Ascensional Protocol

The next morning, Tae-min woke up to the familiar white glow of a system notification hovering in front of him.

[Daily Task Assigned: Prove Your Resolve]

[Objective: Eliminate the Drakon Sovereign in the Trial Dimension.]

[Failure Consequence: System Overload and Forced Termination.]

"Termination?" Tae-min muttered, his heart skipping a beat.

Before he could react further, the air around him warped, and his apartment vanished. In an instant, he found himself standing in a barren wasteland. The sky was a swirling mass of dark green clouds, and volcanic craters dotted the cracked earth, spewing molten lava.

[Trial Dimension: Initiated.]

A deafening roar shattered the silence. Tae-min turned toward the sound, and his blood ran cold. Towering before him was a monstrous, two-headed dragon, its scales glinting like emeralds under the dim light. Both heads exhaled plumes of green flames, the heat distorting the air around it.

[Enemy Identified: Drakon Sovereign]

[Level: 45]

[Threat Level: Extremely Lethal]

Tae-min clenched his obsidian blade, his instincts screaming at him to run. But there was nowhere to go—the Trial Dimension was an endless expanse of death.

The Drakon Sovereign's emerald eyes locked onto Tae-min, its twin heads snarling in unison. The ground trembled with each step the creature took, its massive claws carving deep furrows into the earth. Flames licked at the corners of its jaws, the promise of destruction lingering in the air.

Tae-min gripped the obsidian blade tightly. His heart pounded like a war drum, adrenaline coursing through his veins.

[System Notification: Combat Mode Activated. Adaptive Protocols Enabled.]

[Tip: Observe enemy movements. Adapt. Survive.]

"Yeah, easier said than done," Tae-min muttered under his breath.

The Drakon Sovereign lunged first, its left head releasing a torrent of green flames. Tae-min dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the inferno as it scorched the ground where he had stood. The heat was suffocating, sweat already dripping down his face.

He rolled to his feet, only for the right head to swipe at him with its massive claw. He raised his blade instinctively, the obsidian weapon absorbing some of the impact, but the sheer force sent him flying. He hit the ground hard, skidding across the cracked earth.

[-20 HP.]

[Warning: Damage sustained. Current HP: 80/100.]

"Damn it!" Tae-min hissed, struggling to his feet.

The Drakon didn't give him time to recover. It charged, both heads snapping at him like vipers. Tae-min ducked under the first strike and parried the second, sparks flying as the blade clashed against its serrated teeth.

"Think, Tae-min. You're not faster or stronger, so what do you have?"

As if in answer, the system chimed again.

[Shadow Flux Blade: Activated.]

Dark energy coiled around his weapon, humming with raw power. Tae-min swung it in a wide arc, releasing a crescent-shaped slash of black mana. The attack slammed into the Drakon's left head, forcing it to recoil with a deafening roar.

[Critical Hit! Left Head Temporarily Stunned.]

"Finally, something!" Tae-min rushed forward, aiming for the creature's exposed flank. He drove the blade into its side, but the Drakon's scales were like steel. The weapon barely pierced the surface before the beast retaliated, whipping its tail at him.

The tail struck him like a battering ram, sending him crashing into a jagged boulder.

[-30 HP.]

[Warning: HP Critical. Current HP: 50/100.]

Tae-min groaned, blood trickling down his forehead. His entire body screamed in pain, but he couldn't stop now. The system's warning replayed in his mind: Failure Consequence: Forced Termination.

"Not today," he growled, forcing himself to stand.

The Drakon's left head had recovered, and now both heads unleashed simultaneous streams of flames. Tae-min sprinted to evade, the heat singeing his clothes and scorching the ground beneath his feet.

[Adaptive Protocol: Combat Efficiency Analysis Complete.]

[New Ability Unlocked: Flash Step.]

[Flash Step: Temporarily compress mana into your body to execute high-speed movements. Warning: High stamina drain.]

A surge of power rushed through Tae-min, and he instinctively activated the ability. The world blurred around him as his body shot forward at an impossible speed. He appeared behind the Drakon, his blade slashing at the base of its neck.

The creature howled in pain, both heads thrashing wildly as black ichor sprayed from the wound. Tae-min's heart raced.

"So, you can bleed after all," he muttered.

But the Drakon wasn't done. It twisted its massive body with surprising agility, one of its heads snapping at Tae-min. He barely managed to flash step away, reappearing a few meters to the side.

The strain of the ability hit him instantly, his legs wobbling as if they were made of jelly.

[Warning: Stamina Low. Flash Step usage limited.]

"Great. Just great," Tae-min panted.

The Drakon reared up, both heads roaring in unison. Green flames surged from its mouths, forming a swirling vortex of fire. Tae-min's eyes widened.

[Warning: Incoming Lethal Attack. Evade or Perish.]

He planted his feet, gripping the obsidian blade with both hands. Dark energy surged around him, the blade responding to his desperation.

"Come on, come on!" he shouted, pouring everything he had into the weapon.

The Drakon unleashed its attack, the vortex of flames hurtling toward him like a comet. Tae-min swung his blade with all his might, releasing a massive arc of Shadow Flux energy. The two forces collided in a blinding explosion, the shockwave flattening the surrounding terrain.

When the dust settled, Tae-min was on one knee, gasping for air. The Drakon Sovereign stood before him, its left head hanging limp, the neck severed and oozing black blood. But the right head was very much alive, its eyes burning with fury.

"You've got to be kidding me," Tae-min groaned.

The beast roared, its remaining head lunging with savage intent. Tae-min flash-stepped again, but his movements were slower now, each step draining what little energy he had left.

He appeared above the Drakon, aiming for its final head. The creature sensed the attack and twisted upward, its jaws snapping at him mid-air. Tae-min twisted his body, narrowly avoiding being bitten in half, and drove his blade straight into the Drakon's skull.

The obsidian weapon pierced through, its dark energy exploding inside the creature's head. The Drakon let out one final, deafening roar before collapsing to the ground with a resounding thud.

[Trial Completed: Drakon Sovereign Eliminated.]

[Experience Gained: +5000.]

[Ascended! Current Level: 5.]

Tae-min rolled off the beast's corpse, his body completely spent. He stared at the swirling green sky, his chest rising and falling as he fought to catch his breath.

The system chimed one last time.

[Protocol Integration at 15%. ]

[New Ability Unlocked: Mana Veil - Enhanced speed, strength and durability temporarily at the cost of mana.] 

The system's voice continued, but Tae-min barely heard it over the pounding in his ears. He had done it—he had killed a monster that should've been impossible for someone like him.

The Trial Dimension dissolved around him, and he found himself back in his apartment. Tae-min collapsed onto the floor, staring at the ceiling.

If this was just a daily task, he couldn't imagine what lay ahead.

Tae-min lay sprawled on the cold floor of his apartment, his chest rising and falling heavily. The obsidian blade rested beside him, its eerie glow dimmed as though it, too, was recovering from the battle. His mind raced as he replayed the encounter with the Drakon Sovereign.

"That was… insane," he whispered to himself, his voice hoarse.

Before he could process his thoughts, another notification materialized in front of him.

[Warning: Overuse of Mana Detected. Immediate Recovery Required.]

[Recommendation: Mana Stabilization Routine. Failure to comply may result in long-term physical deterioration.]

"Physical deterioration?!" Tae-min groaned, forcing himself upright. He staggered to the kitchen, fumbling through the cupboards for a mana-restorative drink.

He downed a lukewarm potion in one gulp, its bitter taste making him gag. As the liquid coursed through him, he felt the edges of his exhaustion dull slightly.

[System Notification: Daily Task Complete. Rewards Available.]

[Claim Reward? Y/N]

"Rewards, huh?" Tae-min muttered, hesitating for a moment before saying, "Yes."

The air shimmered, and a small blue chest materialized before him. As it opened, a golden light bathed the room. Inside lay three items:

Elixir of Lesser Rejuvenation – Instantly restores stamina and mana.

Skill Crystal: Phantom Mirage – Grants the ability to create decoy illusions during combat.

Dimensional Shard – A fragment of unknown origin radiating immense energy.

Tae-min picked up the shard, its surface cool and smooth despite the faint vibration it emitted. He turned it over in his hands, feeling its power hum against his skin.

"What are you?" he murmured.

The system responded immediately.

[Dimensional Shard: A fragment of an ancient entity. Purpose unknown. Further integration may reveal additional information.]

"Integration again," Tae-min muttered, the word already becoming a constant in his life. He placed the shard on his table and pocketed the crystal. The rewards felt like a small reprieve, but he couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the beginning.

Hours later, Tae-min sat on the roof of his apartment building, staring at the cityscape below. Neon lights glowed in the distance, and the hum of cars filled the air. Yet, he felt detached from it all.

The memories of the Drakon Sovereign lingered. The power he'd wielded, the sheer adrenaline coursing through him—it was unlike anything he had ever known.

But with that power came a shadow of doubt. The system wasn't gifting him strength out of generosity. There was a purpose behind it, and Tae-min feared what it might demand of him next.

A sudden noise broke his thoughts. His phone buzzed beside him, Kang Min-ji's name flashing on the screen. He hesitated for a moment before answering.

"Hey," her voice came through, casual but confident. "Me and the guys are going into a C-Ranked Gate tonight. Want to tag along?"

The thought of stepping into another Gate should have filled him with dread, especially after barely surviving the Trial Dimension. But instead, he felt a strange pull, an urge to test the limits of his newfound power.

"For sure," he replied without hesitation.

"Meet us at the Gate in two hours," she said before hanging up.

Tae-min stared at the darkened screen of his phone, his reflection barely visible. "A C-Ranked Gate, huh?"