"WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?!"

Frila's scream echoed through the dungeon corridor as she pressed herself against the stone wall, her spatial manipulation abilities creating a defensive barrier that barely held against the overwhelming pressure radiating from deeper within.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Velraeth's maniacal laughter rang out, followed immediately by...

*BOOOOOMMM!!!*

An explosion of crimson energy painted the tunnel walls with visceral reality, the shockwave strong enough to make Frila's ears ring.

'How did we get here?'

The thought flashed through her mind with desperate confusion.

'How did a simple dungeon dive turn into... into THIS?!'

***

One hour earlier.

*BANG!*

Frila's mouth fell open as she watched Nero's fist connect with a B-tier Razorclaw Tiger's skull with enough force to crater the bone inward.

The monster's head literally caved in on itself, brain matter and blood exploding outward in a gruesome spray that painted the dungeon floor crimson.

The creature's body hadn't even registered death yet, its legs still twitching with residual nerve impulses as it collapsed.

"What... the..."

This was already their second dungeon.

The first one, rated C-tier, had been... underwhelming.

Nero had cleared it so quickly that Frila barely had time to process what was happening.

One moment they'd entered.

The next, every monster lay dead in systematically efficient kills that showed frightening precision.

The guard at the entrance had been shocked when Nero reported completion so casually.

"Cleared? Already? You were only inside for—"

"Twenty minutes, yeah."

"That's... let me verify with the others inside."

The testimonies had come back with unanimous bewilderment.

"He moved like a demon."

"I've never seen anyone that efficient."

"Precise. Cold. No wasted movement."

By the time the guard finished processing the reports, Nero and his group were already gone.

And now...

*CRACK!*

Frila watched with mounting horror as Nero grabbed two B-tier Tiger Tyrants by their massive heads, each beast easily weighing over 400 kilograms of pure muscle and fury.

His enhanced strength allowed him to lift them like they were stuffed toys.

Then he slammed their skulls together with devastating force.

*CRUNCH!*

The sound of shattering bone echoed through the corridor, followed by wet splatter as brain matter mixed with blood and painted everything nearby in grotesque abstract art.

Both tigers dropped simultaneously, their bodies convulsing as their nervous systems short-circuited from catastrophic cranial trauma.

"Good."

Velraeth's nasty grin showed all those razor-sharp teeth, her ember eyes gleaming with approval as she circled Nero like a predator assessing another predator.

"You're getting stronger. Your body is finally catching up to your mind. Remember, physical foundation is everything. Magic and technique mean nothing if your flesh can't handle the strain."

Nero nodded, blood dripping from his hands as he surveyed the carnage around them.

The dungeon corridor looked like an abattoir.

Monster corpses littered the ground in various states of destruction.

Some had their throats torn out with surgical precision.

Others bore massive trauma wounds from overwhelming force.

A few had been systematically dismantled, limbs separated from torsos with mechanical efficiency.

"Let's keep moving," he said calmly, wiping blood from his face with the back of his hand.

The casual gesture only smeared it further, giving him an appearance that made Frila's stomach turn.

*Whoosh!*

He moved forward without waiting for confirmation, his enhanced perception already tracking the next cluster of monsters deeper in the dungeon.

*ROOOAAARR!!!*

Three B-tier Stone Golems emerged from side passages, their massive forms blocking the corridor with bodies constructed from animated rock and hardened minerals.

Each one stood over 3 meters tall, arms thick as tree trunks ending in fists that could pulverize steel.

Nero didn't slow down.

*BANG!*

His fist connected with the first golem's chest, the impact creating spiderweb cracks across its stone body.

But instead of shattering immediately, the golem swung back with devastating force.

*Whoosh!*

Nero ducked beneath the blow, his enhanced reflexes making the massive fist seem to move in slow motion.

Then he drove an uppercut directly into the crack he'd created.

*CRASH!*

The golem's torso exploded outward, stone fragments spraying everywhere as its core shattered from internal pressure.

The animated construct collapsed into rubble.

'He's not even using magic,' Frila thought with growing disbelief. 'Just raw physical power and technique.'

The second golem attacked from his blind spot, its massive fist descending toward Nero's head with enough force to flatten him into paste.

But–

*Clang!*

Nero caught the fist with both hands, his muscles straining visibly as he arrested the momentum.

Then he twisted.

*CRACK!*

The golem's arm separated from its body, torn off through sheer mechanical advantage and overwhelming strength.

He used the severed limb as a weapon, swinging it like a club.

*CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!*

Three strikes pulverized the second golem's head, reducing its control center to powder.

The third golem tried to flee, its limited intelligence recognizing the threat level.

Too late.

*Whoosh!*

Nero closed the distance in a single explosive step, his movement creating a gust that scattered dust.

His hand plunged directly into the golem's back, fingers digging through stone like it was wet clay.

*CRUNCH!*

He ripped out the golem's core, the glowing crystal pulsing with contained mana.

The construct collapsed immediately, its animating force destroyed.

Nero crushed the core in his fist, the crystal shattering into powder that drifted away like snow.

"..."

Frila stood frozen, her brain trying to process what she'd witnessed.

B-tier monsters.

Creatures that would normally require coordinated party efforts to defeat safely.

Nero had just dismantled three of them in under a minute using nothing but physical capability and combat technique.

'Is this what comprehensive training does to someone?'

The thought carried both awe and terror.

She'd seen his progression over the past weeks.

Watched him transform from competent but limited into... into this.

*ROOOAAARRR!!!*

A massive bellow echoed from deeper in the dungeon, followed by the sound of something enormous moving.

*THUD. THUD. THUD.*

Rhythmic impacts suggested a creature of significant size approaching their location.

"Ooh."

Velraeth's grin widened impossibly further, her tail swishing with obvious excitement.

"Something big is coming. This might actually be entertaining."

The corridor ahead darkened as an enormous figure emerged from the shadows.

A B-tier Armored Behemoth.

Easily 5 meters tall, its body covered in natural armor plates that looked like they could deflect cannon fire.

Massive tusks protruded from its lower jaw, each one thick as a human torso and sharp enough to impale.

Its eyes glowed with predatory intelligence far beyond normal B-tier monsters.

*ROOOAAARRR!!!*

The creature charged, its massive bulk accelerating with surprising speed.

The corridor shook from the impact of its footfalls, dust raining from the ceiling.

Nero shifted his stance, muscles coiling as he prepared to meet the charge head-on.

"Wait, you're not actually going to—"

Frila's protest died as Nero launched himself forward.

*BOOM!*

The impact of their collision created a shockwave that cracked the dungeon walls.

Nero's fist connected with the Behemoth's armored skull, the force of the blow stopping its charge completely.

The creature's head snapped back, its eyes widening with shock.

Then Nero's other fist came up in a brutal uppercut.

*CRACK!*

The armor plate covering the creature's jaw shattered, fragments of natural defense scattering across the ground.

The Behemoth roared in pain and fury, its massive tusks swinging toward Nero like battering rams.

*Whoosh!*

He twisted aside, the tusks missing by centimeters as he used the creature's momentum against it.

His hand shot out, fingers wrapping around one of the tusks.

Then he pulled.

*CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!*

The sound of bone and cartilage separating echoed through the corridor as Nero literally tore the tusk from the creature's skull.

Blood sprayed in a crimson arc, painting everything nearby.

The Behemoth screamed, its anguish making Frila's ears ring.

But Nero wasn't finished.

He reversed his grip on the severed tusk, now wielding it like a massive spear.

*WHOOSH!*

The improvised weapon plunged directly into the creature's eye socket, penetrating deep into its brain.

The Behemoth's scream cut off abruptly, its massive body convulsing as catastrophic brain damage shut down all functions.

*THUD!*

The creature collapsed, its weight shaking the entire corridor.

Blood pooled around its corpse, mixing with shattered armor fragments and creating a grotesque tableau.

Nero stood atop the fallen Behemoth, breathing steadily despite the intense combat.

Blood covered him from head to toe, the crimson coating making him look like some kind of demon emerged from a painting of hell.

But his eyes remained sharp, focused, analyzing.

"..."

Velraeth nodded with obvious approval, her ember eyes gleaming with something between pride and excitement.

"Good. You're finally starting to understand what real combat looks like. No hesitation. No wasted movement. Just efficient violence applied with overwhelming force."

She walked around the Behemoth's corpse, examining Nero's work with professional interest.

"Your physical foundation is solid now. The muscle memory from my training has integrated properly. You're ready for the next level."

"Which is?"

"A-tier dungeon."

The declaration made Frila's blood run cold.

"W-Wait, A-tier? That's—"

"Perfect for testing his current capabilities," Velraeth interrupted with her characteristic grin. "He's more than outgrown B-tier dungeons. Time to see how he handles something actually challenging."

Just as Nero opened his mouth to respond—

"H-HELP!!!"

The desperate scream echoed from deeper in the dungeon, followed by the sound of multiple people running in panic.

*THUD! THUD! THUD!*

Heavy footfalls approached rapidly, accompanied by labored breathing and terrified whimpers.

"!!!"

The group immediately moved deeper into the corridor, following the source of the distress.

What they found made even Velraeth pause.

A party of adventurers stumbled into view, their armor torn and bloodied.

Six members total, though two were being supported by their companions, their injuries severe enough to prevent independent movement.

"What happened?" Frila asked immediately, her concern overriding her earlier shock.

The party's leader, a grizzled warrior with a massive scar across his face, looked at them with eyes that had seen something that broke his composure completely.

"Monster," he gasped, his voice trembling despite obvious efforts to maintain control. "Unlike anything we've ever encountered. Huge... massive lion with scales like a dragon. It killed half our party before we could even react."

"..."

Velraeth's expression shifted immediately.

The playful violence vanished, replaced by genuine interest mixed with something darker.

Her ember eyes narrowed, vertical pupils dilating as she processed the description.

"Red Draion."

The name came out flat, stating a fact rather than asking a question.

"An SR-tier mutated monster."

"!!!"

Frila felt her blood freeze in her veins, the color draining from her face as memories crashed through her mind with horrifying clarity.

Vincent.

The blob of flesh he'd become.

The overwhelming power that had nearly killed all of them.

That had been SR-tier.

And now they were facing another one?

"We need to run!" she said urgently, her spatial manipulation abilities already preparing escape routes. "SR-tier is beyond anything we can handle! We barely survived last time and that was with—"

"Why would we run from something so weak?"

Velraeth's question cut through Frila's panic with genuine confusion, as if the dragon woman couldn't comprehend the concept of retreat.

"Eh?"

Frila blinked, her brain short-circuiting from the casual dismissal of an SR-tier threat.

"Look at him."

Velraeth's nasty grin returned in full force as she gestured toward Nero with obvious pride.

Frila's eyes followed the gesture, really looking at Nero for the first time since the dungeon dive began.

"!!!"

And then she saw it.

*Thump.*

Her heart skipped a beat as recognition crashed through her consciousness.

Nero stood there, bathed in monster blood, his posture relaxed despite the carnage surrounding them.

But it wasn't just his appearance that had changed.

His presence.

The aura radiating from him carried weight and calmness unlike his raging and wild self when he faced Vincent before.

Confidence born from genuine capability rather than false bravado.

And his eyes...

Those eyes that had once shown hesitation now held nothing but cold calculation.

Assessing. Analyzing. Already planning how to dismantle whatever threat emerged.

'W-When did he become this strong?'

The question emerged with genuine shock.

She'd been watching his training.

Seen the progress.

But somehow, witnessing it applied in actual combat made the transformation real in ways observation never could.

This wasn't the same person who'd struggled against lower-tier threats just weeks ago.

This was someone who'd systematically dismantled everything this dungeon threw at him without breaking stride.

*ROOOAAARRR!!!*

A bellow that shook the entire dungeon complex erupted from the depths, accompanied by heat that made the air shimmer.

The Red Draion was coming.

And based on the sound alone, it was massive.

Frila's instincts screamed to flee, every survival impulse demanding immediate retreat from a threat that could end them all.

But then she looked at Nero again.

Saw the slight smile playing on his lips.

The eager anticipation rather than fear.

And realized with dawning horror and excitement…

"Heh."

He was actually looking forward to how much he has grown in this short time.

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