The world twisted.
Colors blended, stretched, then snapped back into place as Aiden's foot touched solid ground inside the dungeon. Cold air washed over him—damp, metallic, and filled with the faint scent of sulfur.
Dark stone walls surrounded him, carved naturally rather than built. Cracks ran along the surfaces, oozing thin wisps of fog that glowed faintly blue.
Aiden exhaled slowly.
"So this is an E-rank dungeon…"
He tightened his grip on the wolf fangs tied at his neck. They felt heavier than before—almost humming with a strange energy.
A faint growl echoed through the cavern.
Aiden's head turned instantly.
His senses… were sharper now. The mockery and hatred he absorbed back in the academy had filled him with a strength he'd never known.
His muscles coiled.
His heartbeat steady.
His eyes cold and focused.
**Step.**
**Step.**
**Step.**
Something was approaching.
Then—
A creature emerged from behind a cluster of stalagmites.
A **Stoneback Cobold**.
Small, hunched, with glowing red eyes and rocky plates sticking from its back.
A standard E-Rank beast.
But matched against his new stats?
Aiden cracked his knuckles.
"Perfect warm-up."
The kobold screeched and charged.
Aiden moved before it even reached him.
His fist shot forward, powered by +39 STR gained from the academy alone, smashing straight into the kobold's skull. The creature flew back, crashed into the wall, and crumpled lifelessly.
A notification appeared.
**[Stoneback Kobold Defeated ]
Drop Acquired:KoboldClaw (Sharp Material)**
Aiden blinked.
"…One hit."
This was the first time in his life something died from a single punch.
And God—it felt good.
He continued through the winding cavern, footsteps echoing softly. More kobolds appeared—three at once this time. They screeched and closed in from different angles.
Aiden didn't hesitate.
He dodged the first claw, grabbed the second kobold by the neck, and slammed it into the third. Their bodies cracked against each other like brittle wood.
**Two down.**
The last one leapt at him, jaws wide.
Aiden barely tilted his head aside.
The creature landed on his shoulder—
—and Aiden grabbed it by the throat and crushed the life out of it.
[3 Enemies Defeated]
He wiped his hands on the dungeon floor and took a breath. His heart wasn't racing. His limbs weren't shaking.
This wasn't luck.
This was power.
Real power.
The kind he had been denied his entire life.
And now, he could grow infinitely.
Aiden walked deeper.
The cavern gradually narrowed, then widened again until he reached a massive chamber. Bioluminescent moss glowed along the walls, casting eerie green light across the stone floor.
In the center—
Stood a massive door.
Rusty, ancient, covered in symbols he didn't recognize.
It hummed faintly.
"…This isn't normal," Aiden whispered.
E-rank dungeons were simple. One main area, a few sub-sections, a boss at the end. Nothing fancy.
But this door…
It felt like it didn't belong here.
He stepped closer.
Something tugged at his chest—the same faint pull he had felt when the giant wolf on the island stared at him.
A presence.
A consciousness.
*Something is behind this door… watching.*
Aiden's hand hovered inches above the rusted metal.
The moment he touched it—
**The entire dungeon trembled.**
A shockwave blasted outward, shaking the cavern and knocking loose pebbles from the ceiling.
The symbols on the door lit up.
One by one.
Glowing blood-red.
Then a voice whispered behind him.
Aiden froze.
Slowly, he turned around.
A figure stood there.
Not a kobold.
Not a wolf.
Not any monster he recognized.
It was humanoid.
Tall.
Thin.
Skin pale as moonlight.
Eyes entirely black, without whites or pupils.
Its fingers were long and sharp, dripping with a black liquid that sizzled as it hit the floor.
And it spoke again—this time louder, clearer.
"Aiden Blackwood…"
Aiden's breath caught.
"How do you know my—"
The creature tilted its head.
"You were not supposed to enter an E-rank dungeon."
Aiden narrowed his eyes.
"You can talk?"
It took a step forward.
"And you… were not supposed to survive."
Every instinct screamed at Aiden to run.
The System flickered.
**[Warning: Entity Detected]
Rank: ???
Race: Unknown
Intent: Hostile]
The creature smiled.
A row of needle-like teeth gleamed.
"Aiden Blackwood… your existence is an error."
Aiden took a step back.
"What… the hell are you?"
The creature raised its hand.
The dungeon shook again.
And the ancient door behind Aiden slowly began to open.
The creature whispered—
"**Your system was never meant to awaken. And now… we have come to correct the mistake.**"
The door behind him burst open—
And an enormous shadow began
crawling out.
Aiden's heart dropped.
Chapter 06 Ends
**To Be Continued…**
Hi it's the author of you guys like my novel story please make sure to give it a nice rating and comment your thoughts of what you guys like in this chapter the most