INTO THE ARCHAILECT

The evolved golem king was unlike any foe Moyo had faced before. Thrilling as the fight was, an undercurrent of tension coursed through every exchange. This was no ordinary battle—it was a clash of pure, unrelenting power. The aberrant met Moyo blow for blow, its punches carrying the weight of mountains, the reverberations shaking the very earth beneath them. Yet Moyo refused to falter, answering each strike with raw strength of his own, his fists driving deep into the glowing rock of the creature's form. The ground trembled with shockwaves as both combatants adapted to each other's attacks, their movements becoming a deadly, synchronized dance of counters and strikes.

His endurance and resilience, forged through the fires of countless battles, were the only things keeping him upright. Every fiber of his body screamed in defiance, fortified by his Titan's Vitality skill. Without these hard-earned advantages, Moyo knew he would already be a mangled heap on the battlefield. Cracks began to spiderweb across the golem's hulking body, but it responded with a deafening roar that hit like a physical force, sending Moyo staggering backward.

With an almost deliberate slowness, the golem raised its hand. Rocks scattered across the battlefield flew toward it, fusing into a massive hammer wreathed in golden aura and aether. The sheer weight of its presence made Moyo hesitate, his grip tightening on Ida. The weapon pulsed with unimaginable power, the raw energy making the air itself hum.

The two warriors locked eyes. For the first time, Moyo saw a spark of acknowledgment in the aberrant's impassive face. Respect. And perhaps, just the faintest glimmer of something more.

He poured his intent into Ida, willing the blade to match the force before him. The weapon shimmered, purple aether coalescing along its edge, growing brighter and sharper with every second. Titan's Edge activated, manifesting as a perfect extension of his blade, humming with lethal precision. Moyo raised it high, his mind honed to a singular purpose: cut the golem down.

The golem moved with the force of a landslide, its hammer crashing down with the weight of the earth itself. The sound of their collision was eerie—silent and absolute. No explosion, no fanfare, only the crushing intensity of raw power meeting raw will.

Moyo's vision blurred as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He fell to one knee, struggling to steady his breathing. His muscles trembled, and for a moment, he feared the blow hadn't been enough. Then, the golem turned its head toward him, its golden glow flickering faintly—before its massive form shattered into a thousand pieces, fragments scattering like broken glass.

Moyo exhaled sharply, his chest heaving as he surveyed the battlefield. From the debris of the golem's body, a radiant golden orb rolled to a stop at his feet, pulsing softly with energy.

Notifications filled his HUD:

[Congratulations, you have killed the evolved War Stonehide Golem King (Level 130)]

[Level 110! You have obtained 50 points + 20 bonus!]

[+10,000 credits!]

[You have obtained: Superior Stonehide Core]

[Titan's Edge: Level 30]

[Titan's Vitality: Level 15]

The shattered husk of the king lay in pieces around him. Moyo wiped the blood from his mouth, rinsing it with water from the jar he had wisely tucked away before the battle began. His hands still trembled as he reached down, tucking the glowing Stonehide core into the folds of his robes. He sank to the ground, letting the weight of exhaustion settle over him.

With 70 new attribute points to distribute, Moyo focused on strengthening his core abilities. He added 25 points to Vitality, bringing it to an impressive 200. Another 33 went into Endurance, pushing it past the same milestone, while the final 13 points went into Dexterity, bringing it to 173. The rush of power surged through his veins, reshaping his body to accommodate the newfound strength. His muscles tensed and released as he adjusted to the raw energy flowing through him.

Standing tall, Moyo surveyed the horizon. Far in the distance, mountains reached toward the heavens, their peaks obscured by thick clouds. Something stirred deep within him, an instinct whispering that his journey was far from over. Somewhere in those towering peaks lay his next challenge.

His HUD pinged, breaking his train of thought. The message displayed across his vision made him raise a brow.

[Rest. Tomorrow, you complete your training.]

"Ajax?" Moyo murmured, surprised. He hadn't realized the system could relay such direct messages. Was sending them so easy for Ajax? He shook his head, choosing not to dwell on it. Ajax's cryptic warning carried weight, and Moyo had learned the hard way to heed the Death Blade's words.

He made his way back to the shattered shell of the golem king's first form, its hollowed body now little more than a cavernous husk. With a weary sigh, he settled into the shelter it provided, his blade resting at his side. For once, he allowed himself to close his eyes without guilt. Sleep came swiftly, the weariness of battle pulling him into its depths.

Tomorrow loomed large in his mind, and though uncertainty lingered, he was ready for whatever came next. He had to be.

For as long as it could remember, Kyrgos had been the unchallenged ruler of its domain. Its first flicker of sentience emerged within the depths of the cave it called home—a sentience paired with its gargantuan form, venomous fangs, and near-indestructible aether-forged scales. As the prime aberrant of the tier 2 dungeon, Kyrgos reigned supreme.

There had been challengers to its rule at first: trolls lumbering through its territory, rival serpentine beasts slithering to claim its lair, the relentless razorback hive seeking to overwhelm it, and even the stoic rock golems who saw its presence as an affront. Each enemy had learned quickly—this dungeon had a chosen apex, a prime guardian, and that guardian was Kyrgos.

From its very birth, it had known its purpose: to protect the dungeon core at all costs. To repel interlopers, thieves, and destroyers. The dungeon was its world, its domain, and its life. But Kyrgos also knew that one day this dungeon would open. Beyond its walls lay the broader reality—a universe where Kyrgos would finally step forth and take its rightful place among the true and pure forms of its lineage: the dragons.

For now, it was content to rule. The System itself had bestowed upon it the name Kyrgos, and its power had grown until it reached the zenith of the dungeon's ecosystem-level 150. Every other aberrant within these walls bowed in fear. Kyrgos was untouchable, unrivaled… until he appeared.

The intruder.

The moment that being arrived, Kyrgos had felt it—a presence so overwhelming, so alien, that it sent tremors of raw terror through its massive body. Kyrgos had known, with every fiber of its being, that this figure existed beyond the natural order of the dungeon. This intruder was not prey or rival but something far worse. Worse still, it had brought something else into the dungeon, a force of change that shattered the balance Kyrgos had maintained for so long.

The prime wyrm could only watch helplessly as this thing—this hatchling—grew stronger, carving a bloody path through the dungeon. Long-time rivals and aberrants that Kyrgos had cowed into submission fell before its rise. From its mountain stronghold, Kyrgos could feel its power growing. And then, far too late, it understood.

The intruder had crafted a challenger.

For the first time in its existence, Kyrgos felt desperation—an emotion it had never known. It wanted to beg for mercy, to plead with the being that cared so little for its once-unshakable might. But mercy was not given. Instead, the intruder delivered a command.

At the break of dawn, it came. The figure appeared with that spine-chilling smile.

"It is time. You know what to do," the being said, its voice heavy with eagerness.

Kyrgos uncoiled its immense form, trembling not with fear but with grim understanding. This was why it had been spared. It was not to challenge the intruder itself—that was a fool's errand—but to test the hatchling. Kyrgos was the dungeon's prime, the peak predator of this tier. If the hatchling was to take its throne, it would have to prove itself against Kyrgos in the most primal way possible.

And so Kyrgos roared.

The roar thundered across the dungeon, shaking stone and soil alike. From its maw came the full force of its ultimate skill—the Call of the Hunt. The dungeon trembled as every aberrant under Kyrgos's dominion stirred, readying itself for war. If Kyrgos was to fall, it would fall as a Wyrm should, and it would remind this hatchling why the draconic bloodline was feared across the cosmos.

[Notice! The Prime Aberrant, Venom Wyrm Kyrgos, has activated its skill: Call of the Hunt!]

[All aberrants within the dungeon have been commanded to attack all intruders!]

[Skill will remain active until the Prime Aberrant is slain!]

Moyo was jolted awake, the sharp ping of his HUD dragging him from the depths of much-needed sleep. It took a moment for his brain to process the words, but when the meaning clicked, his body reacted instantly. Scrambling to his feet, he snatched up Ida and stepped out of his shelter within the shattered golem king's skull, blade already drawn.

The earth was trembling beneath him, and Moyo could feel it in his bones—a stampede of monstrous rage, a force the dungeon itself was throwing at him. The Call of the Hunt had roused every remaining aberrant, and they were coming for him.

His instincts screamed run, and he did. Without hesitation, Moyo began sprinting toward the mountains. Each thundering rumble grew louder, like an approaching tidal wave. When the first wave of creatures crested the horizon, Moyo's grip on his blade tightened, his jaw clenching.

They came in droves. Blood trolls, venom serpents, stone golems, scattered razorbacks, and flame serpents—a chaotic amalgamation of death and fury. Their screeches and roars merged into a deafening cacophony as they locked on to him, converging like predators closing in on their prey.

Except Moyo wasn't prey.

He activated Blade Storm, the skill roaring to life as violet intent manifested around him, forming deadly blades that whirled and screamed through the air. It wasn't a fight; it was annihilation. Moyo moved like a force of nature, slicing through the horde with casual, unrelenting ferocity. The weaker creatures shattered like dust under his attacks, their attempts to harm him laughable.

His blade, Ida, barely needed to swing—his intent alone was enough to wipe them out.

The HUD messages flickered before him, tracking his devastation:

[Blade Storm: Level 25… Level 28… Level 30!]

Higher-tiered creatures—those in the 80s and 90s—managed to hold out a bit longer, but they too fell in moments. Each kill further refined his skill, each blow carrying the sharp edge of his growing mastery. Ten minutes. That was all it took. By the time he reached the mountains, the battlefield lay silent. Dust and ash hung in the air where hundreds of aberrants had once charged, now reduced to nothing.

Moyo exhaled, sheathing Ida with a quiet shink.

[Congratulations! You have wiped out 99% of the dungeon's aberrants, the first to achieve this feat on your world and system.]

[Title: Apex Hunter has evolved into Dungeon Conqueror!]

[Dungeon Conqueror: The blood of the unworthy stains your path. You are soaked in their annihilation, your blade an ever-growing law. Another step on the path of the Titan.]

[Dungeon Conqueror: +3 points to every level gained within dungeons, +100% damage to dungeon creatures below Level 90.]

[Blade Storm has reached Level 30!]

Moyo barely paused to process the messages. There was no point. Whatever awaited him ahead was far stronger than the vermin he had just culled. He marched forward, the towering mountains looming like monoliths of judgment.

As he approached the entrance carved into the stone, his HUD flared again.

[Notice! You are entering the domain of the Prime Aberrant: Venom Wyrm Kyrgos.]

[Exit will be impossible while within the domain. Voidkeep access will be denied.]

Moyo scoffed, unbothered. Retreat had never been an option. He crouched low before triggering Titan's Ascent, the skill propelling him into the air like a bullet. He landed at the entrance of the mountain with a soft thud, his senses sharpening as he took in his surroundings.

That's when the pressure hit him—a tangible, overwhelming weight of power radiating from deep within the mountain. His heart pounded faster, every instinct screaming in warning. He gripped Ida tighter as his HUD pinged again.

[Congratulations! You have ascended to the rank of Advocate, the first in your system to achieve this!]

[Accumulated rewards for all breakthroughs will be delivered upon dungeon completion.]

[Notice: Dungeon environment unsuitable for body reconstruction beyond Acolyte rank. Departure required for full rebuilding process.]

The message lingered, golden lines of light still flickering faintly across his skin as his core pulsed within him. Moyo pushed the distraction aside and stepped into the mountain.

The silence struck him first—deep, unnatural, and unnerving. It was as if the very air had been swallowed whole. He tested the wall with his knuckles, and no sound came. None. It was as though the mountain itself had been sealed away from the world, hidden in some dark void.

He pressed forward, Ida humming faintly in his grip. His footsteps echoed only in his mind, though the silence weighed heavier the deeper he went. Soon, the bones began to appear. Brittle, white remnants of creatures long devoured littered the cavern floor. Gaping holes pockmarked the walls, lined with crusted acid that ate through stone like brittle paper.

Moyo's pulse quickened. This was the Prime Aberrant's lair, without a doubt.

Then he saw it.

At the far end of the cavern, coiled into the shadows, it lay in wait. The Venom Wyrm Kyrgos.

It was colossal, its massive, serpentine body glistening with black and green scales that pulsed faintly with venomous light. Its head rested atop a nest of bones, its maw lined with jagged fangs that dripped liquid acid onto the stone below, each drop sizzling on impact. The wyrm's slitted, luminous yellow eyes snapped open, locking onto Moyo with the intensity of a predator that had found its prey.

Moyo's grip on Ida tightened as the Prime Aberrant uncoiled its monstrous body, its tail dragging behind it with a soundless weight that defied logic. The venom pooled around its form, steaming and hissing as it ate through the ground.

For a moment, neither moved. Moyo's muscles coiled like springs, his breathing steady. The Wyrm's maw curled into what might have been a grin—an expression of hunger and malice.

The silence shattered as the Wyrm lunged, a blur of motion faster than anything Moyo had ever seen.

The Wyrm struck like a thunderclap, its speed a terrifying contrast to its immense size. Moyo barely managed to react, Ida meeting the oncoming maw with a resonating clang as the blade rebounded off its scales, sending vibrations up his arms. The force of the collision sent him stumbling, and the Wyrm wasted no time in coiling its enormous frame around him, its movements deliberate and predatory.

He slipped aside at the last moment, rolling away just as the creature unleashed a torrent of venom. The acidic liquid struck the cavern walls, boiling through stone like molten fire, leaving deep, hissing scars in its wake. Moyo's heart hammered in his chest as he scrambled to his feet, his body tense and poised. The Wyrm's scales pulsed with a sickly green glow, aether radiating from within like a furnace of pure poison. Its ear-piercing shriek echoed in the soundless space, a vibration that crawled into his very bones.

It struck again and again, the air itself warping with the sheer speed of its lunges. Moyo met its strikes with cold resolve, gathering Blade Storm as sharpened intent flared to life around him. The storm crashed against its scales, bladed winds biting into its armor-like hide, leaving faint scratches but nothing more. The two of them danced to the rhythm of death—a desperate, chaotic back-and-forth as Moyo dodged the Wyrm's gnashing fangs and swinging tail. Each swipe of his blade sought a weak spot, yet the creature coiled its body protectively, deflecting every blow with near-perfect precision.

Finally, Titan's Edge broke through. His blade struck hard, denting one of the scales, but at that same moment, the Wyrm's tail lashed out like a battering ram. The blow caught Moyo square in the chest, hurling him into the wall. He felt his bones rattle as he crashed into a pool of venom that lined the cavern, the acid bubbling and hissing around him. Pain exploded through his body as the venom ate through his robes and began searing his skin. He screamed, the agony white-hot and unrelenting.

The Wyrm didn't stop. It surged forward, its fangs bared and dripping venom as it aimed to finish him. Moyo forced himself to move, his muscles screaming in protest. He caught its strike with Ida, steel clashing against its teeth, and for a moment, they were locked in place—man against monster, their gazes meeting.

That's when Moyo saw it.

Desperation.

Beneath the Wyrm's unrelenting assault, its malevolent, baleful eyes betrayed something deeper: an instinctive, primal urge to survive. Moyo wasn't sure what had driven the creature into such a frenzy, but it didn't matter. He clenched his jaw, forcing his strength into his arms, teeth gritted against the overwhelming pressure.

The Wyrm opened its mouth wider, venom pooling as it prepared to unleash a deadly spray at point-blank range. Moyo roared, driving Ida deep into the creature's maw with everything he had. The blade pierced through flesh and muscle, and the Wyrm's agonized shriek was deafening. Its jaws clamped shut in retaliation, its venomous fangs sinking deep into Moyo's arm.

The pain was indescribable.

Moyo's scream echoed through the cavern as green lines of venom shot into his body, filling him like fire, a poison that fought for dominion against his very life. Titan's Vitality flared, pushing back against the encroaching venom, but it was a losing battle. Sweat poured down his face as he struggled, his vision swimming with pain-induced blurs.

"Not like this…" Moyo growled, his voice hoarse, refusing to let the pain break him. With his free hand, he smashed a punch directly into one of the Wyrm's glowing eyes. The strike forced it to recoil, but the movement only hurled Moyo's body into the wall once more. Blood leaked from his mouth, his head spinning as the world tilted.

Still, he held on. He could feel Ida lodged inside the creature's throat, and that gave him an idea—a desperate, suicidal gamble. Summoning Blade Storm around his blade, Moyo funneled every ounce of his intent into the weapon, forcing the storm to explode inside the Wyrm.

The creature's entire body convulsed in agony; its insides ravaged by a tempest of cutting blades. Its tail whipped out wildly, its crystalline, spear-like tip catching Moyo by surprise and stabbing into his side. The sharp crystal sank into his flesh, punching through muscle and rib.

Moyo screamed again, the pain almost blinding him. The Wyrm thrashed violently, trying to wrench its tail free for another strike, but Moyo grabbed onto it with every bit of strength he could muster. His bloodied fingers dug into the slick, venom-covered scales, holding the tail in place even as it burned his hands.

"I… won't… go… down…" he snarled, his words broken, a guttural sound of rage and defiance. Titan's Edge surged to life one last time, his purple aura flaring with a finality that burned like the fury of a storm.

With a bloodcurdling roar, Moyo twisted Ida inside the Wyrm's mouth, driving the blade deeper, the intent-infused steel slicing through everything in its path. The creature's enormous eyes widened in shock and pain as its movements slowed. The sickly glow of its scales dimmed, its tail falling limp in Moyo's grip. With one last shuddering groan, the Wyrm collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

Moyo fell to his knees, his fingers still locked around the Wyrm's tail as blood poured from his wounds. He coughed violently, crimson spattering the rocky ground beneath him. His body screamed for rest, his vision darkening as strength began to abandon him.

No. Not yet.

He refused to let unconsciousness claim him. With sheer will, Moyo activated Blood Absorption, pressing his hand against the Wyrm's now-lifeless body. A surge of raw power erupted from the creature's form, pouring into him in waves. His body trembled as the venom within him was converted into energy, Titan's Vitality repairing the damage that had nearly broken him.

[Congratulations! You have killed Prime Aberrant: Venom Wyrm Kyrgos (Level 150)!]

[You are the first Ascender in your system to kill a Prime Aberrant!]

[Title: Prime Bane: You have proven yourself a killer of kings. Aberrant creatures instinctively fear you, and your strikes carry the weight of annihilation.]

[Prime Bane: All aberrants below your level suffer 30% increased damage and are struck with terror upon seeing you.]

[Level 130! 240 points + 60 bonus obtained!]

[50,000 Credits earned!]

[1 Superior Prime Core obtained!]

[Dungeon Completion: Prime Aberrant slain. All accumulated rewards will be distributed upon exit.]

Moyo sagged forward, his breath ragged and shallow as the cavern began to shake, the dungeon itself reacting to the Prime Aberrant's death. He forced himself to his feet, gripping Ida tightly for balance. The battle was over, but his mind lingered on the ominous message.

"Exit, huh?" Moyo muttered weakly, a grim smile tugging at his lips. "Better be worth it."