The deeper Lucas went into the dungeon, the quieter it became.
The soft light of the crystal pillars dimmed, shadows stretching longer over the moss-covered stone. The silver streams grew darker, their calm ripples hiding whatever swam beneath.
Lucas moved cautiously, keeping low and scanning for movement. His leather boots made no sound on the damp ground.
He'd been fighting smaller monsters for the past two hours — lightning wolves, moss rats, and the occasional burrow spider. Enough to give him a few levels and a better feel for his timing.
[Level Up!]
Level: 4 → 6
Veil Step: Level 1 → Level 2 (Duration: 5 seconds. Cooldown: 4 minutes.)
Five seconds now. Not much, but enough to open new possibilities.
He was just starting to think about heading back when the ground trembled.
It wasn't a roar this time. It was a sound like stone grinding against stone slow, deliberate.
Lucas froze. His eyes darted to a clearing up ahead.
And there it was.
A Shatterhorn Golem.
It stood over three meters tall, a hulking mass of jagged rock with veins of molten light running through its body. Each step left a faint scorch mark.
Nope. Way out of my league.
The problem was, the golem was blocking the only safe path back to the gate.
Lucas's mind raced. Fighting it head-on was suicide. Even if he used Veil Step to get close, his dagger wouldn't pierce stone. He needed to think.
He circled wide, studying the terrain. The clearing was surrounded by crystal pillars — tall, sharp, and unstable-looking.
Alright… maybe I can't break it, but something else can.
Lucas grabbed a moss rat carcass from his bag and tossed it near the base of a cracked pillar. The golem's head turned, molten eyes glowing brighter. With a slow, crushing step, it began to move toward the bait.
Lucas waited, every muscle tense.
The moment it reached the pillar — Veil Step. He dashed forward, shoving his full weight into the base of the crystal.
A deep crack split the air. The pillar shattered, a massive shard plunging straight down into the golem's shoulder. The molten veins in its body flickered, and with a deafening crash, the monster collapsed.
[Shatterhorn Core Obtained]
Type: Consumable Relic
Effect: Once per day, unleash a shockwave that can destroy physical barriers or stun enemies in a small radius.
Lucas knelt beside the still-warm core, its surface pulsing faintly like a heartbeat.
This this could save my life.
He tucked it carefully into his bag.
For a long moment, he just stood there, staring at the defeated golem. He'd been ready to die, and yet he was walking away with something that could turn a desperate fight into a victory — but only once a day.
His pulse was still pounding when he finally made his way back toward the gate.
The city noise hit him like a wave as he stepped out, but he didn't hear any of it. His mind was already on what was next.
If this was the kind of danger lurking in a low-tier dungeon he couldn't imagine what waited deeper inside.
And he couldn't wait to find out.