2025-04-08 20:16:39Leo walked with calculative steps, his grip tight around the hilt of his light dagger. Before him stretched a gaping, worm-like tunnel, wide and pulsating faintly with an unnatural energy. The air felt colder the closer he got to it, as if the tunnel exhaled death itself. He paused at the entrance, his eyes narrowing at the darkness that stretched downward in a spiral.
"If this is the second floor," he muttered, "then it's probably ten times worse than the last."
Every sense screamed caution, but Leo knew he had no choice. The mission must be completed—and besides, that damn internal backlash wasn't going to give him much of a break. He tiptoed forward, dagger poised, feet silent against the stone.
The walls shimmered faintly with embedded stones—some dull, others glowing faintly with colors ranging from icy blue to pale green. As he walked deeper, he noticed the luminous stones were getting smaller.
"Wouldn't hurt to take a few," he muttered, reaching up to pry three larger stones from the wall. He weighed them in his hand. "Might be worth something."
But then he frowned. "Where the hell do I keep these? I can’t carry them forever."
Ding!
[System Notification: Host has access to a Personal Vault. All non-consumable items may be stored safely.]
Leo smirked. "About damn time you said something useful. Store stones."
The stones glowed and vanished into digital particles before disappearing into the air. The tunnel was darker now without them, but he pressed on.
Five steps further, a noise stopped him cold.
SSSSLLLRK—SSHHH—SSSSSSK—
Slithering. Multiple. Quick. Close.
Ding!
[WARNING: Multiple Nightscale Crawlers detected ahead.]
[Objective: Eliminate all Nightscale Crawlers to unlock floor access.]
[Reward: +1 Stat Point | Night Hunter Passive Skill Scroll | 100 EXP]
Leo clenched his dagger and cursed. "Couldn't be something that sleeps peacefully, huh?"
From the shadows ahead, the beasts emerged—dozens of them. Each crawler was nearly the length of his torso, sleek and pitch black with reflective scales. Their mouths split open vertically, revealing rows of shimmering, curved fangs. Neon green venom dripped from their fangs onto the floor, burning small holes in the stone.
The first one lunged.
Leo sidestepped, slashing down with his dagger, but the crawler twisted midair and slithered up the wall like a serpent. Another came from behind, and another from the side. He barely parried one before being knocked to the floor by another.
His back hit the ground hard, the air rushing from his lungs. A crawler leapt at his face—he rolled and stabbed blindly, feeling his blade sink into something soft.
Screeeee!
The creature screamed and convulsed before bursting into a sickly green mist.
Leo scrambled to his feet, breathing hard. "They're coordinated... dammit."
He slashed, dodged, ducked—one cut across his arm made him hiss in pain. The venom from the tip of a fang grazed him, and his muscles spasmed slightly.
"One more hit and I’m toast..." he muttered.
They were too many. He couldn't keep up. His lungs burned. His dagger felt heavier with every swing. A crawler sank its fangs into his boot—he screamed and kicked wildly, stabbing down.
[HP Critical.]
[Vital Signs Unstable.]
"Is this it?! Is this where I die?!" he yelled through clenched teeth.
Ding!
[Emergency Protocol Activated. Temporary Skill Awakened: Arc Spark Blade]
[Duration: 3 Minutes. Cooldown: 24 Hours.]
Suddenly, Leo’s dagger pulsed with electric blue energy. Sparks danced along the blade, crackling in the silence.
He blinked. "Whoa. This—this feels—"
He didn't finish. A crawler sprang at him, but Leo swung the now-sparking dagger. The blade slashed through the air—and the creature exploded into ash, its body disintegrating with a shriek.
He didn’t hesitate.
With a feral roar, Leo spun into motion, his limbs fueled by adrenaline and the strange energy. Each strike was followed by a burst of electricity that burned through the creatures. Their shrieks echoed like dying sirens.
One leapt from above. Leo twisted, impaling it mid-air. Another crawled along the wall. He threw the dagger like a javelin—crackling energy split the tunnel and the crawler combusted mid-crawl.
"Come on! Who’s next?!" he screamed.
He slashed. Sprinted. Jumped. Rolled. He became a blur of motion, a deadly force of light and sound.
And then...
Silence.
The tunnel was littered with burnt scales and twitching remains.
Leo panted, falling to one knee.
[All Beasts Eliminated. Objective Complete.]
[Reward Unlocked.]
[+1 Stat Point Earned.]
[Item Received: Night Hunter Passive Skill Scroll]
[EXP Gained: 100. Level Progress: 100/200]
Leo stared at the notifications, then at his shaking hands. The light from the Arc Spark Blade faded, and the dagger returned to its normal, dull glow.
He exhaled deeply. "I... actually survived."
He wiped blood and grime from his face and looked around.
"System... show me the scroll."
[Item: Night Hunter Passive Skill Scroll]
[Effect: Increases visibility in low-light environments, boosts evasion against dark-aligned creatures by 15%. Permanent once activated.]
Leo grinned. "I’ll take it. Activate."
The scroll disintegrated in his hand, the energy seeping into his skin. His eyes shimmered briefly before returning to normal.
[Skill Acquired: Night Hunter (Passive)]
He leaned against the wall, finally able to breathe without fear of being attacked.
And just as he started to rest...
The ground beneath him shook.
KRUMMMM—
From the darkness ahead, a larger presence stirred.
Ding!
[Warning: Mid-Boss Creature Approaching. Prepare for Battle.]
Leo’s grin faded.
"You’ve got to be freaking kidding me."
He stood up, wiped his dagger clean, and squared his shoulders.
"Alright, bring it on. If I’m gonna die, I’m taking something ugly with me."
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The Guide
Leo barely had time to enjoy the comfort of warm fur on his chest before Vrax’s ears perked up. The wolf pup’s pupils narrowed, and a low growl vibrated through Leo’s ribcage.Leo groaned. “No. Absolutely not. I refuse. I’m off-duty. Whatever is out there can kindly explode.”The growl deepened.Leo sighed and lifted Vrax’s head by the cheeks. “If this is another intern who got lost on the way here, I’m feeding him to the gargoyles.”Vrax wasn’t joking, though. His fur bristled, and his tail stiffened like a drawn blade.A second later, the system chimed.[SYSTEM ALERT: Unknown entity attempting to breach your Territory Perimeter.][Threat Level: Undetermined.]Leo sat up instantly. “Undetermined? How about you determine it then?!”Vrax leapt off the bed, whining urgently.Leo dragged himself to his feet. “Fine. Fine. But if this is a socially awkward neighbor dropping by to welcome me to the mountain, I’m moving.”He swung open the bedroom door.The atmosphere outside had shifted.A
Chapter 67: A very tired future menace
Vrax was snoring.Not ordinary snoring, no.This was the type of thunderous, earth-rattling snoring that made nearby low-level mobs commit suicide because they thought a dragon was coming.Leo found him curled beside the destroyed wall of Crimson Fang HQ, paws tucked in, massive fluffy murder-beast tail twitching every few seconds as he dreamt of—judging by the happy rumble in his chest—eating someone.“Of course,” Leo muttered, hands on hips. “I nearly died, killed half a guild, committed a hostile takeover, and you were taking a nap. Fantastic teamwork, buddy.”Vrax lifted his head lazily, blinked once, yawned like a lion, and nudged Leo with his big wet nose.Leo sighed dramatically. “Yeah, yeah, I missed you too.”Ren hurried over, adjusting his cracked glasses. “Sir Leonis! Are you alright? Should we start—”“Yes.” Leo cut him off with a tired wave. “Start rebuilding immediately. The earlier the better before other guilds hear what I did and either try to steal me or assassinate
Chapter 66: Doesn’t take No
Leo barely had time to enjoy the stunned look on Sammy’s face before the blue light swallowed him whole. One second, he was riding Vrax down from the 21st floor like a king descending from heaven, and the next—Nothing.Silence. Cold air. Blinding blue light. The world folded, stretched, reversed, then blinked.Leo hit the ground on one knee, bracing himself as he skidded across cracked pavement, boots scraping sparks. His ears rang. His vision flickered. His heart hammered once—hard.And then the system chimed:[NOTICE: TEMPORARY SEPARATION FROM CONTRACT BEAST. SKILLS REMAIN ACCESSIBLE. DURATION—UNKNOWN]Leo blew out a breath. “Of course. Sure. Why not. Let’s make my life harder for no reason. Fabulous.”He stood up, brushing dirt off himself, and looked around.He was in a different part of the city—abandoned industrial district, metal pipes jutting from ruined buildings like snapped bones. Shadows moved between broken machinery. The sky above was hazy, cracked with light from the r
Chapter 65: Tactical Vacation
Sammy, Gareth, and the others had finally arrived, the Central Government Guild’s reinforcements storming in like they owned the place. Only… they didn’t. Not really. Their jaws collectively dropped as they saw the carnage: half the Crimson Fang Guild building gone, bodies strewn like broken dolls, blood running in rivulets across shattered marble floors, shards of glass and frozen light shards littering the rubble, and sitting atop a pile of destroyed furniture, with one leg lazily crossed over the other, was Leo.Therese’s corpse lay twisted beside him, her neck snapped like a brittle twig. The scent of ozone, blood, and frost lingered heavily.Sammy blinked. “Is… is he really… an E-class?”Gareth’s face was pale enough to make the sun feel warm. “He… he just took out Therese. The S-Class Level 9 guild president. Single-handedly. What the hell are we dealing with?”Leo yawned, stretched, and flicked a speck of blood off his dagger like it was dust. “Ah, morning, boys. Nice of you to
Chapter 64: The Guild Mistress’s Wrath2
“Let’s dance,” Leo said, flipping his light dagger lazily in his hand.Therese’s eyes narrowed. A banshee scream erupted from her throat, a shrill wave of sound that slammed into Leo’s ears like a battering ram. Pain lanced through him, burning deep in his skull, and his vision blurred. He staggered, clutching his head. Damn it, he muttered. This wasn’t just a light-affinity skill—it was high-tier AoE sonic damage.He activated Level Sense. S-class. Level 9. Every detail radiated raw killing intent, precise and refined. He tried to check her skills again. The system pinged:[WARNING: SKILLS ABOVE D-CLASS CANNOT BE ACCESSED]Figures. She had more tricks up her sleeve.Therese lunged, hands blazing with light energy. “Apologize and agree to be my nephew, or die!”Leo sidestepped, feeling the wind of her strike tear past. “Never. I’d rather be a dog’s nephew than yours.” A blast of light smashed into the wall a heartbeat after he moved. Wood splintered, debris rained down, and a shard cu
Chapter 63: The Guild Mistress’s Wrath
The moment Leo tightened his grip around Kael’s throat, a ripple of shock swept across the entrance of Crimson Fang Guild. Hunters gathered, whispering loudly enough for Leo to hear every syllable.“That’s Madam Therese’s nephew!”“He’s dead. That kid is dead. He’s touching Kael—KAEL—right in front of her guild?!”“He must have a death wish!”Leo raised one brow, unimpressed by their trembling awe. He yanked Kael closer and asked casually, “So your aunt is the president of this guild, huh?”Kael, feeling the shift of attention and believing Leo had finally realized how doomed he was, grinned smugly. “Yeah! Now you understand, don’t you? You’re finished! Even the Central Government Guild won’t be able to save you!”Leo tilted his head as though Kael had just said something fascinating.“Even better.”Kael blinked. “Eh?”Before he could piece together the meaning, loud footsteps thundered behind them. Hunters rushed to the entrance, weapons drawn. Standing boldly at the front were a few
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