The high-pitched wail of the city's emergency siren cut through the air like a jagged blade. People froze in their tracks, their faces turning pale as they looked toward the sky. A massive, blood-red rift was tearing through the atmosphere—a Dungeon Break.
"Aryan, we have to run! Now!" Maya shouted, her voice trembling. She grabbed his arm, trying to pull him toward the nearest shelter.
Aryan didn't budge. He stared at the swirling red portal with eyes that had seen entire empires fall. "Run? Why would I run away from a gift?"
"A gift? Are you insane?" Maya cried out in terror. "That's at least an E-Rank gate! F-Ranks like us are just monster fodder in there!"
Aryan gently brushed her hand away, his gaze turning cold and sharp. "Watch closely, Maya. This is how a King reclaims his throne."
As the first wave of monsters—vicious Goblins with emerald skin and rusted daggers—leaped out of the portal, the crowd erupted into chaos. But Aryan stepped forward, his heart thumping with a rhythm he hadn't felt in this new life.
[System Notification: Combat Mode Initiated!]
[Target Identified: Low-tier Goblins]
He didn't have a sword or armor, but he possessed something far more dangerous: the muscle memory of a Monarch. He took a deep breath, focusing the tiny spark of Mana in his core into his right fist.
"The body is weak, but the soul remains the same," he muttered.
The lead Goblin screeched and lunged at him, its blade aimed for his throat. Aryan shifted his weight by a mere inch, the dagger whistling past his ear. In one fluid motion, he drove his palm into the monster's chest with the force of a battering ram.
CRACK.
The Goblin's ribcage shattered, and it was sent flying back into the portal.
[You have slain a Goblin! +10 XP]
[Level Up! You are now Level 2]
A surge of golden energy washed over Aryan, mending his fatigued muscles and sharpening his senses. He looked at the remaining monsters, a dark, predatory grin spreading across his face.
"Next," he said, his voice cold enough to freeze the blood of any man nearby.