Dungeon King of the New Era

"Tell us when you are ready, Raven Steel. We wouldn't want you complaining about favoritism when you struggle to keep up with the system. Ah, do tell us if this becomes too much for you."

Jeremey Horland gloated as he tried to get Raven to feel angry.

As a member who had worked hard to maintain the prosperity of the association and sung praises of the current generation's powers, there was no way he could admit that a fossil from the past was better than anyone they currently had.

That was why he needed to crush Raven right now and show the difference in power between the current and the old.

But what irked him was the fact that Raven looked like he was not even taking it seriously. The man was lazily standing in the middle of the Arena with most of his power sealed up.

"I am ready whenever. You don't need to give me a warning before you send monsters my way."

Raven waved his hands from inside the Arena, and Jeremey felt his temper escape him when he noticed that Raven was not even wearing armor.

'Just how big of a head can a person have? How is it even possible for someone to be this confident? I cannot allow this to happen any longer. Let's see how you deal with this.'

Out of the 100+ monsters the association had data on, there were 10 that were considered elite and required a party of at least five people to take down.

So, Jeremey decided to start with that monster.

His plan was simple—use a stronger monster to intimidate Raven at first and humble him. Once that happened, he would lower the difficulty and let Raven test his real level.

'That's right! I am not making any mistakes here by letting an elite monster out this early. Now, let's see a legend like you struggle, Raven Steel.'

With a single button click, the elite monster was released into the Arena, and people around him gasped in shock.

"I-Isn't that… an elite mob? Is it safe for a single person to be facing this?"

"Even if it is Raven Steel… isn't this monster too much for the first obstacle? Shura, what should we do? Do you think Raven Steel will get angry if we stop this test now? After all, we are saving him from humiliation."

People turned to look at Shura for answers. They wanted one of the legendary heroes to tell them that it was fine to pull back or continue.

That way, they could shift the blame onto him if anything happened.

Usually, Shura would have felt himself being in a bind over what to do. But that was not the case with Raven.

"Let Raven beat that beast up. I wouldn't interfere in this if I were you. Also, you don't need to worry about Raven. See, he has already started."

Shura pointed out, and everyone immediately turned toward the Arena to see Raven facing off against the 'Eclipse Knight.'

The heavy armor-clad monster attacked Raven much faster than its size should allow it to. But Raven had yet to get hit. He was just dodging all the attacks aimed his way.

"Hey, is this fine? Mister Black, I don't doubt you when you say that Raven Steel will be fine, but somehow, it does not feel like it. Isn't Raven Steel just… dodging the attacks heading his way? He will run out of stamina."

Another younger leader commented as he noticed the fight occurring.

Shura flinched as soon as he heard the comment.

He understood that most of these kids were young and did not understand what was happening, but it still hurt him to hear such biased comments.

"Looks like this fight will be over sooner than we expected. It does not seem like Raven has much of a fight left in him."

Jeremey Horland commented with a light laugh.

The fight had just started, but it seemed as if these people had already reached a conclusion without any solid evidence of what was going to happen next.

Shura could only shake his head and pray that these people wouldn't die from the shock known as Raven Steel.

'Raven, please go easy on these fools. I don't know why you are dragging this fight around and what you are trying to do, but whatever it is, finish soon. I would rather not drag the suspense around any longer than this.'

But Raven is not there to answer Shura's prayers.

______

"So this is arena? It is a different feeling for sure, but it feels familiar as well."

Raven took a deep breath as he stepped into the Arena, his sharp eyes scanning the unfamiliar yet strangely familiar surroundings. 

The moment his foot touched the ground, he could feel the subtle pulse of energy beneath him. It wasn't just an illusion or an advanced virtual projection—this place breathed. 

The density of energy reminded him of stepping into a dungeon, and though he had no solid proof, his instincts told him that this place had been constructed using dungeon energy.

Yet, despite that eerie resemblance, it lacked the suffocating pressure of an actual dungeon. 

There was no looming sense of imminent death, no primal danger clawing at the back of his mind. Instead, it felt… controlled. Stable. Almost like a playground.

Raven chuckled under his breath.

'If it really is made from dungeon energy, whoever designed this place must have been an interesting person. I would love to have a talk with it's developer.'

But since it didn't pose a threat, he decided to leave that mystery alone for now. He had more immediate matters to focus on—like testing how his body responded in this environment.

He flexed his fingers, rolled his shoulders, and took a few slow steps forward, analyzing every movement. Surprisingly, there was no resistance, no unfamiliarity with his body. 

Other than the fact that most of his skills were sealed by the system, everything else felt… normal.

Or maybe even better than normal.