Scarlet did not accompany me that day.
She only said in the morning: "Go alone."
She didn't explain the reason. She didn't need to.
I already knew which dungeon she wanted me to face.
The most feared Rank S in the region. The one adventurers spoke about in low voices as "the one that kills heroes." The place where experienced groups had been wiped out for underestimating the environment, not the monsters.
I left early, with the air still cold and my mind silent.
The path there felt shorter than the first times. Not because the trail had changed, but because my head was no longer occupied trying to anticipate dangers. I didn't think about what could happen. I simply walked.
The entrance of the dungeon was as always. Dark, damp stone, the characteristic smell of still air. No sound coming from inside.
I took a single deep breath and entered.
The difference began there.
Before, every step inside that place demanded total attention. I analyzed the ceiling, the walls, the floor. I expected attacks at any moment.
This time, I simply moved forward.
The first monster appeared from the right side of the corridor. A giant lizard, fast, with long claws. I didn't stop. I didn't change my posture. I didn't prepare a strike.
The sword moved on its own.
A clean cut.
The body fell before I even finished the step.
I felt no effort.
I kept walking.
Two more appeared ahead. A direct charge. In the past, that would have made me retreat to gain space. Now, I advanced.
Two short movements.
Silence again.
I realized my breathing hadn't changed.
The corridor opened into a larger chamber. That used to be the first place where adventurers died. Not because of the monsters, but because of confusion. Creatures came from several sides at once.
They came.
Five.
I didn't think about attack order. I didn't think about priority.
My body already knew.
Spin. Low cut. Side step. Precise strike. Another spin.
When I stopped, they were all on the ground.
I looked around.
Not a single drop of blood on me.
I was still at the beginning of the dungeon.
I kept advancing.
The feeling was strange. It didn't feel like I was facing a Rank S. It felt like I was reviewing something I already knew too well.
The second sector had natural traps. Falling rocks, unstable ground, creatures that blended into the environment.
I didn't slow down.
I dodged a rock without looking up. I stepped on the firm parts of the ground without needing to test them. I noticed a camouflaged monster only by the movement of the air and defeated it without stopping my walk.
It wasn't forced attention.
It was automatic reading.
When I reached the central part of the dungeon, where the dominant creature stayed, I stopped for a second.
Not out of fear.
Out of perception.
I wasn't tired.
I entered the open area.
The creature emerged from the depths. Large, heavy, with a hard shell and long arms. In the past, I would have studied its movements for minutes before attacking.
This time, I advanced first.
It tried to react.
It couldn't.
The fight lasted only a few seconds. A weak point found almost instantly. A single decisive strike.
The creature's body fell with a heavy sound that echoed through the cavern.
Total silence.
I looked around, expecting to feel something.
Fatigue. Tension. Relief.
Nothing came.
Only calm.
That was when I realized.
I had crossed the entire dungeon without noticing.
Without planning.
Without forcing it.
The sword felt light in my hand. My body was loose. My mind, clear.
I left the central area and retraced my path to the entrance.
When daylight touched my face, I stopped.
I looked at the sky for a few seconds.
I tried to remember how much time had passed inside.
It felt short.
Very short.
I returned to the city walking at the same pace as always. I didn't quicken my steps. I felt no urgency.
When I arrived at the Guild, some adventurers looked at me strangely.
One of them asked, "Didn't you go to the Rank S dungeon?"
I confirmed with a nod.
He frowned. "But you just left."
That was when I understood.
I had entered, crossed, and exited so quickly that, to those outside, it seemed impossible.
Some began whispering.
Others looked at me as if trying to figure out whether it was true.
I said nothing.
I just took water from the counter and drank calmly.
I felt no pride.
I felt clarity.
Scarlet was right.
The training hadn't just made me stronger in power.
It had made me efficient.
When I left the Guild, I noticed people were still looking.
Not like before.
Before, they looked with curiosity.
Now, they looked with respect.
I returned to the mansion in silence.
As soon as I entered, Rai'kanna noticed something.
"You're different."
I smiled slightly.
"I just went to train."
She stared at me for a few seconds, as if trying to measure something invisible.
The others came soon after.
Liriel, Elara, and Vespera approached.
Elara asked, "Was it difficult?"
I thought about the question.
"No."
And that was the most honest answer I could give.
That night, sitting on the front steps, I kept remembering how that dungeon had seemed impossible not long ago.
And now…
It felt small.
Not because it had changed.
But because I had changed.
I closed my eyes for a moment.
For the first time, I felt like I was beginning to understand what Scarlet had been trying to teach me from the start.
Strength is not about winning.
It is about making the difficult seem simple.
And that day, the dungeon that killed heroes…
Couldn't even slow me down.