Ethan sat against the cold stone wall of the boss chamber, the aftermath of the Direfang Alpha's defeat still lingering in the air. The scent of burnt fur and singed foliage hadn't faded yet, and the faint embers of his final fireball still glowed in the distance. It had been nearly an hour since the fight ended, and only now was his body beginning to feel like it belonged to him again.
His HP bar hovered around 189 out of 250. Not great, but not critical anymore. The trembling in his legs had subsided, and he could finally stand without feeling like he'd collapse. He pushed himself upright, brushing off moss and dirt from his pants, wincing slightly at the dull throb in his side.
Despite the pain, he had something he needed to do.
He glanced at his mana bar. It was full.
"Gotta empty it."
He extended his hand toward the clearing and started spamming fireballs and silently activating Surge Step.
"Fireball!"
"Fireball!"
"Fireball!"
The glowing orbs shot into the distance, slamming into trees and rocks, exploding into miniature suns. He kept casting. Again. And again. His breathing grew heavier. His fingers began to twitch from strain.
"Fireball!"
"Fireball!"
Finally. Mana: 0 / 1700
[Mana Exhaustion Detected]
[Mana Overflow Activated]
[+1 Mana, +1 Spell Power]
He let out a low groan and slumped down onto the ground again, resting his hands on his knees.
"That's one... only four more today."
He grit his teeth and forced himself through four more cycles. Each time, he launched fireballs until the world blurred and the spell's incantation became a slur. And each time, his system rewarded him with another small increase.
His mana was completely drained, his thoughts a swirling storm of fatigue. Yet even as the exhaustion gnawed at him, his mind turned over one question:
What now?
As he rested again, arms draped over his knees, Ethan stared at the flickering remnants of the dungeon's mana lights. And then, slowly, deliberately, he made a decision. Three of them, in fact.
First, he needed a shield spell. Not just some barrier to block one hit, but something reactive, something he could trust when dodging wasn't an option. Fireball was strong, yes. Devastating even. But all offense and no defense would get him killed. Surge step can't save me every time he is in danger.
Second, he had skipped too many steps. His arrogance after getting his first spell and clearing the rat dungeon had made him believe he was ready for E-rank dungeons. He wasn't. The Direfang Alpha nearly ended him. Experience matters.
There were still two F-rank dungeons he hadn't touched—the Whispering Hollow and the Broken Foundry. He would go back. He would clear them. He would learn.
Third...
He smirked faintly, despite the pain.
He would hit up Lena. Maybe ask her to team up. She was tough, resilient, and he enjoyed training with her thus far. He needed a frontliner. Someone to keep monsters off his back while he cast. She seemed like the kind of person who could handle that.
Yeah... after I clean up the mess I made skipping steps. Then I'll ask her.
He glanced down at his broken chestplate, and instantly decided to also get some new equipment too.
With those thoughts locked in, Ethan pushed himself to his feet. The dungeon's glow was fading, the portal to the outside world now visible at the edge of the boss room.
He walked toward it.
The light engulfed him.
…
Back in the city, the air was fresher, livelier. The streets buzzed with the sound of other hunters moving between gates, traders peddling gear, and the ever-hungry scent of grilled street meat wafting from stalls.
Ethan made his way toward the nearest Exchange Center. It was a white building with a giant crystal icon embedded above the entrance. The moment he walked in, a receptionist glanced up.
"Crystals to sell?"
He nodded and stepped up to the counter, placing the pouch down with a heavy thud. The woman blinked.
"That's... a lot. Let's see..."
She opened it and began scanning the contents.
[203 E-Rank Monster Crystals: $100 each]
[1 E-Rank Boss Crystal: $1000]
A total of $21,300.
Ethan whistled softly as the amount appeared on the screen in front of him.
"Transfer to ID?" she asked.
"Yeah."
The moment the credits confirmed in his account, he turned away. But something shimmered in his peripheral vision.
The drop.
He hadn't checked the loot from the Direfang Alpha yet. He reached into his bag and pulled it out. A small burst of golden light heralded the materialization of sleek, black boots. The leather was reinforced with dark grey plating, and the soles glowed faintly blue.
[Direfang Striders - E Rank - Set Item 1/6]
+10 Agility +6 Vitality
[Crafted from the Direfang Alpha's hide, these boots carry the beast's speed and tenacity.]
Ethan smiled.
"Perfect."
He slipped them on, marveling at how light they felt.
One step closer.
…
Evening had settled in by the time he arrived at the café. His family lived in a modest apartment above the establishment, which had been in the family for years. The scent of roasted beans and freshly baked pastries lingered in the air as he stepped through the side entrance reserved for family.
Downstairs, the café still buzzed with a few late-night customers, and as always, Alice sat at her usual spot in the corner by the window, hunched over a stack of paper, scribbling furiously with her colored pencils. The soft café lighting pooled around her table, casting dancing shadows on her drawing hand.
"Alice?"
"Mm-hm!" came the distracted hum from the floor.
He walked over and peeked over her shoulder.
She was drawing a walking stick.
With a bat.
Like, a literal baseball bat.
Ethan blinked. "Is... is that a stick with a bat in its hand?"
She turned to him, bright-eyed. "Yeah! Isn't it cool? He walks around going tung tung tung tung TUNG SAHUR!"
"...What."
"It's the trend now! Look!"
She grabbed her broken phone and opened YouT*be Shorts.
Ethan watched, frozen, as multiple stick figures danced across the screen to the same chaotic beat, all of them yelling "tung tung tung tung tung SAHUR" with increasing intensity.
He stared.
Then turned slowly to his sister.
"Alice."
"Yeah?"
"No more YouT*be Shorts."
"But—"
"This is brainrot. Terminal. We're deleting the app. I'm calling it YouT*be Smalls from now on."
Alice pouted. "You're just old. You don't get it. Tung tung tung TUNG SAHUR is cool."
Ethan ruffled her hair. "If your stick man ever shows up in one of my dungeons, I'm logging out of life."
She giggled.
He stood up, finally feeling the fatigue of the day really settle into his limbs. His body ached, his brain felt mushy, and his new boots sat by the door like a reminder of what he'd survived.
But despite everything, he smiled.
Tomorrow, he'd start again. He had plans. Goals.
He wasn't the strongest.
Not yet.
But he was getting there.
//Authors Corner
Seems like Ethan is getting his shit together.
Also seems like Alice has been too much on her phone.... On a real note though, social media is ruining the new generation of kids...
Not really much more to say, so see you guys tomorrow, I appreciate the power stones guys! Should I make goals for extra chapters for power stones?