He entered the guild with steady steps, his face hidden behind a black mask adorned with mysterious grey patterns. He brushed past the crowds of hunters without a second glance, as if they were nothing more than ghosts in his path. He headed straight to the receptionist, his voice echoing with a metallic coldness: "Are there any new missions?"
The clerk replied hesitantly, "There is an S-Rank mission, but I don't think it suits you right now. It requires a large raid team and is led by the 'Icard' Guild."
Daniel's entire being flinched for a moment at the mention of that name. Bitter, old memories surfaced, but he crushed them with his fist. He stepped closer and said firmly: "I'll take it. I need to become stronger."
As he left the headquarters, the scene froze. The Singh Mandura family was there: his father, Leith, and his brothers, Louay, Jin, and Mark. A suffocating tightness gripped his chest. He averted his gaze, whispering to himself: "I'll stay as far away from them as possible. I don't even want to see their faces; I just want to tear them apart."
The first raid group of seven gathered, with Daniel among them like an invisible shadow. His appearance had completely changed; his black hair had turned snow-white, and his blue eyes had shifted to a deep, blood-red.
Jin felt a shiver and grabbed the edge of Mark's sleeve, whispering: "Look at that guy... his eyes look dead. He's terrifying."
Mark replied dismissively, "Don't mind him. He's just a nobody."
At that moment, Daniel turned toward Mark with a dark glare that made the latter's blood run cold. His eyes said clearly: "Say that one more time, and I'll show you something you won't like."
Inside the Dungeon: Cosmic Chaos
They stormed the black dungeon, only to be met with a surreal sight: the ground shifted in opposing directions like floating chessboard pieces, and the sky was a fractured galaxy raining stardust.
Leith shouted a warning: "Stay close together!"
But Daniel, completely ignoring one of the strongest guild leaders, leapt gracefully toward the opposite side—a monochrome platform of black and white—forging his own path. Before Louay could yell at him, giant arrows soared from the void, launched by titans in long black robes, each standing three meters tall.
Daniel summoned his scythe from nothingness, and the atmosphere around him turned into an omen of doom. Suddenly, the mask vanished from his face, revealing a terrifying, diabolical smile as he screamed maniacally:
"Show me your power! I thirst to see the strength of others! Will you make me feel pain? I want to know!"
He lunged at the giant with lightning speed. The monster fired a massive arrow, but Daniel sliced it in half with a single swing of his scythe. In the blink of an eye, he activated his "Acceleration" skill and scaled the beast's arm. He tossed his scythe into the air and drew an ice dagger, launching it with precision into the giant's eye using his "Deadly Frost" skill.
The right side of the monster froze solid. As it shrieked in agony, Daniel replied coldly: "Stop barking. Your voice is annoying."
With a swift motion, he used his "Body Manipulation" skill to paralyze the beast, then brought down his scythe to sever its head in a grand, bloody display.
The Battle Frenzy
Daniel returned to the group amidst everyone's shock. Jin whispered in awe: "He's so strong... and terrifyingly fast!"
The battle ignited. Louay used his "Raging Sea" skill to drown the monsters in massive waves that mummified their bodies. Meanwhile, Mark unleashed "Holy Light" to summon blades from the void, and Leith cleaved monsters in half with effortless strikes.
But Daniel was bored. He was killing monsters as if they were flies. He roared in the middle of the battlefield:
"Show me everything you've got! What is this trash? You're all too weak! I want to feel that moment where my body is on the brink of death! Where is the thrill?!"
The Final Showdown: The Beast King
Finally, the Beast King appeared—a massive entity with long ears, dark brown skin, and slanted red eyes beneath two towering horns.
The monster spoke with a voice that shook the earth: "You are strong... but what lies inside you is stronger."
Daniel unsheathed his scythe sharply: "Stop the chatter. Come on, show me your power!"
The clash began. The giant tried to crush Daniel's bones, but Daniel let go of his scythe and flipped away. The monster laughed mockingly: "You are weaponless now!"
Daniel laughed hysterically: "Who said I was weaponless, you idiot?"
In a second, the scythe vanished from the giant's hand and reappeared in Daniel's. He slammed it into the ground, saying: "I'll leave this here... it's time to get serious."
He pulled a black sword from his inventory and took off like a bullet. He dodged a barrage of arrows; one grazed his cheek, but he didn't even flinch. He used frost waves to shatter the monster's attacks and jumped for the head, but the beast countered with a heavy punch that sent Daniel crashing into the ground.
Daniel stood up, spitting blood, his eyes gleaming with mad joy: "This is what I wanted!"
After a quick warm-up, he charged, screaming: "Black Fire Sword... Ignite!"
The blade erupted in black flames that seemed to consume existence itself, slicing the monster's arm in two. At that moment, the monster tucked a tiny, hidden arrow between its fingers and drove it through Daniel's shoulder until it exited the other side. The beast expected Daniel to collapse, but the boy looked at him with hollow eyes and said:
"What is this nonsense? Is this just an arrow? You should have cut my throat, not stuck a needle in my shoulder!"
Daniel pulled the arrow out of his flesh in cold blood and tossed it aside. He gripped his sword tight: "Let's end this farce. Today is your end."
The End: The Dead Gate
Daniel leaped high until he vanished into the mist. Suddenly, the sky split open, and a giant black hand emerged from a cosmic rift.
Daniel shouted at the top of his lungs: "Gate of the Dead... Partial Release!"
The giant hand funneled its energy into his sword, and he fell like a crashing meteor. With one circular strike, Daniel didn't just split the monster in half—he shattered the Dungeon Gate itself!
A black light engulfed the area. When the team opened their eyes, they were back in the outside world. The dungeon had vanished completely, and there was no trace of Daniel... as if the earth had simply swallowed him whole