The sky inside the dungeon roared.
Blue fire filled the air like a second sun as the Wyvern opened its jaws, releasing the frozen sphere of destruction it had been gathering.
The moment the attack left its mouth, the entire battlefield shook.
The freezing breath was no longer a simple blast.
It was a storm.
A massive torrent of crystallized frost spiraled downward, swallowing the ruined courtyard in a hurricane of ice.
Even before impact, the temperature dropped violently.
Stone pillars froze solid.
The air itself cracked.
Shin's eyes widened.
"DEFENSE!"
Kaiser slammed both hands into the ground.
Wind and earth erupted outward as he created a barrier of reinforced stone plates, but the moment the frozen storm struck—
BOOM!
The shield shattered instantly.
Serena unleashed flames in a desperate counter, fire crashing against the icy torrent in a violent explosion of steam.
Ren appeared in flashes of lightning, trying to redirect the blast.
But the Wyvern's attack was simply too large.
Too overwhelming.
Even Seraphina's Ice Domain trembled under the pressure.
Frost cracked across the battlefield.
Her emerald eyes narrowed.
"This thing…!"
The attack was swallowing everything.
For the first time since entering the dungeon, the team faced something they couldn't overpower directly.
Jin stepped forward.
His coat whipped violently in the storm.
The freezing wind tore across his face, but his gaze remained calm.
Too big to block.
Too strong to stop.
But…
Every attack had structure.
And every structure had a weak point.
His eyes focused on the center of the storm.
The source.
The Wyvern.
Its chest.
The core burning like a frozen sun.
Jin inhaled slowly.
Then—
Void Step.
The world twisted.
He disappeared.
The freezing storm crashed into the courtyard behind him.
Ice shattered pillars.
Frost swallowed the ground.
But Jin had already crossed the battlefield.
He reappeared midair, directly in front of the Wyvern.
The monster's glowing eyes widened.
It hadn't expected him to reach it through its own attack.
Jin's sword rose.
Stage I — Spatial Fracture
The space around the Wyvern's chest twisted violently.
Mana circulation destabilized.
Stage II — Void Step
Jin vanished again, appearing above the creature's head.
Stage III — Dimensional Collapse
The space around the Wyvern's torso compressed inward like a collapsing star.
The scales protecting its chest cracked open.
For the first time since the battle began—
The core was fully exposed.
"SHIN!" Jin shouted.
Shin reacted instantly.
Gravity surged around his blade as he launched upward like a missile.
Kaiser roared and followed, wind spiraling around his fists.
Ren flashed through the air in a storm of lightning.
Serena's flames ignited like a blazing comet.
Seraphina stepped forward.
Her Domain surged to its limit.
"Frozen Sovereignty."
Ice chains erupted from the ground and wrapped around the Wyvern's wings, locking it in place for a single moment.
One moment.
That was all they needed.
Shin struck first.
"Gravity Breaker!"
His sword slammed into the exposed core.
CRACK.
Kaiser followed.
"Titan Tempest Rupture!"
His punch shattered the outer shell.
Ren's lightning pierced through the opening.
Serena's flames exploded inside the wound.
And then—
Seraphina raised her hand.
Frost condensed into a single spear of absolute cold.
"Absolute Zero Lance."
She thrust forward.
The spear pierced directly through the Wyvern's heart.
For one second…
The battlefield went silent.
Then—
The monster screamed.
A deafening roar that shook the dungeon sky.
The blue fire inside its chest flickered violently.
Cracked.
And finally—
Shattered.
The Wyvern's massive body froze in midair.
Then began falling.
BOOM!
The creature crashed into the frozen courtyard like a collapsing mountain.
Silence followed.
No movement.
No roar.
Only drifting frost.
Shin exhaled slowly.
"…It's over."
Kaiser dropped onto a nearby stone block.
"Damn monster almost killed us."
Ren laughed weakly.
"Worth it."
Serena wiped frost from her blade.
Seraphina's Ice Domain slowly faded.
Her gaze shifted toward Jin.
"You forced the opening."
Jin shrugged.
"Team effort."
But while the others spoke…
Jin quietly approached the fallen Wyvern.
The monster's enormous body lay motionless, its once-glowing chest now dark and empty.
No one paid attention.
They were exhausted.
Recovering.
Talking.
Perfect.
Jin stood beside the creature's head.
His shadow stretched across the ground beneath the fading dungeon light.
He whispered softly.
"Shadow Devouring."
The shadow beneath the Wyvern trembled.
Dark energy spread silently along the ground, creeping beneath the corpse like living ink.
The monster's shadow twisted.
Struggled.
Then slowly dissolved.
Absorbed.
Jin felt the power enter him like a cold current flowing through his veins.
His system responded instantly.
Shadow Captured.
Target: Wyvern King
Shadow Rank: A+
Jin's lips curved faintly.
One more thing remained.
He looked down at the corpse.
His voice was barely audible.
"Arise."
The shadow beneath the Wyvern stirred.
Dark mist seeped through the frozen ground.
The massive corpse trembled once.
Then—
From beneath the fallen body, a gigantic black silhouette slowly rose.
A creature made entirely of shadow.
The Shadow Wyvern lowered its head before Jin silently.
Invisible to everyone else.
Loyal.
Waiting.
Jin gave one quiet command.
"Return."
The shadow dissolved instantly, disappearing into his own.
By the time the others looked over—
Jin was simply standing beside the corpse.
Nothing unusual.
Shin approached.
"Association team will collect the body."
Jin nodded.
"Good."
Above them, the dungeon sky began collapsing.
The Gate was closing.
ReturnOne hour later.
The team stepped out of the dungeon gate.
Association staff rushed forward.
Hunters cheered.
An S-Rank dungeon cleared.
Without casualties.
Vice Dean Yoon Seolhwa stood waiting at the perimeter.
Her emerald eyes scanned the team.
Then rested briefly on Jin.
"You handled yourselves well."
Shin nodded.
"The team performed."
Seraphina crossed her arms calmly.
"We'll improve."
The Vice Dean turned toward the transport vehicles.
"Return to the academy."
"You have training tomorrow."
Ren groaned.
"You're cruel."
Yoon Seolhwa didn't even look back.
"National tournaments are crueler."
The team boarded the transport.
As the vehicle pulled away from the gate, Jin leaned back in his seat.
Outside the window, the dungeon gate slowly closed.
Inside his shadow—
Something enormous stirred.
A pair of glowing eyes opened in the darkness.
The Wyvern King had awakened.
And no one knew.