The air outside Silvercross Academy shimmered with mana as dawn broke over the mountain range.
Rows of students in combat gear gathered before the black stone archway of the Beginner's Rift — a dungeon used to train fresh awakeners.
Blue runes pulsed across the obsidian gateway. Each beat echoed like a heart.
Instructor Mira Valen raised her staff, her silver eyes sharp as glass.
> "Listen carefully. Your goal is simple — enter, defeat the dungeon creatures, and bring back one Mana Core each. Losing control of your summons is an automatic failure."
Her gaze lingered on Kael.
> "And no collapsing the rift, Draven."
> "Wouldn't dream of it," Kael said with a lazy grin.
Beside him, Ryn Halden fidgeted with his sword belt.
> "You're going to cause trouble again, aren't you?"
"Me?" Kael said. "Never. I'm just here to collect rocks."
A small golden bird perched on his shoulder, feathers flickering like candlelight — Ember, his bonded Phoenix.
When the gates opened, a rush of cool air greeted them.
Kael stepped forward with his team, Ember's tiny form glowing brighter as they entered the rift.
---
Inside the Rift
Light twisted. The world bent.
In the blink of an eye, they stood in a vast stone cavern, walls lined with glowing crystals.
The air was thick with mana, humming faintly against their skin.
> [Environment Synced — Tier-F Dungeon Active]
Ryn gripped his sword. "Feels weird in here."
> "You get used to it," Kael said, crouching to touch the floor. "Mana flow's stable. Nothing major."
A low growl rolled through the tunnel ahead.
---
First Encounter
Shapes flickered in the shadows — lean, dark-furred wolves with stone-like hides.
Their eyes gleamed red under the crystal light.
> [Monsters Detected: Cave Gnashers × 9]
[Rank: F] [Level: 7–8]
Ryn stepped forward. "Formation, everyone—"
> "Nah," Kael interrupted. "Ember's got this."
The Phoenix spread her wings, body expanding midair in a flash of molten gold.
Heat filled the cavern.
> "Flame Arc!"
A crescent of fire roared forward, carving through the wolves.
Sparks showered the cave floor, leaving behind smoldering shadows and the smell of scorched stone.
> [Enemies Defeated ×9]
[EXP +270]
[Level Up → Lv. 4]
Kael dusted off his hands.
> "Well, that's nine rocks collected."
Ryn groaned. "You're impossible."
---
The Red Corridor
Hours passed as the group advanced, gathering Mana Cores and dispatching smaller beasts.
The deeper they went, the heavier the air became.
At a crossroads, Kael paused.
One tunnel glowed blue with steady light.
The other pulsed red — faint, irregular, like a heartbeat.
> "Instructor said stay on the main path," Ryn warned.
Kael tilted his head. "She also said bring back a core. Didn't specify from where."
Before Ryn could stop him, Kael walked toward the red light. Ember chirped and fluttered after him.
The temperature rose sharply. Cracks lined the walls, glowing faintly with molten light.
A low, rhythmic rumble echoed through the cavern.
---
The Lava Fang
The red light erupted — molten stone burst from the ground as a massive lizard rose from the fissure, scales glowing like magma.
> [Boss Detected: Lava Fang]
[Rank: C] [Level: 10]
Ryn's jaw dropped. "C-Rank? In a Tier-F Dungeon?! That's insane!"
Kael's expression turned serious. "Not insane. Just unlucky."
He stepped back. "Ember, aerial."
The Phoenix launched upward, trailing gold flame as the Lava Fang charged. Its jaws snapped shut where Kael had stood a heartbeat earlier.
The impact cracked the floor.
> "Flame Reversal!"
Ember's wings folded around her, catching the spray of lava that spewed from the monster's mouth. The flames bent backward, slamming into its chest.
> [Enemy HP −18%]
Kael dashed sideways, raising a hand. "Spirit Bind!"
Chains of golden light lashed from Ember's feathers, coiling around the Lava Fang's front legs. The creature roared, dragging her backward.
Sparks flew where the chains strained.
> "Hold it steady!"
Kael formed a mana sigil with his hands. Blue light pulsed along his arm.
> "Mana Pulse!"
The ground detonated beneath the Lava Fang. The blast flung shards of stone into its molten underbelly.
> [Enemy HP −25%]
But the beast roared and broke free, its molten tail whipping across the cavern.
The impact slammed Kael into the wall. Pain shot up his side.
> "Okay… that stung."
Ember screeched and dove, unleashing a flurry of golden feathers that turned to blades mid-flight. They tore across the creature's face.
The Lava Fang lunged again, molten breath pooling in its throat.
Kael's mana was nearly gone. His heartbeat thudded in his ears.
> "Ember—combine!"
Their mana threads pulsed together. Kael's body glowed faintly as Ember's aura enveloped him. The cavern's temperature spiked, heat and mana fusing in rhythm.
> "Inferno Wing!"
Ember ascended, blazing like a newborn sun. Fire cascaded downward in twin arcs, swallowing the monster whole.
When the light faded, only molten stone remained — the Lava Fang, now motionless, its body cracked and cooling.
> [Enemy Defeated — Lava Fang (C Rank Lv.10)]
[EXP +580]
[Level Up → Lv. 5 → Lv. 6]
[Shared EXP: Ember +520 (Lv. 3 → Lv. 5)]
Kael dropped to one knee, panting. The heat slowly faded from his skin.
Ryn ran over, wide-eyed. "You—you just killed a C-Rank boss with a baby Phoenix!"
Kael managed a grin. "Correction. We killed it."
Ember fluttered down beside him, feathers singed but glowing faintly. She chirped once, then tucked herself under his arm like a satisfied cat.
---
Instructor's Arrival
Minutes later, Instructor Mira appeared with a squad of guards, magic shields glowing.
Her eyes went wide at the petrified remains of the Lava Fang.
> "By the Guild…" she whispered. "That's a real monster, not a dungeon construct."
She turned to Kael. "What did you do?"
> "Field research?" Kael offered.
Mira's sigh could have melted steel.
> "The Guild will want a report. Try not to find more 'research material,' understood?"
> "No promises," Kael said, straight-faced.
---
Status Panels
Kael Draven
Age 16
• Summoner (SSS Rank)
• Level 6
HP 280 / 280
MP 640 / 640
Strength 17
Agility 18
Intelligence 32
Endurance 16
Mana Control 39
Beast Slots 1 / 1 (Next Unlock : Level 10)
Active Summon : Ember — Phoenix (B Rank, SSS Potential • Level 5)
---
Ember – The Phoenix. Rank B (High-Tier Beast)
• Level 5
• Potential SSS
HP 430 / 430
MP 700 / 700
Attack 80
Defense 50
Speed 62
Affinity : Fire / Light
Skills
• Flame Arc – Sweeping attack of condensed fire.
• Spirit Bind – Restrains enemy movement.
• Flame Reversal – Reflects enemy fire attacks.
• Inferno Wing – Full-power flame dive.
• Blazing Bond – Restores master's MP when near.
Status : Bonded (Kael Draven)
---
Aftermath
By nightfall, the teams emerged from the rift. Most carried faintly glowing Mana Cores.
Kael walked out last, Ember perched on his shoulder, her feathers dimmed to a soft gold.
Whispers rippled across the clearing.
> "He fought a C-Rank?"
"At Level 6?!"
Instructor Mira handed him a crystal slate.
> "You're banned from unsupervised exploration until further notice."
Kael smiled. "So… tomorrow?"
> "Draven!"
He chuckled, walking off toward the academy dorms.
Above him, Ember circled once, her wings lighting the twilight sky like a second sun.
Deep in the dungeon, where molten stone had cooled to ash, a pulse of mana stirred once more — faint, like something waking from a dream.
---