Leon unsheathed his SS-rank weapon, Flambé Uno, and burst out of the café like a streak of fire. The civilians inside exhaled in relief—an S-rank player had taken charge. But the relief didn't last long.
A swirling portal hovered near the parking lot, spewing out monsters in waves. On the left: horse-like beasts wreathed in fire, their eyes and hooves blazing with heat. Above: sleek creatures darted through the air at frightening speed, lightning crackling along their wings. On the right: armored goblinoids with jagged weapons—like a more evolved version of classic kobolds. And at the forefront stood a towering humanoid with chalk-white skin, a metal helm clamped over its skull, and a face twisted into a cruel grin. In one hand, it gripped a spiked club; in the other, a long iron chain.
Denzel watched from his café seat, unfazed. "These monsters... they're not normal." He rose, slipping on his infamous Psycho Mask.
[Psycho Mask Equipped. AURA +50%, MP +50%, AGI +40%]
As Denzel activated his appraisal, the truth hit him like a brick.
[Dungeon: Mayhem Island (C-rank)]
Warning: Four rival monster factions inhabit this dungeon. Confronting one directly will provoke the others.
Denzel narrowed his eyes. "This isn't a normal break. This dungeon wasn't supposed to exist." He appraised further and muttered grimly, "Leon can't handle this alone."
[Lightning Birds – Lvl.28 – C-rank] x14
[Flame Stallions – Lvl.30 – C-rank] x10
[Armored Kobolds – Lvl.27 – C-rank] x15
[Dungeon Ogre – Lvl.45 – B-rank] x1
While Olivia focused on evacuating civilians, Leon stood before the charging horde. He grinned as his sword ignited with crimson flame.
"Let's turn up the heat."
Leon clashed with a kobold, slicing off its arm with a burst of flames. The beast screeched, but Leon didn't stop—he danced through its defenses and carved it apart with rapid, surgical strikes.
He stepped back, eyes gleaming. "They're stronger than before."
A shadow landed beside him—Denzel, Psycho Mask active and dagger drawn.
"What's with the toy mask?" Leon smirked.
"Later. Let's not die first."
The Flame Stallions charged toward them, but Leon raised his blade.
A blazing barrier surrounded the stallions, blinding and trapping them. Within the fire, Leon unleashed another strike.
His blade shimmered as it slashed through the inferno. The stallions neighed in agony before collapsing in flames.
Leon wasn't just a swordsman—he was one of the rare Hybrid Class players: part mage, part warrior. Unpredictable and deadly.
The monsters, sensing the threat, regrouped and launched a coordinated assault. Denzel and Leon found themselves being pushed back by sheer numbers.
Meanwhile, Olivia finished the last of the evacuations. She pulled out a communicator and called in support.
"Sir Milo, we need reinforcements at May's Café, Main Street 191. Dungeon break confirmed."
"Copy," came the reply before she ended the call.
She sprinted toward the battlefield. Three armored kobolds blocked her path. The leader lunged, club raised—
And in the next second, it was in five pieces.
The other two froze. All they saw was their comrade sliced to ribbons... by nothing.
If only they knew.
Olivia's ability let her manipulate nearly invisible threads—razor-sharp and controlled with lethal precision.
"Why so scared?" she teased.
Her strings lashed forward and neatly decapitated the remaining kobolds.
Suddenly, Olivia felt a presence—a lightning bolt shot at her from above. She barely dodged, but the attacker followed up with a brutal tackle, smashing her into the pavement. A crater exploded around her.
She coughed blood but smiled. "Finally... a challenge."
It was a Lightning Bird—fast, intelligent, and merciless.
Back at the front, Denzel and Leon were regaining ground. The kobolds and stallions were retreating... until a strange pressure filled the air.
Denzel's instincts flared. Something was coming—fast. He glanced at Leon, who was too focused to notice. Without hesitation, Denzel shoved him aside.
A black blur slammed into Denzel and launched him into a car. It exploded on impact.
Smoke filled the air.
Leon and Olivia froze. They hadn't even seen what hit him.
Out of the smoke emerged a monstrous black bird radiating death and dominance.
[Black Lightning Bird – Lvl.45 – Elite Variant]
Leon's knees buckled. "No... no way he survived that…"
Something snapped.
The air grew heavy with killing intent. Flames licked the ground as Leon's aura erupted like a volcano.
A wave of fire surged across the battlefield, incinerating half the kobolds and flame stallions. Leon fell to his knees, gasping.
"It's pointless... he's gone..." he whispered, eyes welling with tears.
But the battle wasn't over.
The ogre, silent until now, finally stirred.
ROOOOAAAARRR!
It lifted its massive club and lunged at Leon.
Leon didn't move.
"GET OUT OF THERE!" Olivia screamed.
Her strings shot out and latched onto the ogre's club, halting it mid-air. But the force was too much—her threads started snapping, one by one.
Leon sat frozen, broken.
And just as the last thread unraveled—
A faint glow sparked in the wreckage of the car.
Something moved.
A low growl echoed through the chaos.
A monster stirred… but it wasn't one from the dungeon....
END OF CHAPTER 16
[STATUS WINDOW – LEON DE RÜNTER]
Name: Leon De Rünter
Race: Human
Class: Hybrid (Warrior-Mage Tier 2)
Level: 24
EXP: 1,005 / 2,400
[VITAL STATS]
HP: 2,000 / 2,000
MP: 1,800 / 1,800
Stamina: 1,650 / 1,650
[CORE ATTRIBUTES]
Strength: 90
Agility: 95
Vitality: 88
Intelligence: 120
Dexterity: 100
Aura: 160
Luck: 14
Charm: 30
[SKILLS]
Flame Demon Style (Lv. 6) – Leon's signature sword-art channeling destructive fire-element techniques.
Encircling Fire Wall (Lv. 4) – Creates a ring of fire for area denial and battlefield control.
Fiery Embers Strike (Lv. 5) – Precise follow-up attack utilizing flame infusion to pierce armor.
Hellfire Blast (Lv. 3) – Wide-scale flame burst dealing massive AoE damage; consumes full MP.
Aura Ignition (Lv. 5) – Temporarily amplifies aura output, boosting all combat stats.
Spellblade Infusion (Lv. 3) – Merges physical weapon strikes with active magic spells.
Hybrid Combat Mastery (Lv. 4) – Passive; improves transitions between magic and melee in battle.
Dead Target Lock (Lv. 4) – A high-accuracy finishing technique for marked enemies.
[UNIQUE GIFTS]
Flame Demon King (SS-Rank – Passive/Active) Grants total control over flame-type aura, enabling advanced techniques and resistance to fire. Boosts flame-based skill potency by 60%. Enhances mental combat focus.
Dead Target (S-Rank – Active) Marks a chosen enemy, increasing critical rate, accuracy, and damage. Kill restores MP and boosts AGI for 60 seconds. Cooldown: 5 minutes.
[EQUIPMENT]
Main Weapon: [Flambé Uno] (SS-Rank – Sword of the Flame Monarch)
Armor: ???
Accessory: ???
[STATUS EFFECTS]
Hybrid Synchronization – Smooth transition between martial and magical disciplines; reduces internal energy waste.
Residual Flame Pressure – Emits a passive aura that suppresses weaker fire-aligned enemies.
Mental Load (Minor) – Sustained Hybrid usage puts pressure on cognitive focus; manageable at current level.
[SYSTEM NOTE]
You walk the path of two masters—and neither is forgiving. True dominance lies in merging them without hesitation.
Next Awakening Gift Available at Level 50.
[FUN FACTS]
-Some S-Rank players have weapons that a linked to their abilities. A perfect example is Leon whose Flambé Uno was a weapon he gained from his ability, Flame Demon King (SS-RANK)