The Depths Within

The dungeon felt like a living thing, breathing, shifting, watching. Axel had heard stories of seasoned adventurers swearing that dungeons had personalities, almost like predatory animals waiting for a misstep. He'd always chalked it up to nerves or embellished bravado. But now, his first time in a dungeon other than E-rank, standing in the dim glow of bioluminescent fungi, the damp air pressing against his skin, he wondered if they were right.

When the portal closed behind him, there was a sharp pull, a strange sensation of being scattered, like grains of sand thrown into the wind. It was only once his feet hit the uneven stone floor that he realized he was alone. The rest of the group was nowhere in sight.

That was expected, of course. Without a Synchronizer, a small magical device that tethered Awakeners together, dungeon portals randomized entry points. Only well functioning guilds could afford such luxuries, lone awakeners couldn't.

It was an unspoken rule that if you didn't have such device, you had to assume you'd be on your own the moment you stepped inside a dungeon.

But for Axel, the solitude was more relief than inconvenience. He glanced at his hands, claws, sharp and black as obsidian, extending naturally from his fingers. The faint, crimson glow of his monstrous aura flickered around him. The others wouldn't have missed it if they'd been here.

What would they even say? he thought, the corner of his mouth twisting into a humorless smirk. Maybe they'd scream. Maybe they'd laugh. Or maybe they'd do what everyone else would have most possibly done—mistake him for a real monster. If even the system had done that, why wouldn't they?

He shook his head and started forward. The faint scuff of his boots against the stone echoed softly, barely audible beneath the occasional drip of water from unseen cracks above. The space smelled of mold and iron, each breath was tinged with the promise of danger.

"Focus," he muttered. His voice sounded small, even to himself, swallowed by the oppressive weight of the dungeon.

'You came here to grow stronger. Don't get distracted.'

It was his first time in a D-rank dungeon after all, he could already feel anxiety creeping in faintly.

The tunnel widened into a chamber, its ceiling lost in shadow. The greenish glow of fungi clung stubbornly to the walls, casting strange, elongated shadows that danced with each movement. Axel scanned the room, his claws flexing instinctively.

The System had warned him about unpredictable scaling, but so far, it felt almost… calm. Too calm.

"Okay," he said aloud, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "either I'm the luckiest person alive, or—"

The growl stopped him cold. It wasn't loud, but it vibrated through the space, low and guttural, like a warning.

Axel's breath hitched. He pivoted slowly, his gaze locking onto the corner of the chamber. Two yellow eyes gleamed back at him, unblinking.

"Ah, there it is," he muttered, more to himself than anything else. "The part where things stop being calm."

The creature stepped into the faint light, revealing a massive, wolf-like form. Its fur was filthy, clumps of dirt and dried blood marring its gray coat. Its lips curled back, exposing jagged teeth that seemed to glint in the dim glow.

[Enemy Identified: Mutated Dire Wolf – Rank D]

Axel crouched, his claws raised defensively. "Let's see what you've got."

The Dire Wolf didn't hesitate. It lunged, its powerful legs propelling it forward with terrifying speed.

Axel barely had time to sidestep, his instincts screaming at him to move. The wolf's claws raked the air where he'd been standing, the force of its swipe sending a sharp gust past his face.

The creature landed gracefully, turning to face him again, its growl deepening.

"Fast," Axel muttered, his voice tight. His shoulder burned where the wolf's claws had grazed him, a shallow cut oozing blood. He clenched his jaw against the pain.

The System's cold, detached voice chimed in:

[Minor Injury Sustained. Natural Recovery Activated.]

Axel could feel his injury heal in real time, though the process was frustratingly slow, even for a being enhanced by his current monster identity. It was still significantly faster than a normal human's healing rate, but it felt like an eternity in the heat of the moment.

'Oh, good,' he thought bitterly. 'Because I definitely have time to wait for that.'

The Dire Wolf lunged again, and this time, Axel met its attack head-on. His claws flashed as they collided with the wolf's, the sharp clang of their impact reverberating through the chamber.

Axel snarled, his voice almost as feral as the creature's. He twisted, driving his claws into the wolf's flank. Blood sprayed, hot and metallic, spattering his arms and face.

The wolf yelped, a sound that was more rage than pain. It staggered back, its glowing eyes narrowing.

"Still standing, huh?" Axel wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, smearing blood across his jaw. "Fine. Let's keep going."

For a moment, the two circled each other, the wolf's growls filling the chamber. Axel's heart hammered in his chest, his breath coming fast and shallow. His muscles ached, but there was a strange exhilaration coursing through him, a dark, electric thrill he couldn't quite shake.

The wolf lunged again, and Axel moved on instinct. He ducked low, spinning under its attack, and lashed out with Razor Swipe. His claws glowed faintly as they connected with the creature's throat.

The wolf crumpled, its body hitting the ground with a wet thud.

Axel stood over it, his chest heaving. Blood dripped from his claws, pooling at his feet. He stared at the wolf's still form, waiting for the adrenaline to fade.

It didn't.

Instead, the System chimed again:

[Mutated Dire Wolf Defeated.]

[New Skill Unlocked: Rend (D)]

Axel blinked. "What's with these random skills I'm getting?" Even as he said that, a flicker of satisfaction still cut through his gaze.

'Well, this is progress,' he thought, a grim smile tugged at his lips.

But the moment was short-lived. The air shifted, heavier now, and a new sound reached his ears—low growls, plural, reverberating from the shadows.

Axel's eyes darted around the chamber. More yellow eyes appeared, piercing the darkness one by one.

Five. No, six.

"Seriously?" he muttered, raising his claws again. His muscles screamed in protest, but there was no time to rest.

The pack of wolves advanced, their growls harmonizing into a menacing chorus. Axel's mind raced, calculating his odds. They weren't great, but retreating wasn't an option. The only way out of this dungeon was forward.

'Alright,' he thought, steeling himself. Let's see just how monstrous I've become.

The next few minutes dissolved into a brutal symphony of snarls, screams, and the sickening rip of claws against flesh. Axel moved like a man possessed, each step and swing driven more by instinct than thought. The Dire Wolves came at him in relentless waves, their glowing eyes and razor-sharp teeth gleaming in the dim light.

His claws found throats, sides, and limbs, tearing through fur and sinew with feral precision. Every kill sent a rush of exhilaration through him, a heady, addictive surge of power that drowned out the ache in his muscles and the sting of his wounds.

It was intoxicating, a high unlike anything he'd ever felt. But it was also terrifying.

The line between survival and savagery blurred with each strike. He was no longer just Axel, the scrappy awakener trying to make his way. He was a predator, a creature of blood and instinct, reveling in the thrill of the hunt.

When the last wolf fell, a ragged gurgle escaping its throat, Axel collapsed to his knees. His chest heaved as he struggled to catch his breath, each inhale rattling through his lungs. Blood soaked his arms, his clothes, and the jagged stone beneath him.

His hands—no, his claws, were almost unrecognizable, caked with gore and trembling from the strain.

The System's voice cut through the silence like a scalpel:

[Warning: Humanity Threshold Decreased by 2%. Current Threshold: 85%.]

The words hung in the air, heavy and damning.

Axel's stomach churned. The rush of adrenaline ebbed, replaced by a cold, creeping dread. He stared at his hands, flexing his fingers as if testing whether they still belonged to him. The claws glinted faintly, their edges sharp and unyielding.

'Eighty-five percent.'

The number clawed at his mind. Was this something new calculated by the system? So did this mean he stood a risk of perhaps, completely losing his humanity in the monstrous state? How far could it fall before he crossed a point of no return? Before he became nothing more than a husk, guided purely by natural instincts…

'No.'

He shook his head violently, trying to dispel the thought. "I'm still me," he muttered, his voice sounding hoarse and shaking. "I'm still… me."

But the sight of the carnage around him, the bodies torn apart, the blood pooling beneath his knees, told a different story.

Axel stared around, his breath steadying as the adrenaline drained from his system. He grimaced, flexing his claws once more and noticing how his muscles trembled from exertion.

The System's voice chimed again, snapping him out of his stupor:

[Analyzing Combat Data…]

[Status Updated]

Name: Axel Cross

Rank: Monster (D)

Strength: 24 → 29

Agility: 22 → 25

Endurance: 23 → 26

Mana: 50

[Monsters Slain]:

Mutant Dire Wolf (D) x7

[New Skill Unlocked: Rend (D)]:

Axel exhaled sharply as a trace of satisfaction crossed his face. His strength, agility, and endurance had grown again, making his body feel a little less fragile, a little more formidable. The mention of Rend caught his attention, and he pulled up the skill's description.

[Rend (D): A precise, feral strike that inflicts severe bleeding, dealing damage to the target's maximum health.]

"....?"

Wasn't this just a normal attack?" he wondered. It seemed the System had randomly saved a regular strike against the first wolf monster as a new skill. A strange quirk of the System, perhaps? Why such randomness?

At this rate, would he ever unlock truly powerful skills? Still, he couldn't complain about a free skill. He was still learning the extent of his newly transformed ability, and every little boost helped.

"Not bad," he muttered, rolling his shoulders. "Guess I've got a bit more bite now, Axel."

He turned his gaze to the wolves' remains. Fangs and hides of monsters were of utmost value, and the mana cores, though small, could fetch a decent price. Using his claws, he carefully harvested what he could, placing them into a small dimensional pouch secured to his waist, the process was both efficient and brutal.

The pack had been tough, but he'd survived, grown stronger even. Still, the System's warning from earlier lingered in his mind:

[Warning: Humanity Threshold Decreased by 2%. Current Threshold: 85%.]

He clenched his fists, claws digging into his palms. The reminder that his transformation wasn't without consequences gnawed at him. He shook his head, dispelling the thought. There was no point dwelling on what he couldn't change now.

"One step at a time," he muttered. "I'll figure it out… eventually."

The oppressive silence of the dungeon pressed down on him as he secured his spoils and moved toward the tunnel ahead. The faint, glowing fungi on the walls seemed dimmer now, as the light of the sun now barely illuminated the way forward.