Morning light stretched across Lemuria City. Aaron stood on the dormitory balcony, eyes fixed on the wilderness beyond the massive steel walls. The gates were already open, hunters and patrols moving in and out like clockwork.
Most students were inside training like their lives depended on it. Two days left until elimination. Desperate grinding or blowing money on gear for any edge. Aaron had already decided. He wasn't staying in the academy today. The wilderness still had more to give.
An hour later he blended into the stream of hunters at the outer checkpoint. No one looked twice. The second he stepped past the walls the air changed. Heavy. Wild. Ancient forests stretched forever, jagged mountains in the distance like bones of something dead a long time ago.
He walked deeper, senses sharp. He wasn't chasing small fry today. If he could find another strong pack, the system would push him even higher before the tournament kicked off. However, after thirty minutes the ground trembled under his boots. A faint vibration. Aaron stopped. Eyes narrowed.
Then the system flashed red.
⚠ WARNING ⚠
[High-Level Spatial Distortion Detected]
[Dungeon Rift Spotted — Rank: Nightmare]
[Threat Level: Extreme]
[Host Strength Insufficient]
[System Recommendation: Immediate Retreat]
Nightmare dungeon. Elite teams prepared weeks for these. Aaron considered turning back. Yet before he could move, the air ahead tore open. A massive rift split the sky, swirling black and crimson energy twisting above the clearing. The pressure rolling out of it was suffocating. Every monster nearby had already fled without a sound.
Then something stepped through.
A figure walked out of the vortex like it was nothing. The violent energy around the rift settled the instant he appeared, as if the dungeon itself knew better than to mess with him. Full golden dragon-scale armor covered him head to toe, ancient runes pulsing across every plate. A massive spear rested casual in one hand. Behind him a translucent dragon-shaped aura coiled slow through the air like a living guard dog circling its master. The man stood nearly two meters tall. His presence alone owned the whole clearing.
Aaron caught the public panel floating beside him.
[Player Panel]
Name: Feng Tianhao – Thunder Dragon Guild
Class: Dragon God Tamer
Rank: S
Level: 189
Status: National Guardian of Lemuria City
Level 189. Aaron inhaled quiet. The strongest instructors back at the academy barely hit sixty or seventy. This guy had already walked more than two-thirds of the entire leveling road.
The Dragon Knight scanned the forest slow. Then his sharp golden eyes locked straight on Aaron across the clearing. For a beat they just looked at each other. Then Feng Tianhao laughed, deep and easy, the sound rolling through the trees.
"Well now…" His voice carried without effort. "Didn't expect to find a freshman wandering this far out."
Aaron said nothing.
Feng Tianhao walked forward, each step pressing weight on the air. Most academy kids would have backed off fast. Aaron stayed put. The Dragon Knight stopped a few meters away, studying him with open curiosity.
"You're from Lemurian Hunter Academy, right?"
Aaron gave a small nod.
"Interesting." Feng Tianhao crossed his arms. His gaze flicked to the Abyssfang Blade at Aaron's hip. The legendary energy coming off it was obvious even to someone at his level. "A legendary weapon on a freshman. Kid, you look stronger than most rookies I've seen in years."
Aaron still didn't speak. However, the silence didn't seem to bother the Dragon Knight. He just looked amused.
"You know what just popped up behind me?" He jerked a thumb at the swirling rift. "Nightmare Dungeon. Normally I'd roll in with a full guild squad, but this one opened sudden. I came ahead to check it." His eyes came back to Aaron. "Yet somehow, before I even step inside, I find a freshman standing in a Nightmare sector. That's either stupidity… or confidence."
"I didn't know the dungeon would appear," Aaron said.
Feng Tianhao laughed loud. "Fair enough."
He went quiet for a second, expression turning thoughtful. "You know something? I've been hunting twenty years. Seen thousands of rookies. Sometimes you can just tell when someone's got it. And you… you've got that feeling."
The forest stayed dead silent. The rift still twisted behind him.
"My guild is Thunder Dragon," Feng Tianhao went on. "Strongest in Lemuria City. We handle high-level dungeons, rift suppression, frontier patrols. End of this month we hold our yearly showcase. Only for freshmen. Chance to show what you can do. You join Thunder Dragon, and I'll write you a personal recommendation strong enough to send you straight to a Regional Elite Academy."
Those academies were legends. Places where the real elites trained. Most kids from frontier cities only dreamed of getting in. Feng Tianhao offered it like he was handing over a cup of water.
He stepped closer. "I don't know your class or rank, but my instinct says you're different from the rest."
The rift hummed behind him. Then the Dragon Knight extended one armored hand.
"So… you in?"
Aaron looked at the hand, then lifted his gaze. His eyes stayed calm. Unreadable. For several long seconds he didn't speak. Then he finally did.
"Before I answer," he said, voice steady, "I've got one question."
Feng Tianhao raised an eyebrow.
Aaron met his eyes straight. "If I join your guild… what happens when I become stronger than everyone in it?"