Chapter 32: New Digs, New Dungeons

"After today's run, I'll message you about the stream split, Jinocam. Wish me luck."

Leon hit send and stretched, feeling the power in his enhanced muscles. Fifty vitality points made a difference. His bones felt denser, and his movements sharper.

Morning sunlight sliced through his apartment's faded curtains like golden blades. The smell of breakfast wafted from the kitchen—eggs crackling in oil, toast browning. His mother was already up, bustling quietly.

Leon arranged his gear efficiently: Shadowedge in its scabbard, Voidreaper in its holster. The weight felt heavier now, more serious. These weren't just weapons for clearing rats in sewers anymore.

"Leon?" His mother's voice carried from the kitchen. "Breakfast is ready."

He found her plating scrambled eggs beside buttered toast. Steam rose from fresh coffee, smelling like hope and new beginnings.

"Big day today?" she asked.

"C-rank dungeon. Testing the new equipment."

She nodded, understanding the weight behind those simple words. "Be careful."

"Always am."

Leon's phone buzzed against the table, multiple group chats lighting up. He scrolled through messages until he found Elise's thread.

I'm at the Association gate. Should I bring coffee?

Just bring your A-game.

Already strapped to my back, Captain.

Leon grinned. Her competitive streak matched his own.

He opened his system interface while finishing breakfast. Blue text materialized in his peripheral vision, invisible to his mother.

───────[LEON GRAVES]──────────

Level: 22

Health: 500/500

Mana: 930/930

Available Stat Points: 150

The numbers still amazed him. Two weeks ago, he'd been scraping by with basic undead that barely functioned. Now his zombies operated like a special forces unit.

Leon distributed his remaining points with strategic precision:

[Strength: 45 → 77]

[Vitality: 50 → 80]

[Agility: 53 → 83]

[Magic: 62 → 120]

Power flowed through him like electricity. His reflection in the kitchen window looked the same, but everything beneath had changed.

"I'll be back by evening," Leon said, kissing his mother's forehead. "The new apartment papers are on the counter. Start packing whenever you're ready."

Her eyes misted. "I still can't believe it's real."

"Believe it. No more Shadow Quarter. No more leaking pipes or drug dealers in the hallway."

Leon left her smiling over her coffee.

The Association plaza buzzed with morning activity. Hunters clustered around mission boards, and coffee vendors hawked caffeine to bleary-eyed mercenaries. It was the typical chaos that felt comfortable.

Elise waited by the main gate, staff slung across her back like a flagpole. She snapped a teasing salute when she spotted him.

"Captain Graves, reporting for duty."

"Cut the military crap," Leon replied, but he couldn't help smiling.

Other hunters noticed him, whispers following his path through the crowd. Double-takes and pointing fingers. Fame still felt strange.

Three additional party members waited near the C-rank dungeon registry. Leon studied them as he approached.

Tank: Marcus Stone. Heavy armor, tower shield, granite jaw. The kind of guy who ate pain for breakfast.

Mage: Sarah Kim. Young, nervous energy, staff crackling with contained lightning. Fresh out of academy training.

Scout: Jake Morrison. Leather gear, compound bow, eyes that missed nothing. Former military, judging by his posture.

Their expressions shifted when they realized who they'd be following—intimidation mixed with excitement. Leon was used to that reaction now.

"I'm Leon," he said. "You already know my reputation. What matters is whether you can keep up."

Marcus stepped forward first. "I've tanked for B-ranks before. I won't slow you down."

Sarah nodded rapidly. "Lightning specialist. Area control and single-target damage."

Jake's response was measured. "Reconnaissance and precision shots. I don't miss."

"Good enough." Leon checked his gear one final time. "Formation is simple. Marcus is up front drawing aggro. Sarah and Elise provide a range of support. Jake covers our flanks. I coordinate and adapt as needed."

They approached the C-rank gate together. Crimson light poured from the dimensional tear like liquid fire, and the air shimmered with barely contained energy.

Leon showed his badge to the checkpoint guard. "Five-person team. Standard clear."

The guard's eyes widened at Leon's rank. "Uh, yes, sir. Good hunting."

The transition hit like diving into cold water. One step on solid ground, the next in humid dungeon air that tasted of moss and decay.

Stone corridors stretched ahead, carved with symbols that seemed to shift when nobody looked directly at them. Distant growls echoed from the shadows.

"Stay sharp," Leon said. "C-rank means everything here can kill you."

They moved in practiced formation. Marcus led with his shield raised. Sarah's staff glowed with ready spells. Jake melted into the shadows along the walls.

The first encounter came fast.

Three crystal spiders dropped from ceiling alcoves, each as large as a dinner table. Their legs rang against the stone like breaking glass.

"Spread out!" Leon commanded.

Marcus slammed his shield into the closest spider's face. Chitin cracked under the impact. Sarah's lightning bolt fried another mid-leap, cooking it from the inside.

Leon drew Shadowedge and channeled Dark Mana through the blade. His strike severed a spider's front leg, dark blood spraying across the carved walls.

Jake's arrow punched through the last spider's head cluster, and eight eyes went dark simultaneously.

"Clean." Leon checked his party for injuries. "Anyone hurt?"

Negative responses all around.

Leon opened his system interface and allocated experience points. His coordination skills made the team move like they had fought together for years instead of minutes.

[Combat Experience: +18]

[Zombie Coordination: +3]

[Threat Adaptation: +2% (enemies 1 level above current)]They pressed deeper into the dungeon. Each encounter was tougher than the last: acid-spitting slugs, armored beetles with ram attacks, and crystal constructs that regenerated unless their cores were destroyed.

Leon's zombies rotated in and out of combat with fluid efficiency. The warrior zombie tanked when Marcus needed healing, the assassin zombie flanked enemies trying to escape, and the mage zombie provided crowd control that kept everyone alive.

During a rest break, Leon's phone buzzed with a city forum notification.

Leon Graves spotted entering C-rank with a new party! Stream incoming?

The post already had fifty replies, complete with screenshots from security cameras and speculation about his true power level. Leon ignored it all.

"Pressure's on," Elise said, reading over his shoulder.

"Good. Pressure makes diamonds."

After two hours of systematic clearing, they reached the final chamber. Twin lizard bosses awaited in a cavern that reeked of venom and sulfur.

The creatures were identical—twelve feet long, covered in emerald scales that deflected normal weapons. Acid dripped from their fangs, eating holes in solid stone.

"Coordinated attacks," Leon warned. "If we separate them, they'll pick us apart."

The fight was brutal.

The lizards breathed acid clouds that forced constant repositioning. Their tail swipes could shatter bones. When one took damage, the other went berserk.

Leon's tactical adjustments kept them alive. He switched formations mid-combat, exploiting the bosses' need to stay together. His enhanced agility allowed him to dodge acid streams that would have dissolved him weeks ago.

Marcus took a tail hit that cracked three ribs, but Elise's healing kept him upright. Sarah exhausted her mana pool burning through the lizards' scales, while Jake's arrows found the gaps Leon's sword created.

The killing blow came when Leon's warrior zombie grappled one lizard while he beheaded the other. Dark blood sprayed across the cavern walls like abstract art.

Silence fell, broken only by heavy breathing.

The party caught their breath at the chamber's exit. Loot glittered around the boss corpses—scales, venom sacs, and crystallized mana cores.

Elise grinned despite her exhaustion. "So, Captain, what's the plan for the big room?"

Leon sheathed Shadowedge, his eyes sharp with satisfied hunger. They had worked perfectly together—no mistakes, no casualties, pure efficiency.

"We finish strong. No mistakes. Let's move."

He led them toward the final treasure room, each step echoing with newfound confidence.