Chapter 137 — The First Floor

The moment Kael stepped through the blue portal, the sensation of falling disappeared.

His feet touched solid ground.

For several seconds, he remained completely still.

The first thing he noticed was the silence.

There was no sound of Xavier’s voice.

No howling mountain wind.

No snow.

No familiar scent of the frozen mountains.

Instead, Kael found himself standing beneath a dark sky.

He slowly raised his head.

There was no sun.

No moon.

Only an endless black ceiling covered in faint blue lights that resembled distant stars.

Kael narrowed his eyes.

"So this is the dungeon."

His voice echoed through the enormous environment.

The sound travelled farther than it should have.

Kael slowly looked around.

He was standing in the middle of a massive forest.

Trees stretched several dozen meters into the air, their trunks thick enough that three grown men would struggle to wrap their arms around them.

Strange blue crystals grew from the roots of several trees, providing the only source of light.

The atmosphere was strangely peaceful.

Too peaceful.

Kael immediately placed his hand on the handle of his blade.

His instincts had already begun warning him.

Something was watching him.

He slowly turned his head.

Nothing.

Kael frowned.

He took another step.

Crunch.

A branch snapped beneath his foot.

The sound echoed through the forest.

Then—

A growl came from behind him.

Kael immediately turned.

Two enormous red eyes stared at him from between the trees.

A massive creature slowly stepped out of the darkness.

Its body resembled that of a wolf, but it was considerably larger than any ordinary wolf.

Its fur was dark gray, while several metallic plates covered its shoulders and chest.

Its claws dug into the ground.

Kael stared at it.

"An Ironclaw Dire Wolf?"

The creature growled.

Kael’s expression became slightly interested.

He had encountered similar creatures during the game, but they were normally found in high-level hunting zones.

And even then, they were rarely alone.

Kael slowly drew his blade.

"You’re C-Rank."

The wolf lowered its body.

Kael’s crimson eyes narrowed.

"Come."

The wolf disappeared.

Kael’s eyes widened.

Fast.

He immediately stepped sideways.

BOOM!

The creature slammed into the tree behind him.

Wood exploded into the air.

Kael spun around and slashed.

CLANG!

His blade struck the metallic plate covering the wolf’s shoulder.

The impact pushed Kael several meters backward.

He landed on his feet.

The wolf turned around.

There wasn’t even a scratch on its armor.

Kael stared at his blade.

"That’s harder than I expected."

The wolf charged again.

This time, Kael didn’t move.

His mana surged through his body.

The creature opened its jaws.

Kael suddenly disappeared from its path.

He slid beneath its body.

His blade flashed.

Slash!

Blood sprayed across the ground.

The wolf landed several meters away.

A deep wound appeared across its stomach.

It turned around.

Kael was already standing behind it.

"You’re strong."

The wolf growled.

"But you’re predictable."

The creature lunged again.

Kael waited.

The moment it entered his range, he twisted his body and drove his blade upward.

The blade pierced beneath its jaw.

Blood spilled down his arm.

The Ironclaw Dire Wolf collapsed.

Kael pulled his blade free.

He stared at the corpse for several seconds.

Then he sighed.

"That was only one."

A low growl echoed from deeper within the forest.

Kael slowly looked up.

Another pair of eyes appeared.

Then another.

Then another.

His expression changed.

Dozens of red eyes appeared between the trees.

Kael slowly counted them.

"Twenty-seven."

His grip tightened around his blade.

"Of course."

The wolves emerged from the darkness.

Ironclaw Dire Wolves.

Dozens of them.

Kael smiled.

"I suppose Xavier wasn’t joking when he said this place would push me to my limits."

The pack charged.

Kael moved.

His blade cut through the first wolf’s throat.

He spun around.

Another wolf attacked from his left.

Kael ducked.

Its claws passed over his head.

He stabbed backward.

The blade entered the creature’s chest.

Another came from behind.

Kael sensed it.

He kicked the ground and jumped.

The wolf passed beneath him.

Kael twisted in midair.

Slash!

Its head separated from its body.

Kael landed.

Three more wolves surrounded him.

He sighed.

"This is going to take a while."

One attacked.

Kael blocked.

Another attacked.

He dodged.

The third attacked.

He parried.

The creatures were incredibly coordinated.

They weren’t simply attacking randomly.

They were taking turns.

One would force him to defend while another attempted to strike from his blind spot.

Kael’s expression slowly became serious.

"So that’s how you hunt."

He ducked beneath another claw.

His eyes moved between the creatures.

He began recognizing their rhythm.

"Left."

He stepped aside.

"Right."

He twisted.

"Behind."

He turned.

His blade pierced another wolf’s chest.

The pack continued attacking.

Kael fought.

Minutes passed.

His breathing became heavier.

A claw finally caught his shoulder.

Blood spilled.

Kael stepped backward.

He touched the wound.

"Okay."

His expression hardened.

"Enough."

Mana surged around his body.

He raised his blade.

The Celestial Star technique was normally a technique designed to be used with a specialized weapon.

But Kael had learned how to reproduce its principles through his own mana.

He lowered his stance.

"Celestial Star technique..."

The wolves charged.

"First Form."

His blade moved.

A crescent-shaped wave of mana erupted from the weapon.

BOOM!

Three wolves were thrown backward.

Kael immediately moved.

"Second Form."

His blade flashed repeatedly.

One strike.

Two.

Three.

Four.

The attacks connected with the creatures before they could recover.

Blood sprayed across the ground.

Kael didn’t stop.

The wolves surrounded him again.

"Third Form."

His body rotated.

A spiral of mana formed around his blade.

Every creature that entered the radius was struck.

One wolf was thrown into a tree.

Another collapsed with its chest torn open.

Kael landed.

His breathing remained steady.

"Not bad."

But the remaining wolves weren’t retreating.

They became more aggressive.

Kael smiled.

"So you don’t know fear."

One of the largest wolves stepped forward.

Its body was considerably larger than the others.

A metallic crest covered its forehead.

Kael immediately understood.

"The Alpha."

The creature growled.

Mana erupted from its body.

Kael’s expression became serious.

"So you’re the boss."

The Alpha charged.

Kael blocked its first attack.

BOOM!

The impact forced him backward.

His boots dug into the ground.

The Alpha attacked again.

Kael barely dodged.

The creature’s claws tore through a tree behind him.

Kael glanced at the destruction.

"Yeah."

He tightened his grip.

"You’re definitely stronger."

The Alpha lunged.

Kael stepped forward instead of backward.

"Fourth Form."

His blade struck upward.

The attack collided with the Alpha’s chest.

BOOM!

The beast was launched into the air.

Kael followed.

"Fifth Form!"

His body flashed upward.

He struck once.

Twice.

Three times.

The Alpha was slammed into the ground.

The surrounding wolves hesitated.

Kael landed.

His breathing became heavier.

The Celestial Star technique consumed considerably more mana than his ordinary sword techniques.

He could feel the exhaustion beginning to creep into his body.

But the Alpha stood again.

Blood covered its fur.

Yet its eyes remained sharp.

Kael stared at it.

"You’ve got some durability."

The Alpha roared.

Mana exploded from its body.

Kael’s expression changed.

The creature disappeared.

He barely sensed it.

His instincts screamed.

Kael raised his blade.

CLANG!

The Alpha’s claws struck his weapon.

The impact sent Kael flying.

He crashed into a tree.

Coughing, Kael slid down the trunk.

"That hurt."

The Alpha charged again.

Kael forced himself upright.

"Sixth Form."

His mana exploded outward.

The forest seemed to shake.

Kael stepped forward.

The Alpha attacked.

Kael’s blade met its claws.

For a brief moment, neither moved.

Then Kael twisted his wrist.

The blade slipped past the creature’s claws.

He stepped inside its guard.

And struck.

BOOM!

The Alpha’s body was sent flying.

Kael immediately followed.

His eyes glowed crimson.

"Seventh Form."

Everything became silent.

His mana condensed around the blade.

The surrounding air trembled.

Kael brought the weapon downward.

The attack descended like a falling star.

BOOM!

The ground exploded.

Trees shook violently.

Dust and debris filled the forest.

For several seconds, Kael couldn’t see anything.

He stood motionless, breathing heavily.

Then the dust slowly settled.

The Alpha lay in the crater.

It tried to move.

Its legs trembled.

Kael walked toward it.

The beast raised its head.

Their eyes met.

Kael lowered his blade.

"You were strong."

The Alpha gave one final growl.

Then its body collapsed.

Silence returned to the forest.

Kael stood there.

His chest rose and fell.

He looked around.

The remaining Ironclaw Dire Wolves had either fled or been killed during the battle.

Kael slowly sheathed his blade.

"That was only the beginning."

He looked down at the blood covering his clothes.

Three months ago, fighting a large group of C-Rank monsters would have been exhausting.

Now...

He had defeated them.

Not effortlessly.

Not without injury.

But he had defeated them.

Kael clenched his fist.

"I’ve gotten stronger."

He looked toward the darkness ahead.

There was no visible path.

No map.

No indication of where he was supposed to go.

Kael sighed.

"Of course Xavier wouldn’t leave me instructions."

He began walking.

After several minutes, the forest finally became quieter.

Kael suddenly stopped.

Something was different.

The blue crystals growing from the trees were disappearing.

The enormous forest gradually gave way to a massive stone platform.

Kael approached it cautiously.

At the center of the platform stood an enormous stone gate.

He stared at it.

There was no door.

No inscription.

No explanation.

Only a faint blue glow surrounding the stone structure.

Kael slowly approached.

The moment he stepped onto the platform, the blue light intensified.

His ring vibrated.

Kael immediately stopped.

His crimson eyes narrowed.

"What the hell?"

The ring continued vibrating for several seconds before becoming still.

Kael stared at it.

Then he looked at the gate.

Something about this place felt wrong.

Not dangerous.

Not exactly.

Familiar.

He couldn’t explain it.

Kael slowly placed his hand against the stone.

The entire structure trembled.

A low rumbling sound echoed through the dungeon.

Then—

The gate began opening.

Kael stepped backward.

His hand immediately returned to his blade.

He stared at the darkness beyond the opening.

"So..."

He took a deep breath.

"This dungeon really does go deeper."

Kael stepped forward.

The moment he crossed through the gate, the stone entrance closed behind him.

Kael turned.

The forest was gone.

He stared into the darkness ahead.

His expression became serious.

"One floor down."

He tightened his grip on his blade.

"Let’s see how much stronger I need to become."