Dragon Slayer
“ROOOOOOAR—!!!”
A massive roar shook the entire cave.
It felt like his eardrums would burst.
The piles of bones scattered across the ground trembled violently and were flung in all directions, while fist-sized chunks of rock rained down from the ceiling like a storm.
And then, from within the darkness, it revealed itself.
The Red Dragon.
Its body alone stretched 40 meters long.
Each ruby-like scale gleamed crimson, every single one as large as a shield.
The scorching breath spilling from its curved neck distorted the air around it.
Even with its wings folded, its sheer presence dominated the entire cave.
“I’ve always wondered,”
Kim Jun spoke, curiosity laced in his voice.
“Why did you come down to the 5th floor?”
He already knew.
Each floor of the Tower was a complete world of its own.
But those worlds weren’t entirely isolated. Powerful beings could cross dimensional boundaries and interfere with other floors.
Still… the 5th floor?
This was far too blatant.
There were only three places in the Tower that were friendly to hunters.
Thebes on the 5th floor, Artemis on the 25th, and Kaldion on the 50th—the final stronghold of humanity and the last base before reaching the top.
Among them, Thebes was indispensable.
It was a sanctuary where novice hunters received their classes, prepared their equipment, and learned the fundamentals of conquering the Tower.
If Thebes fell, conquering the Tower itself would become impossible.
And yet, an 80th-floor Red Dragon had descended to the same floor as Thebes.
This was no coincidence.
“I’ll ask again. Why did you leave the 80th floor and come here?”
“Heh… heh heh heh.”
The dragon sneered.
“A mere human dares to question me?”
Its crimson eyes burned with fury.
To it—one of the Tower’s apex species—
a mere human speaking so boldly was unforgivable.
“Well, I suppose you’re trapped here too.”
“Insolent!”
FWOOSH—!
The dragon threw its head back and unleashed a torrent of flames.
Kim Jun had already moved.
Using the bones beneath his feet as footing, he lowered his body and rolled to the side.
SHRAAAAA—
The flames swept past where he had stood, licking the cave walls. The bones turned to ash instantly and scattered in the air.
“As expected… you don’t belong on this floor.”
Memories from his previous life surfaced—records he had read in Kaldion’s library.
[Chronicles of the Tower – Guardian of Thebes]
Kaiser—the father of all warriors, the first warrior instructor, and the founder of Thebes.
The records said that when a pair of Red Dragons appeared in Thebes, he risked his life to lure one here and seal it with a barrier.
Without his sacrifice, Thebes would have been reduced to ashes long ago.
But even that barrier wasn’t eternal.
Kim Jun remembered.
The moment he had purchased information about the Dragon Slayer hidden class on the 50th floor…
As if by fate, this very dragon had broken through the barrier and invaded Thebes.
Centuries of accumulated heat had eventually melted Kaiser’s seal.
“AAAAAH!”
“Help us!”
“All forces! Defend Thebes!”
That day’s nightmare remained vivid.
Thebes engulfed in flames, people screaming as they fled, the city reduced to ash in an instant.
Thousands had died.
The beautiful city had become nothing but ruins.
“That tragedy must never happen again.”
Even without the hidden class, he had to end it here.
“Do you have the luxury to think about something else in front of me?”
The dragon twisted its neck and glared at him.
BOOM!
Its massive hind legs struck the ground as it rose, its enormous body overwhelming the cave.
Kim Jun adjusted his grip on his greatsword. A faint red aura flickered along its blade.
“I’ve seen this countless times… in the Dragon Plains.”
He had watched it all before—while Ryu Jia burned to death, while his comrades fell one by one.
Flame breath. Charges. Tail swipes. Dive attacks.
He knew every pattern.
BOOM!
Claws tore through the ground—but Kim Jun had already rolled aside.
The dragon’s neck pulled back. A crimson glow surged from deep within its throat. The air began to heat rapidly.
It’s coming!
KRAAAAAAASH—!
Flame breath erupted like a waterfall.
Kim Jun quickly dove behind a fallen boulder.
The intense flames licked over it, the solid rock turning red-hot and beginning to melt.
The heat seeped through even the stone.
Not yet.
WHOOSH—
The sound of something slicing through the air.
The dragon’s tail lashed toward the boulder.
CRASH!!
The rock shattered into pieces.
But Kim Jun was already hanging from a stalactite on the cave ceiling.
With one hand gripping the formation, and the other holding his greatsword tightly—
“When did—?!”
“Too late.”
A dragon—called a transcendent being.
Its entire body covered in scales harder than steel, each attack lethal.
But it had one weakness.
Its neck.
Tap—
Using the stalactite as a foothold, he launched himself downward.
Gripping the greatsword with both hands, he plunged toward the dragon’s neck.
The blade sliced through the air with a sharp whistle.
SHIIII—
The dragon tried to turn its head—
THRUST!!
“GRAAAAAH! A mere human dares—!”
The dragon writhed violently, shaking its neck and twisting its body to throw him off.
“I won’t let go.”
Like a serpent that never releases its prey, Kim Jun held firm, driving the blade deeper despite the violent thrashing.
Then, a single word escaped his lips.
“Slash.”
—FLASH!
A blinding light erupted.
Elsewhere—
“Man, how far has he gotten already? We’re moving fast too!”
Park Minsoo panted.
“He must’ve already reached the 5th floor.”
The remaining four members of the Han Guild followed behind Kim Jun as a party.
S-rank tank Park Minsoo, S-rank healer Lee Seoyeon, S-rank assassin Han Suin, and S-rank mage Ryu Jia.
Aside from Kim Jun, they were among Korea’s best hunters.
“This is weird. All the bosses are gone.”
Ryu Jia said, looking at the quest window.
“It seems the guild leader cleared everything.”
Lee Seoyeon replied in admiration.
“He even soloed the bosses…”
Up to the 5th floor, it was the same.
Every boss was gone—only regular monsters remained.
Even with four S-rank hunters, they couldn’t match Kim Jun’s pace.
“Is he really S-rank like us?”
“Of course not. My brother is on another level.”
“Ryu Jia, keep talking and see what happens.”
As they moved forward—
a massive city surrounded by towering walls appeared in the distance.
Thebes.
Bathed in the sunset, its white marble buildings created a breathtaking sight.
“A city!”
“So it’s not just monsters?”
Just then—
FLASH!
A massive notification window filled the vision of every hunter in the Tower.
[Global Hunter Announcement]
– First Dragon Subjugation in the Tower achieved!
– Slayer: [Identity Withheld]
– Hidden Class ‘Dragon Slayer’ acquired!
– Warrior class advancement test temporarily suspended
“Dragon… was that him?”
“What was that warrior test anyway?”
“What’s a hidden class?”
…
Back in the cave—
“Cough!”
Kim Jun coughed lightly as he stood up.
The dragon’s massive body lay collapsed on the cave floor, no longer breathing.
DING!
[Dragon Subjugation Complete!]
[50,000 EXP acquired!]
[Level Up! 6 → 30]
[Hidden Class ‘Dragon Slayer’ acquired!]
[Skill ‘Dragon Blood Awakening S’ acquired!]
[Skill ‘Berserk D’ acquired!]
[Skill ‘Mark’ acquired!]
[Skill ‘Dragon Slash C’ acquired!]
[Title ‘Dragon Hunter’ acquired!]
“It’s over.”
His entire body was drenched in dragon blood, but all he could do was smile at the overwhelming rewards.
From level 6 to 30—in an instant.
And that wasn’t all.
“Sorry, but I’ll need to take your body apart.”
A dragon’s corpse was a treasure trove of materials.
Slice—slice—
He began by peeling off its scales. Each ruby-like scale could become top-tier armor.
Crack—!
He extracted its bones. Dragon bone—lighter than metal yet far stronger—was a core material for legendary weapons.
“Eyes, claws, fangs…”
He collected each part carefully.
Everything was priceless.
Then—
Thump. Thump.
A strange sound.
It came from the dragon’s chest.
“…No way.”
Rip—
He tore it open.
Inside, a massive heart was still beating.
The Dragon Heart.
As large as a grown man, glowing like a red ruby.
Veins resembling flowing lava spread across its surface, and with every beat, waves of mana pulsed outward.
“Hah… haha!”
Even he couldn’t help but laugh in awe.
A heart that continued beating even after the dragon’s death—an extremely rare legendary material.
It was said that even after killing a hundred dragons, finding one like this was nearly impossible.
“Something you’d normally only see on the 80th floor…”
Thump—THUMP—!
The heart beat even stronger, like a blazing furnace.
“I’ll make good use of this later.”
He carefully picked it up.
It radiated intense heat and mana.
Heavy—but manageable.
He reached for the small leather pouch at his waist.
“The subspace pouch.”
A standard item given to all hunters entering the Tower.
A magical storage with infinite capacity regardless of weight or size.
The heart dissolved into particles of light as it entered the pouch.
DING!
[Materials Collected!]
[Dragon Scale S x47 acquired!]
[Dragon Bone S x23 acquired!]
[Dragon Eye S x2 acquired!]
[Dragon Claw S x20 acquired!]
[Dragon Fang S x4 acquired!]
[Dragon Heart S x1 acquired!]
[Dragon Blood A 2L acquired!]
“…Did I clean it up too thoroughly?”
The remains were almost spotless.
Like a master butcher had passed through.
“…Call it karma from my past life.”
He shrugged.
“Exit.”
Shhh—
Outside—
“Damn it…”
Ledel muttered as he stared blankly into the air.
The dragon’s nest.
Recommended level: 50.
Why such a place was used for a warrior class test was beyond him.
“…Are they trying to kill them all from the start, Kaiser?”
Over the ages, countless had died here.
Outsiders and residents alike.
At least 2,000 people, if not more.
“Why am I even waiting… he’s already dead.”
Ledel stood up, about to leave—
“Huh?”
Someone was walking out of the dragon’s nest.
“…No way.”
Something was wrong.
The aura emanating from that figure—
It was overwhelming.
Like a being from at least the 30th floor.
An oppressive presence impossible for the 5th floor.
Ledel froze.
“Ah—A monster! Another one has invaded!”
Covered in blood, radiating terrifying power—
Ledel had only one thought.
Run.
He had to warn Thebes.
“As if a dragon wasn’t enough—now another monster?!”
“D-don’t come closer!”
He yanked the reins, trying to flee.
But the figure approached far too quickly.
“AAAH!”
“Ledel! Calm down!”
Kim Jun called out, confused.
But the moment Ledel saw his face—
he froze in horror.
That face…
It was the very same man who had entered the dragon’s nest earlier.
“Ghh—!”
His face turned pale.
A man he thought had been devoured by a dragon—
returning alive, drenched in blood—
and carrying that monstrous aura…
