“Are you sure?” I speak mentally with Glia—she just made a proposal I wasn’t expecting.

  “Yes… there’s no risk of dying in this dungeon, and I want to keep training.” I can feel her desire to grow stronger; she’s had that drive for months now. She was making great progress inside the dungeon, and I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone.

  Time inside a hero’s dungeon can vary depending on when it’s used, and it’s impossible to estimate how time flows in that space. For me it could be two days while a week passes outside, or the opposite—I could be trapped thinking two weeks have gone by when only four days passed.

  “I already explained it to Brendu. She’ll stay with you, and I’m leaving dozens of grade 2 and 3 cores—use them whenever you want.” It’s still a bit complicated for Glia to enter a dungeon alone, and I’m worried she’ll be mistaken for some monster if she doesn’t have someone accompanying her. Luckily, Brendu or Areci can deal with that kind of problem.

  “Thank you. I’ll also use that time to get to know her a bit better.” Glia loves her just as much as the other girls; Brendu earned her affection little by little, but they’ve barely spent time alone together.

  Glia leaves my cube and slowly walks toward the others.

  “Are you ready?” Susan asks me. They’ve been waiting in the same chamber for a few seconds now. The corridor leading here is protected down to the last wall: multiple layers of runes, strong ruby-grade mages, and even a diamond-grade one.

  “Yes.” I crack my neck and fingers to warm up before entering.

  “We’ll be waiting to celebrate your new achievement.” Brendu comes over, wraps her hand around mine, and squeezes it tightly.

  “If you don’t clear all 10 floors, don’t come back.” Shawu punches my shoulder while smiling.

  “Good luck, I’m sure you’ll break my record.” Areci used this hero dungeon a few years ago.

  “Try to use your gravity affinity as much as possible.” Cype is also here with us.

  “Thank you, everyone. I’ll see you soon.” Brendu lets go of my hand and I walk toward my new challenge. It’s time for another small, deep adventure.

  The massive platform in front of me is imposing—the enormous portal reflecting a bright golden light feels like something beyond this world. Now that I can sense spatial affinity better, I can clearly feel the huge difference between normal portals and a hero’s portal. They’re worlds apart.

  I approach close enough to feel the pressure covering every centimeter of my body. It feels like the portal is trying to pull me in as soon as possible, and something invisible is holding it back. On the next step, I finally notice something different—the omnipresent voice speaks.

  “Welcome, new challenger!” It pauses for a moment before continuing. “A great achievement has been detected in another hero’s dungeon; the difficulty of the first floor will be adjusted for you.” That notification doesn’t surprise me—Susan already mentioned this on the way here.

  If you clear a hero’s dungeon and reach the top 3, the other hero dungeons will detect it. If you place lower, you won’t receive any adjustment notification.

  “Accept the notification to enter the dungeon. You have ten seconds.” I don’t let even two seconds pass—one thought and I accept the notification. Instantly, it feels like the dungeon tries to swallow me whole. Darkness consumes everything around me; time feels distorted, and before I realize it, I’m standing in a completely different place.

  I slowly open my eyes. The first thing I see is a platform identical to the one in Skyblue City, except for the size. This one is gigantic—at least 15 meters tall.

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  The terrain around me is beautiful: enormous mountains in every direction, as if this place had been created to sit in the center of a natural circular fortress.

  It’s a gorgeous meadow with large trees; their leaves and fruits come in three different colors: blue, red, and yellow.

  The omnipresent voice pulls me out of my thoughts: “Eliminate every wave of monsters. The level will adjust to your capabilities. Death is not the end. Good luck!” Eliminate every wave? That means wiping out every last one of them—that sounds interesting.

  I infuse gravitational mana through my whole body. Yesterday I managed to gain another level; now I’m just one away from upgrading Gravity Burst. This place is perfect for training.

  I hear many footsteps coming from the dense forest ahead. Seconds later, monsters appear. They look like werewolves: bipedal, towering over two meters tall, with a terrifying mouth that looks capable of tearing off a limb in one bite—or with their claws.

  I step forward, and my enhanced body shoots out like an arrow. My defense will remain the same—I can’t let my guard down against these monsters—so I’ll focus only on fighting with gravity until I can’t anymore.

  The first slash picks up great momentum; my sword draws a beautiful crescent and takes off the first werewolf’s head. I shift my foot slightly and strike vertically at the next closest monster.

  A metallic sound stops my blade—their claws are reinforced with a massive layer of mana. It took effort to break through, and my sword was stopped by one of its claws. They seem to be made of some sort of resistant metal—but not resistant enough to withstand my strength and momentum. In less than a second I hear its nail cracking, and the monster steps back to retreat.

  I try to chase it, but I’m intercepted immediately—huge claws slash toward me from every direction. I dodge what I can, block the rest. These werewolves don’t stop; they move as one, their group coordination impeccable.

  Their speed and agility are abnormal—I’ve seen them crack the ground repeatedly with their claws. Their natural stats are extremely high and well-balanced; in nature they should be solitary monsters due to their ridiculous strength, but their wolf instincts make them fight as a pack.

  I adapt little by little to their fighting style. I could have killed them all easily using my other affinities, but I’m focused only on enhancing my movements and attacks with gravity. Slowly, I tear them apart while adjusting to their coordination. The wear and tear is draining them; every slash makes them bleed.

  Wait… are their wounds closing? Their regeneration is amazing—not at ogre level, but close. Regeneration, speed, agility, strength, defense, and group coordination—all of them high, all of them balanced.

  These monsters could wipe out entire towns or cities if they had enough numbers—but today is not their lucky day. They’re standing before a natural disaster.

  My right sword pierces one’s leg; I dodge its claws aiming at my face. My left sword plunges into the neck of the one behind it. I pivot on my supporting leg, and the right sword traces a circle, cutting another one in half.

  Gravitational mana bursts from my legs in a single explosion, and I drive both swords into the head of the werewolf whose leg I pierced earlier.

  The speed exceeded my expectations; for half a second I couldn’t move comfortably, and they took advantage of that gap. My swords block attacks from three of them, but one slips through from the side—its claws break my defenses and leave three slashes near my ribs.

  The claws lost a lot of power after breaking through my defenses—they weakened enough not to tear off a chunk of flesh, leaving only deep cuts. My wounds heal at an incredible rate—my skin regrows before the next movement.

  I manage to kill three of them, leaving only the last one. It leaps with full force trying to avenge its pack. My swords clash with its claws; it misjudges the strength of my next strike and receives a slash from thigh to shin. It howls in pain and falls to one knee. I don’t waste the chance and drive my sword into its head.

  The werewolf’s body crashes into the ground with a loud thud—that marks the end of the first wave. It took longer than I expected; using only gravity affinity was extremely complicated and messy.

  If I had gone all out, this would’ve ended in minutes. I’m not even sure how long it took because time stopped moving the moment I entered—the clock froze at the moment of entry.

  “Congratulations on clearing the first wave, challenger!” the omnipresent voice echoes in my mind, flat and serious as always.

  “The next wave will begin soon! You will be notified when it is time.” That’s all? I don’t know how long “soon” is… but at least I’ve got a chance to breathe and rest a bit.

  The dungeon is probably calculating my performance and adjusting the next floor’s parameters. Time flows differently here—maybe that’s why it doesn’t give a rest countdown in minutes or hours.

  The bubbling excitement of facing the unknown is wonderful. The feeling of a hero’s dungeon is completely different. My body trembles slightly with anticipation—I have the strong feeling I’ll obtain something great once I clear it.