The safe zone they found was larger than the previous ones—a natural cave chamber with smooth walls that glowed with that familiar protective blue light. The moment they crossed the threshold, the tension drained from their bodies like water from a broken dam.
---
[SAFE ZONE ENTERED]
[HP REGENERATION RATE INCREASED BY 500%]
[STAMINA REGENERATION RATE INCREASED BY 500%]
[MANA REGENERATION RATE INCREASED BY 500%]
[MONSTERS CANNOT ENTER]
---
They collapsed against the walls, their weapons clattering beside them. Raven's chest still ached where the Patriarch's jaws had nearly caught him. Ava cradled her injured shoulder, though the healing potion had already sealed the worst of the damage. Axel looked like he'd been through a war, his armor scored with claw marks and his arms wrapped in makeshift bandages.
"We need to sleep," Effel said, pulling bedrolls from her pack. "Properly sleep. Our bodies won't recover fully without rest, even with the safe zone's regeneration."
No one argued. They set up a simple camp, eating cold rations and drinking water in exhausted silence. The victory felt distant now, overshadowed by bone-deep fatigue.
Raven was checking his status screen, about to allocate his attribute points in private, when a new notification blazed across his vision—different from anything he'd seen before. The text was golden, shimmering with importance.
---
[MILESTONE REACHED: LEVEL 5]
[CLASS ABILITIES UNLOCKED]
[CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE UNLOCKED NEW ABILITIES]
---
"Wait," Ava sat up suddenly, staring at empty air. "Did you all just—"
"See it?" Axel finished, his exhaustion momentarily forgotten. "Class abilities?"
"New abilities," Ava breathed, her eyes scanning her status screen. "Two of them."
Raven's heart raced as he focused on the notification. New abilities. This could change everything. He pulled up his full ability list:
---
[NEW ABILITIES UNLOCKED]
Sword Heart (E Rank) - Mind exists in a state of perfect clarity during combat. Grants immunity to mental attacks, fear, confusion, and illusions. Emotions do not cloud judgment in battle.
Saint's Flash (E Rank) - Instant movement technique covering up to 10 meters. Cost: 15 MP. Cooldown: 10 seconds. Note: Distance and cooldown improve with rank.
---
Raven read the descriptions twice, then three times. Sword Heart was passive—always active, constantly protecting his mind. And Saint's Flash... that was mobility beyond anything he'd had before. Ten meters in an instant. That could mean the difference between life and death.
But he couldn't reveal them. Not yet. Not without explaining why his abilities were different from what an A-rank should receive.
"I got two abilities," Ava said, and there was awe in her voice. "Both focused on my spear and fire." She demonstrated by summoning small flames to dance along her palm. "The first one is called Judgment Thrust—it's a piercing attack that causes flames to burn from the inside out. It says it can even chain to nearby enemies if I kill the first target."
"That's incredible," Axel breathed. "What rank?"
"E-rank to start," Ava said, reading her screen. "Looks like they'll grow stronger as I level up."
"The second is more subtle," Ava continued. "Burning Authority. When I hit something with my spear, it marks them with invisible flames. I can sense their location and even their emotional state within five hundred feet."
"That's perfect for tracking," Axel said. "No more enemies escaping into the forest."
"What about you?" Raven asked.
Axel grinned, and there was something fierce in his expression. "Two abilities, and they're both perfect for my style. First one is Unshakeable Foundation—I literally cannot be moved. Knockback, stagger, forced movement, none of it works on me. My stance is unbreakable unless the attack is S-rank power or higher."
"That's terrifying," Ava said. "You're already hard to move. Now you're impossible."
"And the second?" Raven prompted.
"Earthsplitter." Axel's grin widened. "It's a massive overhead strike that cleaves through enemies and splits the ground itself. Creates fissures that damage and trap anything caught in them. Says it can affect multiple targets in a line. Both are E-rank for now."
Raven felt something cold settle in his stomach. Both his friends had received two abilities—powerful, class-appropriate abilities that would significantly enhance their combat effectiveness.
But his abilities were different. Sword Heart wasn't just mental protection—it was absolute immunity to an entire category of attacks. And Saint's Flash was mobility on a level that seemed beyond what he should have.
These weren't A-rank abilities. They were EX-rank abilities.
"Raven?" Ava was watching him. "What did you get?"
He forced himself to meet her eyes, to keep his expression neutral. "Two abilities as well. The first is a defensive technique—lets me maintain perfect focus in combat. No distractions, no fear. Should help with coordination."
That was true enough, just... incomplete.
"And the second?"
"Movement enhancement," Raven said carefully. "Quick repositioning in combat. Should make it easier to support you both when you need it. Both E-rank to start, like yours."
Also true. Also incomplete.
Ava's eyes narrowed slightly, but she didn't press. Axel accepted the explanation without question, already theorizing about how their new abilities would synergize.
"This changes everything," Axel said, excitement building in his voice. "We were already handling Rank 1 Mid-tier monsters. With these abilities? We could probably take on Peak-tier creatures without much trouble. The bears on Floor 3 shouldn't be nearly as dangerous now."
"We still need to be careful," Effel cautioned. "New abilities take practice to use effectively."
"We'll have plenty of practice on Floor 3," Ava said. Her hand drifted to her spear, flames flickering along her fingertips. "Armored Bears. Same creatures that almost killed us a few days ago."
"Not the same," Raven corrected. "We're not the same. We're stronger, more experienced, and now we have abilities that can turn the tide of battle."
The weight of the challenge settled over them. Thirty bears. Each one capable of killing them if they made mistakes. And a boss that would test everything they'd learned.
"We can do it," Ava said quietly, and there was steel in her voice. "We have to. Clearing or perishing. And I prefer clearing."
"We all do," Axel agreed.
They settled in for sleep, taking turns on watch out of habit even though the safe zone made it unnecessary. Raven took first watch, sitting near the entrance with his sword across his lap, thinking about the fights ahead.
Six hours later, they woke refreshed, their health and mana fully restored. The safe zone's regeneration had worked its magic—wounds were healed, exhaustion banished, spirits renewed.
"Ready?" Raven asked, standing and stretching.
"Ready," they replied in unison.
They gathered their equipment and approached the purple archway that led to Floor 3. The runes glowed ominously, promising challenge and danger in equal measure.
---
[FLOOR 3: ARMORED BEARS]
[DIFFICULTY: RANK 1 (PEAK)]
[OBJECTIVE: DEFEAT 30 ARMORED BEARS]
[RECOMMENDED PARTY SIZE: 5-7]
[WARNING: EXTREME DANGER]
---
"Five to seven recommended," Axel read. "We're four."
"We're four with new abilities," Ava countered. "That makes the difference."
They stepped through.
The transition was immediate and jarring. Floor 3 was completely different from the previous levels—not caves or tunnels, but a massive underground forest. Trees grew impossibly tall, their trunks thick as houses, their branches spreading overhead to create a canopy that blocked out most light. Bioluminescent moss provided dim illumination, casting everything in shades of blue and green.
---
[WELCOME TO FLOOR 3]
[OBJECTIVE: 0/30 ARMORED BEARS DEFEATED]
[SAFE ZONE: SOUTHWEST, 300 METERS]
[WARNING: MONSTERS ARE ACTIVELY HUNTING]
---
"Actively hunting," Ava repeated quietly. "That means they'll come to us."
They moved into formation—Axel at point, Raven and Ava flanking, Effel bringing up the rear. The forest was eerily silent, no ambient sounds, no wind through the leaves. Just the faint bioluminescent glow and the sound of their own breathing.
Then they heard it. The heavy footfalls of something massive moving through the undergrowth. Not trying to be stealthy—confident in its power.
An Armored Bear emerged from between two trees.
It was exactly as Raven remembered—massive, four meters from nose to tail, covered in bone armor that gleamed in the dim light. Its eyes glowed crimson, and when it saw them, it roared with primal fury.
---
[ARMORED BEAR]
[RANK 1 (PEAK)]
[HP: 150/150]
---
"It's stronger than the forest version," Raven said, noting the increased health pool. "Fifty percent more HP."
"Then we hit it fifty percent harder," Axel replied, and his stance shifted.
Raven felt the change immediately. Axel activated Unshakeable Foundation, and suddenly his friend seemed to become part of the earth itself. His feet planted, his body rooted, immovable.
When the bear charged—and it did charge, with terrifying speed—Axel met it head-on.
The collision should have sent him flying. Instead, he didn't move an inch.
The bear crashed into him like waves against a cliff. The impact shook the ground, but Axel's stance held. His axe came down in a devastating overhead strike—Earthsplitter activating for the first time.
The weapon glowed with brown energy as it descended. When it struck the bear's armored skull, the force didn't just damage the creature—it transmitted through into the ground beneath. The earth split open in a jagged line extending ten feet behind the bear, a fissure that cracked and buckled.
---
[EARTHSPLITTER ACTIVATED]
[DAMAGE: 45]
[TERRAIN DAMAGE: FISSURE CREATED]
[ARMORED BEAR HP: 105/150]
---
The bear roared in pain and rage, trying to back away, but its rear legs fell into the fissure Axel had created. It was trapped, struggling to pull itself free.
"Now!" Raven commanded.
Ava moved with deadly precision, her spear glowing orange as she activated Judgment Thrust. She drove the weapon into the bear's exposed side, the iron point punching through a gap in the armor. The moment it penetrated, flames erupted from within the wound, burning the creature from the inside out.
---
[JUDGMENT THRUST ACTIVATED]
[CRITICAL HIT!]
[DAMAGE: 52]
[BURNING STATUS APPLIED]
[ARMORED BEAR HP: 53/150]
---
The bear's scream was unlike anything Raven had heard before—pure agony mixed with primal fury. It thrashed wildly, finally pulling free from the fissure, but the internal flames continued to burn.
Raven saw his opening. He activated Saint's Flash.
One moment he was ten meters away. The next, he was directly behind the bear, his sword already in motion. His Sword Mastery guided the strike to a weak point where two armor plates met, and he drove the blade deep into the creature's spine.
---
[SAINT'S FLASH ACTIVATED]
[CRITICAL HIT!]
[DAMAGE: 38]
[ARMORED BEAR HP: 15/150]
---
The bear's rear legs gave out, partially paralyzed. Effel's daggers flashed, finding the creature's throat with surgical precision.
---
[ARMORED BEAR DEFEATED]
[OBJECTIVE PROGRESS: 1/30]
---
The entire fight had lasted less than thirty seconds.
They stood there, breathing hard, staring at where the bear's corpse had dissolved. The difference their new abilities made was staggering. What would have been a desperate, minutes-long battle had become a coordinated execution.
"Holy shit," Axel breathed. "Did we just—"
"We did," Ava confirmed, her eyes wide. "That was... efficient."
Another roar echoed through the forest. Then another. The first bear's death had attracted attention.
---
[MONSTER SPAWN DETECTED x3]
---
Three more Armored Bears emerged from different directions, surrounding them.
"Formation!" Raven called.
They moved into position, but now with confidence born from their first victory. When the bears charged, they were ready.
Axel intercepted the first, his Unshakeable Foundation making him an immovable object. His Earthsplitter came down again, this time catching two bears in the resulting fissure as they tried to maneuver around him.
Ava's Judgment Thrust took one bear in the eye, the flames burning through into its brain. The creature died instantly, and the flames chained—orange fire leaping from the dead bear's corpse to its companion, wrapping around the second creature like a living thing.
Raven used Saint's Flash to appear beside the burning bear, his sword taking it cleanly through the throat before it could react.
The third bear, seeing its pack decimated in seconds, tried to flee. But Ava had marked it with Burning Authority when she'd struck earlier. She could sense its location, its fear, its desperate need to escape.
"Southwest, sixty feet, running," she called out.
Raven appeared in its path via Saint's Flash, and his sword ended its flight permanently.
---
[ARMORED BEAR DEFEATED x3]
[OBJECTIVE PROGRESS: 4/30]
---
"Four down," Axel said, retrieving his axe. "Twenty-six to go."
They pushed deeper into the forest, and the bears kept coming. Sometimes alone, sometimes in pairs, once even a group of four. But with their new abilities, each fight was manageable. Difficult, yes—these were Peak-tier monsters that hit like freight trains. But manageable.
Axel became a living wall, using Unshakeable Foundation to absorb charges that would have killed anyone else. His Earthsplitter turned the terrain itself into a weapon, creating hazards that trapped and damaged their enemies.
Ava's Judgment Thrust was devastatingly effective, especially when it chained. Twice she managed to kill one bear and have the flames jump to two others, turning single kills into triple opportunities. Her Burning Authority let her track fleeing enemies through the dense forest, ensuring nothing escaped.
Raven's Saint's Flash gave them tactical flexibility they'd never had before. He could appear anywhere in a ten-meter radius instantly, supporting whoever needed it most, finishing wounded enemies, repositioning to avoid danger. His Sword Heart kept his mind clear and focused, immune to the fear that the bears' roars tried to inspire.
Hours passed. The objective counter climbed steadily.
10/30
15/30
20/30
25/30
They found safe zones periodically, resting briefly to recover health and mana before pushing forward. Effel continued to harvest alchemical materials, filling her collection bags with rare plants and minerals that only grew in dungeon environments.
By the time they reached twenty-eight bears defeated, exhaustion was setting in. Not the desperate, life-threatening exhaustion from earlier floors, but the deep weariness that came from sustained combat. Even with their new abilities, they were still human—still limited by stamina and mental focus.
"Two more," Axel panted, leaning on his axe. "Then the boss."
"Should we rest first?" Ava asked. "The boss will be harder than anything we've faced."
Raven considered. They were tired, but not dangerously so. And delaying would just give them time to worry, time to overthink.
"We finish it," he decided. "Clear the last two bears, then straight to the boss while our momentum is high."
They found the remaining two bears together—a mated pair, judging by how they stayed close to each other. The fight was fierce but brief. Axel's Earthsplitter separated them, Ava's Judgment Thrust eliminated one, and Raven's Saint's Flash let him finish the other before it could retreat.
---
[OBJECTIVE COMPLETE: 30/30 ARMORED BEARS DEFEATED]
[FLOOR BOSS ACCESSIBLE]
[WARNING: BOSS COMBAT IMMINENT]
---
A new notification appeared, pointing them toward a massive tree at the forest's center. The tree was ancient, its trunk easily a hundred feet in diameter, its branches spreading like a cathedral ceiling overhead.
At the base of the tree, carved into the wood itself, was an archway. This one didn't glow with colored light—instead, it pulsed with a deep, resonant red that felt almost like a heartbeat.
---
[FLOOR BOSS CHAMBER]
[ARMORED BEAR ALPHA]
[RECOMMENDED: FULL PARTY WITH HEALING SUPPORT]
[PROCEED?]
---
"This is it," Raven said quietly. "The final challenge."
"We've come this far," Ava said. "No backing down now."
"Together," Axel added, and the word had become their mantra.
"Together," they all repeated.
They stepped through the archway.
The boss chamber was enormous—a circular clearing at least two hundred feet across, surrounded by the massive trees of Floor 3. The ground was flat stone, worn smooth by age. Ancient runes covered every surface, glowing faintly with that same red pulse.
And in the center, waiting for them, was the Armored Bear Alpha.
It was twice the size of a normal Armored Bear. Easily eight meters long, standing four meters tall at the shoulder. Its bone armor was thicker, darker, covering nearly every inch of its body in overlapping plates. Its claws were obsidian black, each one the length of a sword. And its eyes—its eyes burned with an intelligence that the normal bears lacked.
---
[FLOOR BOSS DETECTED]
[ARMORED BEAR ALPHA]
[RANK 1 (ABSOLUTE PEAK)]
[HP: 500/500]
[ABILITIES: ENRAGE, ARMOR REGENERATION, CRUSHING CHARGE]
[WARNING: EXTREME DANGER]
---
Five hundred health points. More than any monster they'd faced. And abilities that would make the fight exponentially harder.
The Alpha rose to its full height and roared. The sound was physical force, slamming into them like a shockwave. Raven's Sword Heart protected him from the fear effect, but he could see Ava and Axel flinch, their bodies instinctively recoiling from the primal terror in that sound.
Then it charged.
"SCATTER!" Raven shouted.
They broke in four directions as the Alpha's Crushing Charge tore through where they'd been standing. The stone floor shattered under its weight, chunks of rock flying in all directions. The sheer force of its movement created a wind that nearly knocked them off their feet.
"Axel, can you hold it?" Raven called out.
"I'll try!" Axel activated Unshakeable Foundation and planted himself in the Alpha's path.
The collision was cataclysmic. Axel didn't move—his ability held—but the impact created a shockwave that cracked the stone floor in a ten-foot radius around him. The Alpha's momentum was stopped, but the force had to go somewhere. Axel's health bar dropped by thirty points from the sheer kinetic energy.
---
[AXEL HP: 95/125]
---
"Too strong!" Axel gasped. "I can stop it but I can't hold it for long!"
"Don't need long!" Ava was already moving, her Judgment Thrust activating as she drove her spear into the Alpha's exposed flank.
The flames erupted, burning from within, but the Alpha's health barely moved.
---
[DAMAGE: 35]
[ARMORED BEAR ALPHA HP: 465/500]
---
The Alpha rounded on her with shocking speed, one massive paw swinging in an arc that would have decapitated her. Raven appeared between them via Saint's Flash, his sword catching the blow. The impact jarred his arms so hard he nearly lost his grip, but he'd bought Ava the second she needed to retreat.
---
[DAMAGE TAKEN: 18]
[RAVEN HP: 97/115]
---
"Its armor is too thick!" Ava shouted. "We need to break through!"
"On it!" Axel's Earthsplitter came down on the Alpha's shoulder plate with all his strength.
The armor cracked but didn't shatter. And then, horrifyingly, they watched as the cracks began to seal themselves—Armor Regeneration activating.
---
[ARMOR REGENERATION ACTIVE]
[ARMOR INTEGRITY: 85% → 90%]
---
"It's healing its armor!" Effel warned. "You need to overwhelm it faster than it can repair!"
They attacked in a coordinated frenzy. Axel's Earthsplitter cracking armor. Ava's Judgment Thrust burning through the gaps. Raven's Saint's Flash letting him appear anywhere instantly, his sword finding weak points with surgical precision. Effel threw alchemical compounds that weakened the Alpha's defenses, her daggers darting in whenever an opening appeared.
But it wasn't enough.
The Alpha was too strong, too durable. For every chunk of health they took, it regenerated armor, creating new defenses. And then, when its health dropped below half, it activated Enrage.
---
[ENRAGE ACTIVATED]
[ATTACK SPEED INCREASED BY 50%]
[DAMAGE INCREASED BY 50%]
[ARMOR REGENERATION DOUBLED]
---
The Alpha moved like lightning, its massive bulk suddenly as fast as the wolves from Floor 2. A paw caught Ava, sending her flying into a tree. She hit hard enough to crater the bark.
---
[AVA HP: 52/110]
---
Another strike nearly took Axel's head off. He blocked with his axe shaft, but the force drove him to his knees.
---
[AXEL HP: 63/125]
---
Raven used Saint's Flash desperately, appearing behind the Alpha to drive his sword into its spine. The blade found a gap between armor plates, sinking deep—but the Alpha barely seemed to notice. It backhanded him almost casually, and Raven's world exploded into pain as he flew through the air.
---
[DAMAGE TAKEN: 35]
[RAVEN HP: 62/115]
---
They were losing. The realization hit like ice water. They were losing, and if they didn't change something now, they were going to die.
Raven pulled himself to his feet, his Saint's Endurance pushing back the pain. His Sword Heart kept his mind clear despite the desperate situation. He could see his friends struggling, could see the Alpha preparing to finish them.
And he made a decision.
"Ava, Axel!" he shouted. "I need you to trust me! When I say now, hit it with everything you have—all your mana, all your strength, everything!"
"What are you—" Ava started.
"Just trust me!"
Raven channeled his Power Strike, pouring every point of mana he had into his blade. But he didn't attack. Instead, he used Saint's Flash to appear directly in front of the Alpha, his sword raised high.
The Alpha saw him—saw the glowing blade—and recognized a threat. It charged, committing to a Crushing Charge that would obliterate him.
Raven waited. One second. Two seconds. The Alpha was ten feet away. Five feet.
"NOW!"
He released Power Strike straight down, driving his blade into the stone floor with explosive force. The energy detonated, shattering the rune-covered stones and creating a pit directly in the Alpha's path.
The Alpha's front legs hit the pit while its back legs were still driving forward. Momentum became enemy. The creature's massive bulk pitched forward, its head driving into the ground, its rear end rising up and over.
For one crucial moment, the Armored Bear Alpha was completely inverted, its armored belly exposed to the sky.
Axel's Earthsplitter came down on that exposed belly with every ounce of strength he possessed. The blade sheared through unarmored flesh, opening a massive wound.
---
[CRITICAL HIT!]
[DAMAGE: 89]
[ARMORED BEAR ALPHA HP: 161/500]
---
Ava's Judgment Thrust followed immediately, driving into the same wound. Flames erupted not just from the entry point but from inside the creature's body cavity, burning organs and vital systems.
---
[CRITICAL HIT!]
[DAMAGE: 97]
[BURNING STATUS: CRITICAL]
[ARMORED BEAR ALPHA HP: 64/500]
---
The Alpha screamed, a sound of agony that shook the entire chamber. It thrashed wildly, trying to right itself, to defend, to attack. But its armor was on its back, useless against the attacks coming from below.
Raven appeared via Saint's Flash one final time, his sword driving through the Alpha's exposed throat, severing the windpipe and major blood vessels.
---
[CRITICAL HIT!]
[DAMAGE: 73]
[ARMORED BEAR ALPHA HP: -9/500]
---
The Alpha went still. Its eyes dimmed. And then, like every other monster they'd defeated, it dissolved into golden light.
---
[FLOOR BOSS DEFEATED]
[CONGRATULATIONS!]
[EXPERIENCE GAINED: 1000 XP (SHARED)]
[AVARICE GAINS 250 XP]
[BLOSSOM (AVA) GAINS 250 XP]
[KINGSLAYER (AXEL) GAINS 250 XP]
[THORNHEART (EFFEL) GAINS 250 XP]
[LEVEL UP!]
[CONGRATULATIONS! AVARICE HAS REACHED LEVEL 6]
[CONGRATULATIONS! BLOSSOM HAS REACHED LEVEL 6]
[CONGRATULATIONS! KINGSLAYER HAS REACHED LEVEL 6]
[ADDITIONAL REWARDS:]
[BOSS DROP: ALPHA HORN (GRADE 3)]
[BOSS DROP: SUPREME ARMOR PLATES (GRADE 3)]
[BOSS DROP: HEART OF THE ALPHA (GRADE 3)]
[BOSS DROP: SKILL BOOK - BERSERK RAGE (GRADE 2)]
[RARE DROP: RING OF THE BEAR KING (GRADE 3)]
[RARE DROP: CLOAK OF ARMORED HIDE (GRADE 3)]
[DUNGEON COMPLETE]
[IRON DEPTHS CLEARED]
[ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: FIRST TIME CLEAR]
[BONUS REWARD: 500 GOLD COINS EACH]
---
They collapsed where they stood, too exhausted to even celebrate. Raven's entire body ached, and he could see similar exhaustion in his companions' faces.
But they'd done it.
They'd cleared all three floors.
They'd defeated the Armored Bear Alpha.
And they'd survived.
"We did it," Ava breathed. "We actually did it."
"Five hundred gold coins," Axel said, staring at the notification.
"FIve hundred each," Raven finished, hardly believing the number.
They lay there in the boss chamber, surrounded by the loot from their victory, and for the first time since entering the dungeon, they allowed themselves to truly rest.
They'd proven something today. Not just to the world, but to themselves.
They could face impossible odds and win.