Bound By Fury:The Forced Path

The two hours now passed, But Akira arrived at the dungeon entrance early a dark, swirling portal set against the rocky terrain of the mountain.

Ironically the dungeon was near his hidden house in the mountain.

He took a deep breath, and with the surge of energy rolling off it he knew this D-rank was going to be more intense than any E-ranks he had cleared.

This dungeon wasn't even give details out on the app yet.

No intel about monster types, just some vague warning about danger level.

As he sat in wait for his slotted time, Akira opened his Status Window and started his Daily Quest.

He started doing the push ups the sit ups and the squats and it didn't take to much and soon enough the notifications buzzed-his quest complete.

[Daily Quest Complete]

[Congratulations All Attributes Increased by 2]

"Now im ready" - He muttered

The entry countdown expired.

"Time to go"

Akira stepped through the portal, the familiar disorienting shift washing over him as he crossed into the interior of the dungeon.

It was unlike the dark, rocky landscapes of previous dungeons: a sprawling mini-jungle stretching in every direction, it seemed.

Sand coated the ground, trees stood dead and brittle, and the air was thick with dry, nearly suffocating heat.It was something that seemed caught between life and decay, he thought as he moved forward, his steps cautious.

The earth shuddered suddenly, low, rhythmic Akira went still, dead in his tracks, the fingers of one hand fluttering instinctively across to the haft of the Pantho Blade.

A hulking creature burst from beneath the sand, then..

A Deevral, its skin mottled and scaled, a mouthful of teeth like needles, its clawed hands digging with inhuman speed through the sand.

"This is new Type!"

Akira growled, eyes narrowing.

He called up his Status Window in an instant and let it scan the creature for information.

[Deevral]

Type: Mutant Beast

Abilities: Bone-Crushing Bite, Blood drain

Weakness: Sensitive Underbelly.

Akira's eyes darted, his gaze honed in sharp focus on all points of the Deevral's weaknesses.

"If this thing gets its teeth into me then it's Game Over,"

He muttered, hand tightening on the blade.

It lunged, jaws wide, snapping shut Akira sidestepped in a quick, calculated movement; he felt the rush of air as the teeth bit down on empty air.

In the same second, he kicked up a burst of speed, slipping to its side and homing in on the spot that was exposed near its underbelly.

With one swift and sure slash, he drove the Pantho Blade deep into its scales, twisting as he did so.

The wail of agony tore out of the Deevral's mouth as Akira backed away, but the monster was beyond reason, thrashing about madly.

Blood sprayed from the open wound, yet it showed no mercy to itself, dragging itself forward with frenzied speed.

"Persistent, aren't you?"

The Deevral moved fast and wounded a bit Akira at his left arm as the blood leaked because he couldn't fully dodge him.

Akira sneered, leaping back before charging at full speed. He danced around its attacks, quick as a shadow, until he finally found his opening.

In one smooth motion, he sliced low across its legs and the creature stumbled.

The Deevral fell to the sand, struggling weakly as Akira gave a final blow against its exposed side.

It quivered, let out one last groan, and stilled, falling to silence.

Akira cleaned his blade on the sand, gazing at the monster as it dissolved, leaving only wisps of energy in the air.

The surge of experience seeped into him-a satisfying reward for such a high-intensity fight.

"One down."

After The Deevral took it last breath a familiar chime echoed in his mind and the system notification flashed before his eyes:

[Level Up!]

[Stats increased]

A warm, energizing flow went through his body, and he felt his muscles strengthen as the pains disappeared, his wounds sealing themselves.

Everything about him seemed rejuvenated; the exhaustion from his earlier fights had vanished, as it had never been there.

"I really love this system"

A slight grin curling onto his face as he proceeded deeper into the haunting jungle.

1 Hour Passed

Akira wiped the sweat from his brow as he looked around at the remains of the twenty Deevral scattered across the sand-strewn jungle floor.

The thrill of leveling up several times had lost some of its edge, given how quickly he dispatched these creatures.

He was starting to think this D-rank dungeon wasn't as challenging as he'd hoped.

But suddenly, without a bit of warning, the ground beneath him lurched with a long, clashing hum, which in that instant built into a quake.

Sand and dust filled the air, and then, from the shuddering earth, a monstrous figure burst forth.

A mutant Sand Maw blew out from beneath, large and twisting, like a snake of flesh and stone, its every scale shaking with heavy force.

There was no Deevral here-this was a monster worthy of his notice.

It growled low and heavy, a rumble in the pit of its stomach that chilled Akira's blood.

He called up his Status Window in an instant and let it scan the creature for information.

[Sand Maw]

Type: Mutant Beast

[Abilities:]

[Quicksand Trap: Can generate quicksand around itself to immobilize prey.]

[Tremor Strike: Slams the ground to create shockwaves that destabilize enemies.]

[Armored Scales: Extremely resilient scales that reduce damage from most attacks.]

[Weakness: Exposed Neck—attacks to this vulnerable area can bypass its armored hide and deal significant damage.]

"Alright,"

He rasped, clenching his hand tight on the Pantho Blade,

"Finally, something worthy of the trouble."

The Sand Maw lunged, its maw wide and lined with jagged, bone-crushing teeth.

Akira darted to the side, barely dodging as it snapped its jaws shut with a force that shook the ground.

He counterattacked, driving his blade against its thick hide, but the sword barely managed to graze its dense scales.

"How strong is that thing…?" Akira muttered, narrowing his eyes.

The Sand Maw swung its tail, in an attempt to flatten him in one swipe. He dodged, rolling forward with momentum, then sprang up and slashed his blade in a fast arc, catching the creature just below the jaw.

The monster let out a deafening roar, sending blood splattering on the ground. Akira made use of the opening, exuding his speed to land stroke after stroke down its now exposed down his jaw.

With each strike a little deeper, his body hurried with the flow of adrenaline and precision. In that last desperate strike, he drove his sword deep into its nect and pressed the Sand Maw down with a furious growl until it fell lifeless.

[Level Up!]

[All Stats Increased]

Current Level: 30

Akira took a deep breath, feeling the satisfying weight of his new level settle into him.

"Damn beast he really was troublesome"

But before he could really savor it, the earth shook-though this time in violence.

He stumbled, looking up, and froze.

Sucking out of the sand was some massive creature-a gigantic black sandworm, its entire body writhing and towering high above him, easily fifty times the size of the Sand Maw he'd just killed.

Its gaping mouth, lined with rows upon rows of serrated teeth, seemed to go on forever.

He swallowed as a rare flicker of doubt passed over his mind.

"This… might be pushing it."

There was just something about the size of the monster, its overbearingly large presence that made him realize this was not going to be a normal fight.

No time for thoughts; the sandworm lunged forward, its maw coming down to swallow him whole.

"Wwoha"

"Damn calm down you worm calm the fucking down"

As he dodged the worm attack

"Let's check his abilites"

He called up his Status Window again to let it scan the creature for information.

[Sandworm]

[Type: Mutant Worm]

[Abilities:]

Burrow: Can tunnel underground at incredible speeds, making it difficult to track or predict its movements.

Sandstorm Fury: Creates violent sandstorms around its body, disorienting and blinding enemies while reducing visibility.

Crushing Bite: Uses its massive jaws to crush anything in its path, capable of breaking through stone and armor alike.

Weakness: Vulnerable Underside—its thick armor is weakest on its belly, where it has less protection. Attacks aimed at this area are more effective.

"Hmm he really is trouble"