When the dungeon's artificial sun rose, Moyo awoke to a renewed sense of purpose. He made his way back to the stream, refilling his jar before embarking on a leisurely exploration of the dungeon's boundaries.

  Creatures lurking in ambush met Ida's edge with barely a second thought. Level 60 aberrants posed no challenge, crumpling under the weight of his strikes like paper dolls. Moyo barely registered their presence as he ventured beyond the forest, the landscape shifting to jagged, rocky terrain. Here, new threats awaited.

  [Stonehide Golem, Level 70]

  These towering creatures proved far more resilient. Ida sliced through their lower ranks with effort, but as the golems grew in power, Moyo had to adapt. Against the Level 80s and 90s, he relied more on precision strikes, channeling intent into his fists to shatter their rocky exteriors like hammering through brittle stone.

  He eventually stopped before an unusually large figure.

  [Stonehide Golem, Level 100]

  The creature's baleful yellow eyes glowed as it roused itself, dislodging debris that had collected on its massive frame. With surprising speed, the golem tore a boulder from the ground and hurled it toward him.

  Eyes wide, Moyo instinctively drew Ida. Intent surged along the blade's length, slicing cleanly through the projectile. Fragments scattered like shrapnel. He looked up, only to find the golem's massive fist already hurtling toward his face.

  Moyo managed to raise Ida to block, but the raw force sent him careening backward. He crashed into the rocky ground, coughing as his body protested. Nothing broken, but his bones ached from the impact, a deep throb that radiated through his limbs.

  Getting to his feet, he cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders.

  "All right, big guy," he muttered, gripping his blade tighter. "Let's try that again."

  He shot forward, intent blazing around him like a storm, meeting the golem's roar with a resounding clash of steel against stone.

  The battle was deafening, the sharp ring of Ida meeting stone echoing across the rocky expanse. The golem's strikes were relentless, each one shaking the ground as it swung its massive fists and hurled boulders with startling precision. Moyo ducked, weaved, and retaliated, each step fueled by raw power that coursed through him like a second heartbeat.

  Even with his boosted stats, the golem's immense strength made every exchange feel precarious, one wrong step from being pulverized. He gritted his teeth as he parried a crushing blow, Ida vibrating in his hands from the force.

  The golem, seemingly unbothered by his attacks, slammed its foot down. A ripple of jagged stone spikes raced toward him. Moyo leaped with Titan's Ascent, narrowly avoiding the attack as the spikes tore through where he'd been standing moments before.

  "Not bad," Moyo muttered, landing lightly. "But not good enough."

  He surged forward, activating Titan's Edge, his blade crackling with concentrated intent. With a roar, he brought Ida down in a diagonal slash aimed at the golem's shoulder. The strike connected, cleaving through layers of rocky armor, sending shards flying.

  The golem reeled, staggering for the first time, its yellow eyes narrowing in what Moyo could only interpret as anger. With a bellow, it slammed both fists into the ground, summoning a swirling vortex of debris and stone that enveloped it in a protective barrier.

  "Oh, come on," Moyo growled, darting back as sharp rocks whipped around the creature.

  The vortex expanded, forcing him to keep his distance. He studied it, heart pounding, gauging an opening. He couldn't afford to waste his core energy recklessly. With the sharpness of Titan's Edge and the wide reach of Blade Storm, he might be able to break through, but not without exhausting himself.

  Taking a breath, Moyo charged forward, focusing all his intent into Blade Storm. A swirling sphere of energy erupted from Ida, cutting through the golem's debris field as he pressed the attack. The storm tore into the protective vortex, scattering stones in every direction until he stood face to face with the golem once more.

  It roared and swung a massive arm. Moyo sidestepped, slashing upward with Ida, slicing through the joint where arm met shoulder. The limb cracked and fell, crashing to the ground with a resounding thud.

  His HUD flashed a notification.

  "Good. Stay slow," Moyo muttered, circling the creature, blade ready.

  The golem, however, didn't collapse. Instead, it grew more desperate, slamming its remaining fist into the ground with ferocious speed. The earth beneath Moyo trembled violently, knocking him off balance as a jagged pillar of stone shot up, slamming into his ribs and sending him sprawling.

  He coughed, tasting blood, as Titan's Vitality surged to heal the internal damage. Gritting his teeth, Moyo pushed himself up, his vision blurring before sharpening.

  "Okay, that one hurt," he muttered, rolling his shoulder. "Let's finish this."

  The golem lumbered toward him, dragging its damaged frame as it prepared another strike. Moyo raised Ida, intent pulsing along the blade as he activated Titan's Edge once more. He charged forward, leaping into the air as the golem swung its remaining arm.

  "Too slow," Moyo hissed, twisting mid-air to avoid the attack. He brought Ida down with all his strength, the blade slamming into the center of the golem's chest. The force sent cracks spidering across its rocky surface.

  Moyo didn't let up. Using the embedded Ida as leverage, he delivered a flurry of intent-charged punches to the weakened chest, each blow widening the fractures. The golem let out a final, shuddering roar before its core shattered, its massive body collapsing into a heap of rubble.

  [Congratulations, you have defeated Stonehide Golem Level 100!] ? Level 100 Achieved! You have obtained 55 points + 15. ? 2 Superior Stone Cores obtained. ? 10,000 credits. ? Skill Progression: Blade Storm Level 20, Titan's Edge Level 25.

  Panting, Moyo leaned against his blade, chest rising and falling as he stared at the remains. His hands trembled, not from fear but from sheer exertion. He hadn't expected the creature to be this powerful.

  "Level 100," he murmured, his lips quirking into a faint smile despite the aches wracking his body.

  "Guess I'm officially a centurion now."

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Before he could relish the thought, he felt the faintest tremor beneath his feet. Moyo froze, gripping Ida as his instincts flared. The ground rumbled again, faint but deliberate, and a deep, guttural roar echoed from deeper within the rocky terrain.

  Something far more dangerous was waiting ahead.

  To be frank, Ajax's orders had been to relax and recuperate. And yet, here he was, chasing the next battle as if it were sustenance. He couldn't help but wonder just how strong the head of the golems might be, maybe even a terrifying level 150.

  Shrugging off the thought, he added the 35 points gained from killing the level 100 golem directly into strength. His already steel like muscles tightened further with raw power. He sat on a boulder, sipping from the jar, his sharp eyes scanning the surroundings.

  The roar that had reverberated through the terrain earlier stuck in his mind. Whatever it was had emerged from deep beneath the ground, and the idea of yet another underground fight made him grimace. Still, he reasoned, maybe he could camp here. Let whatever monstrosity was below send its minions up to die at his hands until it was forced to face him directly.

  Nodding to himself, he began searching for an entrance. After a short while, he stumbled upon a cropping of stone where a massive boulder had been roughly carved into the semblance of a doorway. It was oddly small, which piqued his curiosity.

  Shrugging once more, he gathered intent into a sphere and hurled it down the hole. The explosion echoed loudly, followed by the telltale sounds of destruction. Moyo winced as a deep, guttural roar shook the earth.

  [You have roused the Stonehide King, Level 120!]

  He froze at the notification. The ground cracked beneath him, fault lines splitting into jagged trails as he instinctively leapt backward. A massive stone arm shot out of the earth, quickly followed by another, and another.

  His mind reeled at the sight of the colossal creature rising, but the spectacle wasn't over. Dozens of smaller Stonehide golems, all within the level 90 range, poured out of the newly formed chasm like ants spilling from a disturbed nest.

  "Great. More fodder," Moyo muttered, raising Ida.

  The Blade Storm skill roared to life as Moyo threw himself into the fray. The intent infused blades shredded the smaller golems while his fists shattered those that got too close. He focused on culling their numbers, desperate to clear the area before the massive Stonehide King fully emerged.

  But the pressure, the sheer, overwhelming force of its presence, was a storm battering his senses. He rolled out of the way just as the giant's massive hand smashed into the ground where he had stood moments earlier.

  Breathing heavily, Moyo stared up at the behemoth. The Stonehide King was a towering monolith of polished rock, its body crisscrossed with glowing yellow aether lines that pulsed like veins. Its face was an impassive, featureless mask of indifference, and yet its presence exuded a crushing weight. For a brief moment, Moyo's instincts screamed at him to flee.

  But fear was a luxury he could no longer afford.

  Steeling himself, he shot forward, weaving between the King's hulking minions. With Titan's Ascent, he leapt high into the air, landing on the massive arm of the Stonehide King. The towering aberrant swatted at him with its other hand, trying to crush him like an insect.

  Smaller golems emerged from the giant's body itself, their attacks relentless as Moyo fought his way upward toward the King's head. His movements sharpened, crude swings replaced with precise strikes, an instinctual refinement born from hours of brutal training.

  Finally, he reached the King's skull. Purple intent flared around Ida as Moyo unleashed Titan's Edge with a triumphant roar, slamming his blade into the craggy head of the monster. The attack struck true, carving a massive crack into the King's skull, but before Moyo could celebrate, a raw surge of force erupted from the creature. It was like being hit by a battering ram.

  Moyo was catapulted from the King's head like a pebble from a sling. He hit the ground with bone jarring force, coughing blood as Titan's Vitality fought to keep him intact.

  Through the haze of pain, he watched as the smaller golems crumbled into sand. Their animating energy, yellow aether, rose from their remains, siphoning into the crack in the King's skull.

  [Stonehide Golem King: Level 120 → 130!]

  "What the hell?" Moyo muttered, his heart sinking.

  The giant stirred, but something was different. A smaller, humanoid figure emerged from the crack in the King's skull. Its form glowed faintly with the same yellow aether that coursed through the larger body, but it was sleek, refined, a predator stepping out of the shell of a beast. The ground quaked as it landed before Moyo, its eerie smile widening as it flexed its fingers experimentally.

  [Notice: Random aberrant mutation has occurred. Stonehide Golem King has evolved into War Golem King, Level 130.]

  The newly evolved War Golem King tilted its head, examining its hands before looking at Moyo. That chilling smile never left its face.

  Moyo moved on instinct, shooting forward with blinding speed. He poured everything into a single, devastating blow, Titan's Edge crackling with violent intent as it arced toward the King's neck. This time, he wouldn't give it the chance to adapt.

  But the King was faster.

  Its fist slammed into Moyo's chest, the impact cracking something deep within him as he was hurled across the battlefield. Stars danced in his vision as he skidded to a stop, gasping for air. Before he could recover, the King was on him, lifting him by the throat with unnerving ease. Its glowing eyes gleamed with amusement as it drew back a fist for another devastating strike.

  Moyo barely managed to raise Ida in time to parry, but the blow still sent him hurtling away, crashing into the ground with a grunt.

  The King stood there, clenching and unclenching its fists as if testing its newfound strength. Then it gestured for Moyo to come at it, the mocking smile stretching unnaturally across its stony face.

  Moyo gritted his teeth, sheathing Ida. "Alright, let's see what you've got."

  He cracked his knuckles and shot forward again, meeting the King's charge head on. This wasn't just a fight anymore. It was a war of attrition, will, and determination.

  And Moyo had no intention of losing.

  ****

  Ushotan had been forced to retreat, twice. The bitter taste of failure gnawed at him, a foreign and deeply unwelcome sensation. Seated within the cold, shadowy recesses of his sanctuary, buried deep in the tier 2 dungeon, he bit furiously at his already cracked and broken nails. His irritation was palpable, radiating through the dimly lit chamber and agitating the low moans of his undead army, once living denizens of the dungeon, now little more than grotesque husks bound to his will.

  He couldn't afford to be delayed here much longer. The thought churned in his mind like poison. He had an entire world to conquer, rewards to claim, and the glory of being the first ascender to achieve monumental feats within this fledgling system. His plan had been meticulous, his will ironclad, and yet here he was, entrenched in setbacks.

  The prime aberrant had been the cause of his frustration. A massive, molten elemental brimming with raw, primal power, it had decimated half his forces during his initial assault. Ushotan's sneer deepened at the memory.

  The audacity of such resistance was beyond belief. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. He, Ushotan, the Scourge of Lesser Realms, wasn't supposed to be stuck in a dungeon, staving off defeat like some hapless novice.

  A troubling thought crept into his mind, one that tightened his fists around the gnarled shaft of his staff. The creatures of this dungeon were unique, the only ones of their kind in the entire system, their tier 2 existence a stark anomaly in a tier 1 world. Killing them should have netted him significant system rewards. So where were they? Why hadn't the system acknowledged his accomplishments?

  His snarl echoed through the chamber, drawing the attention of his shambling horde. Their hollow, lifeless eyes turned toward him in silent obedience, but even their unwavering loyalty did little to calm his storming thoughts. Was the system withholding rewards? Were his masters watching him now, peering down with disgust at his floundering efforts? He could almost feel their disapproving gazes, their disappointment a blade carving into his pride.

  Ushotan stood abruptly, the hem of his tattered black cloak swirling around him. He couldn't afford to falter. His ambition burned too brightly to allow for prolonged setbacks. The path to dominance required sacrifices, and he would make them, even if it meant taking drastic measures.

  Summoning a large, rune-etched vat from his voidkeep, Ushotan's face twisted into a grimace of resolve. If he couldn't defeat the prime aberrant through conventional means, then he would break the rules of the dungeon itself. He would rip its foundations apart, infecting every creature, every corner of this dungeon, until his army swelled to unstoppable proportions.

  "They will remember me," he muttered, his voice dripping with venom. "I will be an exarch in this backwater world."

  The dim glow of his staff intensified as Ushotan prepared his next move. To ascend to the peak of the acolyte rank before he left this dungeon, he would stoop to whatever depths were necessary. Let the masters watch. Let the world tremble. Victory would be his, no matter the cost.