The dungeon gate shimmered like broken glass against the city wall, its surface rippling with ominous light.
The cadets stood in formation, nerves buzzing. This was only an F-rank dungeon, the lowest tier—but for Academy students, it was their first taste of reality.
"Instructors and healers will supervise," Instructor Hwang announced, his voice booming across the clearing. "Your task: clear the monsters in formation. Anyone who breaks rank will be punished."
The students muttered anxiously, checking their gear.
Jin Ha-kyu slammed his fists together, grinning. "Finally! Time to show these bugs what a real punch feels like."
Na So-yeon sighed, already muttering healing buffs under her breath. Park Hyun-woo adjusted his robe, flames gathering lazily in his palm. Min Jae-seok closed his eyes, expression unreadable.
Rin stood silent, his hand brushing the hilt of his practice blade. His eyes fixed on the gate's ripples.
The dungeon swallowed them whole.
Inside, the air stank of iron and damp earth. Cracks in the cavern walls glowed faint green, revealing dozens of Dungeon Mantises scuttling forward, their serrated claws gleaming.
"Formation!" Instructor Hwang barked.
Cadets surged forward, mana flaring.
"Iron Fist Smash!" Ha-kyu roared, his knuckles slamming into the ground. The impact cracked stone and launched two mantises skyward.
"Inferno Burst!" Hyun-woo's voice rang sharp. Flames erupted in a roaring column, swallowing the airborne beasts.
"Wind Arrows, volley!" a group of students shouted. Blades of air shot forward, merging with the inferno to amplify the blaze. Screeches filled the cavern as mantises burned mid-flight.
So-yeon's staff glowed pale. "Blessing of Vitality!" A soft light washed over the cadets, healing scrapes and steadying nerves.
The dungeon floor lit up like a festival. Firestorms, glowing arrows, mana streaks—every strike painted the cavern with color.
Everyone, except Seo Rin.
He hadn't moved.
"You planning to just watch?!" Ha-kyu bellowed, slamming another mantis into the ground.
Rin's gaze slid past him, locking onto a larger beast weaving through the chaos, claws aimed perfectly at a cadet's blindspot.
He stepped forward once. His practice blade whispered through the air.
The mantis froze mid-strike. Then split cleanly down the center, collapsing in silence.
---
[Heaven-Severing Codex: One-Point Severance Activated]
Weak point severed. Vessel output insufficient for instant elimination.
---
No glow. No flash. No chant.
Just a cut too absolute.
"…What the hell was that?" one cadet whispered.
"It didn't even trigger a System log…"
So-yeon's lips parted in shock. Hyun-woo's flames flickered as he stared, suspicion burning hotter than his magic. Jae-seok just smiled faintly.
More mantises screeched from deeper in the cavern.
"Whatever that was—keep doing it!" Ha-kyu grinned, punching another bug into paste.
The battle surged on. Cadets unleashed a storm of System skills— Stone Edge! Lightning Lance! Wind Slash! The cavern shook with their combined might.
But Rin moved differently.
Where their magic painted chaos, his blade carved silence. Where their strikes blazed, his cut vanished. Every swing severed a weak point—legs collapsing, throats pierced, wings clipped mid-flight. Monsters fell one by one, quietly, like strings cut from a puppet master's hand.
By the time the cavern fell still, the cadets were gasping, mana nearly drained.
Rin wiped his blade once, unbothered.
The instructor's eyes narrowed. "…That wasn't a System technique."
Rin met his gaze calmly. "Does it matter?"
Codex Record (end note):
> [Dungeon: Hollow Nest]
Difficulty: F-Rank.
Description: "Once a forest hollow, now infested by mantises that chew through stone and bone alike. Recommended for cadet exercises… under strict supervision."