Lucas opened his eyes.
Darkness surrounded him.
He stood inside a massive stone corridor.
The air was cold.
A thin layer of mist covered the ground, moving slowly around his feet.
Lucas looked behind him.
There was nothing.
No entrance.
No exit.
Only a stone wall.
He opened his status.
[STATUS]
Name: Lucas
Level: 30
Rank: E
Class: None
Ability: Boost Breaker
Hidden Ability: Time Manipulation — ???
Lucas opened Boost Breaker.
[BOOST BREAKER]
Current Rank: E
Abilities:
Basic Enhancement
Strength Enhancement
Speed Enhancement
Break Limit
Impact Break
Quest System: Active
A new notification appeared.
[ADVANCEMENT DUNGEON]
[Rank: D]
[Objective: Complete the Advancement Trial]
[Special Condition: Defeat the Dungeon Boss]
[Warning]
[The Dungeon Boss exceeds the normal dungeon rank.]
Lucas stared at the final message.
“D-Rank dungeon.”
He already knew that much.
But then another line appeared.
[DUNGEON BOSS]
[Rank: C]
Lucas’s expression became serious.
A C-Rank boss.
That was the real challenge.
The dungeon itself was D-Rank.
The monsters inside would be D-Rank.
But the boss was an entire rank higher.
Lucas understood immediately why Boost Breaker had created the dungeon this way.
This wasn’t a normal dungeon.
It was designed to test whether he was capable of breaking through the boundary between E-Rank and D-Rank.
Lucas smiled.
“So that’s the game.”
Another notification appeared.
[ADVANCEMENT TRIAL]
[Complete the dungeon.]
[Defeat the C-Rank Dungeon Boss.]
[Failure will result in advancement failure.]
Lucas closed the window.
He looked down the corridor.
He couldn’t see the end.
He started walking.
His footsteps echoed through the dungeon.
The farther he went, the stronger the pressure became.
Lucas activated his senses.
He immediately detected something ahead.
Multiple creatures.
He stopped.
A low growl echoed through the corridor.
Then something stepped out of the darkness.
[D-RANK SHADOW WOLF]
[LEVEL: 18]
Lucas looked at it.
“Level 18.”
The Shadow Wolf charged.
Lucas activated Speed Enhancement.
His body moved instantly.
The wolf’s claws passed beside his face.
Lucas stepped inside its reach.
Strength Enhancement.
He drove his fist into its chest.
The wolf was thrown backward.
It landed on the ground but immediately stood again.
Lucas narrowed his eyes.
“Durable.”
The Shadow Wolf charged again.
This time, Lucas activated Impact Break.
His fist struck the creature’s jaw.
The wolf collapsed.
[D-RANK MONSTER DEFEATED]
[EXP ACQUIRED]
Lucas looked at the corpse.
His expression remained calm.
One monster wasn’t a problem.
But the dungeon wasn’t going to give him one monster.
Three more wolves emerged from the darkness.
Then another two.
Lucas counted them.
Six.
He smiled.
“That’s more like it.”
The wolves attacked simultaneously.
Lucas moved.
Speed Enhancement.
He slipped between two attacks.
One wolf lunged. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
Lucas grabbed its neck and threw it into another.
Impact Break.
Two wolves crashed into the wall.
Lucas turned.
Another attacked from behind.
He ducked.
The claws passed over his head.
He spun around.
Strength Enhancement.
His fist struck the creature.
Another monster fell.
The remaining wolves surrounded him.
Lucas stood still.
Then activated Break Limit.
Power surged through his body.
The wolves hesitated.
Lucas disappeared.
He moved faster than their eyes could follow.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
The final wolf collapsed.
[D-RANK MONSTERS DEFEATED]
[ADVANCEMENT PROGRESS UPDATED]
Lucas looked at the notification.
No level increase.
That wasn’t surprising.
The advancement dungeon wasn’t about gaining levels.
It was about proving that he could cross the boundary between ranks.
Lucas continued forward.
The dungeon became more dangerous.
The monsters were stronger.
D-Rank creatures appeared in groups.
Some possessed abilities.
Others fought intelligently.
Lucas adapted.
He used his previous-life experience.
He didn’t waste energy.
He didn’t use Break Limit unless necessary.
He relied on timing.
Positioning.
Weak points.
And Impact Break.
Eventually, Lucas reached a massive underground chamber.
A river of dark water flowed through the center.
Several stone bridges crossed it.
Lucas stepped onto the first bridge.
Something moved beneath the water.
He stopped.
The water suddenly exploded upward.
A massive creature emerged.
[D-RANK ABYSSAL SERPENT]
[LEVEL: 22]
Lucas jumped backward.
The serpent slammed its body into the bridge.
Stone shattered.
Lucas landed on the edge.
The creature opened its mouth.
A dark energy gathered inside.
Lucas activated Speed Enhancement.
The attack fired.
A beam of dark energy destroyed the bridge behind him.
Lucas jumped to another platform.
The serpent followed.
It was faster than he expected.
Lucas activated Strength Enhancement.
He charged forward.
The serpent struck.
Lucas dodged.
Impact Break.
His fist struck its head.
The creature recoiled.
But it didn’t fall.
Lucas landed on the stone platform.
The serpent roared.
Lucas looked at it carefully.
Its scales were thick.
Its eyes were protected.
But beneath its jaw—
There.
A weak point.
Lucas waited.
The serpent attacked.
He dodged.
Again.
The creature opened its mouth.
Lucas moved.
Speed Enhancement.
He jumped directly toward its head.
The serpent tried to close its jaws.
Lucas slipped between them.
He activated Impact Break.
His fist struck beneath its jaw.
The serpent’s body went rigid.
A crack appeared across its scales.
Then the entire creature collapsed into the water.
[D-RANK MONSTER DEFEATED]
Lucas landed safely.
He breathed heavily.
“That was close.”
He looked across the chamber.
A massive door stood on the other side.
Lucas walked toward it.
The moment he touched the door, a notification appeared.
[ADVANCEMENT DUNGEON]
[PROGRESS: 72%]
Lucas stared at the number.
“So I’m getting close.”
The door opened.
Beyond it was another massive corridor.
Lucas stepped inside.
The pressure immediately increased.
He stopped.
Something was wrong.
This wasn’t the same pressure he had felt from the normal D-Rank monsters.
It was much stronger.
Lucas activated every sense he had.
Nothing.
He couldn’t see anything.
Then—
Something slammed into him.
Lucas flew across the corridor.
He crashed into the stone wall.
Pain exploded through his body.
He dropped to one knee.
Blood ran from the corner of his mouth.
Lucas looked up.
A figure stood at the other end of the corridor.
Humanoid.
Massive.
Covered in black armor.
A large weapon rested in its hand.
Lucas slowly stood.
His eyes narrowed.
The system identified the creature.
[WARNING]
[MID-BOSS DETECTED]
[Rank: D]
[Level: 100]
Lucas’s expression changed.
“Level 100?”
For the first time since entering the advancement dungeon, Lucas felt genuine danger.
The creature standing before him wasn’t simply stronger than the monsters he’d fought earlier.
It was on an entirely different level.
Lucas was only Level 30.
Even with his near-perfect control over Boost Breaker, the difference between Level 30 and Level 100 was enormous.
Lucas lowered his stance.
The mid-boss raised its weapon.
Lucas activated Strength Enhancement.
Then Speed Enhancement.
Then—
[Break Limit]
Power surged through his body.
His muscles tightened.
His heartbeat accelerated.
Energy exploded around him.
Lucas disappeared forward.
The mid-boss moved.
Their attacks collided.
Lucas’s arm went completely numb.
His body was pushed backward.
His feet carved two long marks into the stone floor.
Lucas looked at his hand.
It was shaking.
“This is insane.”
The mid-boss hadn’t even been pushed back.
Lucas had fought monsters stronger than himself before.
But this was different.
A D-Rank Level 100 monster.
And this wasn’t even the final boss.
The mid-boss raised its weapon again.
Lucas tightened his fist.
[Impact Break]
Energy concentrated around his hand.
He knew he couldn’t overpower it.
Not directly.
He needed to find a weakness.
Just like before.
The mid-boss disappeared.
Lucas’s eyes widened.
“Too fast!”
The weapon slammed into his side.
Lucas was launched across the corridor.
His body crashed into the stone wall.
Blood ran from his mouth.
He forced himself to stand.
His vision blurred for a moment.
The creature slowly approached.
Lucas wiped the blood from his mouth.
He stared at the monster.
A small smile appeared.
“Good.”
His eyes sharpened.
“If this is what Boost Breaker thinks I need to defeat…”
Lucas raised his fists.
“…then I’ll figure it out.”
The mid-boss charged.
Lucas charged toward it.
Their distance disappeared.
The creature raised its weapon.
Lucas prepared Impact Break.
The weapon came down toward him.
Lucas’s eyes widened.
He couldn’t move fast enough.