from F-Rank Heir to Dimensional Beast Tamer

Liam shielded his eyes with a hand, blocking the blinding light that had almost overwhelmed him.

After several seconds, he slowly lowered his hand and looked around.

His eyes widened. Though he'd experienced this feeling multiple times in the past hour, he was once again utterly shocked and bewildered by what lay before him.

The beautiful palace filled with doors had vanished, replaced by a vast rocky tunnel.

It was riddled with smaller tunnels and holes, and above, faint blue glowing rocks dimly illuminated the space, alleviating some of its darkness.

Liam couldn't keep quiet and complained aloud.

"Where am I now? Why does this nonsense keep happening so often? Enough with the surprises already!"

[ Current Location: Sealed Bone Dungeon ]

[ Quest: Annihilate the Dungeon Boss within three days ]

[ Reward: One magical item? One skill? ]

[ Penalty for failure: Death ]

Liam's expression twisted as he saw the penalty. With great difficulty, he swallowed hard and asked with a strained smile:

"You're joking, right? What is all this nonsense about death, dungeons, and a boss?"

[ Countdown begins now: 71:59:58 ]

"I'm talking to you! Answer me! Didn't you say you were my servant, or something like that? Then obey me!"

Liam showed a firm, no-nonsense expression.

[ Penalty is real. Failure to complete the quest leads to death. ]

As soon as he saw the System's reply, he sighed in disappointment and mumbled, "Fine, I get it."

But his resolve didn't waver. He had prepared himself for all possibilities when he decided to do as the System commanded.

He took a deep breath and looked at his palm. 'I only have two spells left. I must use them wisely.'

'According to the System, if I defeat the boss of this place, I'll get a magical item—that much I understand. But how will I get a new skill?'

'Skills aren't easily acquired, that's what I know.

I spent five arduous years training, and all I possess are three weak skills.'

sigh!

"How I envy those with high talents. This life is truly unfair."

Without giving it further thought, he looked around, surveying his cold and silent surroundings.

The eeriness and strangeness of the place sent shivers down his spine.

But he didn't hesitate for long. He began cautiously walking forward, analyzing his situation at the same time.

'I need to understand the nature of this System. I don't know what it is or what its purpose is.

Perhaps it's a living entity that entered my body, or maybe it's the manifestation of an incredibly powerful spell.'

Click!

He suddenly stopped in his tracks, his brows furrowed in confusion. He then turned and looked behind him, but found nothing.

'What did I just hear?' Even though his surroundings were empty, he felt uneasy.

Instead, he heightened his guard, preparing to unleash one of his remaining spells.

'It seems I'm not alone. Something is lurking, waiting for me.'

Click!

The strange clicking sound echoed again, this time from much closer. Startled, Liam quickly surveyed his surroundings once more, searching for anything unusual.

Click!

Click!

Click!

Suddenly, the sounds intensified, coming from every direction.

Liam's expression twisted, and a profound shiver ran down his spine.

Before he could comprehend what was happening, dozens of skeletal spiders emerged from the holes in the surrounding walls.

These spiders were relatively small, about the size of cats, with bodies made solely of bones, giving them a strange and unsettling appearance.

"What the fuck is this?" Liam was terrified. He cursed loudly, and involuntarily, his feet moved, and he ran.

But the spiders weren't slow. Within seconds, they caught up to him, and worse, their numbers kept increasing.

The clicking sounds behind him grew louder.

As soon as he realized this, he swallowed hard, and with a tense body, he turned to see what was happening.

However, the sight that greeted him made his jaw drop in utter shock.

The spiders' numbers had multiplied terrifyingly, becoming like a wave of bones eager to swallow him whole.

Suddenly, several small screens appeared above the spiders.

[ F-Rank Skeletal Spider ]

[ F-Rank Skeletal Spider ]

[ F-Rank Skeletal Spider ]

[...]

'Wtf? These damn insects are at the same rank as me!'

His brow furrowed in anger, and he screamed.

"Damn it! Am I supposed to fight these things? I don't stand a chance!"

He had posed his question merely to vent his frustration, but unexpectedly, he received a reply from the System.

[ No. However, fighting monsters will help you raise your Rank. ]

Liam's face froze. His fear vanished, replaced by profound confusion.

'Raise my Rank by killing monsters? This?' In truth, he knew Ascendants could raise their Ranks through four main methods:

drinking enhancing magical potions, physical training, meditation, and finally, killing monsters.

However, killing monsters didn't directly raise one's Rank.

Instead, it increased the Ascendant's experience and improved their chances of advancing their skills.

'Is the System mocking me? Or is the matter more complex than I thought?' He wanted to test it out,

but at the same time, he didn't want to risk it, especially since he only had two spells left. If he used them, he'd be defenseless, without any means to protect himself.

Click!

Lost in thought, he failed to notice one of the spiders behind him had caught up, pouncing and targeting his leg.

"Aargh!"

Suddenly, Liam felt a sharp pain in his leg, causing him to stumble. But he didn't fall, forcing himself to keep running.

He quickly looked at the source of the pain and saw a small spider sinking its sharp fangs into his leg.

Liam's expression twisted with pain and anger. He felt fear and anxiety, but he calmed himself, cast aside all hesitation, and adopted a stern look.

Then he roared, "Stone Shield, release!"

Creak!

Tremble!

The ground beneath him shook violently. A thick, brown stone wall erupted from it, rising high to form a barrier between him and the wave of spiders.

But the spider horde was too fast. Before the wall could completely seal the tunnel, they slammed into it, causing it to shake violently.

Some spiders managed to slip through the small gap between the wall and the ceiling.

This didn't last long, however, as the wall sealed against the rock, closing the small opening they had used.

A few unlucky spiders were crushed between the wall and the ceiling, reduced to mere dust.

At that moment, several small screens appeared before Liam.

[ +4 XP ]

[ +5 XP ]

[ +4 XP ]

Liam paid no attention to the messages, focusing all his energy on the spider biting him.

He clenched his fist and punched it with all his might. "You damn bastard!"

The spider's body twitched but remained stubbornly clinging to him.

Furious, Liam continued to punch it—one, two, three blows. On the fourth strike, the spider's body cracked, and it finally let go.

Screeeeer!

The spider shrieked a strange sound. At the same time, the remaining spiders that had slipped past the wall rushed toward him and lunged.

Liam felt the danger and held nothing back. "Steel Fist, release!"

The moment he uttered the words, the last symbol on his palm shattered.

Instantly, his right hand began to be encased in a solid steel layer, and within fractions of a second, his fist resembled a metallic ball covered in spikes.

He mercilessly punched the injured skeletal body, turning it into fragments.

[ +5 XP ]

Then, like a raging beast, he attacked the rest of the spiders assaulting him, oblivious to a dark green substance seeping from the wound on his leg—the one caused by the spider's fangs.