The moment he stepped onto the third floor, something felt wrong.
There was no heat.
No pressure.
No enemies.
The air was cold—unnaturally so.
[Dungeon Floor: 3]
[Environmental Effect: Unknown]
[Warning: System Interference Detected]
His steps slowed.
"This place…" he muttered. "It's different."
The stone beneath his feet was pale gray, almost white, and smooth like glass. The walls stretched endlessly, with no visible runes, no light sources. Even sound felt muted, as if the dungeon itself was holding its breath.
Then—
Pain exploded through his skull.
He staggered, dropping to one knee as a crushing pressure slammed into his mind.
[Warning: Mental Interference Detected]
[Dragon System Response: Delayed]
His vision blurred.
What—
A voice echoed through the chamber.
Not loud.
Not hostile.
Cold.
"You have grown too fast."
His heart pounded.
He forced himself to stand, wings twitching as he turned in every direction. There was nothing there. No body. No enemy.
"Show yourself," he growled.
Laughter followed—slow and distant.
The floor cracked.
From the ground rose a figure unlike anything he had faced before. It was tall and thin, its body wrapped in pale armor that looked carved from bone and stone. No heat. No mana pressure.
Nothing.
[Enemy Detected: ???]
[Threat Level: Unknown]
[System Analysis: Failed]
For the first time since his rebirth—
The system couldn't read his enemy.
The figure moved.
He barely saw it.
Pain ripped through his side as something struck him. He flew backward, crashing into the far wall hard enough to shatter it.
[HP Reduced: -41]
[HP: 51/140]
He coughed, blood spilling onto the floor.
"Fast…" he muttered.
He activated Dragon Surge instantly, power flooding his body.
Nothing changed.
[Warning: Skill Effect Reduced]
His eyes widened.
"So that's how it is," he said, forcing himself up. "You suppress power."
The figure tilted its head.
"Power without understanding," it replied calmly, "is meaningless."
It moved again.
He tried to block.
He failed.
A crushing blow slammed into his chest, snapping ribs and driving the air from his lungs. He hit the ground and didn't rise.
[HP Reduced: -29]
[HP: 22/140]
[Critical Condition]
His vision darkened.
Is this… it?
The floor felt cold against his cheek. His limbs refused to respond. Even breathing hurt.
The system was silent.
No warnings.
No help.
So this is death, he thought faintly.
But something burned deep inside his chest.
Not fire.
Will.
"I'm… not done," he whispered.
His claws dug into the stone.
Slowly—painfully—he pushed himself up.
The figure stopped moving.
"Why?" it asked. "You are broken."
He laughed weakly.
"Because," he said, blood dripping from his mouth, "I didn't come this far to die here."
Something changed.
Not in the dungeon.
In him.
He stopped relying on power.
Stopped forcing skills.
Instead, he listened—to instinct, to movement, to intent.
The figure attacked again.
This time—
He moved first.
Barely.
A shift. A turn. A strike aimed not with strength, but timing.
His tail slammed into the figure's leg, throwing it off balance. He followed with a desperate blast of fire—not strong, but close.
The armor cracked.
The figure staggered.
For the first time, it reacted.
He didn't hesitate.
With a roar born from pain and fury, he drove forward, slamming everything he had into the cracked armor.
The figure shattered.
The chamber fell silent.
[Enemy Defeated]
[HP: 9/140]
[Status: Near Death]
He collapsed.
Breathing shallow. Vision fading.
Then—
[Emergency Evolution Condition Met]
[Survival Threshold Achieved]
[Passive Trait Unlocked: Dragon's Will]
Warmth spread slowly through his body.
Not healing.
Stability.
Just enough to live.
He lay there, staring at the empty ceiling.
"…That was close," he whispered.
The dungeon didn't respond.
For the first time, it felt cautious.
And somewhere deep within the system—
Something had taken notice.