The howl sent a chilling vibration through the stone corridors, followed by the unmistakable sound of claws scraping against the ground.
More Dreadfangs emerged from the darkness, their eyes gleaming with hunger. The Alpha stood at the front, muscles tensed, saliva dripping from its fangs as it fixated on us.
I gritted my teeth.
This isn't good.
The Lesser Dreadfangs we fought earlier were manageable, but an Alpha was on a different level. Faster, stronger, and worst of all, capable of commanding its pack.
We needed to deal with it first.
But, can we do it?
I turned to my party.
"Formation!"
I shouted.
Elena and Lyria immediately took defensive stances. Cedric, however, just cracked his knuckles, smirking.
Thank god, they listen to me
"Heh. I can take care of that overgrown mutt myself."
Before I could stop him, he charged forward, magic crackling around his fists.
Idiot!
And here I am, when I thought everything would go according to plan that idiot attack the boss alone.
The Alpha didn't flinch. Instead, its eyes gleamed with intelligence.
And then, it moved.
Fast.
A silver blur cut through the air.
Cedric barely had time to react before-
SLAM!
The Alpha sideswiped him mid charge, sending him crashing into the dungeon wall. The impact left a visible crack in the stone as he crumpled to the ground.
Lyria gasped.
"Cedric-!"
But she couldn't move to help.
Because the rest of the pack rushed forward.
Shit.
I didn't have time to check if Cedric was still conscious. The Lesser Dreadfangs were already upon us.
"Focus on defense!"
I ordered, stepping in front of Lyria as the first Dreadfang lunged at her.
CLANG!
My sword met its claws mid-air, sparks flying as our weapons clashed. I twisted my blade, pushing it back just in time for Elena to dart forward, skewering it through the throat.
Another came from Lyria side, she slicing through its legs before finishing it with a downward slash.
We were holding our ground, but the Alpha was still watching. Waiting.
Elena exhaled sharply, flicking blood from her rapier.
"This is annoying."
I spared a glance at Cedric. He was stirring, groaning, but still down.
I clicked my tongue.
"We need to take down the Alpha. Now."
Lyria hesitated.
"But—"
"No buts!"
I cut her off.
"If we don't take it out, it'll just keep commanding the pack!"
The problem was… how? Can we even beat the alpha? Should we use the stone so professor Alden can save us?
I had some of Tristan's memories, but even then, I had never fought an Alpha before, heck the fight against Lyria is the very first time i ever fight
Then.
A memory surfaced.
In the game, the strategy for dealing with an Alpha was always the same.
Separate it. Overwhelm it. Exploit its weakness.
I turned to Elena.
"How good are you with precision strikes?"
She smirked.
"You doubt me?"
"Good. When I give the signal, I need you to pierce its right eye."
She raised an eyebrow.
"That specific?"
"Just trust me."
I turned to Lyria.
"You have Binding Roots, right?"
She blinked.
"Yeah."
"Think you can lock it down?"
She gripped her sword tighter, nodding.
"I'll try."
That'll do.
I exhaled, gripping my blade.
"Alright. On my mark"
The Alpha moved.
I barely had time to react before it lunged straight at me.
Fast. Strong. Deadly.
But.
I had been waiting for this.
I twisted my body at the last second, narrowly dodging as its massive claws grazed my side.
NOW!
"Lyria!"
"Binding Roots!"
The ground shook as thorned vines burst from below, snaring the Alpha's limbs. It thrashed, snarling, but Lyria's magic held.
"Elena!"
Already moving.
She dashed forward, rapier gleaming.
And PIERCED its right eye.
The Alpha howled.
Blood sprayed as it staggered back, its vision now half-blind.
Perfect.
I gripped my sword.
"Now we finish it."
The fight wasn't over yet.
But the tide had shifted.
The Dreadfang alpha presence sent a ripple of tension through our group.
Its hulking frame dwarfed the lesser ones we had just fought, its fur bristling with raw mana. Unlike its subordinates, which attacked mindlessly, the Alpha stood its ground, analyzing us with sharp, predatory intelligence.
And when it let out a low, rumbling growl.
The remaining lesser Dreadfangs immediately fell back, forming a loose formation around it.
"Tch."
Cedric scowled.
"Smart bastard."
Just in time he finally regained consciousness without us having to help him first.
Elena tapped a finger against her chin, smirking.
"Well, this just got interesting~"
Lyria said nothing, but I could see the way her grip on her sword tightened. She was preparing herself.
And me?
I took a slow breath, steadying my racing thoughts.
An alpha type monster this early? Normally, a Dreadfang alpha wouldn't show up in a dungeon of this rank.
This was bad.
Even in the game, the first dungeon didn't have a boss this strong. The strongest encounter was supposed to be a pack of normal Dreadfangs, nothing overwhelming for a party of students.
So why was this thing here?
Was it random dungeon fluctuation? Or… was it something else?
I clenched my jaw. Questions could wait. Right now, we needed to focus on surviving.
I quickly assessed the battlefield. The corridor we were in was too tight to maneuver properly, and that thing had enough space to charge straight at us.
We couldn't afford to get separated.
"Formation."
I ordered, stepping forward.
"Cedric, frontline. You focus on drawing its attention. Lyria, support with magic and look for openings. Elena—"
"Oh?"
She tilted her head, amused.
"Giving me orders now, Tristan?"
"Just do what you do best."
She chuckled.
"How vague~"
But she didn't argue.
The Greater Dreadfang's muscles tensed. Then—
It lunged.
"Here it comes!"
Cedric met its charge head-on, his gauntlets crackling with power. He swung.
Well atleast he listen.
CLASH!
The impact sent shockwaves through the air. Cedric skidded back, his feet digging into the stone.
The Alpha barely flinched.
Shit. That thing was strong.
It pushed forward, swiping with a massive claw—
"Reinforced Guard!"
Cedric activated a defensive spell just in time. Mana surged around his arms, dulling the impact, but he was still sent flying back.
Lyria reacted fast.
"Binding Roots!"
Vines erupted from the ground, wrapping around the Alpha's legs.
For a moment, it worked.
But then—
SNAP!
The monster ripped through the vines like they were nothing.
Lyria's eyes widened.
"Shit."
I cursed.
"Elena!"
Already moving.
Her rapier flickered, glowing with enchanted energy. She vanished from sight then reappeared behind the Alpha.
A blur of silver.
SCHLK!
She drove her blade deep into its side, twisting.
The beast roared, whipping around with terrifying speed.
But Elena was already gone, retreating with a graceful step
How the heck she got fourth rank? I really sure he the strongest one in this group at this time.
"It's got high resistance,"
she mused, unfazed.
"But it can be hurt."
Good.
I raised my sword.
"Lyria, use fire. Cedric, get back in position. Elena, keep up the pressure."
They moved.
Lyria raised a hand, summoning a blaze of magic.
"Firebolt!"
A sphere of flames shot forward, striking the Alpha's wounded side.
The beast howled. The flames bit into its fur, singing flesh.
Cedric took the chance.
He rushed forward, leaping into the air.
"Take this!"
BOOM!
His fist slammed into the Alpha's skull with enough force to shake the corridor.
The Dreadfang alpha staggered.
And that was all the opening I needed.
I dashed in, sword flashing.
SLASH!
My blade carved into its throat, drawing a deep crimson line.
The Alpha let out a final, strangled snarl.
Then—
THUD.
It collapsed.
Silence.
We stood there, panting, the scent of blood thick in the air.
"...Is it dead?"
Cedric muttered.
That idiot, don't raise a flag just after we barely manage to beat it.
But.
The beast didn't move. No regeneration, no last-ditch attacks.
Yeah. It was dead.
I exhaled, lowering my sword.
That… was a lot harder than it should've been.
Elena stretched, rolling her shoulders.
"Well, that was fun~"
Cedric scoffed.
"Speak for yourself."
Lyria remained quiet, staring at the corpse with unreadable eyes.
I frowned. Something about this didn't sit right.
A Dreadfang alpha appearing out of nowhere.
A dungeon that was supposed to be low-tier suddenly shifting.
Something was wrong with this place.
And I had a feeling this mission was far from over.