With a diagonal slash from Emberstorm, the final creature collapsed in a flash of embers, its body twitching once before dissolving into nothing.
> [You have defeated the Giant Firefly.]
[You have levelled up.]
[You have completed the 29th floor.]
A soft hum echoed through the cavern, and at the far end, a shimmering blue portal appeared—the gateway to the 30th floor.
But Shirou didn't move immediately. He sheathed Emberstorm, exhaled slowly, and sank down cross-legged onto the cracked floor. Beads of sweat clung to his skin, the recent battle having pushed his focus to the edge.
"Let's see what changed," he murmured and opened his status window with a thought.
A blue translucent screen materialized before him, hovering silently in the air.
---
[STATUS WINDOW]
[BASIC INFORMATION]
Name: Shirou
Level: 49 (550/820 EXP)
Race: Human
Title: None, ???? (Locked)
SYNCHRONIZATION RATE: 1.7%
[CORE ATTRIBUTES]
HP: 555
Mana: 792
Strength: 284
Agility: 284
Intelligence: 286
Endurance: 286
Perception: 270
[ELEMENTAL AFFINITY]
Fire Release
Lightning Release
[SKILLS]
Omnilingual
Skill Absorption
Phantom Mirage
????? (Locked)
[COMBAT PROFICIENCIES]
Hand-to-Hand Combat – Intermediate (17/100)
Knife Mastery – Intermediate (8/100)
Dagger Mastery – Intermediate (12/100)
Sword Mastery – Intermediate (20/100)
[INVENTORY]
Inferno Fang
Emberstorm
Aether Coins
---
Shirou frowned as he scrolled through the window.
"Nine floors and not a single skill drop," he muttered. "Sixty percent chance, huh? Either that's just for show or this dungeon has its own twisted logic."
His eyes narrowed as he focused on the Combat Proficiencies section. His hand-to-hand skill had improved slightly—likely thanks to his deliberate use of fists on Floor 24. More importantly, his Sword Mastery had increased from 4 to 20. That was a significant jump.
"So I was right," he whispered. "Real combat—not training—boosts proficiencies. Sixteen points in just a few battles. This sword really is helping me improve."
He glanced at Emberstorm, the crimson-edged weapon still faintly pulsing with residual heat. Then his eyes drifted back to the status window, landing on the locked entries marked with question marks.
"Still locked, huh?" he said, narrowing his eyes. "Level 49... Maybe 50 is the trigger."
He leaned back and muttered, "Why the question marks, anyway? Just show the name and make it unusable until later. Why all the suspense?"
Then he stood, brushing dirt off his cloak. "No use complaining. Wait—who the hell am I even complaining to?"
His gaze shifted to the swirling blue portal ahead, flickering like a flame in the dim corridor. A small grin played on his lips.
"Let's hit level 50, then."
---
[You have entered the 30th floor.]
The world on the other side of the portal was a blazing inferno.
Shirou stepped onto a vast, rocky battlefield. The ground beneath his feet was jagged and fractured, resembling floating plates of scorched stone suspended on a river of magma. Thick black smoke spiralled into the sky, blotting out any source of light besides the molten fissures that illuminated the terrain in flickering crimson.
The air here was oppressive—thick with heat and tinged with the acrid scent of sulfur. Even breathing felt like inhaling fire.
He had barely taken in the full landscape when a new message appeared:
> [Defeat the Boss: Lord Ergus.]
"Ergus, huh?" Shirou said, squinting into the hazy distance. "Sounds easy enough. Now, where is—"
A thunderous boom cut him off. The ground trembled, and from the shimmering heatwaves ahead, a massive figure emerged.
Shirou's breath caught.
The creature was a colossus—easily three times his height—with a grotesquely wide torso and a bulging belly that shook with every step. Its blackened, charcoal-like skin radiated an unnatural heat, and crimson veins glowed beneath its surface like rivers of lava. Two molten-red eyes fixed on Shirou with disdain.
In its hand, it gripped a broadsword so massive it looked like a wall of steel forged from hell itself.
Above the beast's head, glowing letters floated in the air:
> [Lord Ergus – Level 55]
Shirou whistled low. "That's just great. Six levels above me."
A guttural voice like a rockslide boomed from the creature's mouth. "How dare you trespass in my domain, mortal?"
Shirou crossed his arms with an exaggerated shrug. "Oh, my bad. I think I got lost. I was looking for this fat ugly guy named Ergus. You know him?"
The giant roared in fury, lifting his broadsword and bringing it down like a divine judgment.
BOOM!
Shirou leapt back an instant before the impact. The sword struck the ground with earth-splitting force, sending molten rock flying in all directions and tilting the entire plate they stood on.
"Hey!" Shirou shouted, complaining in mid-air. "Where are your manners? I was talking here."
But Ergus wasn't listening.
With surprising speed for his size, the monstrous lord surged forward. His sword came at Shirou in a deadly arc, aiming to slice him clean in half.
Shirou's body blurred with a surge of lightning-infused agility. He zipped out of the sword's path and landed a few meters away, boots skidding against the stone.
"You're fast for someone that big," he admitted. "But I'm faster."
He launched forward, ducking under the next swing and igniting Emberstorm with a pulse of fire
"Emberstorm – Flame Edge!"
The blade ignited, a crimson arc slicing across Ergus's chest. Shirou followed it up with a backward dash and a slash to the back.
But instead of pain, Ergus laughed.
Shirou frowned. "Damn it. His skin's like iron. I can't make a deep cut."
"You call those attacks?" Ergus boomed. "They tickle!"
"We'll see who laughs last," Shirou growled, rushing in again.
Ergus raised his broadsword and swung—not at Shirou, but at the ground.
CRACK!
The floating plate beneath them tilted violently, magma surging up the cracks. Shirou lost his footing, and that single moment of imbalance was enough.
The next blow came fast and brutal.
Shirou raised Emberstorm just in time to block, but the impact hurled him across the field like a ragdoll.
He crashed onto a distant rock, coughing blood.
"Not so untouchable now, are you, mortal?" Ergus taunted.
Shirou spat to the side and forced himself up, one hand gripping his chest.
"Don't get too cocky," he muttered. "That was a lucky shot. You won't get another."
Ergus charged once again, his broadsword lifted high. But this time, Shirou wasn't fooled. The angle was wrong—he wasn't aiming for Shirou.
"He's trying to tilt the platform again," Shirou realized. "But I've got a plan."
He prepared to react, watching closely.
Yet just as Ergus raised his sword, he did something unexpected—he stomped the ground with his massive right foot.
THOOM!
The entire platform shook violently. Shirou lost balance again—caught off guard by the tremor.
Then the massive sword came crashing down.
"Shit!"
He thrust up his left hand, gathering mana.
"Fire Release – Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball shot forth, engulfing Ergus's upper body in roaring flames.
But it wasn't enough.
The sword still descended, though the fire blinded Ergus slightly. The blade clipped Shirou's left side, slicing deep into his chest before throwing him like a broken doll into a jagged boulder.
Blood burst from his mouth as he hit the rock hard. He clutched at the deep wound with a hiss of pain.
And yet—even in pain—he smiled.
"At least I got him with the fireball..."
But then, from within the flames, came laughter.
A massive silhouette emerged from the fire, completely unharmed. Its glowing eyes flared brighter.
Shirou's smile faded
Ergus stepped forward, untouched, his massive broadsword dragging sparks across the stone.
"I forgot to mention," he said coldly, "fire can't hurt me."