A New Pulse – The Moment Before Change
Leon felt it ripple across the battlefield before the system said a word.
The air changed—not a spell, not pressure. Resonance.
His Zombie Mage had stopped moving. Not stunned. Not delayed.
Paused.
It stood as if listening to something deeper. A call from within.
Then the System chimed.
[Zombie Mage has reached Level 5 – Evolution Available]
Leon didn't need the screen to know what was coming.
The mana around the summon had begun to warp. Black wisps curled upward from its robe like smoke underwater, slow but defiant. Every thread of its cloak seemed heavier, its bones shifting as power condensed into its core.
But the enemy felt it too.
Predator Instinct – The Beast Responds
The Cryptborn Fangbeast twisted, claws dragging sparks against the broken altar floor. It turned fully toward the Mage, eyes wide—not with rage, but with urgency.
Predators didn't fear.
They eliminated.
The creature roared, and its entire body flexed with killing intent.
It surged forward.
Straight for the Mage.
Leon didn't hesitate.
"Cover it!"
The Warrior Zombie intercepted mid-charge. Two inhuman weapons met in a bone-rattling collision that cracked the floor beneath them.
The Fangbeast snapped its jaws, trying to twist past the block. Its teeth grazed the zombie's shoulder.
Leon raised his gun and fired.
Three rapid shots.
One struck the beast's knee—barely slowed it.
The second hit its chest—shallow.
The third—it saw coming. Blocked.
It adapted. But so did Leon.
The real threat wasn't him.
Not anymore.
Ascension – The Evolution Begins
His eyes flicked back to the Mage.
Black lightning crawled up its arms, cracking the bones and reforming them. Its robe billowed outward, no wind in the chamber—but pressure. The kind that bent light.
Then the System dropped again.
[Evolution Complete – Class Upgrade: Elite Undead Sorcerer (Tier E+)]
The light collapsed inward—and the new form emerged.
Gone was the tattered, hunched caster.
In its place stood a taller, leaner entity clad in a dark high-collared robe etched with violet runes. Its skeletal arms were plated in arcane bone, with clawed fingers trailing trails of shadow. Its face, once hidden behind a cracked hood, was now revealed—its eye sockets burning with twin vortexes of condensed mana.
The room pulled toward it—slightly.
Even ambient mana bent at its presence.
A third notification blinked.
[New Skill Unlocked: Mana Explosion – Area-of-Effect Dark Core Detonation]
Leon didn't smile.
But his eyes narrowed.
This wasn't a summon anymore.
It was a weapon.
The Fangbeast's Final Rage
The Cryptborn snarled—faster now, movements sharper. Blood spilled from its wounds, but the light in its chest crystal burned brighter. It wasn't retreating.
It was doubling down.
It raised both claws and smashed them into the altar floor. The chamber shook.
Cracks tore through the stone beneath Leon's boots. Debris fell. The sound of crumbling echoed in every direction.
The dungeon was destabilizing.
It didn't matter.
The beast leapt—straight for the Mage again.
This time, it didn't care about consequence. It wanted to crush the evolution before it could change the rules.
But it was too late.
Leon gave a single command:
"Fire."
Mana Explosion – The Elite's Wrath
The Sorcerer raised both arms, runes along its sleeves lighting in sequence.
At its center, a sphere of swirling dark energy pulsed into being—like a miniature black star.
Mana crackled violently around the room, pulling loose fragments toward the core as it condensed—
And detonated.
BOOM.
A shockwave of screaming energy tore across the chamber, slamming into walls, bodies, and stone. The Fangbeast was caught dead center, its scream drowned by the storm of magical force.
Leon shielded his face as violet flame roared outward, tearing the beast apart in mid-air.
When the light faded—
Silence.
Aftermath – One Piece at a Time
The Cryptborn Fangbeast hit the ground in chunks, its core flickering once… then dimming.
[System Notification: Dungeon Mini-Boss Defeated – Cryptborn Fangbeast Slain]
Leon straightened.
Dust settled slowly, like ash after a fire.
His Warrior Zombie stood, battered but intact.
His Sorcerer didn't move. Its eyes just burned, watching the last sparks die out from its enemy.
Leon stepped forward and crouched beside the core.
Still pulsing.
He reached out, pressed a finger to the surface—
[Dungeon Core Fragment Acquired]
Then another ping.
[New System Path Unlocked – Class Tree Expansion Available]
He exhaled.
Then chuckled once under his breath.
"Finally."
He looked back at his summon.
The Elite Undead Sorcerer floated forward slightly, robes dragging across fractured stone. No flicker. No hesitation.
Just control.
New Item – Cursed Core Weapon
On the edge of the battlefield, Leon spotted what remained of the mini-boss's weapon—a fused mass of bone and black steel, half-buried in the wall it had crushed.
He stepped over and pulled it free.
[Item Acquired: Fanged Core Blade – Tier E+ (Unique Monster Weapon)] Special Effect: +15% Attack Damage vs Living Targets. Incompatible with Summons.
He weighed it in his palm.
Too heavy for his style.
But valuable.
He holstered his gun again.
And looked toward the final chamber.