The howl came again.
Closer this time.
Leo gripped his dagger tightly, though he knew it was a toothpick against whatever was coming.
The corridor ahead glimmered faintly with reflected light. Something big was moving toward him.
The system didn't make him wait long.
──────────────
[Trial Sub-Boss: Direfang — Spawn of the Keeper]
──────────────
Leo muttered, "Oh good… the Minotaur had kids."
It stepped into view — a wolf, if wolves were the size of a van and made of lean muscle wrapped in matted, blood-dark fur. Its fangs were jagged, jutting past its lips even when its mouth was closed.
Its eyes locked on him and narrowed.
Leo took a step back. "Alright, big guy… let's test-drive the new me."
The Direfang roared and pounced.
Leo didn't dodge in time. Claws like hooked knives slammed into his shoulder, sending him crashing to the ground. He rolled, ribs flaring again.
HP: 74% → 39%
Leo winced. "Yep. Still hurts like hell."
The wolf charged again, jaws snapping for his throat. Leo raised his dagger on instinct — but before the bite landed, something flared in his chest.
A pale light surged through him, spilling into his limbs. His muscles felt electric — heavier, stronger, faster.
He caught the Direfang's jaws mid-bite.
It tried to force them closed. Couldn't.
Leo's arms didn't tremble.
"What the…" he breathed. "I'm holding it."
The pulse in his chest deepened. His wounds — the ones he'd been nursing for hours — began to stitch themselves closed. Warmth spread under his skin, knitting muscle and bone with impossible speed.
HP: 39% → 61% → 85%
The Direfang growled, sensing something was wrong. Leo bared his teeth in return.
"Yeah… your turn to panic."
He shoved the beast's head to the side and slammed his dagger upward into the seam under its jaw. Pale light crackled along the blade, bursting into the wound like fire in dry grass.
The Direfang screamed — an ugly, high-pitched sound for something so big — and collapsed sideways. Its body twitched once… then went still.
The system chimed.
──────────────
[Direfang Defeated]
+350 EXP
──────────────
Leo stood there for a moment, chest heaving. He stared at his hands. No shaking. No weakness.
"…Okay," he muttered, "I could get used to this."
The pulse in his chest faded to a steady hum.
And then — the system's final message appeared.
──────────────
[Trial Complete]
[Gate Will Close in 60 Seconds]
──────────────
Leo blinked. "Wait… that's it? I just… leave?"
The chamber around him shimmered faintly. The same beautiful ripple in the air he'd been waiting for hours to see now spread across the far wall.
Relief flooded through him.
"Yeah," he said, forcing a tired grin. "I'm going home."
He stepped toward the exit. The light washed over him, pulling him forward. The dungeon's damp, stale air gave way to the crisp scent of the outside world.
And for the first time since stepping into this nightmare… Leo exhaled without the weight of the Trial pressing on his lungs.
But that steady hum in his chest didn't fade.
---
A/N: Did you like the "Pale Sovereign" or should I change it into something different? Also, sorry for the low chapter word count, I just didn't have time to write two chapters.