"What the hell is that? A Kirin?"
"Wait—don’t tell it’s another freshly hatched Crimson Ultimate hero?"
The sight in front of them made Ethan jump.
What the hell is up with this little guy?
It instantly reminded him of what Seraphina and Cicero looked like when they were kids.
"Well, you’re the one who started yelling at first, so don’t bla for this!"
Muttering to himself, Ethan focused his energy and blasted it straight at the creature.
Might as well use this little thing to test how much power he could actually unleash.
But to his surprise, the creature’s hide was tough as hell. His energy strike only left a faint white mark on its body—no wound, no blood, nothing.
ROAR!
The little beast went berserk. A violent surge of power exploded from its body, shaking the entire cave with a thunderous rumble.
Ethan flinched, heart pounding. Screw this—he turned and bolted for the cave entrance.
"You jerk! Give back my spring water!"
A high-pitched, childish voice rang out right behind him, making Ethan’s stomach drop.
Wait—was that spring water he drank earlier actually this creature’s life source? The stuff it needed right after being born?
Too late to worry about that now. He just kept his head down and ran like hell, not even sure how long he sprinted before finally stumbling into a narrow mountain hollow.
Luckily, the little beast didn’t follow. It seed terrified of this place.
Ethan let out a shaky breath, but he didn’t let his guard down. He didn’t know much about this world yet, and danger could be hiding anywhere. One wrong move, and he might not make it out alive.
As he caught his breath, a splash ca from the nearby river. Droplets hit his skin—and just like before, the water seeped into his body, rging with him.
His eyes lit up. Without hesitation, he jumped into the river. Sure enough, this water ca from the sa source as the spring—just a bit weaker in energy.
He took a mont to steady his breathing, crouched down, and focused on the current. After a few seconds, he locked onto a direction.
Without wasting ti, he took off, following the river upstream. Before long, he reached a hidden cliffside, almost completely concealed by the terrain.
There, embedded in the steep rock face, was a massive stone basin shaped like a disk.
Inside it, crystal-clear spring water shimred, flowing gently from cracks in the mountain.
Ethan’s heart pounded with excitent.
He grabbed onto so vines nearby and began climbing down. But just as he was about to reach the water, a powerful energy pulse erupted from deep within the cliff.
A massive python slithered out from the rock, tongue flicking as it scanned the area, clearly searching for sothing.
Ethan froze, holding his breath and clinging to the cliffside, not daring to move an inch.
He could feel it—this snake radiated terrifying power. If he tried to fight it head-on, he’d be toast.
But the cliff was too steep. He couldn’t get a solid grip.
His foot slipped.
And he fell—straight into the spring.
As he splashed down, he finally noticed sothing else perched on the cliff above: a bizarre-looking crocodile, its body twisted and unnatural.
Swish. Swish.
Both creatures turned their heads in unison, eyes locking onto Ethan.
There was sothing strange in their gaze—curiosity? Confusion?
Ethan didn’t care. He dropped to his knees in the water and started gulping it down like a man possessed. Gulp after gulp, until the entire basin was dry.
The effects were imdiate—and massive.
He could feel it. His power had fully synced with this world now. The energy coursing through him was overwhelming, almost impossible to asure.
He took a deep breath.
Power surged from his body in waves, rippling through the air. His feet lifted off the ground as he hovered above the spring, eyes cold and sharp as he stared down the two beasts in front of him.
"What the hell are you? You dare drink all of our sacred spring water?!"
The massive python suddenly spoke, its voice filled with fury.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM...
But Ethan wasn’t in the mood for a conversation. Without a word, he raised his hand and flicked his fingers.
A surge of violent energy exploded outward, engulfing the giant snake in an instant.
Zzzzz!
The creature’s body ignited, flas devouring it from the inside out. Within monts, it was reduced to nothing but ash.
The crocodile beside it froze, eyes wide with terror. It didn’t stick around to see what happened next—just turned tail and bolted.
Ethan let out a long breath, about to leave, when sothing caught his eye—a springhead embedded in the mountain wall.
Back when he was up top, he’d noticed the water seed to be flowing from inside the mountain, but he hadn’t seen any entrance.
Now he had.
Without hesitation, he slipped inside.
He still didn’t fully understand what this spring water actually did, but if it could let him channel his power so effortlessly in this world, then it was priceless.
He followed the narrow tunnel for what felt like forever, until finally, he saw it—a blood-red orb, floating in midair.
The spring water nearby was clearly seeping from the mountain, but it had passed through this orb first, absorbing its energy. That’s what gave it such insane power.
Ethan’s heart raced.
Without thinking twice, he stepped forward and grabbed the orb.
The mont it touched his skin, a searing heat surged into his body. The orb dissolved almost instantly, its energy fusing with him.
Eyes wide, Ethan quickly checked himself over. No injuries, no side effects. He let out a breath of relief.
But just as he turned to leave—
He felt sothing behind him.
He spun around fast—and froze.
A creature stood there, tiger-like in shape, but clearly not of Earth. Its presence radiated raw, primal power, and its eyes locked onto Ethan with deadly focus.
The air between them crackled with tension. The cave trembled under the pressure of their standoff.
Ethan braced himself, ready to strike.
But the tiger-thing suddenly twitched, as if sensing sothing, then turned and bolted into the shadows, vanishing without a trace.
Ethan frowned.
This world was getting weirder by the minute.
He still had no idea what kind of place this was.
"Human. You ca from the outside world, didn’t you?"
"You dare consu our sacred relics without knowing the rules?"
Ethan instinctively stepped back.
Standing just ahead was a creature covered head to toe in gleaming scales. And the power radiating from it—it was stronger than anything he’d faced so far. Way stronger.
"What the hell is going on in this world?" Ethan muttered, his thoughts spiraling. "Wasn’t this supposed to be just a dungeon instance?"
His mind was a ss. He had no idea what to do next.
Then—ding!
A flood of system notifications echoed in his head.
Ding!
Congratulations, player Valkarion, for unlocking the power chanics of the new world. Please note: the power rules in this instance differ from those in the world of Glory Lords X. Here, everything is an illusion.
...
During your ti here, you will not gain any level progression.
"What? No leveling up?" Ethan groaned, face darkening.
So no matter how many monsters he killed, no matter how much power he absorbed—he wouldn’t gain a single level?
Then what was the point of gathering strength to defeat The Dark Sovereign? Was it all just bullshit?
As frustration boiled inside him, another notification popped up.
The Dark Sovereign is one of the most powerful Overlords in the Dungeon. To defeat him, you must overco imnse trials and pay a heavy price. Only by defeating all ten Lords of this world can you receive the Dungeon’s Law Blessing...
"One of the strongest Overlords in the Dungeon?" Ethan let out a bitter laugh.
He knew the system didn’t lie. So that ant he had no choice but to follow this path—step by step, fight by fight.
There was no shortcut.
Only survival.
...
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