There are only two paths left for me.
I could quit now—call it a day and go home to the Faunus girl who’s probably waiting for me with a warm smile. Or, I could choose the reckless, stupid option. The one that risks everything for the sake of saving time and proving a few pointless things along the way.
I clench my fist, feeling the comforting weight of the [Ring of Recovery] vanish as I prepare to move forward.
The hall above the prison spreads out before me—grand and excessive. Every inch of the massive corridor drips with opulence, carved in luxurious detail, as if the very walls are a shrine to indulgence. At the far end, a door looms, one I’m definitely not meant to cross. Guarding it are two glowing orbs—the same Living Reflections that almost killed me before.
"Fool me once, shame on me..."
From my inventory, I pull out two of the cursed books I salvaged from the library. They pulse with dormant malice, their pages empty but eager for life.
[Inactive Cursed Book] Holds a fragment of demonic essence.
The only thing I need is the right trigger, and I know there’s at least some amount of mana on me, even if I can’t actively use it. Making a small cut upon my palm, I allow the blood to run down into both open books. The tomes shudder in my grip before I toss them forward, summoning a pair of shadowy figures from their cursed pages.
The Living Reflections flicker, immediately scanning the new threat. As they lock onto their targets, they flare brighter—ready to respond with overwhelming force.
But not fast enough.
With a single throw of my axes, I behead both guardians in one fluid motion. The demons are nothing more than an afterthought.
[Secret Objective Completed]
Living Reflections defeated: 4/2
I step through the door into the final chamber, and what greets me is... unsettling.
In the center, a creature is trapped, encased in a sphere of glass. An entity of light, its radiant form bound in heavy chains and layers of intricate armor. It pulses like a furnace at the heart of a dying star—this world’s heart. Its flickering body writhes against the bindings that struggle to contain it. I walk around the cage slowly. The creature watches me, its massive frame twitching, desperate to break free. It resembles some twisted fusion of a wyvern and a bird of prey, yet it feels more mechanical.
This is the last ember keeping everything here afloat, literally.
I stop beside one of the massive chains holding the prison aloft, my decision hanging heavy in the air. Then, with a swift slash, I sever it. Chains snap and recoil, the glass sphere tumbles down, and the creature roars as its prison shatters. Its wings flare, and it surges toward me, unbound and furious.
[Dungeon Boss: The Last Spark]
HP: [■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■] 100%
I pull out [The Contender], aim for its head, and fire.
HP: [■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■] 97%
"What?!"
I barely dodge its charge, my body instinctively rolling behind one of the towering marble-like pillars. My heart pounds as the monster’s power rattles the chamber.
This battle has been adjusted to match your displayed abilities. Good luck!
“Of course it was…”
I put away the gun—it’s useless here—and grip my axes tighter. My right arm snaps forward, launching the first tomahawk with a sharp crack. The runes etched into the second blade ignite, burning white-hot. It’s strange... As I release the weapon, I can feel it, as if my mind latches onto it mid-flight. Controlling its path isn’t a conscious command but more like slipping into the axe’s perspective for an instant.
[Ghost’s Whispers] As long as you hold one half, you’ll be able to direct the other.
The tomahawk arches mid-air and then buries itself between the creature’s glowing eyes. The wyvern screeches, the sound tearing through the air like a storm’s wail. Without missing a beat, I focus on my left hand again, activating the weapon's secondary effect. The blade rips free, yanked back to me in a trail of sparks, leaving an open wound.
“Now we’re talking!”
But the victory is short-lived.
The creature’s face remains stoic, unreadable, a mask of cold, ancient power, it’s carved visage incapable of emotion. Yet I can feel its fury, see it in the way its jaws unhinge, stretching wide like a cannon preparing to fire. A searing beam of light erupts from its maw, carving a path of destruction as it sweeps toward me, the chamber shaking under its wrath.
I don’t wait to see what happens if that blast connects with me. Instead, I bolt, instincts screaming as I throw one of my weapons behind me without even thinking. The feeling of being in two places at once—that duality of desperately dodging while my blade soars toward my enemy—is surreal. The tomahawk catches the creature on the chin, its maw snapping shut with a sudden, almost comical crack. It recoils, jerking back as if it had just bitten its own tongue.
This is my opening.
I summon the axe back to my hand, its return snapping into place with a sharp hiss of sparks. In one motion, I leap, jumping over one of its massive wings to land on the armored plating across its back. I swing with all the strength I can muster. The impact cracks the armor, and with it, a geyser of pure energy erupts from the fissure, slamming into my face like a furnace blast. I’m sent flying, the searing heat scorching the tips of my hair.
Even with my aura absorbing most of the damage, the impact leaves me disoriented. My vision spins, feet faltering as I struggle to regain my balance. Before I can fully recover, the beast's tail whips around—a massive, plated chain of destruction. It catches me right in the chest, sending me crashing into the wall with bone-rattling force. The impact drives the air from my lungs, and I hit the ground hard, struggling to push myself up.
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[Dungeon Boss: The Last Spark]
HP: [■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■-----] 75%
I lie there for a moment, the weight of the situation settling in.
I really thought this was a good idea, huh.
A bitter chuckle escapes me as I push myself up, every breath ragged, every muscle already protesting. But there’s no time to doubt. I take a deep breath and dive back into the fight, knowing that what I’ve been doing so far isn’t enough. If I keep trying to keep my distance, I’ll just have to face that devastating breath weapon again. No, this time, I need to change the strategy.
The monster’s tail is powerful, enough to kill me if I’m careless, but up close, up front, it’s less dangerous. With no arms to strike with, it has to rely on its massive jaws to tear me apart or throw its bulk around like a battering ram. The pressure from those jaws could easily rip an arm off if it catches me off guard
But I’m not off guard. Not today. Not anymore.
As it strikes, jaws wide, I seize the moment. My tomahawk flies from my hand with precision, aimed straight into its gaping maw, targeting the core where that deadly breath of energy is born. The runes on the weapon flare with power, accelerating its speed by the pressure of my will, and I hear a satisfying crack as it lands deep inside.
I don’t waste a second. I leap onto its back again, moving, avoiding the seething wound I just created. Energy is pouring out from the crack like a torrent, wild and uncontrolled. With a sharp mental command, I recall my axe. The blade tears its way through the creature’s insides, traveling down its throat and through its armor, until it returns to my hand by exiting from the hole in its armor.
The monster roars in agony, its entire frame trembling as the internal damage spreads. The very hinges of its armor begin to buckle under the strain. Violent bursts of mana explode from the ruptures, uncontrolled and chaotic. The air crackles with raw energy, and despite my best efforts, I can’t dodge every burst. Each explosion sends searing heat and arcs of wild magic across the chamber, striking me with electrifying force, but I grit my teeth and keep moving.
I just need it to die before I do.
As the armor falls away, the creature sheds its physical shell, becoming a storm of raw, unbound magic. I barely have time to react before it’s on me, faster than before, its form a blur of light and energy. It wraps around me, crushing me to the ground, its grip ethereal yet suffocating. Fighting it is like trying to wrestle a ghost, a force of nature, a river—something that can tear me apart while constantly slipping through my fingers.
But there’s one thing it can’t evade.
My enchanted blades cut through its form like slicing through air, leaving deep gashes in its shimmering body. Every strike weakens it, turning its once cohesive energy into a chaotic mess of flickering magic. The more I hit, the more its structure unravels, breaking apart from a flowing stream of power into a dripping, erratic mess. Yet it’s relentless, its will to kill me undiminished.
It pulls me closer, dragging me deeper into the storm of light and crackling lightning that makes up its very being. Pain sears through my body in waves—sharp, burning, overwhelming. I can’t see, can’t think, my hands scrambling in the chaos for something solid to grip, something to fight back with.
Then my fingers find purchase on something physical, solid, something real amidst the torrent of energy. Whatever it is, I don’t hesitate. I hold on and attack, striking with every ounce of strength I have left, driving my hands into it, then pulling out my gun and putting a bullet right through it.
My enemy lets out one last agonized cry, and then it dies.
The moment I’m released, my lungs heave, desperately clawing for air as I roll onto the ground, covered in the remnants of something too alien for me to process. Numbness floods my senses. My only hope, buried somewhere in the exhaustion, is to never have to go through that again.
Ping!
The data from this battle has been successfully gathered for consideration!
[Dungeon completed]
Would you like to go back?
[Accept/Decline]
I can’t even summon the energy to hate the system that threw me into this mess in the first place. Instead, I let the barrage of notifications wash over me, too drained to care.
[Ⱡ10,000 Added to Inventory]
[Ⱡ30,000 Added to Inventory]
[Ⱡ50,000 Added to Inventory]
[Beginner’s Leather Gloves]
[Potion of Health]
[Potion of Instant Health]
[Potion of Aura]
[Potion of Stamina]
[Skill Token]
[Skill Token]
[Skill Token]
[Lucky Giftbox]
[Black Giftbox]
[Golden Giftbox]
[Ring of Immortality]
[+12 Skill Points]
[Fragment Of The Last Spark]
[Ring Of Recovery]
[New Dungeon Unlocked]
[New Dungeon Unlocked]
Congratulations! You have officially completed the introductory tutorial! Now you’ll be ready to carry out your mission on this world.
[New Skill] Mana Infusing.
[New Skill] Weapon Crafting.
[New Skill] Elemental Affinity.
[New Skill] Party Creation.
Now that you’re ready for Beacon, would you like to establish your Semblance?
[Accept/Decline]
Even as notifications flood my vision, this one slices through the noise, demanding my attention. I pause, momentarily speechless. The system seems to sense my hesitation, pushing a follow-up message:
Your Semblance will be determined by a combination of your chosen stats, skills, and gathered data.
Would you like to establish your Semblance?
[Accept/Decline]
I could decline, hold out, maybe try to optimize my stats and hope for something better. But without knowing the true impact of it all, it feels like gambling. I’d rather take what’s offered and get on with it.
I press [Accept].
The screen pauses, then expands into a wall of streaming data, too much to process as the system crunches the numbers, arriving at a cold, calculated conclusion.
[Overclock]
Temporarily increases speed, strength, and reflexes by expending a small amount of Aura every second. Overuse may result in periods of weakness.
You may reroll your Semblance [Once]. Would you like to accept this Semblance?
[Accept/Decline]
It’s... pretty good. Balanced. Useful. Exactly the kind of ability someone in my position should want. But as I reread the description, something about it feels off. It doesn’t feel like me.
Before I can fully second-guess myself, the screen flares again as the system rerolls the ability.
And the result doesn't disappoint me.
❖
I’ll have time to go through my loot later. Right now, there’s only one thing I need to do.
The night has fully settled by the time I reach the hotel. As soon as I step inside, I’m greeted by a familiar sight—an angry face poking out from behind the door.
“Oh my god, you’ve been gone all day!” Blake’s voice is sharp as she yanks me inside and pulls me into a tight embrace.
I’ve healed most of my wounds, but the dull ache still lingers. “Hey…” I murmur with a faint smile. “I told you I had things to take care of. Since when did you get so clingy?”
Her glare could pierce steel. “Since you stopped answering your scroll. Twelve hours ago. There are people looking for us—you can’t just disappear like that!”
I don’t bother arguing. Instead, I cup her face in both hands, brushing my lips against hers. She stiffens, resisting for a split second before she melts—reluctantly, but she does, turning into a little kitty. I kiss her slowly, savoring the way her irritation fades under the touch of my mouth, and when I pull back, her amber eyes are a mix of frustration and something softer.
She tries to protest, but her lips betray her, trembling. “I’m not—”
I kiss her again.
We repeat this dance, over and over, until her resistance breaks, until her hands finally grip me tight, pulling me closer as if she’s been holding back for far too long. Lifting her effortlessly by the hips, I press her against the wall, flicking off the light, knowing she doesn’t need it to see me. My lips graze her soft bottom lip—biting, teasing, savoring. I know how much this must drive her crazy, how much it forces her guarded heart to open, to let me in. I cannot wait any longer, I need her skin shivering under my fingers.
By the time I pull away, she’s curled into herself, hiding her flushed face behind a veil of thick black hair. Her cat ears lie flat against her head, her eyes stubbornly avoiding mine, as if that will somehow hide her embarrassment.
I lean in, my breath warm against her ear. “So… are we going to bed together tonight, or what?”
Her silence speaks volumes, and I take it as the only answer I need. Gently, I guide us to the bed, lowering her onto it with me. She sprawls on top of my chest, her long limbs awkward but familiar. I can’t help but smile at the weight of her, her warmth, the way her presence calms something restless inside me.
“God, I fucking missed you, danger…” I whisper, pressing my lips to her temple.
Her claws dig lightly into my back, trembling slightly as she mutters, “What the hell are you saying all of a sudden?”
I kiss her again, this time softer, less playful. “I heard they share rooms at Beacon. Maybe we can keep this going… if you ask nicely.”
She’s not happy with me—not at all. If she could wipe away the dumb, delighted grin tugging at her lips, she’d probably be screaming in my face right now. Screaming about how stupid, reckless, and inconsiderate I am. But I don’t give her the chance. I pull her close, holding her like she belongs to me—because I want her to.
Before she can clear her mind or get used to the sensation of featherlight touches along her perfect back, sleep pulls me under, leaving no room for arguments or regret.
It was a good day.