Vines shifted around its base, thick as ropes, while the ground itself seemed to respond; roots rose subtly, surrounding the clearing like hidden snakes poised to strike.

Tier 3: Elite-Class.

Sage's throat went dry. "Alright," he whispered, forcing calm. "You're the lesson."

Without warning, the flower's vines shot outward.

WHIP! BANG!

One wrapped around his ankle. Another lashed toward his neck. A third slammed into the ground beside him, cracking the earth. Sage reacted on instinct; a wind circleformed under his foot.

WHOOSH!

He tore free and launched sideways, but the vines pursued him with unnerving precision. For the first time, Sage realized, this boss wasn't just attacking blindly; it was tracking him, adjusting its movements and predicting his next steps.

It forced him into motion, controlling the battlefield through plant domination and turning the entire clearing into a living net. Every time he attempted to cast a longer incantation, vines pressured him.

Whenever he tried to gain distance, roots erupted from the ground to block his path. When he unleashed fire spells, the flower recoiled slightly but quickly responded by sending thick leaves to smother flamesand redirect him into tighter spaces.

Sage's heart raced as his hands moved almost frantically now but with focus sharpened by desperation.

BANG!

Lightning speared into the flower's stalk, burning a black hole in its surface; however, sap sprayed out sizzling hot as the wound began closing slowly with tendrils twisting together to seal it. Sage's eyes widened in realization.

"It's regenerating," he hissed.

The vines attacked again; one caught his wrist and yanked hard enough that pain flared through his shoulder. He nearly screamed but forced himself to chant anyway because a mage who can't chant under pain is already dead.

"Level 2 Fire Spell — Falling Flame!"

BOOOOM!

Fire rained down from above igniting vines and scorching everything in sight; this forced the boss to recoil momentarily while Sage seized that chance to sprint behind a massive tree trunk just as more vines slammed against wood and cracked bark around him.

He could feel it, he wasn't stronger than this creature. If it caught him cleanly even once, it would drag him into that mouth and end things swiftly like an insect beingfed to a plant.

So he stopped thinking like a fighter who wins through brute strength and began thinking like Sage.

He observed the movement of the vines, noting which ones responded to his spells. He tracked the timing between their attacks and realized that the boss always left one area slightly less defended, its own base, believing it was safe from any threats that could reach it without being shredded along the way.

As he looked up, he noticed a canopy overhead filled with hanging vines, ready to be severed and fall like nets. Beneath him lay thick roots, and he understood that if he burned them in just the right spot, the groundmight collapse.

A trap.

Not just one trap, but many.

Sage took a deep breath, narrowing his eyes as his mind began to map out not only geometry for magic but also strategies for victory. He sprinted again, luring the vines to chase him toward a cluster of hanging tendrils before casting lightning upward.

Level 2 Lightning Spell — Piercing Bolt

BANG!

The bolt sliced through the hanging vines, causing them to fall like a curtain and entangle the boss's front lashers

The flower reacted instantly, shaking and trying to break free, but that half-second delay was crucial. As he ran, Sage chanted a spell.

Level 2 Fire Spell — Falling Flame.

BOOM!

Heat erupted from below. Roots ignited. Soil cracked open. The boss recoiled once more as Sage harnessed wind magic to propel himself straight toward its base.

Level 2 Wind Spell — Gale.

WHOOSH!

He surged forward, robes billowing behind him as his gaze locked onto the stalk.The boss sensed his intent too late; vines shot toward him, but he had already conjured another lightning circle, this one smaller and denser, focused into pure piercing force.

Level 2 Lightning Spell — Piercing Bolt.

BANG!

The bolt struck at the base of the stalk where roots fed it life. The flower shuddered violently as its petals flared wide in a silent scream. Vines thrashed wildly now, uncontrolled and erratic, and Sage stumbled as one slammed into his ribs.

BANG!

He coughed blood but didn't stop. Grittinghis teeth, he crawled forward while the boss opened its mouth wider, attempting to pull him in with tightening vines like chains.

With his breath coming in ragged gasps, Sage forced out one last spell, not aimed at the boss itself but at the ground beneath it.

"Falling Flame…!"

BOOM!

Fire erupted under its base. The soil gave way as roots snapped apart. The flower tilted precariously.

In that moment of imbalance, Sage lunged forward and pressed his bloodied palm against the glowing core hidden behind layers of thick vine tissue.

Time seemed to freeze before an overwhelming presence flooded through the dungeon like a silent ruler claiming its throne.

[ Dungeon Core contact confirmed.]

[System authority overriding native control.]

[Dungeon assimilation in progress.]

The boss convulsed once before dissolving, petals collapsing into light, vines unraveling into fading threads. The entire clearing seemed to exhale a long breath of mana, as if the dungeon itself had been holding its breath.

Sage dropped to his knees, chest heaving and blood trickling down his chin. After a moment, he let out a quiet laugh, not loud or manic, but soft and weary, the kindof laugh that comes from a man who has faced death and emerged with something invaluable.

With trembling fingers, he pulled his notebook from his bag, opened it, and began to write slowly.

"Guard zones."

"Core protection layers."

"Spawn density."

Then, after a brief pause, he added one more line. The ink was darker where his hand pressed harder.

The dungeon responds."

He stared at the words he'd written, allowing their meaning to sink in. Once his breathing steadied, he lifted his gaze toward the shimmering Dungeon Core.

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