The chamber opened wider than the previous sections.
Not massive, but deliberate. The walls curved slightly inward, creating a contained space with no easy exits and no natural cover. The ground was uneven, marked with shallow grooves that suggested repeated movement over time.
This wasn’t random.
This was a boundary.
Jack stepped forward slowly, eyes scanning the space.
Blood Sense sharpened immediately.
One presence.
Centered.
Still.
Waiting.
He stopped a few meters into the chamber.
“Identify.”
The response came instantly.
[Dungeon Sub-Core Guardian — Lv.7]
Type: Bound Entity
Traits: Reinforced structure, high endurance, territorial fixation
Weakness: Variable
Jack exhaled once.
“Alright.”
The creature moved.
It didn’t rush immediately. Instead, it rose from a low, almost dormant posture, its body unfolding in a controlled, deliberate motion. Larger than anything he had fought so far. Thicker. Heavier. Its limbs were built for impact, not speed—but that didn’t mean it was slow.
It stepped forward once.
Testing distance.
Then it attacked.
Fast.
Too fast for its size.
Jack activated Sanguine Surge immediately and moved to meet it.
Not head-on.
Angle.
Always angle.
The first strike landed across its side.
Resistance.
More than before.
The blade cut, but shallow.
The creature didn’t slow.
Its weight carried through the motion, forcing Jack to shift backward to avoid being crushed under it.
Stronger.
Much stronger.
He adjusted instantly.
No direct exchanges.
He circled instead, keeping movement constant, forcing it to turn rather than letting it build momentum in a straight line.
The creature adapted.
Faster than expected.
It cut off his angle and lunged again.
Jack stepped inside the attack, driving the blade toward the throat.
This time it connected cleanly.
But still—
Not enough.
The creature recoiled, then slammed into him with its full mass.
Jack hit the ground hard.
Pain flared across his side where the previous wounds had only partially closed. The impact forced air from his lungs, vision narrowing for a fraction of a second.
Too much force.
He reacted immediately.
The blade drove upward again, forcing space between them.
The creature pulled back just enough.
Jack rolled out and pushed himself up, ignoring the pain, ignoring the blood starting to run again.
He reset his stance.
Breathing heavier now.
“…Yeah. That’s different.”
The creature didn’t wait.
It came again.
Jack moved.
This time faster.
More precise.
The Surge pushed his body harder, the strain building faster as well. He could feel it now—muscles tightening, reactions sharpening, but at a cost.
Fine.
Worth it.
He angled low, targeting the rear joint.
The blade struck.
Deeper.
The creature faltered slightly.
There.
That mattered.
Jack pressed forward, not giving it time to recover, chaining short strikes instead of committing to one large one. Each hit wasn’t enough alone, but together—
They built pressure.
The creature retaliated.
Claws tore across his arm this time, slipping past his guard.
Blood.
More.
Jack didn’t stop.
That was the difference.
He stayed close.
Stayed inside its range where its full strength couldn’t be used cleanly.
The fight dragged.
Longer than anything before.
Every movement mattered.
Every mistake cost something.
Jack felt it.
The strain.
The blood loss.
The edge of fatigue creeping in.
Then—
Something shifted.
The creature’s movement slowed slightly.
Not much.
But enough.
Jack saw it.
Felt it.
And adjusted.
He drove the blade into the same weakened joint again, deeper this time.
The creature buckled.
That was the break.
Jack didn’t hesitate.
He stepped in fully, driving the blade into its throat with everything he had left in the Surge.
The resistance gave.
The creature collapsed.
This time—
It didn’t get back up.
Jack stepped back immediately, breathing hard now, blood running freely from multiple cuts.
He didn’t move for a few seconds.
Just stood there.
Waiting.
Confirming.
Then—
[You have defeated: Dungeon Sub-Core Guardian (Lv.7)]
[Experience Gained]
[Level Up]
[Level Up]
Level 7.
Jack exhaled slowly.
“…Good.”
Not relief.
Just acknowledgment.
He leaned slightly, catching his breath, letting the Surge fade.
The strain hit harder this time.
Manageable.
But close to the edge.
He looked down at his wounds.
Bad.
Not fatal.
But bad.
Then something new appeared.
Not a notification.
An object.
A chest.
Forming directly where the creature had fallen.
Clean.
Defined.
System-generated.
Jack looked at it for a moment.
Then walked over.
No hesitation.
He opened it.
Inside—
A weapon.
He picked it up.
A scythe.
Simple in structure, but well-made. The blade curved cleanly, edge sharp, balanced properly despite its size.
Not decorative.
Functional.
A faint system prompt appeared.
[Rare Item Acquired: Blood-Edge Scythe]
Effect: Attacks apply enhanced bleeding over time
Jack turned it slightly in his hands.
The weight felt right.
Familiar.
He tested the grip once.
Adjusted slightly.
Then again.
“…Yeah.”
That fit.
He had used scythes before.
Not like this.
But enough.
Harvesting.
Clearing.
The motion wasn’t new.
Just the purpose.
He gave it a short swing.
Controlled.
The balance held.
Better reach.
Better follow-through.
Less precision needed than the blade.
More pressure per strike.
Different.
But useful.
Jack nodded once.
“Good.”
He looked down at the old blade still in his other hand.
Then back at the scythe.
No real decision.
He secured the new weapon.
Primary.
The blade remained secondary.
He stepped back from the chest as it dissolved behind him, its purpose fulfilled.
The chamber felt different now.
Not empty.
Just—
Cleared.
Jack exhaled once, steadying his breathing.
Blood still ran from his wounds.
That hadn’t changed.
He glanced at his status briefly, then closed it again.
Next step was obvious.
Stabilize.
Then move.
Because if this was only a sub-core—
There was more ahead.
And it would be worse.
Jack adjusted his grip on the scythe.