Lightning crackled.
Frost surged.
Aether churned violently, the air itself resisting as if unable to contain the opposing storms.
Then—
They charged.
The Stormwind Fellhorn lunged first, its horns crackling with pure lightning, arcs of electricity dancing across the air as it closed the distance in a single breath.
The Frost Tyrant Fellhorn didn’t retreat.
Instead, it exhaled.
A howling blizzard erupted from its maw, swallowing the battlefield in a raging storm of ice. The cavern walls cracked and froze, jagged spires of permafrost surging upward like a frozen wasteland coming to life.
The Stormwind Fellhorn didn’t stop.
Its hooves slammed into the ground, its form flickering with raw speed as it rode the currents of the wind, dodging between the frozen spires.
Then—it struck.
A devastating lightning-infused headbutt crashed directly into the Frost Tyrant’s side, sending a shockwave of Aether through the chamber.
The Frost Tyrant Fellhorn grunted, staggering under the impact—but it refused to yield.
Its frost-coated horns pulsed, absorbing the residual electricity, turning the very shockwave meant to damage it into fuel.
Then—a retaliatory strike.
It twisted its massive frame, its horns glowing with an eerie blue-white light, and slammed a brutal counter-headbutt into the Stormwind Fellhorn’s chest.
CRACK.
The Stormwind Fellhorn skidded backward, its legs sinking slightly into the rapidly freezing ground.
Frost spread up its hooves.
[Status Effect: Frostbite Imminent]
The Frost Tyrant exhaled once more, summoning another blizzard, this time laced with piercing ice spears, launching them with the force of ballista bolts.
The Stormwind Fellhorn reacted instantly.
With a howling cry, its horns surged with Storm Force, calling upon the winds of the tempest itself.
The blizzard’s trajectory twisted, the winds betraying the Frost Tyrant as its own ice spears were redirected, some shattering midair, others hurtling toward its own body.
The Frost Tyrant roared in frustration, activating its Glacial Dominion.
The dungeon itself seemed to obey its will, the very floor turning into a shifting glacier, trying to trap the Stormwind Fellhorn in solid ice.
But the Stormwind Fellhorn had no intention of being caged.
It leaped.
With lightning surging through its body, it rode the very winds of the dungeon itself, escaping the frost-covered deathtrap below.
Then—
Lightning gathered.
The Stormwind Fellhorn’s entire body became a living conduit, its horns glowing white-hot as it poured every ounce of its power into a single, ultimate strike.
The Frost Tyrant, sensing the danger, charged its own final attack.
Its glacial horns became massive jagged ice lances, an entire blizzard condensing into a single point, prepared to erase everything in its path.
Then—
Impact.
Aether exploded outward.
A shockwave tore through the chamber, the very dungeon walls fracturing as raw energy rippled like a storm and a blizzard had become one.
Then—
The shockwave rippled outward, shaking the cavern walls and forcing the group to brace themselves.
Kei remained standing, his arms crossed, watching the fight unfold with an amused grin. The others weren’t nearly as composed.
Reese had his hood pulled up, his entire body tense as the freezing winds lashed at them. “That’s not normal. That’s not normal at all.”
Owen was gripping his sword, his knuckles white. “Are we just supposed to stand here and—hope one of them wins?”
Kai exhaled, his breath escaping in a mist. “At this point? Yeah. I don’t think we’re surviving if we step in.”
Talia shuddered, hugging herself for warmth. “They’re not just fighting, they’re warping the damn dungeon itself. If we step in there, we’ll get ripped apart before we can blink.”
Another shockwave erupted, sending out twin pulses of storm and frost, splitting the cavern in two.
On one side—lightning surged like a raging tempest, currents dancing chaotically as the Stormwind Fellhorn roared, its hooves crackling against the frozen ground.
On the other—cold crept outward in a spiraling storm of ice, jagged permafrost encasing everything in its reach, spreading like an infectious curse from the Frost Tyrant Fellhorn.
They collided once more.
A blur of motion.
The Stormwind Fellhorn twisted midair, its body flickering between solid and lightning—a living storm. Its horns gleamed with raw energy, charged beyond its limit as it prepared another strike.
But the Frost Tyrant didn’t waver.
It lowered its body, bracing itself, horns glowing an eerie blue, freezing the very space around them. The air screeched as reality itself bent under the sheer force of the condensed Glacial Dominion.
Then—they clashed.
The impact tore the ground apart.
Reese staggered back. “Holy shit—”
Owen shielded his eyes. “That’s not a fight—that’s a war.”
The Stormwind Fellhorn was faster—it had the edge in sheer mobility, darting in and out of the battlefield, landing precise strikes before disappearing into the storm.
But the Frost Tyrant was relentless.
It endured.
No matter how much lightning scorched its icy coat, it pressed forward. Its body regenerated, ice reforming faster than the damage it took.
And then—it did something unexpected.
The Frost Tyrant let out a deep, guttural breath, and the blizzard around it vanished.
Kei’s eyes narrowed. “?”
The Stormwind Fellhorn hesitated. The battlefield had changed.
The cold didn’t disappear.
It compressed.
Aether twisted unnaturally as the glacial energy condensed into the Frost Tyrant’s horns, becoming a swirling spear of absolute cold.
The air shattered around it, space itself warping as the ice-honed power reached a singularity.
The group felt it instantly.
A new kind of death.
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A slow, creeping, inescapable kind.
Talia’s voice shook. “That… that’s not just ice anymore.”
Kai gritted his teeth. “That’s something worse.”
Kei’s grin widened. “Now that’s interesting.”
The Frost Tyrant lowered its head.
And then—
It charged.
The world seemed to slow.
The Stormwind Fellhorn recognized the danger.
It didn’t run. It didn’t dodge.
It met the charge head-on.
Lightning and frost surged toward each other—
Then—
B O O M.
The collision tore the dungeon apart.
Walls fractured.
The ground ruptured.
The very dungeon ceiling cracked, sending shards of ice and rock tumbling downward.
The group couldn’t see.
The sheer force of the impact blinded them, a wall of energy erupting outward, sending them staggering backward as if the dungeon itself was rejecting their presence.
For a moment—silence.
Then—a deep rumble.
The dust settled.
And when the group finally regained their vision—
One Fellhorn remained standing.
The Frost Tyrant Fellhorn wavered, a massive gash tearing across its body, frost and blood mixing together as it stumbled.
It let out one final shuddering breath—
Then—
It collapsed.
Silence.
The Stormwind Fellhorn remained, standing tall, its horns still faintly crackling with residual electricity, its body heaving from exhaustion—but victorious.
Kei clapped his hands. “Well. That was fun.”
The rest of the group just stared in a mixture of awe, exhaustion, and utter disbelief.
“…The hell did we just witness?” Reese finally asked.
Kai exhaled. “…I think we just saw two literal forces of nature go to war.”
Talia rubbed her temples. “We’re alive. That’s all that matters.”
Owen groaned, resting against his sword. “Yeah, but now what?”
Making his way to the Stormwind Fellhorn, Kei patted its weary body, offering it a grin.
“I guess now you’re the king of this place. Good job, buddy.”
The Stormwind Fellhorn lifted its head weakly but proudly, letting out a soft, crackling bleat as if correcting him.
Kei chuckled. “Right, right. That’s King Buddy to me, huh?”
The group just stared at the exchange.
Talia sighed. “We’re actually having a conversation with a sheep. This is our life now.”
Kei ignored them, tossing another vial of his blood into the Stormwind Fellhorn’s mouth. The creature drank it down eagerly, its wounds mending, Aether pulsing stronger within it.
With that done, Kei turned his attention to the Frost Tyrant Fellhorn, still barely clinging to life.
The massive beast lay collapsed on the icy floor, its breath slow, shallow. The once proud tyrant had fought until the very end, its body still radiating an aura of frozen majesty.
Kei crouched beside it, placing a hand on its thick, frost-coated fur. The chill bit into his fingers, but he didn’t pull away.
“You fought hard and well,” he muttered, voice quiet. “Now, time to rest.”
Then—he pulled out a final vial of his own blood.
The group visibly tensed.
Owen raised a hand. “Kei. For the love of everything—do not.”
But before anyone could stop him—Kei gently poured the blood into the Frost Tyrant’s mouth.
The effect was instantaneous.
Aether surged.
The air cracked, twisted.
A violent fusion of frost and warmth pulsed through the chamber, distorting reality itself.
The Frost Tyrant Fellhorn’s body trembled violently. Its breathing grew heavier, its icy blue eyes fluttering open—filled not with malice, but with quiet acceptance.
It let out one last breath, deep, steady.
Then, slowly—it lowered its head.
A final exhale.
Then, its massive body began to dissolve—Aether unraveling, fading into the dungeon itself.
And then—the dungeon began to shift.
Kai rubbed his face. “…I give up trying to understand anything this guy does.”
Talia groaned. “Can we just go home now?”
Reese sighed. “I feel like asking ‘what now?’ would be a mistake.”
Kei stretched, grinning ear to ear.
Then—the system spoke.
[System Notice: Dungeon Completion Achieved.]
[Evaluating Performance…]
[Individual Performance Grading Initiated.]
[Assessing: Combat Contribution, Damage Dealt, Damage Received, Tactics, and Adaptability.]
- [Participant: Kai]
- Combat Contribution: B+
- Damage Dealt: B
- Damage Received: C
- Tactics & Adaptability: A
- Overall Grade: B+
- [Participant: Talia]
- Combat Contribution: B
- Damage Dealt: C+
- Damage Received: B
- Tactics & Adaptability: A
- Overall Grade: B
- [Participant: Reese]
- Combat Contribution: B
- Damage Dealt: A
- Damage Received: C+
- Tactics & Adaptability: A-
- Overall Grade: B+
- [Participant: Owen]
- Combat Contribution: C
- Damage Dealt: B-
- Damage Received: B+
- Tactics & Adaptability: C+
- Overall Grade: B-
- [Participant: Kei]
- Combat Contribution: ???
- Damage Dealt: ???
- Damage Received: ???
- Tactics & Adaptability: ???
- Overall Grade: ???
(Error: Unconventional parameters detected. Adjusting…)
New Grade Assigned: S-
[Grading Complete.]
[Reward Calculation Based on Individual Performance…]
[Base Rewards for Dungeon Completion:]
- [Aether Crystals (Low-Grade) x10]
- [Dungeon Completion Title: Stormbreaker Delver]
(Title Effect: Increased resistance to Wind and Lightning-based attacks while inside dungeons.)
[Bonus Rewards Based on Grade:]
- Grade B+: +1 Force-Infused Weapon (Random)
- Grade B: +1 Iron-Grade Armor Piece
- Grade B-: +1 Enhanced Potion Set (Healing & Stamina)
- Grade S- (Kei’s Reward): Unique Skill Awakening Chance & ???
[Unique Skill Awakening…]
[Calculating…]
...
…
[Skill Awakening Successful!]
[Kei has unlocked the Skill: Tempest Convergence]
(Harnesses wind currents and external Aether flow, allowing the user to momentarily merge with natural storm phenomena, enhancing movement speed, agility, and environmental adaptability.)
*Additional Effect: When utilized in combat, this skill amplifies projectile-based attacks, increasing their precision, speed, and impact force depending on surrounding wind conditions.
Kai glanced at Kei’s status prompt, frowning slightly. “S-rank? That’s… unexpected.”
Talia furrowed her brows. “I didn’t even know there was an S-minus rank.”
Reese examined his own rewards before shaking his head. “Whatever. At least we got what we needed.”
Owen, still stretching out his stiff limbs, muttered, “Yeah, let’s just take our rewards and go.”
As the dungeon walls began to shimmer, signaling their imminent return to the outside world, Kei rolled his shoulders, inspecting his newly acquired skill. His grin widened.
“This was fun,” he muttered to himself, feeling the subtle shift in Aether as Tempest Convergence settled into his being.
Then, turning to the Stormwind Fellhorn, he patted its wool. “And you, King Buddy, don’t go losing your throne too soon.”
The creature let out a crackling bleat—almost in agreement—before the world flashed white, and the dungeon vanished.
They reappeared outside of the dungeon, worn and exhausted, ready to head back home.
Kei, feeling that his time with this group had reached its natural conclusion, was already preparing to slip away using Phantom Breeze when something caught his attention.
A truly bizarre scene played out before them.
A Black Fellhorn Sheep, its marble-white horns glinting under the sunlight, was aggressively chasing a frantic man, who was running like his life depended on it.
The group blinked.
“…Sam?” Talia said, her voice tinged with disbelief.
The man, mid-sprint, turned toward them, his face twisted in pure terror.
"WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING? HELP ME! THIS SHEEP'S TRYING TO KILL ME!" Sam screamed, frantically dodging as the Black Fellhorn Sheep lunged at him, barely missing his legs.
It was unclear whether the sheep was genuinely trying to kill him or just harass him out of pure spite.
Kei, who had initially planned to leave, immediately locked on to the sheep.
His entire demeanor shifted.
His eyes darkened, his body tensed. The casual air around him evaporated in an instant.
Without hesitation, he whipped his arm back, summoning a bone projectile, twirling it between his fingers with deadly intent.
The group froze.
"Kei, wait—!"
Talia didn't even get to finish before Kei's entire presence shifted into something ominous.
The easygoing expression was gone.
In its place, his narrowed eyes burned with purpose.
His voice, usually carefree, dropped into a sharp, low growl.
"What are you doing to my sheep, you bastard?"
Sam, who had been too busy running for his life, didn’t immediately register the words.
Reese, seeing where this was going, panicked.
"WAIT, WAIT, WAIT—DON’T SHOOT, THAT'S OUR FRIEND!"
Kei didn’t even glance at him.
"MY SHEEP NEEDS ME."
And with that, he pulled his arm back to throw the projectile.
The entire group scrambled to stop him.
Reese immediately tackled Kei from behind, locking his arms.
Kai rushed forward, grabbing Kei’s throwing hand.
Owen, without hesitation, dropped his sword and held onto Kei’s other arm.
Talia stood off to the side, watching this entire disaster unfold, mentally debating if she wanted to intervene.
"STOP HIM!" Reese grunted, struggling to hold onto Kei as the latter attempted to wrestle free.
Kai was bewildered. "WHAT IS THIS STRENGTH?! WHY IS HE SO STRONG?!"
Owen, barely managing to hold his grip, gritted his teeth. "HE’S SERIOUSLY TRYING TO KILL HIM—"
Meanwhile, the Black Fellhorn Sheep and Sam had both paused, watching the chaotic wrestling match happening before them.
For the first time, both of them agreed—this was strange as hell.
The sheep tilted its head.
Sam, still panting from running, stared at the scene before him.
“…What the actual hell am I looking at?"
The group continued to struggle, their voices overlapping in chaotic desperation.
"STOP MOVING!"
"HE’S STILL TRYING TO THROW IT—"
"I SWEAR TO GOD, KEI—"
At this point, Talia had given up. She simply sighed, rubbed her temples, and muttered, "I can't believe I’m a part of this mess."
The Black Fellhorn Sheep let out a questioning baaaaah, looking at Kei as if reconsidering its choices.
Sam, exhausted, waved his arms in frustration. “Can someone PLEASE explain what’s going on?!”
Kei stopped struggling.
His expression softened immediately.
He turned to Sam, finally acknowledging him.
"Oh. You’re alive?"
Sam’s eye twitched violently.
The group collectively sighed.
It was going to be a long walk back home.