The squeaking erupted into a cacophony.

Thump thump thump thump.

Three shapes burst from the darkness. Rabbits. But wrong. Corrupted by dungeon mana into something monstrous.

Black fur that absorbed torchlight. Red eyes glowing with predatory intelligence. Bone white horns protruding from foreheads. Sharp. Deadly. Each one the size of a large dog. Muscles rippling under dark pelts.

They charged without hesitation.

Raze's Combat Reflex tracked all three simultaneously. Left rabbit fastest. Center one aggressive. Right one circling for flank.

"Formation!" Julius raised his shield. "I'll tank center! You handle the others!"

The center rabbit slammed into Julius's shield.

Boom.

The impact was massive. Far stronger than a normal animal. Julius's feet slid backward on stone. His Initiate Low strength barely adequate.

Raze engaged the left rabbit. Azure Edge came up in defensive arc.

The rabbit leaped. Horn aimed for his throat. Fast. Too fast for normal perception.

But his Combat Reflex wasn't normal.

Slash.

Azure Edge intercepted. Steel met bone horn. The impact sent shockwaves through Raze's arms.

Clang.

The rabbit bounced back. Landed. Immediately charged again.

The right rabbit tried flanking. Raze activated Scarlet Leap.

Whoosh.

His body blurred backward. Distance created. Both rabbits now in front of him instead of surrounding.

"They're fast!" Julius grunted. His shield blocked another horn strike. "And strong! These aren't normal mobs!"

"They're dungeon enhanced!" Raze circled. Keeping both rabbits in view. "Tier Zero doesn't mean weak! It means baseline Initiate!"

The rabbits coordinated. Left one feinted. Right one charged.

Raze used Instant Transmission.

Blink.

Reality shifted. He materialized behind the charging rabbit. Azure Edge came down.

Slash.

The blade bit deep into the rabbit's hindquarters. Blood sprayed. Black. Thick. The smell was wrong. Corrupted.

Squeal!

The rabbit stumbled. Limping. But still fighting. It turned. Horn lowered.

The left rabbit charged while Raze was exposed.

His Combat Reflex screamed warning. Too close. Too fast.

He threw himself sideways. The horn grazed his shoulder.

Rip.

Fabric tore. Skin split. Pain flared. Shallow. But real.

Raze rolled. Came up swinging. Azure Edge caught the rabbit's front leg.

Crack.

Bone snapped. The rabbit collapsed. Squealing. Thrashing.

He finished it with a thrust through the skull.

Thunk.

One down. Two to go.

Julius was struggling. His shield had multiple dents now. The center rabbit was relentless. Charging. Retreating. Charging again.

Raze engaged it from behind. His blade scored the rabbit's flank.

The creature turned. Divided attention between two threats.

That was fatal.

Julius's sword came over his shield. Thrust forward. The blade punched through the rabbit's eye.

Splurt.

Blood erupted. The rabbit convulsed. Died.

The injured one tried fleeing. Limping toward the darkness.

Raze used Scarlet Leap. Closed distance instantly. His blade took the rabbit's head off in one clean stroke.

Thud thud.

Head and body hit stone separately.

Silence fell. Just heavy breathing. The smell of blood and corruption.

"That was one encounter," Julius gasped. "Three rabbits. We have to do that nine more times before the boss."

"Then let's keep moving." Raze checked his shoulder wound. Shallow. Kael's healing draught would handle it. "We can't afford to rest between every fight."

They pushed deeper. The corridor branched. Split. A maze of stone passages.

The second encounter came five minutes later. Three more rabbits. Black fur. Red eyes. Bone horns.

This time Raze was ready. He'd learned their patterns. The feint before charge. The way they circled to flank.

He used Instant Transmission aggressively. Appearing behind targets. Striking before they could react. His Swordsmanship at C rank was adequate. Not masterful. But competent enough.

Slash slash slash.

Three rabbits down in under a minute.

Julius was improving too. His shield work became more confident. His sword strikes more precise.

Third encounter. Fourth. Fifth.

The rabbits varied slightly. Some faster. Some stronger. Some more aggressive. But the core pattern remained constant.

By the ninth encounter, Raze was moving on autopilot. His Combat Reflex predicted everything. His movement skills created impossible angles.

He was a blur of motion. Azure Edge gleaming. Rabbit blood coating the stone.

Squeal squeal squeal.

The final three mobs died quickly. Efficiently. Professional execution.

Julius leaned against the wall. Gasping. "You're getting scary with that blade."

"Practice makes perfect." Raze cleaned Azure Edge on a dead rabbit's fur. "Boss should be ahead. Through that doorway."

The corridor ended in massive double doors. Stone. Carved with crude rabbit imagery. The boss room.

They approached carefully. Raze drank a stamina enhancer. Julius adjusted his grip on shield and sword.

"Ready?" Julius asked.

"No. But we're doing it anyway."

Julius pushed the doors open.

Creak.

The boss room was large. Circular. Fifty feet across. Torches lined the walls. And in the center, waiting.

The Double Horned King Rabbit.

It was massive. Gorilla sized. Easily three hundred pounds. Black fur so dark it seemed to absorb light. Red eyes burning with intelligence. And the horns. Two of them. Curved. Sharp. Each one as long as Raze's forearm.

The creature's muscles rippled as it turned toward them. This wasn't just dungeon enhancement. This was Initiate Peak condensed into animal form.

It roared. The sound was wrong. Too deep. Too bestial. Rabbits shouldn't roar.

Then it charged.

Boom boom boom.

Each footfall shook the ground. The King Rabbit moved like a freight train. Unstoppable momentum.

"Split!" Raze dove left. Julius right.

The rabbit couldn't change direction mid charge. It slammed into the wall where they'd been standing.

Crash!

Stone cracked. Dust rained down.

It turned. Surprisingly agile for its size. Fixed on Raze. The closer target.

Charged again.

Raze activated Scarlet Leap. Blurred sideways. The rabbit's horns missed by inches.

But its momentum continued. Past him. Creating opening.

He struck. Azure Edge aimed for the hindquarters. The blade bit deep.

Slash!

Blood sprayed. The rabbit roared. Not pain. Rage.

It kicked backward. Massive hind legs like pistons.

Wham!

The kick caught Raze's chest. His B rank Endurance absorbed most of the impact. But most wasn't all.

He flew backward. Hit the wall. Hard.

Thud.

Pain exploded through his body. Ribs protesting. Breath knocked out. His vision blurred.

The rabbit turned. Preparing to finish him.

Julius charged. His shield raised. "Over here! Fight me!"

The rabbit's attention shifted. It charged Julius instead.

Julius braced. His shield angled to deflect rather than absorb.

Clang!

The impact was catastrophic. Julius's shield arm bent at wrong angle. The shield itself cracked. But he'd deflected. Turned the charge into glancing blow rather than direct hit.

The rabbit stumbled. Off balance. Exposed.

Julius's sword came around. Thrust into the rabbit's shoulder joint. Deep. Critical.

Splurt!

The rabbit roared. Blood pouring from the wound. Its front leg buckled.

Raze recovered. Stood. His Endurance already healing the worst damage. Kael's healing draught would handle the rest.

He charged. Scarlet Leap into Instant Transmission. Impossible speed. Appearing at the rabbit's exposed flank.

Azure Edge came down with all his C rank Strength. Enhanced by mana conductivity. The blade glowed blue. Hot. Deadly.

Slash!

The cut was deep. Through fur. Through muscle. Into vital organs.

The rabbit tried to turn. Too slow. Too injured.

Julius's sword came from the other side. Stabbed between ribs. Aiming for heart.

Thunk.

The blade sank deep. Found something critical.

The Double Horned King Rabbit convulsed. Its roar became gurgling. Blood poured from multiple wounds.

It collapsed. The impact shaking the floor.

Boom.

Thrashed once. Twice. Then stilled.

Silence.

Just heavy breathing. The smell of blood. The aftermath of violence.

Then light.

Whoosh.

The rabbit's corpse began to dissolve. Dungeon magic reclaiming physical matter. What remained was the core. Monster essence compressed into crystal.

And something else.

Floating above where the boss had died. A smaller crystal. Different color. Shaped like a perfect sphere.

Raze's heart rate spiked. Recognition immediate.

A skill core.

In the game, dungeon bosses had chance to drop them. Rare. Valuable. Instant skill acquisition without training.

He'd hoped it worked the same in reality. Now confirmation floated before him.

Julius saw it too. His eyes widened. "Is that...?"

"Skill core." Raze couldn't keep the excitement from his voice.

"Who gets it?" Julius's tone was careful. Not greedy. Just uncertain.

"You got the killing blow. Your drop." Raze gestured to the floating crystal. "Take it."

Julius hesitated. "We could split the value. Sell it. Divide the gold."

"Skill cores are more valuable equipped than sold. And we're in a dungeon. Immediate power increase helps us both survive floors two and three." Raze met his eyes. "Take it. Use it. No argument."

Julius grabbed the crystal. It pulsed at his touch. Then shattered.

Crack.

Light flooded into his body. Information downloaded directly into his mind. His muscles spasmed. Integrating new capability.

He gasped. Staggered. Then straightened.

"Quick Foot. Temporary speed enhancement." His voice held wonder. "I can activate it at will. Lasts thirty seconds. Five minute cooldown."

"Good skill. Especially here. Speed saves lives." Raze collected the monster core from the dissolved rabbit. Baseball sized. Pulsing with energy. "This sells for about five gold. Not bad for one boss."

"Floor one complete." Julius tested his new skill. His body blurred slightly. Moving faster than before. Then returned to normal. "Two more floors. Slimes next. Then golems."

"We should rest first. Recover. You've got a broken shield arm."

Julius looked at his arm. It was swelling. Probably fractured. He drank one of his own healing draughts.

The magic worked quickly. Bones realigning. Swelling reducing. Not perfect healing. But functional.

They sat against the wall. Away from the dissolving boss corpse. Eating rations. Drinking water. Letting stamina regenerate.

"You're good," Julius said between bites. "Better than Initiate Peak should be. Those movement skills. That blade work. You've had training."

"Some. Most is recent." Raze examined his shoulder wound. Already healing. "Survival teaches fast."

"Still. You move like someone who's fought for their life before. Multiple times." Julius's expression was curious. "The capital's rumors mention the Four Stars of Thornwick. Young cultivators who killed a Master rank. That you?"

Raze didn't answer immediately. Weighed trust versus exposure.

Finally: "Yes."

"Damn. So the rumors are true." Julius whistled. "No wonder you're so calm in here. Dungeon rabbits are nothing compared to Master rank cultivators."

"They're still dangerous. Complacency kills." Raze stood. Tested his movement. Everything functional. "Ready for floor two?"

"As I'll ever be." Julius collected his damaged shield. "Slimes are different. No charging. No physical attacks. Just corrosion. Don't let them touch you. Don't let them spit on you. Maintain distance."

"Understood."

They approached the doorway that appeared after the boss died. Stairs leading down. Deeper into the dungeon's pocket dimension.

The air grew damper as they descended. The smell changed. Chemical. Sharp. The signature of acidic monsters.

The second floor awaited. Black Blight Slimes. King Blight Slime. Different tactics required.

But they'd cleared the first floor. Proven they could work together. Could survive.

Raze touched Sophie's bracelet. Felt the rough thread. The promise it represented.

Coming back stronger meant surviving challenges like this. Meant pushing forward even when afraid.

The stairs ended. The second floor corridor stretched ahead. Already he heard the wet sliding sound. Slimes moving. Hunting.

"Here we go again," Julius muttered.

They advanced together. Into deeper danger. Toward greater rewards.

The dungeon's second floor had begun.

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