The 17th Floor Was Silent.
Not the peaceful kind of silence, but the heavy, expectant kind—the calm before the storm. The vast cavern stretched endlessly, its uneven terrain bathed in the eerie blue glow of the ceiling crystals. Shattered ruins dotted the battlefield, remnants of past encounters with the floor's undisputed ruler.
Felis stood in the middle of it all, golden eyes fixed on the empty expanse where the monster was about to appear. He adjusted his stance, weight settling onto the balls of his feet. His tail twitched, a flicker of restless anticipation.
Something was coming.
Felis felt it in his bones—the thickening magic in the air, the way the Dungeon itself seemed to hold its breath. The walls groaned, a deep, grating sound that reverberated through the cavern. This wasn't a normal spawn. This was something else.
Then the stone split open.
A fissure tore through the Dungeon wall, jagged and unnatural, like a wound forced upon the world itself. Darkness pooled within the rupture, writhing, seething—alive. And then, with a deep, guttural growl, something began to push through.
A massive arm, blackened and ridged with unnatural muscle, tore free first, thick fingers curling as if testing reality itself. Then came the head—hulking, deformed, with eyes that burned like molten hatred. Bit by bit, the monster dragged itself from the wall, as though the Dungeon had sculpted it from its very flesh.
Felis' tail bristled, his breath steady but measured.
A Black Goliath.
Bigger than any he had read about. More grotesque, its obsidian skin gleaming under the cavern's dim light. It loomed, exuding raw, crushing power, the sheer weight of its presence making the air feel heavier.
Then it clenched its fists. The sound of straining sinew and cracking bone echoed as it fully emerged, standing tall—a living calamity.
Glowing red eyes locked onto him with mindless hatred, and massive fists clenched, each movement sending a dull tremor through the ground.
The Floor Boss had awakened.
And Felis was its prey.
He exhaled slowly, fingers tightening around the hilt of his sword.
"Alright then," he murmured, golden eyes narrowing. His tail curled slightly as he braced himself. "Let's see how tough you really are."
The Goliath roared, loud enough to make the air vibrate. And then it charged.
---
A blur of movement. The ground cracked apart as the Goliath lunged, its arm swinging down like a battering ram. A direct hit would shatter his bones.
Felis wasn't there.
His footwork carried him into a slide, skimming just past the impact as rock splinters erupted like shrapnel. He pivoted the moment he passed its leg, sword flashing—first strike, second, third—all hammering the same spot. Each blow landed with a meaty thud, but the Goliath didn't even flinch.
It was regenerating too fast.
A massive hand swiped sideways—unexpectedly fast for its size. Felis barely twisted away, but the sheer force of air pressure slammed into him, knocking him off-balance. He flipped midair, landing in a crouch, his ears twitching as the Goliath's foot stomped down hard—a second slower, and he'd be paste.
'Tch. It's not just strong—it's adapting.'
His golden eyes flashed. Fine. Then so would he.
Felis darted forward again, weaving through the Goliath's massive swings, his tail snapping behind him for balance. Guard Break wasn't a skill that worked instantly. It needed sustained pressure, the right placement of attacks.
He feinted left—the Goliath reacted, shifting its stance. But that was exactly what he wanted.
Felis' blade **struck the same weakened point—twice, three times—**and this time, he felt it. The Goliath's leg shuddered. Its stance wobbled.
It was working.
But—
"GRAAAAAAH!"
The Goliath smashed both fists down, a brutal double-hammer strike. The sheer force of it warped the air, the ground beneath cratering in an instant.
Felis barely escaped, but the shockwave still hit. His ears rang, his footing faltered. And that was all the Goliath needed.
A backhand swing. Felis twisted—but the blow clipped his side, sending him skidding across the cavern floor.
His breath hitched—pain flared sharp and immediate. Blood seeped where the impact tore through his armor.
The Goliath stomped forward, its dark eyes gleaming. It knew.
'That one hurt. But—'
Blue light flared in his hand. Aqua Benedicta.
The warmth spread through his ribs, closing the wound instantly.
The Goliath stopped.
For the first time, it hesitated.
Then—it charged again.
Felis grinned.
'Too late. I've already won.'
His golden eyes locked onto the same battered spot, the point he'd hammered relentlessly. One more round—no, two.
Because once he broke through—this fight was over.
---
CRACK.
Something gave beneath his blade—the reinforced flesh of the Goliath's leg fractured, muscle tearing, the accumulated damage finally breaking through. The massive monster staggered, its balance thrown off as its knee nearly buckled.
This was it.
Felis' pupils shrank to slits. One final push.
He coiled his body, tail flicking as he exploded forward—his sword raised to carve deep into its vulnerable leg and send the beast crashing down.
And then—
The Goliath's wounds vanished.
Not slowed. Not partially healed. They snapped shut in an instant.
What—?!
His blade struck clean—but instead of slicing weakened flesh, it slammed into fully restored muscle. The force of his own attack reverberated back up his arm, the impact sending a sharp jolt through his wrist.
The Goliath didn't just recover. It retaliated.
Felis barely had time to react before its fist came crashing down. He twisted mid-air, just enough to avoid a direct hit, but the shockwave blasted him away like a ragdoll.
His body slammed into the cavern wall. The stone cracked on impact.
For a moment, silence.
Then—Felis exhaled sharply, his body trembling. Not from fear. From sheer exhilaration.
A slow grin crept across his face.
'Didn't see that coming.'
His golden eyes flickered with something wild, something hungry.
Across from him, the Goliath stood tall—pristine, undamaged. As if the battle had just begun.
Felis wiped the blood from his lips.
"Alright, big guy…" His tail lashed behind him, his grip tightening on his sword. "Guess I gotta break you twice."
The fight wasn't over.
It was just getting interesting.
---
The Goliath moved.
No—it lunged.
Faster than before. A blur of grey muscle and raw power, its massive fist carving through the air like a falling boulder.
Felis barely had time to react—his instincts screamed, his body already twisting—
BOOM!
Stone detonated behind him. A crater formed where he had stood a heartbeat ago, jagged cracks spiderwebbing outward. The force sent a shockwave through the cavern, dust and debris flaring in violent gusts.
But Felis had already slipped past the strike. His blade flashed—
SLASH. Across the tendons of its outstretched arm.
A perfect cut. But—
Nothing.
No give. No wound. The edge of his sword barely scratched the monster's flesh before skidding off, sparks flaring on impact.
His pupils shrank to slits.
'What the hell?'
It wasn't just regenerating anymore.
It was hardening.
The dungeon had rewritten its own monster. Evolved it.
Tch. That was unfair.
Felis exhaled sharply, adjusting his grip.
"Alright then." His voice was light, almost amused. But his golden eyes?
Predatory.
"If you're learning…" His tail flicked once, golden irises burning.
"Then I'll just have to teach you a lesson."
The Goliath roared in challenge.
And the real battle began.
---
The cavern trembled.
The Goliath's onslaught was relentless. Every blow carved destruction into the stone—massive fists shattering pillars, each impact ringing like a war drum.
But Felis was faster.
He wove between the strikes, moving like liquid shadow. His body twisted midair, golden eyes calculating—his tail flicked, adjusting momentum—his feet barely touched the ground before launching him into another evasive maneuver.
His sword lashed out—precision honed to perfection—
But the monster didn't falter.
Every strike failed. The wounds that should have crippled it sealed instantly.
Even his Guard Break—a technique refined to shatter defenses—failed to do more than dent its hide.
The dungeon had changed the rules.
But that just meant he had to change them first.
His blade lowered.
The Goliath hesitated. A fraction of a second—but he saw it.
'There it is.'
This monster was built to counter force. The harder he fought, the faster it adapted.
So what happens when I stop playing by its rules?
His stance shifted. Light, relaxed. Almost careless.
And then—
He walked toward the Goliath.
Deliberate. Casual. Like he wasn't even in danger.
The monster twitched. Its instincts screamed to attack—yet its prey—prey that should be struggling—wasn't struggling anymore.
The hesitation was all he needed.
Felis exploded forward.
Not with power. Not with brute force.
But with absolute precision.
His sword whispered through the air, slipping through the tiniest gaps in the monster's hardened flesh—
Under the arm. Behind the knee. Between reinforced muscle.
The Goliath roared, but it couldn't adapt.
Not when its opponent had stopped playing by its rules.
And then—
A final thrust.
Right at the base of its skull—where even the dungeon's interference couldn't reach.
The Goliath froze.
Then—
A tremor rocked the battlefield.
---
Silence.
The massive body shuddered. Its roar turned into a strangled gasp.
Then—
Black cracks raced across its flesh.
Faster. Deeper.
The cavern itself seemed to hold its breath.
Then—
KA-CRACK!
The Goliath shattered.
The explosion of black ash consumed the battlefield. The force sent a rippling shockwave across the stone, remnants of the monster scattering into nothing.
Felis remained still, golden eyes watching as the last wisps of black mist faded into the air.
Then—
He exhaled.
His pulse was still racing. His muscles ached from exertion. His grip on his sword had tightened without him realizing.
But more than anything—
He grinned.
"…Hah." He rolled his shoulders, stretching out the tension. "Gotta admit. That was fun."
He flicked his blade once, shaking off the lingering energy. The adrenaline was fading, leaving behind the full weight of his battle.
"Aaah… my body aches all over." He stretched, groaning as he felt every muscle protest. "Might as well enjoy myself in the hot springs."
With that, he turned away from the ruined battlefield.
He strolled toward the path leading deeper, stopping at a small crevice where he'd hidden his bag before the fight. With practiced ease, he swept up the scattered loot—monster cores, magic stones, a few fragments of the Goliath's tougher remains—and shoved them inside.
"Alright." He adjusted the bag over his shoulder, tail flicking lazily.
And then, with a content sigh, he continued toward the 18th floor.
'Hot springs, here I come'
---
Unseen Witnesses
From the far end of the cavern—hidden behind jagged rock formations—a group of adventurers stood in stunned silence.
They had seen everything.
The impossible regeneration. The sheer force of the battle.
And the moment that black cracks had consumed the Goliath, shattering it to nothing.
One of them swallowed hard.
"…That's a floor boss?"
"Ma-maybe…?"
Another gulped. A long, uneasy silence stretched between them.
Then—
"…Let's just turn around. I didn't sign up for this when I decided to head back to the surface."
No one argued.
Without another word, they quietly slipped away, pretending they had never seen anything.
---
18th Floor – Hot Springs
Felis exhaled deeply, feeling the heat of the hot spring seep into his aching muscles. The gentle steam curled around him, dampening his hair and ears, while the faint scent of minerals and earth filled the air.
'Damn, that was a fight.'
His body still remembered the thrill—the way his heart had pounded, the tension in his muscles, the rush of exhilaration as the battle against the Goliath grew fiercer. It wasn't just survival. It wasn't just duty.
He had enjoyed it.
Why?
The harder the fight became, the more excited he felt. The more his opponent pushed him, the more alive he became. Was it because of his feline blood? The instinct of a predator reveling in a worthy hunt?
Or… was it something deeper?
'Is this my true self?'
His golden eyes flickered in thought as he leaned against the edge of the spring, letting the water lap at his skin.
Had he always been this way, but suppressed it—buried it beneath the rules that governed mankind? The unspoken order that kept people from embracing their raw nature?
Or was it something more personal?
A slow, bitter smirk ghosted over his lips.
Maybe it wasn't just instinct. Maybe it was the years of frustration—the countless moments spent biting his tongue, forced to endure the sight of incompetent higher-ups who parachuted into power without merit. People who sat in their offices, making absurd decisions that others had to suffer for.
How many times had he wanted to lash out? To call them out for their lack of ability?
But he couldn't.
Not back then.
So maybe… just maybe… this fight had been a release.
A chance to unleash all that pent-up energy—not against some clueless fool in an office, but against an enemy that deserved it.
Felis let out a slow breath, feeling his thoughts drift away, carried by the warm waters.
It didn't matter.
Right now, he had nothing to suppress. Nothing to hold back.
So he simply sank deeper into the spring, letting the heat soak into his skin, tail flicking lazily as he embraced the rare moment of relaxation.
After soaking long enough to wash away the fatigue, Felis finally pulled himself out of the hot spring.
With a final stretch, Felis stepped onto solid ground. The warmth of the hot spring lingered on his skin—but so did the weight of reality. He still had work to do.
This expedition was still in deficit.
Between the household funds, the gear, the travel supplies—he had spent a lot preparing for this. And while the Goliath's drops would likely fetch a fortune…
He wasn't selling them.
Not yet.
If anything, he was more inclined to use them for crafting new equipment.
Which meant he still needed money.
So, without hesitation, Felis gathered his things and set off—his golden eyes sharpening as he made his way to the 19th floor.
Time to hunt.