The red mist inside the dungeon was thick, smelling of sulfur and rotting flesh. While other hunters would be paralyzed by fear, Aryan walked through the crimson haze with a calm that bordered on terrifying.
"Aryan, wait! We should wait for the Silver-Rank guild to arrive!" Maya pleaded, her voice echoing against the damp cavern walls.
Aryan didn't stop. He felt the vibration in the air—the rhythmic thumping of something massive. "The guilds will only take the spoils, Maya. If you want to survive in this world, you don't wait for heroes. You become the nightmare."
Suddenly, the ground shook. From the shadows of the central chamber, a massive figure emerged. It was a Hobgoblin Chieftain, nearly seven feet tall, covered in crude iron armor and wielding a jagged greataxe.
[Warning: Elite Monster Encounter!]
[Target: Hobgoblin Chieftain (Level 8)]
[Status: Bloodthirsty]
The monster roared, a sound that could shatter the eardrums of an ordinary human. It swung its axe, smashing a nearby rock pillar into dust.
"Aryan, run!" Maya screamed, falling to her knees from the sheer pressure of the monster's aura.
But Aryan only narrowed his eyes. "Level 8? Amusing."
Even though his body was only Level 2, his soul began to resonate. He stood his ground as the Chieftain charged. Just as the axe was about to split his head, Aryan moved. He didn't jump back; he stepped into the monster's range.
"Know your place, beast," Aryan hissed.
[Skill Activation: Monarch's Pressure (Locked... 1% Unleashed)]
For a split second, the air in the dungeon turned heavy. The Hobgoblin froze, its eyes widening with a primal fear it couldn't understand. It felt like it wasn't standing in front of an F-Rank human, but before an ancient god of death.
In that moment of paralysis, Aryan struck. He used the Goblin dagger he had picked up earlier, driving it precisely into the gap of the Chieftain's neck armor.
Squelch.
The massive monster collapsed, its life force draining into the floor.
[Elite Boss Slain! +500 XP]
[Level Up! Level Up! Level Up!]
[Hidden Reward Found: Key to the Monarch's Armory]
Aryan stood over the corpse, his breathing steady. He looked at his trembling hands. A cold, dark energy was starting to swirl around his fingers.
"The climb back to the throne," he whispered, "has officially begun."