The dungeon smelled like wet iron.
Kael wiped the sweat from his chin and stared at the cracked sword in his hands. The blade had chipped again. Not surprising—it was a third-hand weapon bought from a pawn shop that smelled worse than this cave.
"Hey, E-rank," someone called from ahead. "Don't fall behind. We're not carrying your corpse out again."
Laughter echoed through the tunnel.
Kael didn't reply.
He was used to it.
In the city of Ardent, hunters were everything. Heroes on screens, kings in society, walking weapons who made more money in one raid than normal people earned in ten years. And at the very bottom of that shining food chain stood people like him—E-rank trash.
Not strong enough to fight properly.
Not valuable enough to protect.
Just useful enough to be bait.
The raid leader, Brock, raised his fist. The team stopped.
"Dungeon core should be close," Brock said, his heavy armor clanking. "Formation A. Kael, stay at the back."
Of course.
Kael moved where he was told, gripping his sword tighter. The party had five members: Brock the tank, Mira the healer, twins Jax and Ren with fire and wind skills—and then him. The guy with no real ability.
His official record read:
Kael Arin – Rank E
No unique skill detected.
A polite way of saying: useless.
The tunnel opened into a wide chamber. Blue crystals grew from the walls like frozen lightning, casting pale light over the ground. In the center stood three monsters—tall, hunched creatures with bone masks and long rusted spears.
"Ghouls," Mira whispered.
"Easy money," Jax grinned, flames dancing on his fingers.
The fight started like always—fast and loud.
Fire exploded. Wind blades cut through the air. Brock charged with a roar. The ghouls screeched and rushed forward, spears scraping stone.
Kael stayed back, watching.
He had learned early that surviving as an E-rank wasn't about strength. It was about reading the room—knowing where to step, when to breathe, when to disappear.
One ghoul broke past Brock's shield and ran straight toward Mira.
"Damn it—!" she cried.
Kael moved before he thought.
He kicked a loose stone, sending it rolling under the monster's foot. The ghoul slipped for half a second—just enough for Ren's wind blade to take its head.
Mira glanced at him, surprised.
"Nice save, E-rank."
Kael only nodded.
The fight ended quickly after that. Three corpses on the ground, black smoke leaking from their wounds.
Brock laughed. "See? Easy. Even the scarecrow helped."
More laughter.
Kael pretended not to hear.
They pushed deeper.
---
The second chamber was different.
The air felt heavier.
Kael noticed it first—the way the crystals flickered, the way sound seemed to sink instead of echo. His chest felt tight.
"Something's off," he muttered.
No one listened.
At the center of the room floated a small sphere of dark gold light—the dungeon core. But in front of it stood something that hadn't been in the report.
A single monster.
Tall. Clean armor. Eyes glowing like dying suns.
Brock froze. "That… that's not a ghoul."
A window appeared above the creature.
[??? – Threat Level: Unknown]
Jax swallowed. "Raid report said D-rank dungeon…"
"Shut up," Brock hissed. "Formation B!"
Too late.
The monster moved.
Not fast—just suddenly there.
Its sword passed through Jax's chest like paper.
Everything went silent.
"JAX!" Ren screamed.
Chaos erupted. Fire, wind, screams. Brock charged and was thrown aside like a toy. Mira tried to cast a barrier—shattered in one hit.
Kael's legs wouldn't move.
This wasn't a dungeon for people like them.
This was a grave.
The monster turned its head.
And looked directly at him.
Not at Brock.
Not at Mira.
At him.
"Why me…?" Kael whispered.
The creature raised its blade.
Instinct screamed.
Run.
Kael dove behind a crystal pillar as the sword split the air where his neck had been. Stone exploded. Dust filled his lungs.
He wasn't a hero.
He wasn't brave.
He just didn't want to die.
Mira was already unconscious. Brock lay bleeding. Ren was crying over his brother's body.
Kael gritted his teeth.
Move. Think. Survive.
He grabbed a broken spear from the ground and threw it—not to kill, but to distract. The monster tilted its head, confused by the weak attack.
That single reaction saved him.
Because in that moment—
Something awakened.
---
[System Error]
[Unregistered energy detected]
[Synchronizing host…]
Golden letters burned into his vision.
Kael froze. "What…?"
[Dragon System – Initiating]
[User: Kael Arin]
[Rank: Undefined]
His chest exploded with heat.
Not pain—something deeper, like a heart waking after years of sleep. The world slowed. The monster's movement, the dust, the flicker of crystals—everything became clear.
[Skill Acquired: Observation Lv.1]
[Skill Acquired: Calm Influence Lv.1]
Kael didn't understand.
But his body moved on its own.
He stepped left.
The monster's sword passed on the right.
He crouched.
A shockwave missed his skull by centimeters.
It was as if he could feel intent before it happened.
"Am I… seeing the future?"
[No – Predicting probability through Dragon Core resonance]
Kael laughed breathlessly. "That doesn't help at all."
The monster attacked again.
This time Kael didn't dodge blindly.
He nudged a fallen shield with his foot—just a little. The creature stepped on it, balance shifting for a fraction of a second.
Ren's desperate wind blade struck its shoulder.
The monster staggered.
Brock stared. "The hell…? The E-rank did that?"
Kael didn't answer.
His heart pounded.
This power wasn't strength.
It was control. Influence. Small changes that turned death into possibility.
[Skill Acquired: Minor Manipulation Lv.1]
The system pulsed like a living thing.
For the first time in his life—
Kael felt like he wasn't useless.
He picked up his cracked sword and faced the monster again.
"Alright," he whispered, trembling but smiling.
"Round two."
---
End of Chapter 1