The silence that followed the battle was thick, almost unnatural. The only sounds that remained were the shallow breaths of Lucas and André, their chests rising and falling in sync
Lucas stepped forward, his boots squelching against the bloodstained stone floor. His gaze locked onto the small object resting in the pool of blackened ichor the only remnant of the dungeon boss.
A gem.
It wasn't large, no bigger than a thumb, but its surface pulsed with a faint inner glow, shifting between deep crimson and eerie violet. There was something unnerving about it, something that made the hairs on the back of Lucas's neck stand up.
He crouched, hesitating for only a second before plucking it from the filth. The gem was warm to the touch warmer than it had any right to be. As he turned it in his fingers, its glow seemed to react, flickering, almost as if… alive.
Lucas frowned.
"What the hell is this thing?" he muttered under his breath.
André, standing a few feet away, still examining his transformed hands, glanced over. His new red eyes gleamed under the dim torchlight, but he said nothing.
Lucas exhaled sharply. He didn't have the time or patience to figure this out right now. Whether it was valuable, dangerous, or just another useless trinket, it didn't matter.
Not yet.
He shoved the gem into his pocket.
"Whatever it is, we'll figure it out later," he muttered.
André didn't respond.
Lucas turned toward him, watching as André flexed his fingers, curling them into a tight fist. The raw power in his movements was undeniable.
And then, with a soft chime, the system's interface flickered into existence before André for the first time.
[Status Window Activated.]
[Name: André]
[Rank: B]
[Current Development Points: 15]
Lucas took a step closer, glancing at the numbers. "Huh. So this is what a B-Class looks like…"
André didn't react. His gaze stayed locked onto the stats, processing the information in silence.
[Stats:]
Strength: 12 Mana: 0 Agility: 3
Lucas rubbed his chin. "Not bad, but let's make some adjustments."
He navigated through the interface, assigning the points with quick precision.
[10 points added to Strength.]
[3 points added to Agility]
[2 points added to Mana.]
The moment the final point was allocated, André tensed.
A sudden wave of energy rippled through his body. His muscles tightened, veins pulsing with newfound power. The air around him grew heavier, as if his presence alone was enough to distort the very atmosphere.
Lucas instinctively took a step back. "Whoa. That looked… intense."
André let out a slow breath, rolling his shoulders. "I feel " " stronger."
Lucas smirked. "Yeah, no shit."
André finally met his gaze, and for the first time since the transformation, something human flickered in his expression.
Relief.
A silent understanding passed between them.
They had survived.
But now, it was time to leave this place behind.
Lucas adjusted his grip on his blade, glancing toward the iron door at the far end of the corridor. "Let's move."
André nodded.
The two began their silent trek through the dungeon's corridors, stepping over corpses, past shattered walls, through the echoes of the battle they had just fought.
Every corner held the lingering memory of death.
Lucas kept his guard up, scanning the path ahead, his senses on high alert. The last thing they needed was another fight.
André, however, walked differently than before.
His steps were smoother, sharper. His movements had an unnatural precision to them, as if he was aware of every inch of his body in a way he hadn't been before.
Lucas noticed.
"How's it feel?" he asked.
André was quiet for a moment before responding.
"Like my body finally caught up to my mind," he said simply.
Lucas let out a low chuckle. "That sounds both cool and terrifying."
"Probably is."
They reached the final stretch a massive iron door that marked the exit.
Lucas stepped forward, pressing both hands against the rusted metal. It groaned under his weight but refused to budge.
He gritted his teeth, pushing harder
Then, without a word, André placed a single hand on the door.
And pushed.
With a violent screech, the massive doors flew open, slamming against the stone walls outside. A gust of wind rushed in, carrying with it the scent of damp earth and fresh air.
The outside world.
Lucas inhaled deeply. The cool night breeze washed over his skin, sending a chill down his spine.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
Then
Lucas let out a slow, exhausted sigh.
"We're alive," he muttered, almost in disbelief.
André took a step forward, looking up at the sky for the first time since the dungeon swallowed them.
The moon hung high, its pale glow illuminating the world beyond. The dark treetops swayed gently in the night wind, the distant calls of nocturnal creatures filling the silence.
Lucas let out a small, breathless chuckle. "I think that officially counts as the worst day of my life."
André smirked. "Could be worse."
Lucas shot him a look. "Seriously? How?"
André shrugged. "We could've died."
Lucas rolled his eyes. "That's your standard for 'worse'?.
André didn't respond, but the faint amusement in his expression was enough.
Lucas stretched his arms, exhaling. "Alright. First thing's first food. Second thing figuring out what the hell this gem is.
---
The cold night air had barely settled on Lucas's skin before trouble found them again.
A dozen men stood before them, clad in dark combat vests, weapons at the ready. Their faces were hard, unreadable killers by profession, hunters by trade. Each one of them had the unmistakable posture of someone ready to pull the trigger without hesitation.
Lucas could feel André stiffen beside him. Not from fear, but from something deeper.
The leader, a man with short cropped black hair and a scar running from his left brow to his cheek, narrowed his eyes. The moonlight reflected off his rifle as he took a slow step forward.
"How did you get out?"
His voice was flat, cold. The kind of tone that came from a man who had seen too much and trusted too little.
Lucas glanced at André. A flicker of silent communication passed between them.
Then, with a slight smirk, Lucas shrugged. "Through the door."
The answer was both truth and mockery, but Lucas wasn't in the mood to explain himself to a bunch of armed thugs.
None of the hunters looked convinced.
The leader's jaw tightened. "Jack from A-rank barely crawled out of that dungeon hours ago, bleeding out like a gutted animal. He said no one survives in there. He said…"
His fingers flexed on the grip of his rifle.
"He said you were already dead."
For a long moment, no one spoke.
The night whispered around them the rustle of distant leaves, the soft howl of wind through the trees.
André remained silent. But his red eyes pulsed under the moonlight, glowing for the briefest of moments.
A flicker. A warning.
The hunters saw it.
They didn't like it.
Lucas could almost hear their thoughts.
What kind of monsters are these two?