The dungeon gate opened with a scream.
Stone ground against stone as ancient mechanisms awakened, runes flaring crimson along the archway. Cold air poured out from within, carrying the stench of rot, damp earth, and something older...something that had learned how to kill long before humans learned how to scream.
Students gathered at the entrance in organized clusters.
Weapons gleamed. Mana pulsed.
Excitement buzzed like electricity.
Alex stood at the rear of Elara's group.
Of course he did.
"Stay close," Elara said without turning around. "And don't touch anything unless I tell you."
Her tone was light.
Her meaning was not.
Sophia stood beside Alex, her jaw tight. "If things go wrong, fall back immediately."
Elara laughed. "Relax. This is a practice raid."
Alex didn't believe her.
The moment they stepped inside, the dungeon swallowed sound. Light dimmed unnaturally, walls closing in as if breathing. Mana pressure pressed against Alex's chest, making his parasite stir restlessly.
Hungry.
"Formation," Elara ordered.
The team obeyed instantly.
Alex watched it happen...the way they responded to her voice, the confidence, the certainty. She fed on it. He could feel the pull now, clearer than ever.
Every step deeper made her glow brighter.
And made him feel lighter.
Weaker.
The first monsters appeared without warning.
Low-tier beasts...skittering things with too many legs and jagged maws. Students cut them down easily. Fire scorched stone. Steel rang. Blood splattered.
"Pathetic," Victor scoffed, crushing one underfoot. "Is this all?"
Elara didn't answer.
Her eyes were fixed deeper into the tunnel.
That's when the ground shook.
A roar rolled through the dungeon, low and furious.
"Fall back!" someone shouted.
Too late.
The wall exploded.
Stone shattered as a massive creature forced its way through...horned, plated, eyes glowing with feral intelligence.
A mid-tier monster.
Not scheduled.
Not safe.
Panic spread instantly.
Elara stepped forward, mana flaring. "I'll handle it."
She attacked.
Power exploded from her...brilliant, overwhelming.
And then...
She faltered,Just for a second, alex felt it immediately.
The drain.
The parasite inside him surged violently, reacting to the monster's presence, the fear, the chaos.
Energy flooded him.
Too much.
Uncontrolled.
"Elara!" Victor shouted as her attack misfired, scraping harmlessly off the creature's armor.
The monster retaliated.
Claws slammed down.
Sophia was closest.
"Move!" Alex shouted.
She turned...
And the ceiling collapsed.
A massive slab of stone tore free, hurtling straight toward her.
Alex didn't think.
He moved.
Pain ripped through his chest as he stepped into the flow...opened himself instead of resisting.
The parasite roared.
Energy poured in from everywhere.
Fear. Mana. Rage.
The monster.
Elara.
Everyone.
Time slowed.
Alex grabbed Sophia and shoved her clear...
Then turned and caught the stone.
His hands slammed into it.
For one impossible moment, it stopped.
Students froze.
Alex screamed...not in pain, but in release...and threw.
The boulder flew back, smashing into the monster with enough force to crack its armor.
Silence.
Then chaos
"What the hell was that?" "Did he...?" "F-rank?!"
Elara stared.
Her glow flickered violently.
Alex stood there, breathing hard, veins burning, power coursing through him like wildfire.
He felt it.
Control.
Not perfect.
But real.
Sophia looked at him, eyes wide.
"You did it," she whispered.
The monster roared again.
Alex stepped forward.
This time, he moved first.
He didn't attack the creature.
He attacked its connection.
The parasite latched on.
Drained.
Redirected.
The monster collapsed, lifeless, mana evaporating like smoke.
The dungeon went silent.
No cheers.
No laughter.
Only fear.
The team leader approached slowly.
"Elara," he said carefully, "perhaps… we should reconsider command structure."
Her nails dug into her palms.
Alex met her eyes.
For the first time...
She looked afraid.
Back at the academy, the tension followed them like a shadow.
Whispers spread faster than fire.
By the time they entered the Grand Hall, the Headmaster was waiting.
"Alex," he said calmly. "Step forward."
Alex obeyed.
The Headmaster studied him for a long moment.
Then produced a small orb...radiant, humming with immense power.
"A reward," he said. "For exceptional contribution."
The room held its breath.
"Heaven-Grade Evolution Orb."
Gasps.
Elara's face drained of color.
The Headmaster placed it in Alex's hands.
"This will permanently elevate your potential."
Alex closed his fingers around it.
He felt the parasite stir eagerly.
Elara turned away, trembling.
She whispered to Victor, voice shaking with venom.
"Tonight," she said. "Cliffside."
Victor smiled cruelly.
Alex didn't hear them.
But as he looked down at the orb glowing in his hands, he felt it.
The shift.
The moment the game changed.
And somewhere deep inside, something whispered back.
Now you're worth killing.