Thank you all so much for your incredible support this week!
—•——•——•——•——•——•—
"You're up."
August t the Silverback Ape's gaze. "You're a Xenos, so you must have so special traits. As a Silverback, you've got the punching power of a giant ape. Mind if we put that to the test?"
He sensed that the Silverback's strength was near the top of [Level 1], almost reaching S-Rank. Even with the Infant Dragon nearby, August felt sure he could take them both on.
The Silverback hesitated at the challenge. For a mont, fear flashed in its eyes, but as it looked at the human who had once been its enemy, its natural urge to fight took over.
"Bring it on." The Silverback put down its sack of Magic Stones and stepped forward.
For the first ti, it overca its fear and let its fighting instincts take control.
"That's more like it."
August felt good about the ape's fighting ability. Instead of grabbing a weapon or taking a deadly stance, he lowered himself, ready for a grappling match.
The Silverback let out a ferocious roar and charged.
They clashed head-on.
"What insane strength! Are you the monster, or am I??" the Silverback exclaid in shock.
The Silverback Ape's arms were strong enough to crush boulders, much stronger than the Orcs found on the upper floors. But right now, a human was completely overpowering it.
"My strength?" August muttered.
This was the first ti he fought a monster up close without using his guns or special skills. He never thought his plain, unboosted strength could beat a top [Level 1] monster so easily that even the monster noticed.
"Is my strength really that high?" August asked, looking at his hands.
"Are you kidding ??" The Silverback was dumbfounded. You're out-muscling a monster, and you didn't even know??
August tightened his grip and shoved forward. The massive ape was sent flying backward, crashing heavily onto the stone floor.
"Your raw strength is definitely higher than mine," the Silverback groaned, picking itself up.
The Silverback could tell August's strength was on a whole different level. The scariest thing was that the human hadn't used any skills or magic—just pure muscle, and the ape lost.
The Silverback had to admit defeat. This was the sa terrifying person it rembered.
"Defeated already?"
The Infant Dragon moved forward. This was its first ti interacting with a human like this. It didn't know August's exact level, but overpowering a Silverback in pure grappling ant the human specialized heavily in physical strength.
"My strength is that high...?" August murmured, still processing the revelation. He understood his own situation.
He always thought his basic stats were just a bit better than a well-trained soldier. He believed he was winning only because of his firepower and tactics.
He never knew his real physical strength was this high. It was the first ti a Dungeon monster had ever praised him for being strong.
"If he failed to show you our strength, then it's on to show you what a Xenos is truly capable of." The Infant Dragon advanced forward, feeling real pressure from August.
Is he actually a Level 5 Adventurer pretending to be weaker? If that's true, this could be a trap. But Fels had told them August was new to the Hestia Familia.
"Co," August challenged, settling back into a stance.
The Infant Dragon scrambled forward, its reptilian speed blindingly fast. Because it was an evolving Xenos, its aura and combat pressure were nearly identical to Rethusa, the Captain of the Artemis Familia.
The Dragon reared up, slamming its heavy front claws down on August.
August didn't dodge. He raised his hands and caught the massive claws dead-on.
"Hey! With strength like this, are you sure you aren't a [Level 3] Adventurer in disguise??" the Dragon grunted, straining against his grip.
It was a straight contest of stamina and strength.
The Dragon had the powerful 'Dragon' trait, but it was evenly matched with a human. As a fast-evolving monster, it was strong, but without its bigger size, it knew it would lose.
The Silverback was right. This human's physical power defied logic.
"I'm [Level 2]," August answered smoothly.
He understood how his abilities worked. He had system-based powers, but his actual stats were hidden from his status board. He only knew when he leveled up because the system told him.
He'd been taking out monsters with one punch on the upper floors, but thought it was just because they were weak. Now he saw that even without his special buffs, his punches hit like heavy artillery.
"I didn't realize I was this strong to begin with."
August's thoughts raced.
If his physical stats didn't show up on his Falna, it ant his base strength worked on a system unique to him.
He finally got it. On Earth, his strength was normal for an elite soldier. But after coming to this world, his body must have gotten so kind of hidden 'Dinsional modifier.'
It was a massive, undocunted buff.
If an ordinary person from Earth got such a big boost just by coming here, what would happen if soone like Superman showed up in Orario? The stat boosts would be unbelievable.
Was this the fundantal difference between modern humans and the 'Heroes' of this fantasy realm?
The thought alone made August feel fired up.
"Again. Keep coming," August grinned, his eyes beaming with excitent.
The Infant Dragon saw that August was really testing himself. It had never t a human who didn't know their own strength. Still, the Dragon wanted to see just how far August could go.
No skills. No magic. Just pure physical combat!!
The Infant Dragon spun, whipping its heavy tail directly at August's ribs.
Instead of dodging, August focused. As soon as the tail ca close, he jumped, reached out, and grabbed it in mid-swing.
"Get up!!"
Using the montum, August planted his feet, twisted his hips, and threw the huge dragon onto the stone floor with a perfect judo move.
But the Infant Dragon was used to fighting in the Dungeon. As soon as it hit the ground, it twisted, took the impact, and quickly got back up.
"As expected of you. You caught my tail strike barehanded!" the Infant Dragon exclaid in awe.
Was this guy even human?
A regular [Level 2] Adventurer trying to catch a dragon's tail without armor would be cut in half. But August caught it with one hand.
August nodded, sure of his theory now.
The dinsional modifier was real—and it was extrely strong.
"Let's switch it up," August said, shifting his stance.
He finished with grappling. Now he wanted to see how fast he could strike.
"?" The Infant Dragon realized August was shifting tactics. It grew even more excited. This human was infinitely fascinating. "BRING IT!"
The Dragon charged, doubling its previous speed. It planned to use its agile four-legged sprint to close the distance and crush August under its sheer weight.
August took a deep breath and watched the Dragon's path. Even though the monster was incredibly fast, his sharp vision caught every movent.
"Too slow."
August sidestepped the heavy pounce by a fraction of an inch and thrust his hand forward.
Smack!
His hand struck dead center on the Dragon's abdon.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
He fired off a quick series of punches, each one precise and powerful. The Infant Dragon couldn't regain its balance and took the hits before being knocked backward across the cavern.
"So strong..." the Infant Dragon gasped, skidding to a halt.
For the first ti, the monster noticed how many openings its attacks had. Its charge wasn't weak, but its recovery was too slow. August took advantage of that brief mont to land a perfect combo.
"You're a very strong human," the Infant Dragon praised, shaking off the impact.
The Dragon didn't dislike August. In fact, it respected him. This human was a true warrior, always looking to get stronger. Sparring with him was a real thrill.
"Thanks."
August sensed that the Dragon couldn't take much more. If he kept pushing, the monster's Magic Stone would destabilize from the physical trauma, and it would explode.
Through the spar, he finally understood just how strong he really was. The information was priceless, and he truly appreciated the Xenos for helping him see it.
Still, August wondered why that elf never brought this up.
During his sparring sessions with Ryu Lion, she hadn't said a word about his absurd physical strength.
'Did she think I was born with this strength? If I'd been this strong on Earth, I would have been a superhuman.'
He realized that Adventurers had a very different sense of what was normal. He couldn't use their ideas to judge his own stats anymore. He needed clear, objective data.
Suddenly, an eerily beautiful lody resounded throughout the cavern.
August, the Infant Dragon, and the Silverback all picked up the light, rhythmic song coming from the deeper tunnels.
"Your friend is calling," August smirked, remaining perfectly still.
It was ti for them to go. The Dungeon wasn't safe for monsters with bounties on them.
"Yeah."
Hearing the Siren's song, the Infant Dragon knew their leader had co to fetch them.
"Let's move."
The Dragon signaled to the ape. The Silverback climbed onto its back, and with a strong jump, the Dragon climbed the cavern wall and disappeared into a hidden tunnel near the ceiling.
August watched them leave in silence.
"We got so good information, but it looks like we also picked up so unwanted followers."
August slowly turned his head and stared into a dark corner of the cavern. He had felt it during the fight—the clear, hostile gaze of human eyes. Stalkers.
"Ti to clean up."
With a snap of his wrist, a heavy motorcycle appeared out of nowhere. August got on, started the engine, and sped off into the darkness to hunt the hunters.
—•——•——•——•——•——•—
anwhile.
The Infant Dragon, carrying the Silverback, navigated a maze of hidden vertical shafts until it reached a secluded cavern.
A Siren Xenos with bright wings was waiting for them. She had used her song to guide them back safely.
"Ray!" the Infant Dragon called out.
Ray, the Siren, smiled as she saw the Silverback riding along, realizing they had successfully recruited a new comrade.
"What took you two so long?" Ray asked, tilting her head.
"We ran into that 'Monster rookie' Fels warned us about," the Infant Dragon admitted openly. "We sparred with him."
"THE MONSTER ROOKIE??" Ray gasped, her feathers standing up in shock. Fels had clearly warned them to stay far away from that human.
"Relax. He knew who we were, but he wasn't aggressive," the Dragon said. "If you don't attack him first, he won't use his weapons. His strength is seriously scary."
The Infant Dragon rubbed its bruised belly, showing off the dark handprints August had left behind.
"Really?" Ray was shocked. The famous rookie knew about the Xenos, didn't hate them, and chose not to attack?
"Did Fels tell him about us?" she wondered aloud.
"Doesn't seem like it. We'll have to ask Fels the next ti he visits."
But a sudden burst of panic hit Ray.
"Wait... if you hung around him, did anyone follow you back? Are we compromised?" she asked urgently.
"No," the Infant Dragon shook its heavy head. "August will handle them. He's a good guy."
The Dragon knew exactly what was happening. It had sensed the human stalkers during the spar, and it knew August had noticed them too. The only reason August stayed behind rather than leaving imdiately was to exterminate the poachers who were tracking them.
"Wow. To think you'd praise a human this highly," Ray murmured in awe.
She knew exactly who the Dragon ant. These weren't regular Adventurers—they were Evilus, ruthless poachers who hunted Xenos for the black market. For a human to stay behind and take out those poachers so they could escape made Ray think much more highly of the monster rookie.
The Infant Dragon nodded. "Co on. Let's head ho."
—•——•——•——•——•——•—
BULK UPLOAD OF 7 CHAPTERS IF WE HIT 1200 POWERSTONES THIS WEEK!!
—•——•——•——•——•——•—
~ Every 200 Power Stones = Bonus chapter!
~ 15 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon
sp-atreon/dragonnx
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
User Comments
0 comments from readers