"What’s the timeline?" Valeria asked.
"36 hours," Seraphina replied. "The creature is growing fast. Once it reaches maturity, it will consume the Core entirely. The island falls."
"We need a raid team," Valeria said. "I have twenty Vanguard elites ready. Level 35 average."
"Too weak," Alvian stated bluntly. "A Shadow Dragon has an aura of [Fear] that paralyzes anyone under Level 40. Your elites will be frozen meat before they draw their swords."
"Then who?" Valeria slammed her hand on the table. "We are the strongest students in the Academy!"
"We need specialists," Alvian said. "Not an army. We need people who can survive the environment and the aura."
He looked at Seraphina. "Can you resist the fear?"
"My mechanical eye filters psychic attacks," Seraphina nodded. "I’m good."
He looked at Valeria. "Your Titan Bloodline gives status immunity."
"Yes."
"George ," Alvian turned to the professor. "I need you to stay top-side. You need to prepare the evacuation protocol. If we fail, you need to get the students onto the skiffs."
"I... I can do that," George nodded. "But Alvian, a Shadow Dragon... it’s immune to physical damage when it’s in shadow form. And it’s resistant to magic."
"I know," Alvian said. He drew [Voidpiercer] and laid it on the table. The black blade seemed to suck the light out of the cafeteria booth.
"This dagger ignores reality," Alvian said. "Shadow form is just another layer of reality. I can cut it."
"But you can’t be everywhere at once," Seraphina pointed out. "The Dragon will have minions. Shadowspawn."
"That’s why I’m bringing one more person," Alvian said.
"Who?"
"Arin."
Valeria blinked. "The Arcanist? The coward?"
"He’s a coward," Alvian agreed. "But he’s a coward with a specific talent. Light Magic. His specialization is [Luminescence]. He can light up a room brighter than the sun."
"Shadow Dragons hate light," George realized. "It forces them physical."
"Exactly," Alvian stood up. "Get Arin. Drag him here if you have to. We leave in one hour."
One hour later, the team stood before the sealed entrance to the Deep Core service elevator.
Arin was shaking, clutching his staff. "Why me? Why always me?"
"Because you’re useful," Alvian said, checking his potions. "Do your job, and you live. Don’t, and the Dragon eats you. Simple math."
Alvian looked at his team.
Valeria, the Shield.
Seraphina, the Scout.
Arin, the Flashlight.
And Alvian, the Executioner.
"This is the final descent," Alvian said. "Once we go down, we don’t come back up until the Dragon is dead."
He placed his hand on the elevator controls. He used the [Key to the Undercroft Core] he had looted from Subject Zero.
[Access Granted. Warning: lethal radiation detected.]
The elevator doors hissed open.
"Helmets on," Alvian ordered.
He stepped inside. The others followed.
The elevator began to descend. It went down past the basements, past the Undercroft, past the Blind Spot. Down into the magma-crust of the floating island.
The air grew hot and heavy. The mana pressure was immense.
"System," Alvian whispered. "Preparation."
[Daily Charges: 2/2]
He looked at his armor.
"Upgrade [Vestments of the Void Monarch]."
[Ding!]
[Authority Invoked.]
[Upgrade Successful.]
[Vestments +1: Void Aura intensified. Stealth +60%.]
"Again."
[Vestments +2: New Ability - [Void Anchor]. User cannot be moved or banished against their will.]
"Good," Alvian thought. "No banishment."
The elevator stopped. The doors opened.
Before them lay a vast, subterranean cavern glowing with the blue light of the Core—a massive crystal the size of a mountain.
But coiled around the crystal, black as night and breathing purple smoke, was the Dragon.
[Target: Umbra, the Shadow Calamity]
[Level: 50]
[Status: Feeding]
The dragon opened one glowing purple eye. It looked at the elevator.
"DINNER," it hissed.
Alvian stepped out.
"Wrong," Alvian said, his Lance materializing. "Exterminators."
----
The Deep Core Chamber was a masterpiece of Founder engineering—a cavern lined with adamantine plates, designed to contain the star-like energy of the Core Crystal. But now, it was a lair.
Shadows writhed on the walls like living things. The air was thick with Void mana, making it hard to breathe even with filters.
Umbra, the Shadow Dragon, uncoiled from the Core. It was colossal, easily a hundred meters long. Its scales were not solid; they shifted like smoke.
"ROAR!"
The Dragon screamed. A wave of [Fear] washed over the group.
Arin fell to his knees, clutching his head. "I can’t! I can’t move!"
Valeria’s golden aura flared. "Stand up, Arin! Titan’s Will!"
She projected her aura over the mage, breaking the fear status.
"Arin! Light!" Alvian barked.
Arin scrambled up, raising his staff. "S-Solar Flare!"
"FLASH!"
A blinding ball of light erupted from his staff, illuminating every corner of the dark cavern.
The Dragon shrieked. The light burned its shadow form. Smoke hissed off its scales as they solidified into black iron.
[Target Status: Corporeal.]
"Now it can bleed!" Seraphina shouted. She vanished into stealth, darting toward the Dragon’s flank.
"Valeria, hold its head!" Alvian ordered.
"On it!" Valeria charged. "TITAN’S ANCHOR!"
She slammed her shield into the ground. A chain of golden light shot out, wrapping around the Dragon’s neck.
The Dragon thrashed, breathing a cone of purple fire at her.
Valeria braced. Her shield glowed. She tanked the breath, her feet sliding back, carving grooves in the metal floor.
"Alvian! Now!"
Alvian didn’t need telling. He was already moving.
He activated [Klaus’s Upgrade].
[Blessing Active.]
He activated [Voidpiercer] in his off-hand and the Lance in his main hand.
"[Shadow Step]."
He teleported above the Dragon’s spine.
"[Glacial Void Pierce]: Twin Strike."
He drove both weapons down. The Lance into the spine, the Dagger into the wing joint.
"CRUNCH! SLICE!"
The Lance shattered the iron scales. The Dagger cut through reality, severing the wing completely.
[-25,000! Critical!]
[-50,000! Reality Sever!]
The Dragon roared in agony. It whipped its tail, smashing Alvian out of the air.
[Void Anchor Active.]
Alvian didn’t fly back. He stopped in mid-air, anchored by his armor. He took the hit, his health dropping by 10%, but he didn’t lose his position.
"You can’t move me," Alvian growled.
The Dragon realized its mistake. It tried to turn into shadow to escape.
"Arin! More light!"
"MAXIMUM OUTPUT!" Arin screamed, pouring his life force into the spell. The cavern became brighter than the sun.
The Dragon was trapped in physical form.
It turned to Alvian, its maw opening to devour him.
Alvian smiled.
"System. Activate [Frost Heart]: Avatar State."
Blue wings erupted. Infinite mana surged.
"Let’s see who eats who."
Alvian flew straight into the Dragon’s mouth.
Valeria screamed. "Alvian!"
Inside the Dragon’s throat, it was dark. But Alvian glowed with the light of a star.
He placed his hands on the walls of the throat.
"[Frost Descent +2]: Internal Hemorrhage."
He unleashed the blizzard inside the dragon.
The Dragon stiffened. Frost exploded out of its nose, its eyes, its ears.
It convulsed, crashing down onto the Core Crystal.
Alvian burst out of the Dragon’s chest, covered in black blood.
[You have slain Umbra, the Shadow Calamity!]
[Experience Gained: 5,000,000!]
[Level Up!]
[Level 38... 39... 40.]
The dragon dissolved into ash.
Silence fell.
The Core Crystal pulsed. It was cracked, damaged, but stable. The humming of the levitation drive returned to normal.
"We did it," Seraphina breathed, becoming visible. "The island is safe."
Alvian landed, cleaning his blade.
"For now," Alvian said.
He walked to the Core. Embedded in the crystal was a small, black box. The source of the corruption.
He ripped it out.
[Item: Syndicate Transponder.]
It was blinking. A signal.
"They know," Alvian said, crushing the box. "They know their pet dragon is dead."
He turned to his team. They were battered, exhausted, but alive.
"We survived the tutorial," Alvian announced.
"Tutorial?" Arin whimpered. "That was a tutorial?"
"The Syndicate just lost their biggest asset," Alvian said, his eyes glowing violet. "Next time, they won’t use monsters. They’ll declare open war."
He looked up at the ceiling, toward the surface.
"Let’s go back up. I have a Academy to run."
The screen faded to black.