The heavy gate creaked open as Ethan pushed it, vines snapping and curling back as if retreating from his presence. The smell hit him first—wet fur, decay, and a strange coppery tang that coated the air. Blue-glowing mushrooms ringed the wide cavern inside, giving the space an eerie luminescence. Shadows danced across the stone walls as the fungi pulsed with mana energy.
At the center of the room stood the boss.
A monstrous rat, easily the size of a small car, sat hunched on a moss-covered mound. Its fur was mottled and slick, hanging in wet clumps. Its red eyes burned like coals, and its long yellowed fangs jutted out of its snarling mouth. Muscles rippled beneath its thick hide as it stirred.
[Rotwood Den Boss - Diseased Fangrat - F-Rank Boss]
HP: 2000 / 2000
Ethan let out a slow breath. "Alright. Fifteen fireballs. No mistakes."
The Fangrat lunged with terrifying speed for something so massive.
"Fireball!"
The first blast caught the creature in its shoulder, singing flesh and drawing an enraged screech.
-134
Ethan immediately rolled to the side, keeping his distance. The boss's claws slammed into the ground where he'd stood, splintering stone. He cast another fireball.
-134
The Fangrat's HP dropped steadily, but the beast adapted quickly. It began zigzagging, bounding unpredictably to avoid the obvious attack pattern. Ethan widened his stance, bracing himself, and adjusted his timing.
"Fireball!"
-134
Another.
-134
At 1200 HP remaining, the boss reared up and screeched. A wave of foul green mist surged from its body, enveloping most of the room.
[Status Effect: Poison Cloud - 30 seconds]
Ethan coughed and held his breath just in time to avoid the full brunt of the effect. Visibility dropped. He backed off, using the glow of the mushrooms to track the boss's shadow. He shot another Fireball into the mist.
-134
A roar answered. It connected.
A flash of movement to his right. He jumped back just in time to avoid claws raking across his chest.
"You're not catching me twice," he muttered.
Another fireball.
-134
The creature screeched again and charged.
Ethan ran, keeping distance. He checked his mana.
Mana: 872 / 940
Still plenty.
He pivoted and released two fireballs in quick succession.
-134
-134
HP: 526 / 2000
The beast slowed, bleeding heavily. It panted, swaying.
Ethan narrowed his eyes. Time to end it.
Fireball!
-134
HP: 392
Fireball!
-134
HP: 258
The Fangrat roared one last time, preparing for a desperate lunge.
Fireball!
-134
HP: 124
Ethan held his ground.
"Fireball."
The final blast hit the Fangrat square in its open maw.
-134
The boss howled as its body erupted into glowing blue fragments, dissolving like dust into the dungeon air. A pulse spread through the chamber, and the gate behind him flickered back into view.
A soft chime echoed in his mind.
[Boss Defeated: Diseased Fangrat]
[Dungeon Completion: 100%]
Ethan stepped forward, brushing dust off his armor. His eyes locked onto the glowing pile left behind. A single mana crystal rested in the center.
He crouched and picked it up.
[Mana Crystal Acquired: 1x F-Rank Boss]
That was it. No weapon. No scroll. No spellbook.
He frowned. "Guess the loot gods aren't smiling today."
He knew the odds—10% for gear, 1% for spells—but he still felt the sting of disappointment.
Still, he had cleared an entire dungeon on his own in just under two hours.
Even the strongest F-rank awakeners took six to eight.
That thought steadied him. He wasn't done.
With a sigh, he sat cross-legged on the stone floor, his back to the far wall of the boss chamber. He looked at his mana.
Mana: 796 / 940
Time to grind.
He forced his mana down to zero with rapid fireballs at the wall, exhausting it entirely. A dull ache filled his body.
[Mana Exhaustion Detected]
[Mana Overflow Activated]
[+1 Mana, +1 Spell Power]
He closed his eyes and waited.
One hour.
Then again.
[Mana Exhaustion Detected]
Another hour passed.
He repeated the cycle.
Fireballs. Zero mana. Wait.
Hours bled together. The ache grew more intense with each depletion. It wasn't painful, just tiring. His body protested, but he pushed through.
[Mana Exhaustion Detected]
[Mana Exhaustion Detected]
He had enough food and water in his backpack to sustain him. He drank in sips, chewed quietly. The air never seemed to grow more breathable.
[Mana Exhaustion Detected]
The last two were the hardest. His thoughts slowed. Focus wavered. But he knew each exhaustion helped increase his total mana pool over time, pushed his regeneration, and toughened his core.
[Mana Exhaustion Detected]
[Mana Exhaustion Detected]
[Mana Exhaustion Detected]
Nine hours in the dungeon.
He stood slowly, muscles tight, joints stiff.
He walked to the glowing portal and looked back once, taking in the now-empty boss room. A sense of quiet satisfaction swelled in his chest.
He stepped through.
Back to the surface. Stronger than he had entered.
…
Outside, the sun hung low in the sky, casting golden hues across the rooftops of Potsdam. Ethan adjusted his gear and made his way through the winding streets, backpack snug against his shoulder. A subtle pulse of mana hummed from within, the weight of his spoils comforting.
He arrived at the Awakeners Association just as the evening rush began to slow. The receptionist, the same woman from before, raised a brow when she saw him.
"Back already?"
Ethan said nothing and simply placed his pack on the counter, unzipping it to reveal 103 neatly stacked F-rank mana crystals. The blue glow illuminated the polished desk.
Her eyes widened. "That's... quite the haul for a solo F-rank. Let me count."
A few moments later, after a quick scan and verification process, the system chimed:
[103 x F-Rank Mana Crystals Sold]
[Credit Transferred: $5,150]
"Efficient work," she said, handing him a printed receipt.
Ethan nodded, offering a faint smile. "Thanks."
As he stepped outside, a strange wave of reflection washed over him. Over five thousand dollars. In one day. He clenched the receipt lightly, staring at the numbers. That amount had taken his parents years to save—a painfully scraped-together gift they handed him so he could chase a dream they never had the luxury to chase themselves.
And here he was, matching that sum in a single run.
He turned and left the building, but his hand gently patted the inner pocket of his chestplate—inside rested the single mana crystal he hadn't sold.
The boss crystal.
A gift for his little sister.
He walked through the familiar streets of Potsdam, passing cafes winding down for the day and street lamps flickering to life. The city buzzed quietly in the background, a reminder of the world he was fighting to rise in.
As the last light of day faded into the soft glow of evening, Ethan's footsteps quickened.
He couldn't wait to see Alice's face tomorrow.