Hide C (Passive)

Snowfall D ( Active)

Howl of the War Beast D (Active)

Lightning Clad D (Active)

Lightning Resistance D (Passive)

Mana Manipulation C (Active)

Crown of the Wolf King E (Active) Titles Heir of Wolf King

Outsider’s Partner

Mythical Beast

War Beast

Cryo-Conqueror

I have seen Lightning Clad before. It allowed him to cover his body with lightning to increase his speed and power while gaining a defensive mechanism. But Crown of the Wolf King and Cryo-Conqueror were new.

(A skill born out of necessity and prince of wolves to will to share the burden of a certain person. With a surge of ancient power, the wolf pup becomes a king of beasts, towering and mighty, embodying the strength of his lineage.)

(User temporarily grows into a massive, mature form, increasing in size and weight to match the physical power of adult mythical beasts. Strength, Vitality, and Defense increase by 50% for the duration of the transformation.)

(Consumes a significant amount of energy.)

“Gökbörü… you didn’t have to.”

Gökbörü tilted his head at my words, his sapphire-like eyes gleaming with curiosity and innocence. His tail wagged faintly as if he didn’t fully comprehend the weight of what I was saying—or perhaps he did and simply brushed it off in his way.

“You didn’t have to push yourself like this,” I murmured, my voice thick with a mixture of guilt and gratitude. My hand rested on his head, my fingers running through the soft white fur that belied the storm of power he carried within.

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He let out a low growl, not one of anger, but something that felt almost like a rebuttal. Then, with deliberate motion, he nudged his head against my palm as if to tell me: I’m not backing down, no matter what you think.

Finally, I looked at the Cryo-Conqueror.

(A title bestowed upon those who embody the unrelenting force of winter itself. A manifestation of nature’s icy wrath, this title reflects dominance over frost and the power to reshape the battlefield in its frozen image.)

(User ignores 20% of the enemy's Ice Resistance, as their affinity surpasses mortal comprehension. Each physical attack strikes with the chill of an eternal blizzard, reducing the enemy's Defense and Ice Resistance by 1% with each hit. These effects stack, amplifying the user's dominance as the fight progresses.)

“Champion?”

Thalia’s voice called to me. I turned toward the voice, finding Thalia standing at the entrance to the chamber. Her expression was unreadable, though there was a subtle tension in her posture—concern, perhaps? She wasn’t one to fuss unnecessarily, but her presence was always deliberate.

"You're awake," she said, her tone soft.

“Yeah.”

I replied, brushing off the remnants of the night's doubts and guilt. I rose to my feet, patting Gökbörü on the head one last time before stepping toward her. The pup followed, his movements graceful despite his growing power.

“Are you okay?”

She asked though I knew that it was just a rhetorical question.

“It is okay, Thalia. I was just tired.”

She frowned.

“You collapsed to the floor as soon as we got to the third floor! We couldn’t even move you because of your armor! That kind of stuff doesn’t get better with just a single night’s sleep!”

Thalia’s words hit me like a blunt strike, but her concern warmed the cold edges of my mind. I glanced at Gökbörü, who seemed to sense the tension and gave a playful shake, scattering a faint frost. It was as if the pup—no, the burgeoning king—was trying to lighten the mood.

"I’m fine now," I said, keeping my voice steady, though the fatigue still clung to my bones like a shadow. “ Though I should find how to turn off biting people when I am not conscious. It makes things awkward.”

"Don’t deflect," she snapped, crossing her arms. Her blue eyes burned with a mix of frustration and care. "You’re not invincible, Champion. Can’t you show the concern you have for others to yourself and stop making me worry about yourself?”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. She wasn’t wrong, and I knew it. But hearing it aloud felt like exposing a wound I wasn’t ready to treat. "I know. I just—" The words faltered in my throat. How could I explain the crushing weight of responsibility, the fear that one misstep could lead to another catastrophe?

"You just don’t want to fail again," she finished for me, her tone softer now. Her gaze pierced through me as if reading the thoughts I worked so hard to bury. "You’re carrying too much, Poyraz. Even a Champion has limits."

For a moment, I stood there, unsure of how to respond. Gökbörü nudged my leg, his icy touch grounding me. Finally, I met her gaze.

“I will try to not make you worry, Thalia.”

She let out a defeated sigh.

“Come on. We made some things. A good breakfast is needed if we want to recover.”

Thalia’s words lingered in the air as she turned and motioned for me to follow her. Gökbörü padded alongside me, his tail wagging with a hint of excitement as we stepped out of the chamber and into the dim light of the third floor's central hall. The air was damp and cool, the faint hum of mana running through the walls a reminder of the challenges yet to come.

The makeshift camp the group had assembled was modest but effective. A low fire crackled in a corner, casting flickering shadows across the stone walls. Artemeni was crouched by the fire, carefully turning skewers of meat. Her face lit up when she saw me, though her smile faltered as she caught sight of my still-weary posture.

"Champion, you’re up," she said, her voice tinged with both relief and reproach. "You’ve got to stop pushing yourself like that. You scared us half to death."

"Yeah, I’ve heard that already," I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck. "Thalia’s made sure to remind me of my mortality."

I glanced around the camp. Even in this harsh, otherworldly battlefield, the team had managed to carve out a semblance of normalcy. Plates, utensils, and even a steaming pot of what smelled like spiced stew had been scavenged or crafted from our spoils. It was a stark contrast to the chaos of the last battle, a brief reprieve from the constant tension.

“Smells like you guys can cook too.”

It smelled pretty good though me being hungry enough to eat a horse could be contributed too.

“And I prefer not to. Good morning, Champion.”

When I looked at the owner of the voice my mouth opened wide with bewilderment. It was Aurora but unlike every other time I have seen her, she looked like a mess. Even in Time Dilation Chamber and our travel to here she was tidy and well kept but now her hair was a tangled mess, and faint shadows rimmed her sharp brown eyes.

“What happened to you?”

I blurted before I could stop myself.

Aurora arched a brow, her expression a mix of annoyance and amusement. “Good morning to you too, Champion,” she said dryly. “Glad to see collapsing from exhaustion hasn’t dulled your wit.”

“I… didn’t mean it like that,” I stammered, scratching the back of my neck.

She laughed.

“I think it got to do with mana consumption. Blanche is the same too. Artemeni didn’t get affected as her class didn’t require her to consume too much mana.”

I looked back at Thalia. She looked okay despite spamming healing and buffs.

“What about Thalia?”

Aurora sighed before putting her glasses on. She raised her finger and drew a hexagon into the air with her light blue mana.

“This is your stats.”

I inspected the hexagon. It was mostly even.

“Bigger parts are my Vitality and Strength, I assume?”

She nodded before flicking her finger, changing the shape. What I assumed was Strength stayed the same while Vitality and Defense got smaller. Others increased slightly.

“This is your stats on the second floor when you take on the Ranger role.”

Aurora adjusted her glasses, her voice taking on a tone of measured patience. “It’s not just about mana consumption,” she began. “Although, yes, that’s a significant factor—especially for those of us who rely heavily on mana for offense or utility. The real issue lies in how the second floor’s mechanics warp our bodies and abilities.”

She gestured to the hexagon of stats hanging mid-air. “When you choose a role, the system reshapes your attributes to fit it. For example, as a Ranger, your Strength stays consistent, but your Vitality and Defense are reduced. At the same time, Agility spiked dramatically. This reallocation forces your body to adapt, pushing it into an unnatural state.”

She backhanded the hexagon.

“That priestess didn’t have to be stretched to fit her role. Now, I want to drink a cup of coffee before any more questions, please.”