The Silver Wolf Dungeon had finally fallen silent.
Not the tense silence of battle.
Not the uneasy silence that came before danger.
This was the silence that came after survival.
The ruined boss chamber remained scarred from the fight. Broken pillars lay scattered across the floor. Massive chunks of stone from the collapsed ceiling were piled near the center of the room where the Blood Release Werewolf had finally met its end. Deep claw marks stretched across the walls, while fractured runes flickered weakly beneath layers of dust.
The battle was over.
Yet traces of it lingered everywhere.
Dust floated lazily through the faint green light seeping from cracks in the dungeon walls. The air still carried the scent of shattered stone, scorched mana, and blood.
For a long while, neither Rio nor Ryota moved.
Both had simply collapsed where they sat after the fight.
Exhaustion had claimed them before either could say much else.
Rio slowly opened her eyes.
Her vision was blurry at first.
She blinked several times, allowing her eyes to adjust to the dim green glow surrounding the chamber.
Everything felt heavy.
Her arms.
Her legs.
Even her thoughts.
It was the kind of exhaustion that settled deep into the body after pushing far beyond one's limits.
She exhaled quietly.
"...Hah..."
A small system clock flickered at the edge of her interface.
Rio glanced at it.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"Seriously?"
She rubbed her forehead.
"Guess I fell asleep for two hours."
That wasn't normal.
She couldn't remember the last time she'd slept immediately after a boss fight.
Then she noticed something.
A weight resting against her shoulder.
Warm.
Heavy.
Steady.
Rio slowly looked down.
"...Ryota."
He was asleep.
Completely asleep.
His head rested comfortably against her shoulder. His breathing was calm and steady. His grip on his weapon had long since loosened, and for the first time since she had met him, there wasn't a hint of tension in his body.
He looked completely at peace.
Rio blinked.
Then blinked again.
"...Get up."
No response.
She frowned.
"...Ryota."
Nothing.
His breathing remained perfectly steady.
"...You're heavy."
Still nothing.
Then, after several seconds, Ryota shifted slightly.
A sleepy murmur escaped him.
"...Five more minutes..."
Rio stared at him.
Her expression remained completely unchanged.
"...Get off."
A pause.
"We've been sleeping for two hours."
That finally reached him.
Ryota slowly opened one eye.
"...Alright..."
He stretched his neck.
"...Alright, I'm up."
With a quiet groan, he carefully lifted himself away from her shoulder and rolled his shoulders.
Immediately, his face twisted.
The stiffness from the fight had caught up to him.
"...That was rough."
Rio adjusted her own shoulder.
"...You fell asleep on me."
Ryota offered a tired smile.
"...Yeah."
A brief pause.
"...Didn't mean to."
Another pause.
Then he grinned.
"...Best sleep I've had in a while though."
Rio sighed.
"...You're unbelievable."
Then both of them noticed it.
A chest.
It sat near the center of the chamber where the boss had died.
Neither remembered seeing it before.
Ryota narrowed his eyes.
"...Hey."
Rio looked over.
"...What?"
"...Was that there before?"
Rio immediately shook her head.
"No."
There was no hesitation in her answer.
The chest hadn't existed before.
Which meant it had appeared after the fight.
The two approached cautiously.
Years of gaming experience taught Rio never to trust free treasure.
Especially inside hidden dungeons.
The chest itself appeared old.
Its wooden surface was reinforced with silver metal. Ancient carvings covered the lid, worn smooth by time.
A faint green glow reflected across its surface.
Rio knelt beside it.
For a moment she simply stared.
Then she placed her hand against the lid.
Slowly.
Carefully.
And opened it.
The moment the chest opened, both of them froze.
Inside rested a saber.
Not an ordinary weapon.
A beautiful silver saber.
Its blade was flawless.
Not a single scratch marred its surface.
The polished metal reflected the dungeon's green light with almost supernatural clarity.
A wolf crest was engraved into the guard.
The weapon radiated power.
Not visible power.
Not obvious power.
Something deeper.
Something ancient.
Almost alive.
Rio's eyes widened.
Just slightly.
Ryota stepped closer.
"...You said this dungeon only drops Fenrir's Fang."
Rio didn't answer.
His gaze remained fixed on the saber.
"...So why is there another weapon here?"
Silence lingered for several moments.
Then Rio finally spoke.
"...The boss resurrected."
Ryota blinked.
"...Huh?"
Rio carefully lifted the saber from the chest.
The weapon felt surprisingly light.
Balanced.
Perfect.
"...It resurrected into Blood Release."
Her fingers ran slowly along the blade.
"When that happens..."
She paused.
"...a hidden reward becomes available."
Ryota's eyes widened.
"...Seriously?"
Rio nodded.
"In my previous life..."
Her voice softened slightly.
"It never happened."
She stared at the blade.
"...Nobody ever triggered this."
The realization settled over both of them.
This wasn't merely rare.
This was unknown.
Something entirely new.
Ryota folded his arms.
"...So it's yours."
Rio looked at him.
"What?"
"You fought the boss."
His tone was matter-of-fact.
"You nearly died."
A brief silence followed.
"You deserve it."
Rio frowned.
"...What about you?"
Ryota shrugged.
"My sword is probably buried under half the dungeon."
A faint smile appeared.
"Besides."
His eyes met hers.
"You earned this."
Rio stared at him.
Then Ryota ruined the moment.
"...And I got to sleep on your shoulder."
Silence.
"...Really?"
Rio deadpanned.
"That's what matters to you?"
Ryota grinned.
"Totally worth it."
A laugh escaped Rio before she could stop it.
"...I should've let the boss kill you."
"You wouldn't."
"...Want to test that theory?"
"...Not particularly."
Rio finally equipped the weapon.
The instant her hand fully wrapped around the hilt—
The saber reacted.
A pulse of crimson light surged through the blade.
The chamber trembled.
A crimson crescent erupted from the weapon and cut through the air.
The shockwave traveled nearly thirty meters before fading.
Dust exploded outward.
Loose debris scattered across the room.
Both players stared.
"...Wow."
Rio whispered.
The weapon almost felt familiar.
Like it recognized her.
Like it had been waiting.
Ryota raised an eyebrow.
"Careful."
A smirk appeared.
"Don't fall in love with it."
Rio tightened her grip.
"You'd get jealous."
Ryota laughed.
"Maybe."
Rio opened the weapon information panel.
Immediately, a holographic screen appeared.
Crimson Bloodmoon
Fenrir's Legacy Reforged
Weapon Type: Saber
Rarity: Mythic (Evolution-Type)
Requirement: Swordsman
Base Stats
Physical Attack: +12
Attack Speed: +0.4%
Enhanced Critical Interaction
Core Ability — Moonlight Melody
Releases a crescent-shaped blood-infused shockwave.
Mana Cost: 65
Cooldown: 10 Seconds
Effects:
Deals 150% Weapon Damage
Applies Blood Mark
Blood Mark increases damage taken
Stacks up to 3 times
Passive Ability — Blood Resonance
The weapon grows stronger against:
Bleeding enemies
Beast-type enemies
Boss monsters
Evolution Ability — Bloodmoon Growth
Weapon evolves alongside its wielder.
+1.5 Attack per Level
Additional scaling every 10 levels
Additional skill enhancement every 25 levels
Special Trait — Crimson Awakening
Activates below 30% HP.
Effects:
+15% Attack Speed
+25% Skill Damage
The moment Rio finished reading—
She froze.
Completely.
Her eyes remained fixed on the screen.
Her fingers tightened around the weapon.
"...Rio?"
Ryota noticed immediately.
No response.
"...Rio."
Still nothing.
Concern slowly appeared on his face.
"...Are you okay?"
Finally—
Rio spoke.
"...This..."
Her voice was quiet.
Almost disbelieving.
"...This shouldn't exist."
Ryota blinked.
"What shouldn't?"
Rio lowered the weapon slightly.
"...A Mythic weapon."
"...That's bad?"
"No."
Rio immediately shook her head.
"It's the opposite."
She stared at the crimson blade.
"...It's too good."
Slowly, she looked toward him.
"Most players never see a Mythic weapon."
A pause.
"Not once."
Another pause.
"Not in their entire careers."
Ryota's eyebrows rose.
"...Really?"
Rio nodded.
"And this one is worse."
"Worse?"
"It's Growth-Type."
"...Meaning?"
"It evolves."
The seriousness in her voice made Ryota stop joking.
"As I level."
She lifted the weapon slightly.
"It levels."
"As I grow stronger."
"It grows stronger."
Ryota slowly processed that.
"...That's ridiculous."
"Exactly."
Rio exhaled.
"It adapts to my fighting style."
"It adapts to my abilities."
"It adapts to me."
For several seconds neither spoke.
Then Ryota asked quietly,
"Do you regret getting it?"
Rio answered instantly.
"No."
No hesitation.
No uncertainty.
Never.
Her gaze softened.
"...I got this because of you."
Ryota blinked.
Rio looked away.
"...Thank you."
The words came awkwardly.
As if she wasn't used to saying them.
"I don't really know what else to say."
Ryota smiled.
Simple.
Honest.
"I don't care about the weapon."
Rio looked back at him.
"...What?"
"I'm just glad you're okay."
Silence.
Then he added,
"How are we supposed to reach the top if our strongest player isn't at her best?"
Rio stared at him.
For several seconds.
Then quietly looked away.
This time she didn't argue.
She simply tightened her grip on Crimson Bloodmoon.
"...Let's see how far this weapon can grow."
The blade pulsed faintly.
Almost as if it agreed.
A notification suddenly appeared.
[LEVEL UP]
Rio has reached Level 3
A new screen appeared immediately.
Stat Update
Level: 3
Skill Advancement
Chronos Eye
Level 1 → Level 2
Enhancement
Time Manipulation Duration:
2 Seconds → 4 Seconds
Rio's eyes widened.
"...Four seconds."
Ryota tilted his head.
"...Good?"
Rio nodded immediately.
"Very good."
Four seconds was enormous.
Double the duration.
Double the opportunities.
Double the danger.
And double the potential.
Rio closed the window.
"I'll deal with my stat allocation later."
Then—
The entire world shook.
A deep system chime echoed across Evermount.
Both players froze.
A massive notification appeared before every single player in the game.
SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT
A Hidden Dungeon Has Been Cleared
Dungeon: Silver Wolf Dungeon
Status: Cleared
First Clear Bonus: Activated
The announcement echoed across the world.
Inside cities.
Inside forests.
Inside dungeons.
Every player saw it.
And chaos erupted instantly.
In the Town of Beginnings, conversations stopped mid-sentence.
Players froze.
"...What?"
"A hidden dungeon?"
"Already?!"
Panic spread rapidly.
Guild leaders immediately began shouting orders.
"Buy equipment!"
"Gather resources!"
"Increase grinding speed!"
"We're already behind!"
Everyone understood the same thing.
Someone had gained a massive lead.
And nobody knew who.
Back inside the dungeon, Rio simply closed the notification.
The world could panic later.
She had another objective.
She turned toward a corridor hidden behind the boss chamber.
"...Let's go."
Ryota stood up.
"Where?"
Rio rested Crimson Bloodmoon on her shoulder.
A small smile appeared.
"Fenrir's Fang."
Ryota blinked.
"The dagger?"
Rio nodded.
"The boss room wasn't the real treasure."
The thought immediately energized him.
"...Seriously?"
Rio smirked.
"Seriously."
Together they left the ruined chamber behind.
The hidden boss was dead.
The Silver Wolf Dungeon had been conquered.
Yet their exploration wasn't finished.
Beyond the next corridor waited the secret room.
And inside that room—
The legendary dagger known as Fenrir's Fang.
