As the party descended deeper, the dungeon changed.
Corridors widened.
Mana pressure increased.
Traps became lethal instead of inconvenient.
A rune ignited on the wall.
Dungeon Threat Re-Evaluated
Current Rating: D-Rank
Bron exhaled heavily.
"Now it feels right."
Lucien nodded.
Standard dungeon. Real EXP.
FLOOR 3 — PACK HUNTERS
Monsters appeared in groups: Gravebound Wolves (D-Rank)
They coordinated.
Flanked.
Retreated.
Lucien snapped commands instantly.
"Kael—front hold.
Seraphine—right flank.
Elarion—wind bind, NOW."
Blue Flame flashed—brief, precise—
burning mana channels, not bodies.
EXP Gained (Pack): 9,800
Lucien's bar ticked upward.
Copy code
EXP: 42,250 / 100,000
[█████████░░░░░░░░░░]
42%
Kael glanced at him mid-fight.
"…You're enjoying this."
Lucien laughed.
"I love efficient murder."
Elarion sighed.
"You really shouldn't phrase it like that."
ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARD — FLOOR 4
The air froze.
Mana mist crystallized.
Seraphine frowned.
"Cold."
Lucien stiffened internally.
Ice-aligned floor.
Do NOT react.
He suppressed instinct hard.
Kael noticed his hesitation.
"You okay?"
Lucien snapped back to normal.
"Yeah. Just bad memories."
They advanced.
Lucien used Blue Flame only, countering cold by mana destabilization instead of heat.
The dungeon reacted.
Walls groaned.
"…Interesting."
A whisper echoed—unheard by all but Lucien.
STATUS UPDATE — MID DUNGEON
After clearing Floor 4:
Copy code
EXP: 57,900 / 100,000
[█████████████░░░░░]
57%
Lucien's heartbeat quickened.
At this pace…
Rank D consolidation complete before exit.
ELITE ENCOUNTER — FLOOR 5
An Elite Bone Knight rose from the ground.
Rank C.
Lucien's smile faded.
"Okay," he said calmly.
"No overextensions."
Kael's grip tightened.
"No Crimson Sovereign Art."
Kael growled—but nodded.
The fight was brutal.
Bron's armor cracked.
Elarion's mana drained fast.
Seraphine bled.
Lucien stepped forward—
Blue Flame surged wider than before.
Still not Ice.
The knight collapsed.
EXP Gained (Elite): 22,000
Bonus: Near-Death Survival +8%
Lucien staggered as the EXP bar jumped.
Copy code
EXP: 79,900 / 100,000
[████████████████░]
79%
Kael stared.
"…You're close."
Lucien wiped blood from his lip and grinned.
"Yep."
Then, quietly—
"And the dungeon's not done with us yet.
The Elite Bone Knight collapsed into fragments of dead mana.
Silence followed.
Too deep.
Too heavy.
Lucien didn't relax.
He stared at the shattered core fragments on the ground—and then at the wall behind it.
"…Nobody move."
Kael frowned.
"It's dead."
"Exactly," Lucien replied.
"And the dungeon didn't reward us properly."
Alden blinked.
"What do you mean?"
Lucien crouched, touching the floor where the boss had fallen.
No chest.
No stabilizing rune.
No exit marker.
Instead—
A faint, irregular pulse.
Lucien's heart thudded.
Hidden condition met.
Elite defeated without Sovereign Art.
Party integrity above 80%.
Dungeon curiosity threshold exceeded.
Lucien smiled slowly.
"…We just unlocked optional content."
Seraphine's eyes narrowed.
"Speak clearly."
Lucien stood and pointed at the wall.
"There's a floor below this one."
THE HIDDEN FLOOR OPENS
Bron slammed his hammer into the wall.
Nothing.
Lucien sighed.
"Not like that."
He stepped forward and released a thin veil of Blue Flame, not to burn—
but to desynchronize mana flow.
The wall rippled.
Then—
It folded inward, revealing a spiral staircase descending into darkness.
A rune ignited above it.
Hidden Floor Detected
Threat Level: C-Rank
Reward Classification: Artifact Vault
Elarion inhaled sharply.
"C-Rank…? We're still D."
Kael looked at Lucien.
"You knew."
Lucien shrugged.
"I suspected."
Then, serious—
"We turn back now, no penalty."
A pause.
Seraphine stepped forward first.
"I'm not walking away from a dungeon that noticed us."
Bron grunted.
"I came for metal and monsters."
Alden swallowed—but nodded.
"I trust you."
Kael smiled grimly.
"Lead."
Lucien exhaled.
"…Alright. Hard mode it is."
HIDDEN FLOOR — THE ARTIFACT SANCTUM
The staircase ended in a vast underground hall.
Floating platforms.
Ancient chains.
Cracked statues of unknown heroes.
Mana density tripled.
Lucien's status screen flickered.
Copy code
WARNING
Dungeon Anomaly Detected
EXP Multiplier: x3.8
He suppressed a grin.
Jackpot.
Then—
Guardians moved.
ARTIFACT GUARDIANS (C-RANK)
Three constructs awakened:
Sentinel of Oaths — shield-based, counters aggression
Sentinel of Silence — anti-magic suppression
Sentinel of Severance — blade construct, lethal precision
Lucien snapped commands instantly.
"Kael—Severance. No Sovereign Art.
Bron—Oaths. Break stance.
Seraphine—Silence's blind spots.
Elarion—wind distortion.
Alden—support Kael, do not overextend."
They moved.
Perfectly.
Lucien danced between them, Blue Flame flaring briefly—
not attacking, but breaking patterns.
The guardians adapted.
Lucien adapted faster.
CLOSE CALL
Sentinel of Silence nearly impaled Elarion.
Lucien reacted instantly—
Blue Flame surged—too close to Ice resonance.
The temperature dropped sharply.
For half a second—
Frost crept along the floor.
Kael felt it.
Lucien shut it down immediately.
Seraphine stared at him.
"…Interesting."
Lucien coughed.
"Dungeon draft."
They won—barely.
EXP SURGE
The guardians fell.
Copy code
EXP Gained (Hidden Floor Guardians): 38,000
Bond Bonus: +15%
Near-Fatal Combat Bonus: +10%
Lucien's bar overflowed briefly.
Copy code
EXP: 117,900 / 100,000
[████████████████████]
STATUS: Rank-Up Condition Met (Pending)
Lucien steadied his breath.
Hold it.
Rank-up after exit.
THE ARTIFACT VAULT
The sanctum opened.
Five pedestals rose.
Each held a different artifact.
The dungeon spoke—soft, ancient.
Choose.
Not all may claim.
Lucien's eyes scanned them rapidly.
ARTIFACTS PRESENT
Crown of Tempered Will
Mental stability + resistance to bloodlust
Kael felt it calling
Sylvan Resonance Band
Increases mana harmony between allies
Elarion's breathing steadied instantly
Crimson Fang Ring
Boosts lifesteal + night combat
Seraphine smiled slowly
Forgeheart Core Fragment
Enhances durability + crafting potential
Bron's hammer vibrated
Unmarked Relic
No aura
No description
Only Lucien could see faint text:
"Unbound Slot — reacts to fate."
Lucien's heartbeat spiked.
That one wasn't here in the novel.
The dungeon waited.
Lucien spoke calmly.
"Each of you—take the one that responds."
No arguments.
No greed.
One by one, they claimed their artifacts.
Finally—
Lucien stepped toward the Unmarked Relic.
The moment he touched it—
The world went silent.
GODDESS OF SIGHT — WHISPER
Careful, she murmured fondly.
That one grows with choices, not strength.
Lucien smiled faintly.
"Perfect."
The relic dissolved into light and vanished into his status screen.
Artifact Acquired (Hidden):
Fate Anchor — Unbound
Growth condition: Undefined
AFTERMATH
The hidden floor began to collapse.
Lucien snapped his fingers.
"Exit—now."
They escaped just as the staircase sealed behind them.
Back on Floor 5—
Everyone collapsed.
Breathing hard.
Alive.
Lucien leaned against the wall, grinning like an idiot.
Hidden floor cleared.
Artifacts obtained.
EXP capped.
Rank-up queued.
Kael looked at him, eyes sharp.
"…You're changing faster than the dungeon."
Lucien laughed softly.
"That's the plan."