As he scanned over everything again, something caught his attention. A "+" sign beside Crimson Moon Thread.
'What's this...?'
---
And with that thought, another panel began to open.
-----
Unique Skill: Crimson Moon Thread
Description: Control the power of the Crimson Moon and flow of the host's blood to form a formation blade that targets the opponent's weak points.
Limitation: 5 minutes of activation time.
-----
Seeing this, Morca let out a long sigh of relief.
Before now, he had never been able to use the skill properly due to its harsh side effects, most notably, the 'loss of hearing for 24 hours' caused by his previously low Will stat.
But now, with his Will attribute catching up to the rest of his stats, he could finally wield the Crimson Moon Thread without debilitating consequences.
'But I still need to be careful because there's that five minutes limitation.'
He closed the status screen and tilted his head upward, eyes piercing through the thick darkness of the trial dungeon's night sky. The atmosphere was suffocating, but it suited his intent perfectly.
"It's time. Only one more day left to gather the remaining points... I need to finish the mission," he muttered to himself, eyes drifting toward the distant location where he had previously fought three 2-star monsters. His fingers flexed instinctively, sensing the phantom weight of battle returning.
'I should check it out. Maybe I'll get lucky and find them again. Killing two more 2-star monsters will be enough to complete the mission.
They're perfect targets to test my current power level and newly awakened skills,' he thought, his form vanishing into the shadows as he blended into the night.
---
Meanwhile, deep within the trial dungeon, in a small, confined, and utterly dark space, a mysterious figure stirred. Clad in pitch-black Cloak and a hat on the her head, the darkness around her seemed almost sentient... alive and swirling with purpose. Though the shadows concealed her features, the faint silhouette of a female could be discerned.
She removed her outer garments slowly, ceremoniously, and the darkness twisted unnaturally around her. A majestic black aura unfurled into the confined space, powerful and oppressive. Two sapphire eyes... vast, ancient, and shining like gems—pierced through the dark.
The surrounding turned chaotic as a small orb the size of an adult's fist hovered in the air, swirling with condensed, poisonous mist. The orb vibrated and zipped through the space before vanishing into an open maw.
Crrackkk!
A loud crack followed—echoing like fractured glass... as something ancient awoke.
A massive pair of wings shredded through the confinement. A powerful, abyssal-black dragon, measuring nearly 15 feet in length, emerged. Each of its wings spanned over 8 feet, adorned with intricate crimson patterns that pulsed like veins. It rose above the trees and let out a thunderous roar that shook the land.
ROAARR!
The mountains trembled. The rivers shuddered. The trees bowed. Even the 1-star monsters fell to the ground, trembling in reverent submission as the dragon rampaged through the forest below.
---
On the opposite end of the trial dungeon stood an ancient forest towered by trees ranging from 50 to 80 feet tall. Their trunks were massive, and their thick branches spread like arms across the night.
Perched atop one of the trees was a male figure cloaked in black, his lower face obscured by a half-mask. Perfectly camouflaged among the leaves and shadows, only his sharp, golden eyes gave him away... a hunter in the dark.
This was Leo Mordric, ranked 5th in the trial rankings and another enigmatic youth cloaked in secrecy.
"It's time to move," he whispered, locking his gaze toward the heart of the dungeon...
'He'll be heading there. That's my only chance... kill or be killed.'
With that thought, he moved from branch to branch with deadly grace. Leo wasn't here for the academy. His mission was assassination. If he succeeded, he'd gain admission into both the Eden Domineer Academy and the Assassin's Organization. A double reward. One target. No failure.
---
In another sector of the dungeon, where broken branches and shattered boulders littered the ground, a massive black-purple spider-like monster lay dead. Its legs had been severed, and a gaping wound in its abdomen leaked foul-smelling black blood.
Nearby, slumped against the base of a tree, was a young girl. Her slim frame was barely visible beneath torn white robes stained with red and black blood. Her once-beautiful appearance had dulled from exhaustion and combat, but her eyes burned with determination.
Breathing heavily, she muttered, "One more to go... then I'll qualify for the academy's Unique Class."
This was Tyler Sherman... the cold yet ambitious beauty of the younger Sherman generation. She had just defeated a 2-star Purple Poison Spider, a feat that marked her among the top contenders.
She struggled to her feet, wobbling toward the spider's corpse. Digging out its core, she stored it away and began dragging her battered body toward the dungeon's center.
---
Elsewhere, three youths stood together, their expressions tense. One of them, dressed in black and calmly spinning a dagger between his fingers, looked especially composed—at least on the surface. But the dark aura swirling around him betrayed his inner unrest.
It was Denis Sherman.
"Have you seen him?" he asked.
"No. The dungeon's too vast," replied Grant—the one-handed, burly youth with a scowl on his face. He may have lost an arm, but his hatred was fully intact. As long as he drew breath, he wanted him dead.
The third youth, Thur Sherman, stood quietly, still pale from his Exhaustion or something, but firm in his stance. Though normally Denis' rival, vengeance had made allies out of enemies.
"I suggest we move toward the dungeon center. We might encounter him on the way," Thur offered.
"Let's go," Denis agreed, and the trio set off.
---
At another end of the battlefield, a storm raged.
Haha.. hahaha!
Bathed in lightning, a figure laughed like a madman as he fought off six 1-star+ monsters at once. His blade crackled with electricity, carving through enemy after enemy with unrelenting ferocity.
This was Brain Magnus—the berserking fool of the Magnus family.
Watching from the side, arms crossed and face unreadable, was Max Magnus. Though less chaotic in nature, Max was no weaker. He wasn't just Brain's cousin... he was Brain's Life-Blade, a traditional guardian assigned to protect and train alongside the family next heir from birth.
Brain was unhinged. Max was calculated. Together, they were lethal.
When Brain finally ended the slaughter, Max walked up calmly. "We need to head toward the dungeon center. Tomorrow marks the end of the survival trial. I have a feeling something big is going to happen."
"Tch. Let's go... since you're scared or whatever," Brain sneered with a smirk.
---
From a bird's eye view, the landscape of the dungeon told a silent story. Shadows moved. Figures advanced. Blood marked the paths they left behind. And all of them... Morca, Laura, Leo, Denis, Tyler, Brain, and countless others—were converging.
A strange pattern was forming across the vast dungeon.
All part were leading to one place...
The Dungeon's Heart.
And what waited there?
No one knew.
But one thing was certain—
Something is about to happen there...