Draconic Ascension - System Apocalypse Isekai LitRPG

Michael could feel his blood and mana turning into pure light. His flesh resonated with it, as if turning into an artifact of its own, one that had channeling this power as its sole purpose. Even his Dragonheart was affected, beating faster and louder while also burning with the same power and light. He felt as if he were turning into a star. Clyranth's appearance in its full majesty flashed through his mind for a split second.

In the next moment, Michael shot upward like a ray of light.

The distance between him and the highest floor was reduced to nothing in less than two seconds. He simply sped past everything on the way. There were no attacks from the monsters or even a single snarl that acknowledged his existence; he had moved too quickly for creatures at their level to notice anything at all.

As he was about to reach the highest floor, he finished casting a spell.

Mana Blade.

Sharp mana wrapped around the Elder Chief's Staff, creating an edge. The blade was several meters long and sharper than a razor, but Michael didn't even look at it. He merely swung the mana weapon. The blade arrived on the ceiling of the apparent highest floor, cutting through it like a hot knife through butter. The first thing that he saw on the other side was the blue sky. Clouds drifted peacefully, and the sun shone brightly overhead. Just like when he had entered Eagles Peak, wonder filled Michael's chest. To think that the System could create something like this as a mere Dungeon was incredible, if not a bit terrifying.

He stopped channeling Lightspeed and used Wind Blades to force himself to slow down by manipulating the air around him to the best of his abilities. A moment later, he landed on the intact part of the building's roof, looking at the only other creature on its surface.

The monster was large, being over twelve meters tall, and incredibly muscular. Its shape was humanoid, but the expression of rage and ferocity on its face made it clear that it was a beast of some kind. The giant had dark green skin and held a thick piece of metal that appeared to be from the building's foundation. At its tip was a crumpled-up car, making the weapon resemble a hammer. Its lower mouth was ornamented by two long, sharp-looking fangs that were the size of Michael's arm.

Is that an ogre?

Michael blinked. He wasn't exactly surprised, given the existence of the goblin-like enemies in the building, but he was still caught a bit off-guard by the appearance of a monster he'd only heard of in fiction. The ogre snarled as if it could sense his hesitation and immediately dashed forward. Every step slammed on the roof with a loud thud, allowing Michael to gauge the creature's weight.

Damn thing weighs over forty tons, I think.

Still, the sight of it running toward him and raising its hammer-like weapon was almost cute. After spending so long fighting Veilthar, something like this didn't even come close to scaring him. He smiled and dashed to the side after looking the ogre up and down. The wind ruffled his hair as he easily circled the creature.

The ogre rapidly turned around, its sharp red eyes widening. It opened its mouth, making Michael raise an eyebrow. He pointed his staff at the monster. The moment a rumbling roar left the ogre's throat and echoed throughout the entire building, Michael finished his casting.

Earth Spikes.

"Fireball."

The roof's floor rippled, then rose in the shape of sharp spikes, each as tall as the orgre. The first one went right through its chest from behind, easily piercing through its spine and lungs to reach the heart and impale it. The next Spike crushed the ogre's ribs and ruined its liver, while the third one destroyed its stomach and intestines. The fourth one curved as it moved, attacking the ogre from the side to puncture both of its lungs. Its roar turned into the death throes of a defeated beast.

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At the same time, the Fireball that had taken shape crashed against the monster and Spikes, enveloping them in a fierce blaze that was twice as tall as the ogre. Its skin and flesh melted as its muscles were scorched black. The monster veritably withered within a couple seconds.

…It looks like a skewer.

Michael frowned at the thought and intensified the strength of the flames. The ogre's remains turned into ashes, which were easily removed by the strong winds.

Just like that, the enemy was defeated. A System notification testified to Michael's victory.

[You have slain Fierce Ogre (Level 40).]

He blinked at it.

Level 40? That thing?

He read the notification a couple of times over before starting to laugh. It was a spirited, relieved laugh, just like when he'd verified that the Rune of Shadows worked.

"There's still a chance," Michael muttered to himself after stopping, clenching his fist. "I can still manage to do this."

He only needed to proceed at this pace. Now that he knew how powerful an ordinary Boss at Level 40 was, he could afford to take on tougher Dungeons. At the same time, it was confusing. The trees outside were around the same Level, but each was considerably more dangerous than the Fierce Ogre.

…Levels don't tell the full story.

Just like he had been able to select his Class, Skills, and had different Titles from everyone else, Levels were only representative of part of an individual's strength. Someone at Level 20 but with a good Class and other abilities could defeat enemies at a much higher Level, just like he had been able to take on the Forgotten. It only meant that the trees outside were special.

Michael sighed and walked to the hole he'd created, then looked down just in time to see the last few of the tall goblins scurrying away. As expected, the Ogre's roar had been a demand for help, but now that the monster was dead, the goblins lost their purpose.

Maybe the Ogre's true strength lay in its ability to ask the goblins for help.

For an ordinary team of challengers, the addition of dozens of the goblin-like monsters to the fray could have proven to be fatal. Of course, it wasn't something he needed to worry about. The Fierce Ogre was dead, and the goblins hadn't even had the time to do anything. His job here was over. As if responding to his thoughts, a System notification rang out in his mind.

[You have cleared the 'Lost Building' Dungeon. You have acquired three Skill Points and twenty Free Points.]

[You can now leave the Dungeon.]

Michael smiled. At least the rewards were decent. He had probably acquired some XP, too, but since his Level was so high, he hadn't managed to Level up.

"System. I want to leave the Dungeon."

The darkness enveloped him once more. Once it vanished, he found himself outside the Dungeon's entrance. Michael looked at the stone door.

Come to think of it, I never really looked into what happens to a Dungeon once someone clears it for the first time.

Did the enemies respawn? Since this was real life and not a game, that didn't make much sense. Then, did the System pull new, similar enemies from somewhere? Michael furrowed his brow, considering whether he should touch the Dungeon's entrance again and see if he could enter the Dungeon. In the end, he only shook his head and turned around.

"Now what?" he asked himself in a low tone.

He had now verified that the Dungeon rewards were similar to those of the Tutorial, which made sense. However, he wasn't lacking in Skill Points, and the twenty Free Points weren't exceptionally attractive either. Besides, he was no longer alone – there were tens of thousands of people, potentially even millions, all around him, in the Safe Zones or hunting in the city. It was true that he needed to prioritize his own growth, but that didn't mean he could simply ignore everyone else. While delving into the Dungeons would help him acquire more battle experience, it wasn't something he direly needed, not after fighting Veilthar for two years.

Michael silently weighed his options before coming to a simple conclusion.

Ironically, the best way to grow is the one that benefits everyone else, too.

He nodded to himself. His future course of action was now clear.

He needed to get rid of the Trees. As many of them as possible, as quickly as possible. Ideally, he needed to destroy the four largest Trees, as well.

And for that, there's something I need to do first.

Michael raised his head and stared at the sky.

"System. I'd like to begin my Skill selection."