_________
Ren had arrived at the location where he could access the dungeon.
He had already stored enough food in his inventory to survive several days—just in case time flowed differently inside this dungeon, as it had in previous instances.
This time, he was fully prepared. He had been careful.
Every full-recovery item the system had ever given him through daily missions had been saved—four in total. That meant, at least in theory, he possessed four extra lives to face whatever horrors waited inside this Rank-S dungeon.
With a steady breath, Ren retrieved the Rank-S Dungeon Key from his inventory.
He now stood before the central tower of Karakura—a massive structure that appeared completely ordinary to normal eyes. But to him, it was something far more dangerous.
It was a gateway.
Thanks to his enhanced speed and agility, reaching the restricted area was effortless. Still, Ren wasn't sure whether ordinary people could see the portals created by his system keys—and he had no intention of finding out. Drawing attention was the last thing he needed.
That was why he slipped into a secluded section of the building, hidden from public view.
Exhaling slowly, Ren raised the key with determination.
The moment he inserted it into the air—
Space itself split apart.
A massive, sinister dark portal materialized before him.
Black flames danced as if alive, while dark crimson energy crackled violently along its edges, screaming a warning of the horrors that awaited beyond. Unlike any dungeon he had encountered before, this one radiated pure malice.
Without hesitation—
Ren jumped into the portal.
He landed on desolate, scorched ground.
Ruined buildings burned in the distance, their broken structures swallowed by raging flames. Above him, the sky was stained a deep, oppressive crimson, as though the world itself was bleeding.
The air was suffocating.
The environment was utterly depressing—like a living hell. Even the ground beneath his feet was ablaze.
Then—
A low, vicious growl echoed through the ruins.
Ren's eyes sharpened.
At least doesn't of wolf-shaped Hollows emerged from the shadows, encircling him. Their bodies were covered in white, bone-like skin. Red eyes glowed beneath pitch-black irises, and each of them bore a hollow hole in the center of their chest. Jagged, ferocious fangs protruded from their masks, dripping with hunger.
One glance was enough.
Normal-class Hollows.
But even among normal Hollows, these were exceptional.
Top-tier, Ren judged calmly.
Reaching into his inventory, he pulled out The Sword of Venom and rested it in his hand.
He looked at the wolf Hollows.
Instead of fear—
A cold smile formed on his lips.
His eyes glowed a deep, dark blue.
He looked like a hunter.
Sensing his killing intent, the wolf Hollows growled in rage.
The first one lunged at him, jaws wide, aiming straight for his head—
But before it could reach him—
Slash.
Its head was cleanly severed, blood erupting like a fountain.
Another attacked from behind.
Ren ducked effortlessly and swung his blade in a horizontal arc, slicing the Hollow cleanly in half.
Then they came.
One after another.
Ren dodged calmly, weaving through their attacks. In a blur of high-speed movement, he appeared behind three of them—
Three heads fell simultaneously, blood spraying across the burning ground.
The remaining Hollows began to panic and swarmed him together, trying to tear him apart.
Ren sidestepped smoothly.
Then—
Boom.
He punched one directly in the skull, shattering its mask and crushing its head instantly.
The wolf Hollows froze.
Fear flickered in their eyes.
Ren merely smiled indifferently.
"The hunt has begun."
His dark blue eyes burned brighter.
Then—
The slaughter started.
Without hesitation, he dashed forward, switching his grip on the blade to a reverse hold.
Dodging another strike, Ren grabbed a wolf Hollow by the tail and spun violently, using its own momentum to hurl it into a wall. The beast slammed into the ruins with a roar.
Ren didn't waste the opening.
In one smooth motion, he drove his katana straight through its skull.
It never moved again.
After a while—
All of them were dead.
All except one.
Ren narrowed his eyes, sensing something off.
He activated a skill.
[Lv.2 Bloodlust Skill: Activated]
Suddenly, the last wolf Hollow was revealed.
It froze in terror.
That was enough.
Slash.
Ren cut it cleanly in half.
Looking at the corpse, Ren frowned slightly.
Was that… a stealth skill?
But then he heard the notification of of the system.
[Level Up]
[Level Up]
[Level Up]
[Level Up]
[Level Up]
[Level Up]
[Level Up]
[Level Up]
[Level Up]
[Level Up]
.....
[Notification]
[Congratulations! You've eliminated all Hollow Wolves in this area.]
[Reward: Title — Wolf Slayer]
[Title: Wolf Slayer]
A title granted only to the most skilled wolf hunters.
• Increases damage by 40% when facing beast-type creatures.
[Additional Reward: Skill — Stealth]
Skill Effect:
Allows the user to blend into their surroundings, becoming invisible both physically and magically. Extremely effective in combat and ambush situations.
Mana Cost:
• 200 MP to activate
• 10 MP per second while active
.....
Ren couldn't help but smile in delight.
Five level-ups—and two new abilities.
These will be invaluable in the future, he thought, especially Stealth. It was perfect for ambushing enemies.
However, the mana cost was heavy.
I'll need to invest more points into Intelligence.
His gaze drifted to the title.
Would this work against Espada Number One—Starrk? After all, he evolved from a wolf Hollow…
Then Ren shook his head.
Whether it works or not doesn't matter. An extra ability is still an advantage.
He opened his status window.
...
[Player Stats]
Name: Ren Toshiki
Level: 20
Job: None
Title: The Player / Wolf Slayer
HP: 1500 / 1500
MP: 400
Strength: 60
Agility: 60
Endurance: 33
Perception: 37
Recovery: 37
Intelligence: 25
Fatigue: 3%
Stat Points: 55
...
I gained 45 points from leveling up, Ren calculated, plus 10 bonus points from discovering the hidden mission.
"Let's allocate 10 points into Intelligence."
Only by increasing Intelligence could he raise his spiritual power.
After allocation:
Intelligence increased to 35
I can feel my spiritual power rising exponentially, thought Ren
Strength and Agility let's add 10 point in each raising both agility and strength to 70
After some thought, Ren added 3 points to Perception and 3 points to Recovery, raising both to 40.
Then he invested 10 points into Endurance.
The remaining 9 points—
I'll save them for emergencies.
He closed the status window.
Then—
Ren looked ahead, sensing something massive approaching.
A thunderous roar shook the ground.
The earth trembled beneath his feet, and the flames around him surged violently.
From the fire and smoke, towering before the castle gates—
It emerged.
A massive humanoid wolf covered in pitch-black fur. Its Hollow-red eyes burned like embers, and its claws gleamed with deadly sharpness. Its size rivaled Whitebeard from One Piece, and like all Hollows—
A hole pierced its chest.
[Guardian of the Castle of Demons and Hollows]
[Lycaon — Mutated Gillian-Class Hollow]
Ren exhaled slowly.
"Well… looks like it's going to be a long day."
Tightening his grip on his katana, he stepped forward.
Ren and Lycaon locked eyes—
Dark blue against sinister red.
Their auras collided violently.
Both could see it clearly.
The intent to kill.
To Be Continued.....