My SSS-Rank Dungeon: Reborn In A Reverse World

SMASH!!

That was the only thing in Leon's mind, as he mindlessly smashed his War Hammer against the green dome.

The air around him was filled with poisonous spores, ready to enter his body the moment he let his skill slip or dared to breathe.

His lungs were burning and his body was feeling the burden of using Iron Skin for so long. Even though he had leveled up and could keep Iron Skin on for a far longer time, it still put a heavy toll on his body after so many minutes had passed.

His body was practically begging him to give up and release it from this torture, but he didn't care.

His emerald eyes burned with fury and hatred, sending enough adrenaline through his veins to keep going even under so much pressure.

Even as his muscles spasmed, he swung the hammer down with full force, making a deep dent in the dome. Cracks had formed across all the vines, as they couldn't keep their flexible nature anymore and were forced to turn solid in defense.

And anything solid would eventually crack against the mighty War Hammer.

All of a sudden, Leon's mind cleared up as he forgot about his surroundings and relished in the euphoric state that only lasted a second.

Then, he stopped hammering and took a few steps backward. He planted his feet against the ground and tightened his grip on the Hammer's handle.

With his eyes fixed on the dome, he performed a set of stances while moving swiftly and gracefully toward the target.

At the last point, he spun on his pivot and then delivered a powerful vertical blow to the Dome, his muscles bulging out as if they were going to break under the sheer force.

'Mountain Lord Hammer Technique!'

As the voice echoed in his mind, a bellowing explosion shook the very earth he was standing on with the impact of hammer against the dome.

[Mountain Lord Hammer Technique, Grade First Acquired!]

A smile formed on his lips at the sight of the notification. The system had finally registered the technique, meaning it was now a part of him.

He raised his head and stared at the destruction before him.

Cracks widened and slowly but surely the dome began to fall apart, revealing the weakened Mosspounder hiding beneath. Its jade-like eyes had already turned crimson as the monster entered Berserker State, but due to the over-usage of Essence, it was weak even in this state.

Leon wanted to say goodbye to the monster, but he was running out of time and also couldn't open his mouth. His lungs were already feeling like they were on fire.

Without any hesitation, he smiled and pounced on the defenseless monster who still tried to retaliate, but Leon just ducked under its giant arms and moved toward its back.

The exposed weakness.

With a smile plastered on his face, he smashed the Mosspounder's back, caving in all the parasitic growths. The impact threw the monster off balance as it rolled on its gorilla-like body.

But Leon wasn't done with it.

'You are not going down that easily, buddy.'

He could have killed it immediately and ended this torture for himself, but he didn't want to. He wanted this monster to experience everything it had made him go through.

It was an illogical thought considering the monster didn't even understand much of what it was going through, but it was something Leon wanted to do anyway.

'Let's start with exploding something like you did with my head.'

With a vicious swing, the War Hammer landed on the Mosspounder's tiny legs, flattening them as disgusting fluids and pulp splattered all around.

The inhumane screech of the monster filled the green fortress of vines, as Leon smiled like a madman and continued to butcher its body.

'This is for my head... this is for my chest... this is for filling my body with holes.'

His hands trembled slightly, but he didn't stop. He needed to vent out his anger on this beast unless he wanted to turn this memory into a traumatic incident that would haunt his mental state forever.

In just over a minute, the Mosspounder's body was unrecognizable but still didn't die. Leon knew its autonomy better than anyone, so he knew exactly where to attack and where not to.

Finally, he went near its head and looked down with mirth in his eyes. Then, he raised his hammer in the air and brought it down in a mighty swing, shattering the skull of the monster like a watermelon.

But this time it didn't explode.

It simply turned into bright particles of light that dispersed in the air, and along with the monster, everything related to it — the spores and the vines — also disappeared, finally giving Leon the atmosphere to breathe.

Leon took deep breaths as he stared heavensward with a smile on his face. 'Who said revenge is meaningless? It's so sweet! I feel so free and so refreshed. Fuck yeah!!'

Just as he was beaming in joy, dozens of dark wooden planks shot out of the ground like thick arrows.

It was a perfect sneak attack considering the timing and the state Leon was currently in.

Just as the attacks were about to hit Leon, he bent down and collected the rewards left behind by the Mosspounder.

Ignoring the notifications, he slipped under the wooden planks and used Sprint Boost repeatedly to escape the range of the Demonic Tree.

Only when he was sure he was safe did he stop and turn around. Then, he scoffed, "As if I would ever fall for this trick again. Idiotic monsters!"

Still, he didn't want to remain in this area any longer because he wasn't in good condition. He had spent a lot of effort in defeating the Mosspounder, so he couldn't handle another battle anytime soon.

Not before he took a good rest at least.

He cautiously moved between the trees of Blackwood Forest, afraid that another one of these towering giants of green and black would come alive to eat him.

Fortunately, his luck really seemed to be good today, so he didn't encounter any Demonic Tree on the way and was able to successfully escape Sector Two.

He continued moving further down and found a nice spot under the soft valleys of Meadows. Only then did he stop, threw the War Hammer into his inventory, and fell face first on the ground.

Closing his eyes, he spent quite some time just resting there. It was a perfect atmosphere to rest, so Leon once again patted himself on the back for not choosing Sector Two as his spawning point.

After a few minutes of rest, he rolled over onto his back and muttered, "Status!"

As the hologram formed before him, his gaze went down to the inventory and his eyes couldn't help but widen at the three new additions there.

[Energy Orb (Level 20) ×1, Skill Stone ×2, Skill: Air Cannon.]

"What the fuck!!" Leon exclaimed loudly.

Leon couldn't believe he had gotten such rewards. He was actually just joking when he said he wanted Skill Stones from the Mosspounder, since he knew how rare they were at lower Tiers.

Who would have thought that his wishes would actually come true and he would get not only one but two Skill Stones?

It was a matter of celebration, as this could boost his battle prowess by a lot.

The surprises didn't end there.

Even if he knew he would get an Energy Orb and had also wished for Skill Stones, he had never expected the Mosspounder to actually drop a Skill.

How rare was it?

It was something that became a norm only after one began to encounter Tier 5 Monsters. For a Tier 2 Monster to drop a Skill, it was no less than a miracle.

"Hahahah! Punkass!" Leon laughed loudly. "Thanks! You finally did something good with your pathetic existence."

He was incredibly happy. Why wouldn't he be?

Leon had been dreading Event Two because he was too weak to do anything in it. But what about now?

Even if he couldn't do anything major in the main battles, he finally had the qualifications to at least take part in their grand schemes.

'Even if I'm just a pawn, I'm moving one step at a time. There will come a time where I'll reach the end right before your eyes and turn into a King!'

After thinking for a while, he decided to use these important things later. He was tired, so it was better to leave everything to the sober version of himself.

'The fun is just beginning.'

He closed his eyes and went into AFK mode to exit the Dungeon. After enough time passed, his eyelids grew heavy and his consciousness drifted toward the distant portal in the dark world.

That day, he once again dreamt of the strange man pushing the boulder up a steep mountain. He still didn't understand what it meant or what it was, but he did notice something.

The dream he had previously and the dream he had that day were practically the same — except for one difference.

The man was able to push the boulder farther up than in previous times before failing again.

As the boulder rolled down the mountain, Leon cheered for the man in his heart and left the dream.

Then, he slept like a slog in the real world.