Bound By Fury:The Forced Path

The very second the party entered the dungeon, the oppressive silence was dispelled but for the soft hum of bioluminescent moss growing in thin threads along the rough walls. The atmosphere was damp, the floor was uneven, and the flickering, faintly blue light cast macabre shadows everywhere

A low, guttural growl sounded, and ripples went through the air.

A big, red wolf formed from darkness itself.

Its sharpened, metallic claws shone unholy in the all-consuming darkness.

Its eyes, pitch black, immediately fell upon the company with a primal hunger.

Cha-Jong barked out without so much as a moment's hesitation.

"Formation ready!"

"Garret, you're up!"

The team moved swiftly.

Garret, wielding his massive axe, stepped forward to intercept the charging wolf, his muscular frame braced for impact.

Garret: (grinning)

"Come on, mutt."

"Let's see what you've got."

The wolf lunged with terrifying speed, claws aimed for Garret's throat.

But Garret countered with a heavy swing of his axe, forcing the beast to leap back.

Behind him, in a moment when the wolf struggled to find its footing, Mira shouted in a loud voice an elemental fire spell.

Her fingers wove fire as she summoned into existence a flight of flaming arrows.

"Stay right there, you oversized cat!"

These shot right through the air and buried themselves in the wolf's flanks.

There was one hoarse howl, and then it finally fell, burnt and still.

Lyra: (smirking) "Well, well-quick work."

Cha-Jong nods in approval, still pivoting toward Akira, who hasn't moved as yet.

 "Not bad at a start, what you think, E.B.?"

Akira said nothing, his eyes narrowing down as he watched the effectiveness of the team.

"Is this the strength of a C-rank STAR warrior and a B rank STAR mage supposed to be."

"Impressive.

"It did not, however, even begin to touch upon the aura that monster gave off."

"There are like mere insect before him i really wonder what level had he aquired maybe ss-rank or national level"

Then Akira's face changed, and his eyes darted out into the darkness beyond their pool of light.:

"It's not over."

Cha-Jong furrowed his brow, catching some earnestness in Akira's tone.

"What are you—"

A new chorus of growling and padding reached their ears as two more wolves materialized into view, the flickering light reflecting obsidian back from their eyes.

Another.

Another...And another.

In that instant, there were five red wolves surrounding them, each one bigger and uglier than the last.

Cha-Jong: (Seriously)

"What a pain in the neck."

"Stay close, everybody."

"They can't split us up that way."

And there they were: growling low, their claws scraping on the stone floor threateningly, and before anyone was able to form up to them,

Suddenly Akira bursted forward and left the rest far behind.

Cha-Jong:

"E.B.!"

"What the heck are you doing?"

"Come back!"

Mira, too, followed suit, irritated, and her expression told it all.

"You fool!"

"Don't you want to live?"

"Stop!"

But Akira paid attention to neither, his mind clear as crystal and evident.

"I didn't come here to joke with some party...I came to become powerful."

"To level up."

He ran toward the wolves at great speed, talking in a low, whispered voice.

 "Status Scan."

Before him now materialized a translucent window that gave him the details of the coming wolf:

[Status Window]

[Name:Tundra Wolf]

[Rank: C]

[Height: 3.5 ft]

[Abilities: Metal Claw, Pack Instincts, Howl of Disruption]

[Notes: Agile, resilient, and very adept at ambushes. Their claws contain toxic energy, which could infect and slow any prey with direct contact.

[ Approach with extreme caution.]

Akira erupted in laughter as things started solidifying his plan.

"Let's do this"

A wolf leapt before him, Metal Claw shining.

Akira moved to the side, and the beast passed centimeters from his body.

Before it managed to recover, Akira's fist lashed out and struck true with a sickly crack against the jawline of the wolf.

The wolf yelped and tumbled backward.

The others closed in, but Akira showed no weakness.

In a blur again, his body sprang upward, falling with a strong kick which sent one of the wolves tumbling.

Behind, Cha-Jong growled in frustration as Akira single-handedly took on the wolves. 

"This fool is going to get himself killed!"

Lyra frowned, and her staff started to glow slightly as she readied herself for intervention.

"He's reckless, but… he's holding his own."

Mira scoffed, flames already flickering at her hands.

"I'm not cleaning up his mess."

Akira stood amidst the chaos, his breath steady, his focus unshaken.

After seeing Akira caught the second wolf with a mighty kick that sent it across the cavern floor, sliding;

Garret, several feet back with his great axe resting over his shoulder, couldn't help but smile.

"You know, I didn't like that kid when I first saw him."

Cha-Jong cast a questioning glance in his direction.

"What are you talking about?"

Garret: Still talking, he smiled wider as he said,

"I thought he was just another brat who awakened young and let it go to his head."

"But look at him."

"Reckless-all charging in alone, yet still holding his own."

His eyes bright with humour and appreciation as he watched Akira fight.

"I like that."

Cha-Jong scowled at him, annoyance evident.

"What are you saying?"

"He's going to tire himself out!"

"We should interfere-"

Before he could get any further, Garret raised his hand, halting him in his tracks.

"Wait."

"Just watch."

"Trust me, Chief."

"Let the kid show us what he's got."

Meanwhile, his mind was razor-sharp as ever.

The third wolf leaped at him, and from his inventory, he called his sword from the inventory

In his hand appeared the Pantho Sword.

"Where the hell did that sword popped" - Mira said

Without inhibition, he released the blade with an uncanny precision.

It whirred in the air, runes on it briefly flared as it plunged right into the skull of the wolf, killing it straightaway; it fell with a heavy thud, dead.

Akira bursted forward and picked up his blade with ease.

Instead of attacking, he faked a throw to draw the fourth wolf into an opening.

The wolf instinctively dodged to the side, and that very motion was immediately met by Akira as a powerful bolt of White Lightning launched.

The crackling energy stabbed into the wolf mid-dodge and blew him away on the spot.

An afterimage of light resounded within the cavern.

Akira - "Four down."

Cha-Jong's eyes went wide; frustration was replaced by reluctant admiration.

"Wow, he really is something else."

Lyra chuckled and spun her staff idly around.

"Careful, Chief-you might sound like a fanboy."

"But I'll admit…"

She smirked, head cocked to the side as she watched Akira.

"I might just fall for a little kid like that."

"He is really handsome too heh"

Cha-Jong shot her a glare, though Garret merely laughed loudly.

"You wish!"

"That kid's got more fire in him than half the so-called warriors I've seen."

As Akira prepared to charge at the final wolf, Mira stepped in, summoning a flurry of fire arrows.

They streaked through the air, glowing brightly in the dim cavern, and pierced the wolf's body in rapid succession.

The beast collapsed with a whimper before Akira could land his strike.

"That's enough, show-off."

"Save your energy."

"It's still too early to be wasting yourself, kid."

Akira had stopped mid-step, narrowing his eyes at her as he sheathed the PanthoSword back into his inventory.

"I'm not even warmed-up yet."

Mira smirked-evidently unimpressed.

"Sure you aren't."

[Status Window]

[Your level has increased]

As Akira stood amidst the carnage, the faint chime of a system notification appeared before his eyes:

[New Passive Skill Unlocked]

[Wolf Slayer]

[Increases the damage against beast-type enemies by 10%.]

He viewed the notice briefly; a small smirk tugged his lips.

One step closer, he thought, dismissing the screen.

Garret stepped forward and clapped Akiraon his back.

"Not bad, kid."

"Reckless as hell, but not bad."

Akira shrugged the gesture off, his expression impassive.

"I didn't come here to play it safe."

Cha-Jong sighed, stepping in to address the group.

"Alright, enough posturing."

"E.B don't act by yourself anymore"

"And you where lucky beacuse i don't know why maybe because you didn't give those beasts time because if they actived their skill "Howl of Distrubtion" they really are troublesome because they reduce your attack outbut and distrubs your senses you where lucky."

"Anyway we've got more to deal with deeper inside.

"Let's regroup and keep moving."

Mira glanced at Akira, her smirk softening slightly.

"Next time, don't hog all the fun, alright?"

Akira didn't respond, already scanning the deeper shadows of the dungeon.

"This is just the start. I'll take whatever this place has to offer… and more." - His mind raced