The alarm screamed like something desperate to survive.
Auxrien's eyes snapped open.
For a fraction of a second—
dragonfire burned across his vision.
A collapsing tower.
Black flames swallowing the sky.
The sound of millions dying beneath falling stone.
He sat upright violently.
Air tore into his lungs.
His hand shot forward instinctively.
Click.
Silence.
Only morning sunlight remained.
Cheap curtains fluttered gently beside the window.
No screaming.
No burning sky.
No Dragon King.
Just a small apartment that smelled faintly of detergent and old wood.
His chest rose and fell slowly.
"…Right."
Alive.
Again.
He stared at his hands.
Whole.
Unscarred.
No missing arm.
No shattered bones.
The memory of pain lingered anyway.
Phantom agony crawled along nerves.
He flexed his fingers slowly.
Lightning didn't answer.
Mana inside him felt distant.
Small.
Weak.
Like ashes after a wildfire.
He stood.
Bathroom mirror greeted him with a stranger.
Younger.
Less tired.
No weight behind the eyes yet.
He touched the glass.
"Second chances aren't free," he murmured.
A faint ticking echoed somewhere behind him.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
He turned.
Nothing.
Just a wall clock.
Cheap plastic.
Second hand moving calmly.
Watching.
He frowned.
"…Chronos?"
Silence.
Outside, the city awakened normally.
Cars moved.
People argued.
Someone laughed loudly downstairs.
Life continued without knowing it had almost ended once already.
Auxrien grabbed his jacket.
If fate really returned him here—
then wasting even a single hour would be stupidity.
—
Cold air struck his face as he stepped outside.
Morning clouds stretched pale across the sky.
He began running immediately.
No warmup.
No hesitation.
Shoes struck pavement rhythmically.
Breath controlled.
Muscle memory guided him.
"I died because I wasn't strong enough."
Corner turn.
Acceleration.
"I lost because I hesitated."
His lungs burned quickly.
This body lacked endurance.
Before regression he could climb towers without rest.
Now—
his legs trembled after minutes.
Pathetic.
Good.
Hatred sharpened motivation.
Lightning flickered briefly around his ankles.
Pedestrians gasped as he passed.
He ignored them.
Mana circulation.
Controlled breathing.
Short strides.
He corrected posture automatically.
The city blurred around him.
Then—
his gaze locked forward.
Concrete walls rose beyond buildings.
Massive reinforced gates.
Military vehicles stationed outside.
A glowing barrier shimmered faintly.
Dungeon Zone.
F-Class Entry.
Beginners trained there.
Or died quietly.
Auxrien slowed.
A small smile appeared.
"…Starting from the bottom again."
Perfect.
—
The guard barely looked awake.
Coffee cup balanced dangerously near paperwork.
Another soldier complained nearby.
"Night shift again tomorrow—"
Wind brushed past them.
They frowned briefly.
"…Door open?"
"Probably maintenance."
Neither noticed the shadow slipping through the narrow gap.
Auxrien entered unnoticed.
Dungeon air felt heavier instantly.
Mana pressure wrapped around him.
Cold.
Alive.
Blue crystals illuminated descending corridors.
Water dripped somewhere distant.
The smell arrived next.
Wet fur.
Blood.
Rotting meat.
He inhaled deeply.
"…I missed this."
A growl echoed.
Yellow eyes appeared.
One wolf stepped forward.
Lean.
Hungry.
Then more emerged.
Ten.
Fifteen.
They circled slowly.
Testing.
Auxrien rolled his shoulders.
No sword.
No armor.
Just mana.
Fire sparked weakly above his palm.
Lightning crawled reluctantly across fingers.
Unstable.
Perfect training.
The first wolf lunged.
Fast.
Teeth aimed for his throat.
Auxrien stepped forward instead.
Lightning erupted.
His fist struck midair.
Bone cracked.
The body slammed against stone violently.
Two attacked simultaneously.
Claws ripped across his side.
Blood sprayed.
Pain sharp enough to steal breath.
He laughed.
"Good."
Fire exploded outward.
Flames forced the pack backward.
Heat distorted air.
But exhaustion arrived immediately.
Mana drained too fast.
A third wolf tackled him.
They crashed together.
Jaws snapped inches from his face.
Its breath stank of decay.
Lightning discharged instinctively.
The creature convulsed violently before falling limp.
More came.
All at once.
Fangs.
Claws.
Bodies.
Auxrien moved constantly.
Fire bursts.
Lightning strikes.
Dodging barely.
Blood soaked his sleeve.
Breathing roughened.
He misjudged distance—
A wolf slammed into his back.
Stone shattered beneath impact.
Air vanished from lungs.
Vision blurred.
Weak.
Too weak.
Memories surged.
Dragonfire.
Failure.
City screaming.
"No."
He forced himself upright.
Mana burned recklessly.
Flames roared outward.
Several wolves collapsed.
Silence followed briefly.
Then—
the pack retreated.
Heavy footsteps echoed deeper inside.
The air changed.
Predator arrived.
Golden eyes appeared first.
Massive body followed.
The Great Wolf.
Twice his height.
Scarred muzzle.
Mana pressure crushing.
Auxrien exhaled slowly.
"…Of course."
It attacked instantly.
Too fast.
Claws struck his chest.
He flew across the cavern violently.
Bones screamed.
Blood filled his mouth.
He forced himself standing.
Mana nearly empty.
Perfect.
That meant growth.
The wolf charged again.
Auxrien didn't dodge.
He walked forward.
Fire gathered in his left hand.
Lightning in his right.
Both unstable.
Both tearing muscles apart.
Pain blurred vision.
He remembered the tower collapsing.
Millions dying.
"I refuse…"
The beast leapt.
"…to lose again."
Collision shattered stone.
Flames erupted upward.
Lightning pierced forward.
Claws tore into his side simultaneously.
Agony exploded.
He screamed.
Mana burned completely.
One final strike.
Lightning speared through skull.
The Great Wolf collapsed beside him.
Silence swallowed the dungeon.
Auxrien fell onto his back.
Breathing ragged.
Vision dim.
"…Still alive."
Victory didn't feel glorious.
Just heavy.
He laughed weakly anyway.
Good enough.
For today.
—
Evening arrived quietly.
The graveyard rested beyond city noise.
Wind moved gently through grass.
Auxrien walked slowly between stones.
Flowers held carefully in hand.
He stopped before a simple grave.
No decorations.
No fame.
Just a name carved into worn stone.
His mother's.
He knelt.
Placed flowers gently.
For several minutes—
he said nothing.
Memories returned.
Cheap meals she pretended were enough.
Late nights waiting for him.
Hands rough from work.
A smile hiding exhaustion.
"…I became strong," he whispered.
Wind answered softly.
"But not fast enough."
Dragonfire flickered behind his eyes.
He remembered searching ruins.
Calling her name.
Finding nothing.
His voice trembled slightly.
"I thought power would fix everything."
Silence.
He lowered his head.
"I was wrong."
Lightning flickered faintly around trembling fingers.
"This time…"
Breath shook.
"I'll come home earlier."
A small laugh escaped him.
Soft.
Broken.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
The sound returned.
Behind him.
Auxrien turned sharply.
No one stood there.
Only graves stretching endlessly.
Yet shadows moved strangely.
Longer.
Watching.
A whisper brushed past his ear.
Barely audible.
Amused.
"Grow stronger."
His chest tightened.
"…Chronos."
No answer came.
Only wind.
Only ticking.
Far above—
clouds shifted slowly.
As if time itself leaned closer.
Watching him begin again.