The dungeon trembled as we reached its central chamber.
I hadn't expected him so soon.
Not the Paragon.
He appeared at the entrance, light blazing off his armor, spear gleaming with radiant energy. Behind him, reinforcements—hero-class humans, trained killers with powers of their own—flowed in like a tide, their eyes locked on me.
Mara froze beside me. "Leon… they're coming for you."
I smiled faintly. "Good. Let's see if they're worth the fight."
Shadow slithered forward from my shadow, coiling and ready. Behind him, the Astro Serpent, massive and starry, stretched along the chamber ceiling, its gaze fixed on the intruders.
The Paragon stepped forward, spear raised. "Leon Voss," he called. "This ends now."
"Not today," I said, raising my sword. My SP surged, Wrath and Pride resonating in tandem. Bloodlust, stealing, manipulation—all systems active.
The battle began.
The reinforcements charged, and Shadow moved like lightning, striking one hero after another with lethal precision. The Astro Serpent erupted from above, crushing, constricting, devouring anything that dared approach. Magic clashed with shadow and celestial energy, screams echoing through the dungeon.
The Paragon met me head-on. Spear against sword. Sparks and light exploded with every clash. His attacks were precise, powerful, almost too righteous—but I was faster, bloodlusted, unpredictable.
I felt the surge of the Pride Sin. My movements became cruelly elegant, preempting his swings. Every slash, every step, every feint was perfectly calculated.
The fight was brutal. Light and shadow danced, concrete cracked, walls shivered. Mara watched from the side, casting minor enhancements for me—talismans, buffs, and traps—but never interfering. She was learning.
I felt the right moment. A slight misstep—caused not by his skill but by his overconfidence.
"Time to end this," I whispered.
Blood manipulation flared, tendrils erupting from the floor to immobilize him briefly. Shadow lashed out, piercing his side. The Astro Serpent coiled, wrapping around him, restraining.
The Paragon roared, spearing upward—but I struck downward with Bloodlust Strike, the blade infused with stolen strength from every kill, every contract, every sin.
The blow hit true.
Radiant armor shattered. Spear clattered away. He staggered, wounded, but still glaring at me.
I stepped forward, every inch a predator closing in on prey. "You tried," I said calmly. "But I am better."
I drove my sword through him. Pride, Wrath, Envy—the sins surged through me, granting raw power. He fell, light dimming, and then silence.
Behind him, the reinforcements faltered. Shadow struck with lethal precision. The Astro Serpent crushed the remaining heroes with a combination of speed and raw mass. By the time the dust settled, the chamber was ours.
Mara exhaled, staring wide-eyed. "You… killed him."
I wiped my blade, the Paragon's light finally extinguished. "Yes. And now the real fun begins."
The System chimed.
The dungeon pulsed in approval. Shadow and the Astro Serpent curled around me, loyal, hungry, unstoppable.
I looked at Mara. "This is your world now too. Watch closely—power isn't given. It's taken."
And somewhere far above, the remaining heroes learned the same lesson.
The System pulsed, red and gold lights flashing across the interface.
A low hum reverberated through the dungeon as the power of the Paragon's defeat sank into me. Every muscle, every nerve, every sense sharpened. I felt… unstoppable.
I opened my status to see the results:
Name: Leon
Level: 4 (EXP 1000 / 500)
Race: Human (Blocked)
HP: 170 / 170
MP: 230 / 230
SP: 645
STR: 17+
DEX: 17+
CON: 17+
INT: 23+
Contracts: 2
• Shadow (Named)
• Astro Serpent (Contracted)
Skills:
Bloodlust Strike (Wrath)
Steal (Envy)
Blood Manipulation
Sins Unlocked: Wrath, Pride, Envy
I flexed my fingers, watching the numbers shift and settle. The city outside was quiet, but that silence would not last.
Shadow coiled beside me, gleaming eyes reflecting the dungeon's dim light, while the Astro Serpent hovered above, stretching its starry coils with an almost playful anticipation.
Mara's gaze drifted over the stats. "…You've changed," she whispered.
I smirked. "Not changed. Evolved. And this… is only the beginning."
The dungeon pulsed in approval. The world outside would soon feel the weight of that evolution.
The chamber was still, dust and blood settling like a slow snowfall.
I sheathed my sword, still slick with the Paragon's essence. Mara stepped closer, her hands trembling slightly—but determination burned in her eyes.
"I… I can enhance it," she said softly. "Make it sharper, lighter, more… attuned to your system."
I raised an eyebrow. "Go on."
She knelt beside the weapon, muttering incantations as faint runes glowed along the blade. The steel hummed softly, resonating with the latent energy of the Paragon's defeat. I could feel it responding to me—not just as a tool, but as an extension of myself.
I grinned. "Nicely done."
Mara blushed slightly, stepping back. "It's… it's not perfect yet, but it's strong. Strong enough to… to survive alongside you."
I flexed my fingers on the hilt. "It's perfect."
Then my attention shifted upward. The serpent, coiled above in the ceiling shadows, had been watching silently, its starry body shimmering faintly with awareness.
"Time to name you," I said. "A name binds power. A name binds loyalty."
The Astro Serpent's eyes glimmered like twin stars as I stepped closer.
"Astro," I said firmly. "You are Astro."
The serpent let out a low, resonant hiss, almost like a contented sigh. Its body shimmered brighter, veins of starlight coursing through it. Shadow flickered at my feet, seemingly approving.
Mara's eyes widened. "…You're actually naming it?"
"Of course," I replied. "Contracts respond to recognition. Respect. Power. And now, Astro is mine—and mine alone."
The chamber pulsed faintly as the bond between master and monsters solidified.
I flexed my hand and looked at Mara. "Now we prepare. The Paragon may be gone, but the world isn't waiting. Neither should we."
She nodded slowly, taking a step closer to the edge of the battle's aftermath. "Then… let's get stronger."
I smiled. "Exactly. Stronger than anyone could imagine."
Shadow coiled tighter, Astro's massive form stretching across the ceiling, and together we stood amidst the ruins—a new power rising from the ashes of the Paragon.
The dungeon seemed to hum louder. It was alive. And it knew its king had grown stronger.