Dungeon King of the New Era

"What a familiar feeling. Just standing here makes me feel alive. No wonder people want to come here all the time. It feels like a safe dungeon where you cannot die."

Raven commented as he flexed his shoulder. He was beginning to see the appeal as well.

The energy circulation in this space was smooth, the air felt light, and his body responded just as it always had. No sluggishness, no imbalance.

He had expected some form of restriction or disorientation, considering the years he had spent outside civilization and the limitations the system had placed on him. But so far, nothing. 

'This might actually be a decent place to relieve some stress.'

"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's smug voice cut through Raven's thoughts.

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

Raven turned his head lazily to see Jeremey grinning down at him from the control panel. 

"Let's begin. I'd hate for you to have any excuses later."

Raven merely waved a hand dismissively. 

"Yeah, yeah, get on with it."

Jeremey's grin twitched, but he didn't push further. Instead, he activated the test, and a swirling portal of energy appeared before Raven.

The Arena system whirred as a humanoid figure slowly materialized within it.

Raven took one glance at his first opponent and let out a small, unimpressed sigh. 

A Knight, huh?

The Eclipse Knight stood tall, clad in thick, heavy armor that glowed faintly with arcane runes. 

It carried a long sword, its blade shimmering ominously under the Arena lights.

This was an elite-level opponent, the kind that required at least a full party of five to take down efficiently.

To most people, this monster would be intimidating. Its overwhelming defense and precision-based attacks made it a deadly adversary. 

But to Raven it was nothing more than a mob he often faced.

Tch. I've fought these things hundreds of times. You really think this is going to impress me, Jeremey?

Raven cracked his neck and took a relaxed stance. Instead of immediately attacking, he decided to take his time and test his body's limits first.

The Eclipse Knight moved first, lunging at him with surprising speed. Raven sidestepped effortlessly, watching how the air shifted around him. His mobility was as sharp as ever. 

The Knight swung again, this time a sweeping slash aimed at his midsection. Raven flipped backward, landing softly on his feet.

He continued dodging, weaving between the attacks like a shadow. The crowd outside the Arena started murmuring.

But none of that reached Raven and even if it did, he would not have stopped.

Raven wasn't dodging because he was afraid—he was analyzing. 

Every step, every shift of weight, every movement told him something about his current condition. 

He was making sure his body had suffered no side effects from the years he had spent trapped in a dungeon.

After a few more rounds of dodging, he concluded that everything was working just fine.

Which meant he no longer needed to play around.

He stopped moving, planting his feet firmly on the ground as the Eclipse Knight swung down at him.

At the last possible second, Raven tilted his head, allowing the massive sword to graze past him by mere millimeters. In the same instant, he reached for the dagger at his waist.

One strike. 

That was all he needed.

The Eclipse Knight was heavily armored, but Raven knew exactly where to aim. 

He stepped forward, his dagger flashing in the Arena lights as he thrust it precisely into the joint between the monster's shoulder and torso.

The metal cracked.

With a terrifying grin, Raven twisted the blade and grabbed onto the Knight's arm. 

Then, using nothing but sheer brute strength, he ripped the armored limb clean off.

The people outside froze in shock at the unbelievable sight of what was happening..

Sparks of dark energy burst from the Knight's exposed shoulder, and the monster let out a mechanical screech, its body convulsing from the damage.

But Raven wasn't done. With a smooth motion, he flipped the severed arm around and slammed it straight into the Knight's helmet like a club. 

The force of the impact caved the helmet inward, and the once-mighty Eclipse Knight crumbled onto the ground in a heap of broken metal.

Silence.

Not a single person in the viewing area said a word. After all, who was willing to believe that a fragile-looking body like Raven's had such destructive power?

Even Jeremey, who had been waiting to mock Raven, looked like he had swallowed a stone.

Raven exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders again. He barely even felt out of breath. The fight had ended too quickly for that.

He glanced up at the control panel where Jeremey stood, his lips curling into a smirk.

"That's all? I was expecting more."

The murmuring in the crowd started again, but this time it was filled with awe and disbelief.

"H-He just—did he really tear an elite-class monster apart with his bare hands?"

"He didn't even use a skill… what the hell is he?"

"That wasn't a fight. That was slaughter."

Shura chuckled under his breath. He had expected something like this, but seeing it in person was still something else entirely. 

'Some things never change, huh, Raven?'

Meanwhile, Jeremey's face twisted in frustration. This was not how things were supposed to go. Raven was supposed to struggle, to be overwhelmed.

But instead, he had made it look easy.

Clenching his fists, Jeremey quickly started adjusting the settings. 

"Fine. If one elite-class monster wasn't enough… let's see how he handles five." 

He muttered under his breath. 

He slammed his hand down on the panel, activating the next wave of the test.

Raven raised an eyebrow as multiple portals began forming around him.

"Hmm… now this might actually be fun."

He cracked his knuckles, his smirk widening as the new enemies emerged.

The real test was just getting started.