*ROOOOAAARRR!!!*

The Red Draion's roar shattered the cavern's oppressive silence.

The sound carried physical force, creating visible shockwaves that cracked stone and sent loose debris raining from the ceiling.

Its massive form filled the chamber, crimson scales gleaming like polished rubies in the dim light.

Wings spread wide enough to create hurricane winds with a single flap.

Claws that could shred steel scraped against the floor, leaving deep gouges in solid rock.

And those eyes.

Vertical pupils burning with primal fury locked onto Nero with predatory focus.

"Now that's more like it!"

Velraeth's maniacal grin stretched across her face as she observed from the chamber's edge.

Her ember eyes gleamed with obvious excitement, tail swishing with barely-contained enthusiasm.

"A proper apex predator! Let's see how you handle this, human!"

"..."

Frila stood nearby, her spatial manipulation abilities ready to intervene if necessary.

Sweat beaded on her forehead despite the distance, the Draion's overwhelming presence making her instincts scream danger.

The other adventurers had wisely retreated to the chamber's far corners, giving the battlefield plenty of space.

Nobody wanted to be caught in whatever was about to happen.

*WHOOOOSH!!!*

The Red Draion lunged without warning, its jaws opening wide enough to swallow a truck.

Rows of dagger-like teeth abnormal of a lion's head gleamed as it moved with speed that shouldn't be possible for something so massive.

Most people would have frozen.

Would have panicked at the sight of death approaching with unstoppable momentum.

But Nero's Dark Heart skill stripped away fear, leaving only cold tactical analysis.

'Too linear. Overcommitting to the initial strike.'

*Whoosh!*

He sidestepped at the last possible moment, the Draion's jaws snapping shut on empty air where he'd been standing a heartbeat before.

The displaced wind from its attack sent him sliding backward several meters.

*CRACK!*

Its scaled tail whipped around in immediate follow-up, the appendage moving like a battering ram aimed at his ribs.

'Predictable counter. Using momentum from the failed bite.'

Nero dropped into a slide, passing beneath the tail strike as it whistled overhead.

He came up in a crouch, already moving before the Draion could adjust.

*SLASH!*

Dawnbreaker cut across the Draion's foreleg, the SR-tier shortsword finding the gap between scales.

Blood sprayed, dark crimson that hissed when it hit the ground.

"First blood!"

Velraeth called out with obvious approval.

"Not bad!"

*ROOOAARRR!!!*

The Draion's fury intensified, pain triggering berserker instincts.

Its front claws slammed down with earth-shaking force, creating a localized earthquake that buckled the floor.

*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*

Nero's enhanced agility kept him mobile despite the unstable footing, his movements adapted to the shifting terrain.

'It's strong. Way stronger than anything I've faced before.'

The realization came with perfect clarity.

'But strength without precision is just noise.'

The Draion's attacks were devastating, certainly.

Each strike carried enough force to pulverize stone and shatter bone.

But they were also telegraphed, following patterns that became readable once you stripped away the intimidation factor.

'Lunge. Tail sweep. Claw strike. Wing buffet. Repeat.'

His Omni-Mimesis ability cataloged every movement, building a mental database of the Draion's combat patterns.

What should have taken hours of observation was processed in seconds.

*Whoosh! Slash! Dodge!*

Nero moved like liquid shadow, his shortsword finding gaps in the Draion's natural armor with surgical precision.

Each cut was shallow, barely drawing blood.

But they accumulated.

Left foreleg. Right flank. Tail base. Wing joint.

Dozens of minor wounds that individually meant nothing but collectively created a web of pain.

"He's wearing it down," one of the observing adventurers whispered in awe. "Actually systematically dismantling an SR-tier Draion."

"That shouldn't be possible..."

"But he's doing it anyway."

*ROOOAAARRR!!!*

The Draion reared back, its chest expanding as magical energy gathered in its throat.

The temperature spiked dramatically, heat radiating in waves that made the air shimmer.

'Draion breath. Area denial attack.'

Nero's analytical mind processed the threat instantly.

'Can't dodge this one. I need a different approach.'

His hand moved to his chest, fingers brushing against the metallic surface of the system interface only he could see.

"Metalloid Transformation."

*CRAAAACK!!!*

His body erupted in grey metallic scales, the transformation instantaneous and complete.

Muscle mass tripled as draconic power flooded through his system.

Strength multiplied beyond human limitations.

Durability increased to levels that could shrug off conventional weaponry.

The physical change was so dramatic that several onlookers gasped audibly.

*FWOOOOOOSH!!!*

Crimson flames exploded from the Draion's maw, a torrent of fire hot enough to melt steel.

The entire chamber lit up like the sun had descended into the cavern.

But instead of dodging...

*CRASH!!!*

Nero charged directly through the flames, his transformed body tanking the heat that would have incinerated normal flesh.

The fire washed over his metallic scales, creating a spectacular light show but dealing minimal actual damage.

His new durability rendered the attack merely uncomfortable rather than lethal.

"WHAT?!"

Even Velraeth looked shocked, her ember eyes widening at the sight.

"He just... ran through Draion fire?!"

*WHAM!!!*

Nero's fist, now enhanced by Metalloid Transformation's massive strength boost, slammed into the Draion's jaw with devastating force.

The impact created a visible shockwave, the sound echoing like a cannon blast.

*CRACK!!!*

Several of the Draion's teeth shattered, fragments flying in all directions.

The massive creature's head snapped sideways from the blow, its entire body staggering.

'Strength is 100% higher. Vitality increased by 120%. This form is incredible.'

The thought came with savage satisfaction as Nero pressed his advantage.

*WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!*

His transformed fists hammered into the Draion's skull, each strike backed by power that matched the beast's own strength.

The Draion tried to counter, its claws raking across Nero's metallic body.

*SCREECH!!!*

Metal scraped against metal, creating ear-piercing sounds but failing to penetrate his enhanced durability.

The 10% physical resistance from Metalloid Transformation combined with his already impressive stats created defense that could withstand SR-tier attacks.

'It's not invincible though.'

He noted as he could see the metallic scales on his fist forcibly crack from the hardness of the scale of this Draion.

Nero's analytical mind tracked his condition even while fighting.

'Let's end this quickly.'

*SLASH!!!*

He switched tactics mid-combo, Dawnbreaker appearing in his metallic hand.

The SR-tier sword given to him as a gift by Aurelia on his first training gleamed with crimson light as he channeled mana through the blade.

"Flowing Slice!"

*WHOOOOSH!!!*

The technique Aurelia had drilled into him executed flawlessly, enhanced by his current transformation.

The blade carved through scale and muscle like they were paper, opening a massive wound across the Draion's chest.

*ROOOAAARRR!!!*

The scream carried genuine pain now, not just fury.

The Red Draion stumbled backward, dark blood pouring from the grievous wound.

Its movements became sluggish, the accumulated damage finally taking its toll.

'Almost there. One more decisive strike.'

Nero's enhanced perception tracked every twitch of the Draion's muscles, reading its desperation.

*WHOOOOSH!!!*

The Draion lunged in a final desperate attack, jaws wide and claws extended.

A last-ditch attempt to take its opponent down before succumbing to its injuries.

But Nero had already anticipated the move.

'Predictable.'

*SLASH!!!*

He sidestepped the lunge, Dawnbreaker cutting upward in a perfect arc.

The blade found the Draion's throat, slicing through in between the scales and through the flesh with surgical precision.

*SPLURT!!!*

Blood erupted like a fountain, coating Nero's transformed body in dark crimson.

The Draion's momentum carried it forward, but life had already left its eyes.

*CRASH!!!*

The massive body collapsed, sliding across the chamber floor before coming to rest in a heap of cooling scales and rapidly pooling blood.

Silence fell over the cavern like a physical weight.

"..."

Nero stood atop the Draion's corpse, his metallic form still gleaming in the dim light.

Blood dripped from Dawnbreaker's blade, the shortsword having performed flawlessly throughout the battle.

His chest heaved with exertion, the Metalloid Transformation beginning to fade as he steadied his breath after all the massacre he went through.

*Crack... crack...*

The grey scales receded, his body returning to its normal human appearance.

'That's still a bit rough.'

He thought with a sort of weary satisfaction as he surveyed the battlefield.

Around him, the chamber floor was scorched and cratered from their exchange.

Deep gouges marked where the Draion's claws had struck.

Pools of blood spread in dark patterns across the stone.

And everywhere, the evidence of a battle that shouldn't have been survivable for a normal human.

"..."

Complete silence persisted for several heartbeats.

Then…

"... I-I can't believe it."

"HOLY SHIT!"

The adventurers finally found their voice, the exclamation breaking the spell.

"He actually killed it! A fucking SR-tier Draion!"

"With a shortsword and transformation magic!"

"That was the most brutal thing I've ever witnessed!"

The gathered crowd erupted into chaos, everyone talking at once.

Frila looked pale, her hands trembling slightly as the adrenaline wore off.

She'd been ready to intervene if necessary, her spatial manipulation prepared to evacuate Nero if the fight turned south.

But it hadn't been necessary.

He'd handled the SR-tier threat with overwhelming efficiency.

"..."

Velraeth approached slowly, her ember eyes studying Nero with an expression that mixed surprise with something approaching respect.

"You..."

She circled the Draion's corpse, examining the wounds with professional interest.

"You actually dominated a draion… Mhm, not bad, human."

Her grin returned, wider than before.

"That transformation. Where did you get access to draconic power?"

"Long story," Nero replied simply, it's too long to explain the whole Metalloid Transformation ability he'd copied from Marcus.

"And you used it perfectly. Timed the activation to counter the breath attack, leveraged the strength boost for decisive strikes, managed stamina to maintain the form exactly long enough to secure victory."

Velraeth's tail swished with obvious excitement.

"You're actually competent. Really competent. Not just surviving through luck or borrowed power, but genuinely skilled combat execution."

She stepped closer, her imposing frame looming over Nero despite his position atop the Draion corpse.

"I take back what I said before. You might actually be worthy of being my master."

"... Generous of you."

"Don't let it go to your head. You're still weak compared to true apex beings. But..."

Her ember eyes gleamed.

"You've got potential. Real potential. And you're not afraid to get your hands dirty."

*Ding!*

A system notification appeared in Nero's vision, interrupting the moment.

The familiar lovely text materialized with cheerful enthusiasm that contrasted sharply with his exhaustion.

[Congratulations! You have obtained 21x Premium Waifu Tickets, 5x Premium Relic Tickets!]

"..."

Nero stared at the notification, his tired brain processing the information.

21 Premium Waifu Tickets.

5 Premium Relic Tickets.

The rewards for clearing over 100 C-tier monsters, 60 B-tier, 15 A-tier, and one SR-tier Draion.

'That's... actually insane.'

The thought came with weary satisfaction.

Premium tickets were significantly more valuable than the standard bronze summons.

Higher rarity pulls, better guaranteed minimums, and access to items that could fundamentally change capability levels.

This single dungeon run had netted him resources that would take weeks or months to accumulate through normal means.

"Nero?"

Frila's concerned voice pulled his attention back to reality.

"You okay? You look exhausted."

"Just a bit sore here and there, but nothing major."

"You were amazing though! I've never seen anyone fight like that!"

Her enthusiasm was genuine, eyes shining with admiration.

"The way you adapted to every attack, found openings nobody else would see... it was like watching a master at work!"

"I'm nowhere near master level yet."

"Could've fooled me."

Nero chuckled as he jumped down the giant corpse of his prey.

'Not bad for a first day.'

His first real dungeon dive.

His first SR-tier kill.

His first demonstration of everything he'd learned through comprehensive training.

And he'd succeeded beyond expectations.

'Three teachers really do make a difference.'

The thought carried genuine gratitude as he considered Velraeth's combat conditioning, Luna's magical instruction, and Aurelia's tactical refinement.

Each had contributed to his victory today in ways that went beyond simple skill acquisition.

They'd taught him how to think, how to adapt, how to survive against overwhelming odds.

*Sigh...*

Nero took a deep breath, letting the battle tension finally drain away.

He felt good.

Really good.

Like he'd proven something important, not just to others but to himself.

The notification still floated in his vision, a reminder of resources waiting to be used.

21 Premium Waifu Tickets.

5 Premium Relic Tickets.

'Time to see what these can get me.'

But that could wait until they returned to Waifuria.

For now, he had a dungeon to finish clearing and rewards to claim.

The day was far from over.

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