{Ignis Aureum’s POV}
As Lucian hesitated, blade trembling in his grasp, Ignis watched.
Not with amusement.
Not with scorn.
But with something deeper.
Expectation.
Fear is natural. It is a force that governs all living things.
It crushes the weak, tempers the strong, and reveals the truth of what lies within.
And yet… this boy.
Ignis had expected him to cower.
Had expected him to refuse.
Had expected him to fail.
But Lucian did not run.
Even as his body trembled, even as the weight of the dungeon pressed upon him, he stood.
A low rumble echoed from within Ignis’s chest, too faint for the boy to hear.
So… perhaps my instincts were not wrong after all.
The moment Lucian stepped into his domain, Ignis had sensed it.
A flicker of something beyond mortal understanding.
A presence that did not belong to this world's order—a presence that should not exist.
Something ancient. Something familiar.
At first, he had dismissed it as a trick of fate. A meaningless anomaly.
But now, watching the boy defy his fear, refusing to kneel beneath the weight of his own insignificance…
The truth became undeniable.
A phantom sensation stirred within Ignis’s core, a whisper of battlefields long forgotten.
His kind had fought such warriors before. Legends buried beneath the sands of time.
Beings who stood beyond the system’s grasp, who shattered the chains of limitation through sheer will alone.
The boy’s blood remembers.
Ignis’s golden eyes flickered, narrowing slightly.
If his suspicion was correct…
if Lucian truly belonged to that lineage, then this world had far more to fear than it realized.
A slow, knowing exhale escaped the dragon’s maw.
Come then, Outsider. Show me whether you are worthy of the chaos that stirs within your soul.
And with that final thought, Ignis remained still, watching.
Waiting.
Testing.
Would Lucian prove his instincts right?
Or would the boy crumble before his true self could awaken?
————
(Meanwhile, Lucian faced something far more immediate.)
{Lucian POV}
And this time… it was looking at him.
A horrid screech tore through the cavern.
Lucian’s grip tightened on the hilt of his sword, sweat dripping down his brow.
The Abyssal Lurker twitched, its dislocated limbs snapping back into place with sickening cracks.
Even broken and bleeding, it was still an A-Rank predator.
Its piercing eyes locked onto him, no longer seeing an insignificant insect.
Now—
It saw prey.
"Do not hesitate."
Lucian flinched.
Ignis’s voice rumbled from behind him, calm, yet carrying the weight of absolute command.
"Fear makes you slow. Doubt makes you weak. You cannot afford either."
Lucian swallowed hard, his pulse hammering in his skull.
"Easier said than done!"
But the dragon wasn’t finished.
"Your stance is garbage. You grip your sword like a man holding a stick, not a weapon. But your movements… they are not entirely amateurish."
Ignis narrowed his eyes. "You hesitate, but your body knows. Why?"
Lucian adjusted, shifting his footing.
The moment he did—
The Abyssal Lurker lunged.
It moved faster than Lucian could react.
A shadow streaked through the air, claws slashing toward his throat.
Lucian barely threw himself to the side—
But he was too slow.
A burning, white-hot agony ripped through his shoulder—sharp, searing, immediate.
Lucian stumbled back, his vision blurring for a split second, his entire left arm locking up.
Pain shot through his nerves like fire, his breath hitching—
Too fast. Too strong.
If that had hit his throat—
He would be dead.
Lucian’s blood ran cold.
"Shit—!"
His left arm locked up.
One hit.
That’s all it took to cripple him.
The monster coiled, preparing to strike again.
"Foolish. You dodged without a plan."
Ignis’s voice cut through the haze of pain.
"A true warrior does not move blindly. If you evade, make sure it leads into a counterattack."
Lucian’s breath was ragged.
But he forced himself to focus.
"I can't win by power alone."
He had to use his head.
Lucian watched the monster.
Its injured leg still dragged slightly.
Its movements were unnaturally fast, but it favored the right side.
A weakness.
Lucian’s grip tightened on his sword.
"If I can't overpower it… I'll make it beat itself."
He took a shaky step back, lowering his stance.
The Abyssal Lurker snarled, sensing an opening.
It lunged—
And Lucian moved.
[Ding!]
Passive Skill Activated – Shadow Step Lv.1
He didn’t just dodge.
He moved like he had done it a thousand times before.
His body slipped through the attack radius—
An instinct buried deep within him clicked into place.
His sword flashed, slicing deep into the creature’s injured leg.
A sickening crunch.
The monster shrieked, stumbling.
Lucian’s eyes sharpened.
"It worked!"
"Better."
Ignis’s voice rumbled approvingly.
"Do not attack recklessly. Force it to react. Make it expose itself."
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Lucian gritted his teeth.
"So I'm supposed to play with my food?!"
But he knew the dragon was right.
If he went in carelessly, he’d be dead before his sword even touched the creature.
Lucian exhaled sharply.
"Fine. Let’s see if this works."
He stepped forward, feinting an attack—
The Abyssal Lurker jerked back, anticipating a strike.
Lucian smirked.
"Got you."
He shifted his weight mid-motion, slashing low.
His blade tore through the monster’s remaining support leg.
It collapsed, its balance completely broken.
Lucian’s eyes widened.
"It’s working!"
But the moment he thought that—
A shadow flickered.
His heart clenched.
It used its Active Skill – Shadow Warp
The Abyssal Lurker blinked out of existence.
Lucian’s stomach dropped.
"NO—!"
His instincts screamed.
[Ding!] Adaptive Combat Instincts Activated
Above!
Lucian threw himself forward.
A blur of darkness streaked past his back.
The creature reappeared behind him, claws raised—
And missed by inches.
The cavern shook from the force of its attack, debris scattering everywhere.
Lucian rolled, coming up on one knee.
His chest heaved.
"It can still move that fast?! It shouldn’t even be alive!"
"End it."
Ignis’s voice was firm, absolute.
"You have weakened it enough. Do not let it rise again."
Lucian didn’t hesitate.
He had one shot.
One chance.
Something inside him screamed—move, now.
A pressure coiled deep within his soul, raw and untamed.
And then—
[Ding!]
Active Skill Activated – Limit Break Lv.1
A surge of raw energy coiled within him—ancient, untamed, waiting.
His heartbeat thundered in his ears. His nerves burned—not with pain, but with something deeper.
Something awakening.
Somewhere deep inside, something stirred.
A surge of raw energy flooded his body.
His mind cleared.
His movements sharpened.
The world slowed.
Lucian launched forward.
The Lurker struck—Lucian dodged.
For a fraction of a second, time seemed to hold its breath.
Then—
Not by luck.
Not by instinct.
But by absolute precision.
His sword plunged downward.
For a fraction of a second—
Resistance. Flesh, bone, muscle fighting against the steel.
Then—
A sickening crunch.
The Abyssal Lurker convulsed, its dying screech rattling through the cavern, echoing off the stone.
Lucian felt it.
The weight of his strike. The life fading beneath his hands.
Then—
Silence.
The impact shook through his arms.
The Abyssal Lurker shuddered.
It let out a final, gurgling screech—
And collapsed.
Lucian staggered back, sword trembling in his grip.
His breath came in ragged gasps.
——————————————
Lucian staggered back, his body trembling from exertion.
His sword, still lodged in the Abyssal Lurker’s skull, felt unnaturally heavy in his grip.
The creature’s body convulsed once, a final, shuddering twitch—
Then went still.
A long, breathless silence filled the cavern.
Then—
[Ding!]
You have leveled up.
Lucian exhaled sharply.
It was over.
He had actually won.
His first real kill.
But before he could even process what that meant—
Something unexpected happened.
The Abyssal Lurker’s corpse began to glow.
Lucian’s eyes widened.
It wasn’t fading like a game enemy.
It wasn’t rotting like a normal corpse.
Instead—
[Ding!] Unique Skill – [Item Manifestation] Activated.
The Lurker’s body trembled, flickering with an unnatural radiance.
Then, in a burst of shimmering light, its form broke apart.
Not into blood and viscera.
Not into dust or decay.
But into items.
Lucian stared in absolute disbelief.
Where the Lurker’s body had once been, there was now a pile of equipment and materials.
Weapons.
Armor.
Potions.
Monster materials—sharp fangs, dark pelts, glowing cores.
It was like a game-like loot chest had dropped from its remains.
Lucian’s breath caught in his throat.
"It… turned into items?"
His mind raced. Not just a loot drop—this was something else. Something only he could do.
A low chuckle rumbled behind him.
Lucian turned, still dazed, to see Ignis watching with sharp, intrigued eyes.
The dragon’s gaze flickered over the loot, his expression unreadable.
"Hah… now that is a rare ability."
Ignis’s voice was amused—but also thoughtful. His massive tail flicked slightly, a rare sign of genuine interest.
As if he had just discovered something unexpected.
His golden eyes met Lucian’s.
“Hah… perhaps you are not entirely useless after all. No… Perhaps you are something more.”
Lucian let out a breathless laugh.
For the first time since entering this dungeon…
he straightened slightly. His grip on the sword steadied.
He didn’t feel completely powerless anymore.
Lucian took a slow step forward, his fingers reaching out toward the loot.
His mind raced with a thousand questions.
What had dropped?
What were his new stats?
What could he do now?