The Minotaur roared, its war axe cleaving through the air where Owen had been seconds ago.
Owen was exhausted. His mana reserves were dangerously low after using [Sovereignty of Space-Time]. Every movement he made now felt sluggish.
"Owen, get back!" Yuki shouted. She'd reactivated [Beast Shift] once again, planning on one shotting the minotaur before her mana runs out.
The Minotaur charged at her, its massive hooves shaking the ground.
Yuki didn't dodge. She planted her feet and caught the creature's horns with her bare hands. Her muscles strained as she held the A-Rank beast in place.
"Now!" she screamed.
Odessa's Azure Sky Dragon coiled around the Minotaur's legs, constricting tight. Garrick's Giant Komodo Earth Dragon clamped its jaws onto the beast's arm, forcing it to drop its war axe. Sera's Three-Headed Basilisk spat concentrated venom directly into the Minotaur's eyes, and the creature bellowed in agony, thrashing wildly.
Tomas's Wyvern dove from above, its claws raking across the Minotaur's back, tearing through thick skin.
Alfred slammed his shield into the beast's knee, activating a skill. [Crushing Impact]. The knee broke with a deafening crack.
The Minotaur collapsed to one knee, disoriented and bleeding.
Yuki didn't waste the opening. She inhaled deeply, her chest swelling with heat. She grabbed the minotaur by it's horn then...
[Dragon's Breath]
Flames erupted from her mouth, engulfing the Minotaur's head and torso. The creature screamed before finally collapsing. Its massive body hit the ground with a crash as smoke rose from its scorched remains.
Ding—!
[Dungeon Boss Defeated]
[Dungeon Cleared!]
[Level up! X3]
Yuki's transformation faded as she collapsed to her knees, breathing hard. Owen flew weakly to her shoulder, utterly drained.
"It's....over" Yuki whispered.
Odessa approached, her Azure Sky Dragon coiling protectively around her. She looked at Yuki with a complicated expression, part respect, part concern, part fear.
"You two are... something else, truly." Odessa said quietly.
---
Outside the dungeon, the purple gate flickered and dissolved behind them. The party stumbled into the cool evening air of Nexus Prime, battered and exhausted.
Garrick, Sera, and Tomas immediately collapsed onto nearby benches, too tired to even speak.
Alfred stood watch, ever vigilant despite his cracked armor and burns.
Odessa pulled Yuki aside, away from the others.
"Yuki" she said softly. "Those assassins... They were after you specifically. After you and your dragon."
Yuki's hands trembled. "I know."
"The Dark Reapers are one of the top guilds in the city" Odessa continued. "they have resources, influence, and power we can't match. And without evidence directly linking them to the attack..." She hesitated. "We can't do anything. Not officially."
"So what do I do?" Yuki's voice cracked. "Just wait for them to try again?"
Odessa placed a hand on her shoulder. "You get stronger. Fast. Strong enough that even the Dark Reapers would think twice before coming after you."
Yuki looked down at Owen, who was resting weakly on her shoulder, his golden eyes half-closed.
"How?" Yuki whispered. "How do I get that strong that fast?"
Odessa didn't answer immediately. Then, reluctantly, she said, "There's always the Story Dungeon."
Yuki's breath caught.
"The compensation is fifty million credits," Odessa continued. "But more than that, Story Dungeons offer experience gains unlike anything else. Hunters who survive them often jump entire ranks. But Yuki..." Her violet eyes were serious. "The mortality rate is over seventy percent. Even for A-Ranks."
Yuki clenched her fists.
Every one of her problems had always stemmed from weakness, weakness to Resist. Weakness to fight. Weak Resolve. It's obvious life is pushing her to the wall, but it was time to start bouncing back.
"I'll do it" Yuki said.
Owen's eyes snapped open. "Yuki..."
"I have to" she said telepathically. "I can't keep running. I can't keep barely surviving. I need to become strong enough to protect you for once."
Owen wanted to argue. But he felt her resolve through their bond, unshakable, desperate, and terrified, but determined.
He sighed. "Alright then."
---
The next morning, Yuki stood in the lobby of Hunter HQ, staring at the digital application board for the Story Dungeon.
Her finger hovered over the "Apply" button.
Helena Ridge appeared beside her, her expression as emotionless as ever. "Ms. Goldberg. You're certain about this?"
Yuki nodded. "I am."
Helena studied her for a long moment. Then she pulled up Yuki's profile on her terminal and manually approved the application.
"The scouting team enters this afternoon," Helena said. "Good luck,Yuki"
---
The Story Dungeon gate glowed with an eerie, unnatural light. Unlike normal dungeon gates, swirling vortexes of color, this one was still, just a long curtain of light.
The area around it was packed with hunters. A-Ranks and B-Ranks from every major guild, Glory Road, Crimson Fangs, Confederation, Gate Zero. They stood in clusters, checking their gear, discussing strategies, eyeing each other warily.
Yuki felt distinctly out of place. Her gear was basic. Her rank was C. And unlike the others, she had no guild backing her.
A group of B-Rank hunters nearby noticed her and laughed.
"Is that a C-Rank?" one sneered. "What, did she get lost on her way to a beginner dungeon?"
"Maybe she thinks her little dragon will carry her" another mocked. "Cute pet, sweetheart, but this isn't a petting zoo."
Yuki ignored them, her jaw tight.
Owen growled from her shoulder. "Want me to roast them?"
"Not worth it" Yuki muttered.
Suddenly, the crowd fell silent.
A shadow passed overhead.
Yuki looked up and gasped.
Descending from the sky like a god was a man whose mere presence silenced hundreds of hunters. His long blonde hair flowed, catching the sunlight and seeming to glow with its own inner light. He wore pristine white armor trimmed with gold, and in his hand, he carried a massive sword that radiated divine energy.
Aurelius Solhart.
Guild Master of Glory Road.
The only SSS-Rank Human alive.
He landed in front of the Story Dungeon gate with barely a sound, his boots touching the ground as if gravity itself deferred to him.
The crowd erupted into cheers and applause.
Solhart raised one hand, and the noise died instantly.
"Hunters..." his voice rang out, clear and commanding. "...You stand before a Story Dungeon, a trial that has destroyed cities and claimed thousands of lives. Many of you will not return... But humanity needs this dungeon cleared. Our survival depends on it."
He paused, his golden eyes sweeping across the crowd.
"Do not enter this gate seeking glory... Enter seeking purpose. Fight not for fame, but for those who cannot fight. And if you fall..." His expression hardened. "...Fall knowing you did so protecting something greater than yourself."
The crowd roared in response, fists raised, weapons drawn, voices united.
Solhart stepped aside, gesturing to the gate. "You may enter."
The hunters surged forward.
Yuki took a breath and joined the flow, Owen perched on her shoulder.
As she neared the gate, she felt eyes on her.
She looked up.
Aurelius Solhart was staring directly at her. His golden eyes met hers and they both stared at each other, locking gaze for a moment.
Then, slowly, he nodded.
A simple gesture. But it felt like recognition. Like permission. Like a silent message between he and Yuki.
Yuki nodded back.
Then she stepped through the gate.
---
Blinding white light consumed her.
When her vision cleared, she was standing in a forest. But not any forest she'd ever seen.
The trees were massive, hundreds of feet tall, their trunks wider than buildings.
And above her...
Two moons hung in the sky. One pale silver. One deep crimson.
Two moons.
"Where... where are we?" she whispered.
Owen's voice was equally stunned. "I don't know"
A rustling sound made her spin around.
Three other hunters stood nearby, looking equally disoriented. A tall man in heavy armor. A woman with twin daggers. And a younger man clutching a staff.
They all stared at each other.
Then, from somewhere deep in the forest, a sound echoed.
And just above them, A Red Adult dragon Flew overhead , way up in the sky. And even from that distance, they could tell, this was equally a true dragon like Owen. No. Even more true. As it mere pressure forced them to instinctively conceal their presence as it passed by.
Owen's eyes blazed as fear and excitement rushed through him.
"Yuki... I think The Story just started. "