Approaching Kai was a group of four adventurers—an eccentric mix, to say the least.

After some discussion, the party was formed: four adventurers, each with their own quirks.  

Renn, the loudest of the bunch, declared himself leader without being asked. On the surface, he seemed like a greedy opportunist—but something about him suggested he’d been in worse spots than this.  

Mira, the healer, kept to herself. Quiet and sharp-eyed, she spoke only when necessary, always watching, always calculating.  

Bronn, the axe-wielder, barely spoke at all. Stoic and solid, he followed whoever took the lead—yet there was something behind his silence, a sharp intuition that saw more than he let on.  

...And finally, Elric—the jumpy novice mage. Book smart, eager to please, but with a strange edge. The kind of kid who might smile too long at a burning building.

Including Kaelyn and me, we were now a party of six. It felt like a solid number—enough to avoid most serious trouble inside the dungeon.

“Shall we head in?” Kaelyn asked, already walking ahead. “We don’t have all day.”

“Hold on,” Renn interrupted. “We still need to figure out how we’re splitting the entrance fee.”

Everyone turned to him with blank, unimpressed stares. Not a word was said, but their expressions said it all.

Renn's face turned pale. “Fine, I’ll cover it,” he muttered.

At the gate, he handed over the coin while mumbling to the guards about how outrageous dungeon fees had become. “Here you go, sir,” he said bitterly, trying to save face.

And just like that, it began.

This was Kai’s first time entering a dungeon in this world. He’d expected bones, rot, maybe the lingering stench of death. Instead, the interior shimmered with glowing crystals and strange bioluminescent plants. It looked more like a dream than a deathtrap.

Kaelyn, catching the wonder in his eyes, felt a twinge of something—maybe guilt, maybe understanding. She whispered, “It’s beautiful because of what’s buried beneath it. The plants feed on the fallen. This peace… it comes with a price.”

A beautiful scene, born only through sacrifice.

As they ventured deeper, the light dimmed—and then they heard it.

Their first monster had arrived.

A creature crawled out from a narrow tunnel, its limbs long and jagged like cracked branches. Its skin was stretched tight over its frame, pale and leathery, with patches of armored plating growing out of its shoulders and spine. Its head was misshapen, eyeless, with a vertical slit for a mouth that pulsed open and shut like a breathing wound.

It didn’t roar. It didn’t growl. It just _watched_, tilting its head as if trying to understand which one of them would be the easiest to kill.

“Voidcrawler,” Kaelyn muttered, summoning a light in her palm. “Fast, erratic, and sensitive to movement. Don’t swing unless you’re sure.”

Renn already had his sword drawn. “How bad can one be—?”

The creature lunged.

Bronn stepped forward just in time, intercepting it with his axe. The blow connected, but the creature twisted midair, slashing his arm before rebounding off the wall like a spider.

Elric yelped and fired a small burst of fire—only for it to miss and hit the ceiling.

Mira cursed under her breath and rushed to Bronn’s side, healing him before the blood could hit the floor.

Kai locked eyes with the creature as it hissed and sprang again, this time toward him.

And for the first time since arriving in this world… Kai moved without thinking.

Not knowing what else to do, Kai did the only thing that came naturally—he charged in and threw a punch straight at the beast.

Mira blinked in disbelief. “You dumbass! What are you gonna do, box it to death?!”

She was already preparing a healing spell.

Kai’s fist connected with the creature’s jagged torso—  

And the result was instant.

A sickening crack echoed through the chamber. Kai’s arm shattered on impact, bones splintering, blood spraying across the stone floor.

Everyone froze for a split second.

Then Kaelyn moved.

Her body lit with a faint golden aura as she dashed in, blades drawn. With precision and fury, she forced the beast’s attention onto her, locking it in a one-on-one clash.

The others fell into position, ready to support.

Mira rushed to Kai, already channeling healing light into his ruined arm. “How are you _smiling_ right now? Your arm’s barely hanging on—there’s just muscle and tendon left!”

Kai let out a pained but casual laugh. “Well, I’ve been through worse. At least this time I get help.”

As she watched, Mira’s eyes widened—his wound was already beginning to knit together, unnaturally fast. The pain didn’t seem to reach him.

Meanwhile, at the edge of the chamber, Elric—who had been frozen stiff since the fight began—finally snapped out of it. Watching the others work as one, something shifted in him. Gritting his teeth, he began casting from a distance, bolstering Kaelyn’s agility and shielding Bronn’s flank.

The battle wasn’t over—but now, the team was moving as one.

The Voidcrawler shrieked, limbs twitching erratically as Kaelyn danced around its strikes, her aura flickering with strain. Bronn held the line with brute force, while Elric’s spells weaved subtle shields and bursts of wind to redirect the creature’s attacks.

Then, it faltered—just for a moment. One leg skidded across the stone floor, leaving an opening.

Kaelyn shouted, “Now!”

Kai, still cradling his half-healed arm, stood. His body trembled, but his eyes were locked in. He focused—not on the pain, not on the wound—but on the power humming beneath his skin.

He ran.

Mira yelled after him, but he didn’t stop.

The others parted just enough for Kai to get through. The Void crawler turned to face him, too late.

Kai leapt, pouring every drop of strength into his good arm. Time slowed for a heartbeat.

His fist, glowing faintly with the same strange energy from before, slammed into the center of the creature’s twisted chest—right where Bronn had struck earlier.

A shockwave burst out, shaking the entire room. The Void crawler convulsed, its armored shell cracking like glass.

The monster convulsed violently, its body twitching as internal fluids gushed out like a ruptured pipe. The smell hit next—rot, bile, metal.

Its head split open down the middle as veins burst along its skull, and with a final, ragged scream, the entire beast collapsed in on itself, dissolving into a pile of steaming flesh and fragmented bone.

Silence.

Kai stood in the middle of the fading dust cloud, breathing hard, one arm limp at his side.

Bronn stood near the back, staring at the pulped remains of the Void crawler. The stone beneath Kai was still slick with gore, his arm trembling slightly as the last of the creature's insides dripped from his fist.

“Just the air pressure from that punch…” Bronn muttered, more to himself than anyone else. “It was like a damn cannon went off.”

He narrowed his eyes at Kai, not in fear—but confusion.

“What _is_ this kid? That wasn’t magic. Not any I’ve seen. And that fighting style... doesn’t belong to any school I know.”

He looked to Kaelyn, who didn’t answer—only kept watching Kai in silence.

Kai glanced over. “So that’s how adventurers make money here?”

Kaelyn nodded. “Exactly. Monsters like these leave behind cores when they’re killed. Some are worth more than others depending on the monster, how rare it is, and how intact the core is. Alchemists, artificers, and merchants pay good coin for them.”

Elric crept forward to get a closer look. “This one’s… dense. Looks more refined than what you’d expect from a scavenger-class beast.”

Bronn grunted, eyeing the shattered body. “It’s definitely not the usual kind. That thing put up more fight than it should’ve.”

Renn smirked, pulling out a cloth and scooping up the core. “Well, either way, it’s ours now. First blood, first claim.”

Kaelyn didn’t argue, but her eyes drifted to Kai, still kneeling beside his own trail of blood. His arm hung limp, his breathing steady but strained.

This had been his first real kill in this world—and the dungeon was just getting started.

Suddenly, a dull rumble echoed from somewhere deeper inside. The stone beneath their feet vibrated, just once.

Not enough to panic. Just enough to remind them they weren’t alone.

The group found a moment of quiet in a side chamber not far from the battle site. The stone room was still and damp, lit by the faint glow of moss along the walls. Kai sat on a flat rock, his arm extended while Mira worked over it with glowing hands. His flesh was still torn and bruised, but the worst of the damage had begun to fade.

Renn leaned against the wall with arms crossed. “Alright, kid. Time to talk.”

Kai raised an eyebrow. “Talk about what?”

“You put your fist through a Void crawler like it was made of paper. That’s not normal.” Renn narrowed his eyes. “You don’t use magic, you don’t use a weapon, and you’re not even trained. So what are you?”

Elric sat a few feet away, still shaken from the earlier fight but curious. “It looked like a mana surge… but there was no casting. No chant. Nothing.”

Bronn stayed quiet, sharpening his blade, but his eyes flicked toward Kai, waiting.

Kaelyn didn’t speak. She just watched.

Kai shifted slightly, feeling the burn in his muscles. “I don’t know,” he said finally. “I’m not lying. Whatever this is… it’s new to me too.”

Mira gave him a sideways glance. “You say that like you’ve never fought before.”

Kai looked down at his arm. “Not like that. Not with… whatever that was.”

There was a silence.

Then Bronn spoke, voice low. “Whatever it is, it doesn’t feel like mana. Feels heavier. Like something deeper.”

Mira finished the healing spell and let go of his arm. “All I know is your bones shouldn’t be mending this fast unless you’ve got serious natural resistance… or you’ve survived a lot of damage already.”

Kai flexed his hand. It still hurt, but it worked.

Kaelyn finally spoke. “Whatever your power is, Kai… it doesn't come from this world.”

Everyone looked at him.

Kai looked away.

...

While Mira wrapped a bandage around Kai’s arm—more for stability than necessity—the rest of the group chatted quietly in the background.

Renn was going on as usual. “I’m just saying, if that core goes for less than 500 silver, I’m blaming Elric.”

Elric scoffed, hugging his knees. “Why me?! I didn’t price the economy, Renn.”

Bronn grunted. “Should’ve left you in the tunnel when you froze.”

“Hey! I cast a shield! That counts!”

Kaelyn chuckled under her breath while checking her blade. “You cast it on the wall.”

Amid the casual banter, Kai stared down at his palm, lost in thought.

If what they’re saying is true… could this power be from my old world? But that doesn’t make sense. If I had this ability back then, I would’ve used it to escape. To fight back.

I don’t have any techniques. No forms. I just draw on this energy—like breathing—and it amplifies me. And now, after that battle, after Mira healed me… it’s like my body learned. It’s still healing itself. Not just the broken arm… but the wounds from before.

Is it possible I can mimic or even evolve with magic from this world using energy from mine? Does that mean my original world had magic too?

But then… why didn’t it work back there? Why didn’t I feel this power before?

His head buzzed with questions until finally—

“AAAUUUGHHHH!! What does this all mean?!”

Everyone stopped mid-conversation.

Renn blinked. “Uh... is he having a breakdown?”

Elric leaned toward Kaelyn. “Should we be concerned?”

Kaelyn deadpanned, “This is what overthinking looks like in real-time.”

Bronn nodded. “Yeah. Definitely cracked.”

Mira crossed her arms. “I just healed him. Didn’t know I’d have to stitch his brain back together too.”

Kai looked up, realizing all eyes were on him. “...I was thinking.”

“Loudly,” Mira muttered.

Renn clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Well, philosopher, let us know when you solve the meaning of life. In the meantime—try not to scream at invisible math problems.”

The laughter helped cut the tension. Even Kai couldn’t help but let out a quiet chuckle, though the questions still lingered, deeper than ever.