Before the monster realized what had happened, one of its eyestalks had been sliced clean off.
The leader shrieked in pain and instinctively opened its mouth.
Water surged inside its throat as it prepared to fire another compressed blast straight through Alex’s body. That was exactly the opening Alex had been waiting for.
He jammed the wand into the monster’s mouth and released the highly compressed Fire Bullet he had been preparing.
The spell destabilized the instant he let go, rapidly expanding as it mixed with the torrent of water.
Fire, steam, and explosive force erupted together inside the monster, blowing apart its upper body from within.
Alex had already thrown himself backward before the explosion. Chunks of scorched shell scattered across the cavern as the leader’s upper body was torn to pieces.
When the smoke and steam settled, the enormous Titan Reef Crab collapsed onto the ground without another movement.
Alex spared the corpse only a single glance to confirm it was dead before sprinting toward the giant Level 11 Titan Reef Crab. Frank was still barely holding the monster back, his shield trembling every time another crushing blow landed.
If Alex arrived even a second later, Frank’s defense would likely collapse.
Alex leaped toward the monster’s head with both hands gripping his sword.
Mana Thread vibrated at full power, and the blade cut through the thick armor like a knife through butter before piercing directly into the creature’s brain.
The giant Titan Reef Crab stiffened for a moment before crashing lifelessly onto the cavern floor.
Only then did Alex look around the battlefield. To his surprise, the remaining fight had already ended. Yulia stood over the corpse of the fast Level 10+ Titan Reef Crab, her right arm hanging by little more than strips of flesh, but she had won.
The remaining crippled Titan Reef Crabs had been finished off by Sarah and Emma.
Even after Alex had disabled them, the monsters had remained dangerous enough that approaching them carried real risk.
Watching the ragtag group standing victorious, Alex felt both surprise and quiet pride.
They had grown far stronger than when they first entered the dungeon. His efforts to help everyone level up had paid off.
Petra immediately ran to Yulia with tears streaming down her face. She knelt beside her and began healing the woman’s cleaved arm as quickly as she could while trying to stop the bleeding.
Yulia simply nodded weakly, too exhausted to say anything after forcing herself through the battle.
Alex finally released Battle Instinct and Advanced Body Reinforcement. He wanted to keep them going until he saw the level-up notifications, but his mind felt as though it were burning from the inside after being pushed so far beyond its limits.
Then the pain hit.
Without Battle Instinct suppressing it, every broken bone, every burn, and the hole through his abdomen announced themselves at once.
The agony overwhelmed him so completely that he fortunately blacked out instead of suffering more.
When Alex opened his eyes again, a pleasant warmth spread throughout his body. He felt bones crack back into place, melted flesh repairing itself, and the hole through his abdomen steadily closing until nothing remained except healthy skin.
Floating before him was a long series of notifications.
[Level 8 Elemental Titan Reef Crab (Mid-rank Species) killed.]
[Level 12 Titan Reef Crab killed.]
[Level 11 Titan Reef Crab killed.]
[Level 10 Titan Reef...]
[Level 10...]
[...]
[You have leveled up. Level 8 → Level 9.]
[2 Stat Points gained.]
[Mana Sense Spell has leveled up. Level 3 → Level 4.]
[Battle Instinct Spell has leveled up. Level 6 → Level 8.]
[Mana Thread Spell has leveled up. Level 7 → Level 9.]
[Fire Bullet Spell has leveled up. Level 1 → Level 2.]
[Advanced Body Reinforcement Spell has leveled up. Level 1 → Level 2.]
A faint smile appeared on Alex’s face as he finished reading the notifications.
He had reached Level 9, and every spell he relied on had grown stronger.
Battle Instinct was now only two levels away from evolving, while Mana Thread needed only one more level before its own evolution.
Before he could think about what those evolutions might become, another notification appeared.
[Titan Reef Crab Colony Dungeon Cleared.]
[Bronze Reward Box gained.]
[You have leveled up. Level 9 → Level 10.]
Alex’s eyes lingered on the message for a moment. So clearing a dungeon also rewarded experience toward leveling up.
That was valuable information because it meant dungeons would likely become one of the fastest ways to grow stronger.
Another notification appeared immediately afterward.
[Hidden Quest completed: Be the first person from your planet to clear a Dungeon.]
[Gold Reward Box gained.]
Alex was pleasantly surprised by the achievement.
Considering how dangerous the dungeon had been, it was unlikely anyone else had managed to clear one already.
Even for him, defeating it had only been possible because the rest of the group had grown strong enough to hold off the other monsters while he fought the leader.
If he had entered alone, he probably would have cleared the dungeon eventually, but he might not have been fast enough to claim the first-clear reward.
Working with a team had increased his efficiency far more than he had expected. It had also earned him another hidden achievement.
Alex waited quietly for one final set of notifications.
More than the reward itself, he wanted to know whether reaching Level 10 meant he could return to Earth, and check on his family. A moment later, new messages appeared before his eyes.
[Tutorial Quest 3 completed: Reach Level 10.]
[You have gained...]
...
Joseph had thought he was going to die.
He hadn’t minded very much. The pain had been unbearable, but as long as Yulia escaped safely, he could accept dying there. She still had a long life ahead of her, unlike him.
Everything changed when he heard her shout his name. At that moment, Joseph realized he wanted to live.
His heart silently begged her to run away instead of risking her own life for his sake, yet he couldn’t deny how happy he felt knowing she had come back for him.
After that, everything became a blur. His vision faded until he could barely make out vague shapes, leaving him to follow the battle through sound alone.
Explosions echoed through the cavern, followed by impacts that reminded him of jackhammers smashing against solid rock.
Then something was pushed into his mouth. It melted almost instantly, and warmth spread throughout his exhausted body. His injuries remained, but the overwhelming weakness faded just enough for him to gather the strength to open his eyes again.
The sight waiting for him was something Joseph knew he would never forget.
The young man moved across the battlefield with the ferocity of a beast. He looked at the monsters with rapt attention, as if he was a hunter looking at his prey.
His sword was as swift as lightning yet as deceptive as a snake, slipping past attacks that should have stopped it before striking with deadly precision.
The young man’s ferocity was beautiful. His gaze, his sword, his steps. Everything carried the primal grace of a beast.
Joseph didn’t know why he felt so certain, but he had the unmistakable feeling that he was witnessing the beginning of history.
He was confident that the young man before him would one day become the strongest person on Earth.
Perhaps, even beyond.
..
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