Airen pushed against the cathedral's door—but it didn't budge.
He frowned. "Locked, huh?"
Without hesitation, he drew back his leg and kicked.
BOOM!
The door shattered apart, splintering into countless wooden fragments that scattered across the mossy floor.
Inside, the air was thick with the scent of damp earth and flowers. The interior looked less like a hall and more like a living forest. Vines crawled across marble pillars, tree roots broke through the stone floor, and soft green light shimmered through floating dust motes. Birds fluttered between the branches that had somehow grown through the ceiling itself.
And in the very center stood a lone figure.
She had long, silver-blond hair that flowed like moonlight, and her skin carried a faint emerald hue—the unmistakable mark of an elf. Her eyes were pure and bright, like dew drops under morning light. A soft beam of sunlight fell from a crack in the ceiling, landing perfectly upon her face, making her almost glow.
Her dress was woven from leaves and silk-like threads, emerald and ivory in color, flowing down gracefully yet modestly. It hugged her form lightly without revealing too much, resembling something between nature's robe and ancient ceremonial wear.
When she turned, her voice was gentle but wary.
"Who are you?"
Airen's eyes stayed cold. "You don't need to know my name. Because you're going to die soon."
Her brows furrowed, confusion mixing with alarm. "Why… do you want to kill me?"
Airen didn't answer her directly. System, he thought, what is she talking about? Doesn't she know she's in a dungeon?
[No. She doesn't.]
Airen stepped forward. But before he could take another step—
"Stop!" her voice echoed sharply through the hall.
He froze, glancing down. A crushed flower lay beneath his boot.
The elf's face turned pale. She rushed forward, pushing Airen back with surprising force and dropping to her knees. She gently lifted the wilted flower in her trembling hands, eyes filled with grief.
"Poor thing…" she whispered. "Don't worry. I'll send him to hell for this."
Airen blinked, utterly confused. What the hell is she talking about?
A blue light began to pulse around her body. Her aura shifted—the peaceful air of the sanctuary twisted into a fierce storm.
Before Airen could react, her fist shot forward.
CRACK!
Her punch connected squarely with his jaw, the impact sending him flying backward several meters before he slammed into the ground. The stone beneath her feet cracked, and a shockwave rippled through the hall, scattering birds and leaves.
Airen sat up, rubbing his chin. "Ahh… that's the hardest anyone's ever punched me."
He stood, completely unfazed. "Not bad. But it didn't really hurt."
The elf's face was burning with fury now—veins bulging, her jaw trembling. Her once-soft eyes were now filled with rage and pain.
Airen chuckled. "Are you seriously that mad over a flower?"
"You humans will never understand," she snapped, voice trembling with anger. "That wasn't just a flower."
Airen's gaze sharpened. He noticed faint blue particles swirling around her fists—just like when he channeled mana into his own body.
System, she's using mana to enhance herself, right?
[Yes. But she's also using a low-level fist technique.]
Before he could respond, she vanished from sight.
In the next instant—
BOOM!
She appeared right in front of him, fist blazing with blue light, and drove it straight into his jaw again.
But this time… Airen didn't even flinch. His body glowed faintly as he infused mana through every muscle fiber. The punch hit—but did nothing.
The impact instead sent a shockwave outward. The birds were thrown off their perches, and the nearby leaves fluttered violently as if struck by wind.
Airen slowly tilted his head back down, locking eyes with her. "My turn."
In one smooth motion, he threw his fist forward. The air cracked.
BAAAM!
His punch connected, and before she could even scream, he slammed her straight into the ground. The impact echoed like thunder. The floor split apart in a massive web of cracks, and the entire structure trembled violently.
Then—everything shattered.
The trees, the cathedral, even the light itself fractured into crystal dust and vanished.
When the fragments faded, Airen was standing once again in a cold stone chamber—the fifth floor of the underground dungeon.
Before him floated glowing panels.
[Experience gained: 50,000,000]
[Points earned: 500,000,000]
[Level up! Current Level: 65]
Airen exhaled. "That's it? I thought this floor would be something serious… that elf was weak as hell."
[She wasn't weak. You're just much stronger now.]
Airen raised an eyebrow. "Then tell me—how strong am I really?"
[Hmm… how should I put it? With your strongest attack, you can now destroy a small building—about three to four floors tall. You could say you're at low building-level strength now.]
A grin spread across Airen's face. He clenched his fist tightly.
"Heh… so I can crush buildings now."
He turned toward the treasure chest that appeared before him. Its surface gleamed with intricate golden lines, humming faintly with energy.
"Alright," he said quietly, placing a hand on the lid. "Let's see what you've got for me this time."
As he lifted it open, a blinding light spilled out—revealing treasures unlike anything he had ever seen before.
The moment he lifted it open—
FWOOOSH!
A blinding light spilled out, bathing the entire chamber in gold. As the glow settled, Airen's eyes narrowed, catching sight of something that instantly drew his attention.
Resting neatly on the velvet lining was a small, circular relic—its surface smooth as crystal, etched with a faintly glowing ∞ symbol.
Airen's breath hitched slightly. "This… this is the item—'God's Fallen Piece.'"
He picked it up carefully. The relic was weightless, humming faintly with divine energy, its light pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat.
A faint smile tugged at his lips. "Heh… this is the one that increases my ratio, right?"
[Correct.]
Airen's eyes gleamed. "How do I use it?"
A new panel flickered into existence before him, hovering midair.
[Use 'God's Fallen Piece'?]
[Yes] / [No]
He tapped [Yes] without hesitation.
The relic dissolved into golden particles, vanishing into his chest like a drop of light sinking into water.
> [Ratio increased: 1 hour → 2 hours]
Airen grinned. "So now… for every one hour I sleep out there, I can live two hours in here."
He exhaled softly, eyes glimmering. "That's double the time. Twice the training, twice the progress."
His gaze dropped back into the chest. Two more items remained—both shaped like perfect cubes, each roughly the size of his palm.
The first cube was made of transparent crystal, swirling with golden mist inside. The gas shifted like living light, occasionally forming faint symbols before fading again. Airen turned it slowly in his hand, the cube warm and alive with power.
The second cube, in contrast, was completely black—its surface absorbing even the faint glow of the torches around it. It was cold to the touch, dense, almost like holding a fragment of night itself.