CHAPTER 41: NEW TITLE

Outside—Officer Liam was waiting, troubled by the way things were unfolding.

Things had been normal until this dungeon appeared. At first, it was just another ordinary occurrence—dungeons appear daily. But today, this dungeon had changed its mana readings multiple times.

And out of nowhere, the Research Department’s Commander contacted them, ordering the dungeon sealed and warning them not to enter. Liam had almost chocked from the shock when he got to know that Jessie went inside.

Ash was a nobody, so his life didn’t matter in the grand perspective—but Jessie... Liam had been tense this whole time, praying for a miracle and hoping Jessie survived.

But now, both of them were sitting in the van with the Commander. The Commander was acting strange, as if hiding something.

When Jessie and Ash stepped out of the van, Liam sighed—a weight lifted from his heart.

"Are you two crazy?" He glared at them. "Why did you enter the dungeon?"

His main focus was on Jessie, but his eyes stayed locked on Ash. Then he gestured for them to follow him.

Ash and Jessie trailed behind as they moved farther from the main encampment.

"You two fuck off as soon as possible—and hope they don’t have any business with you," he said, turning sharply.

Ash and Jessie nodded, then walked toward their inn. As they left, around fifteen rankers entered the dungeon.

"Aren’t they reacting too much? It was just a D-rank dungeon," Ash said, confused. He knew it wasn’t really about the dungeon’s rank but the abnormalities.

"You think a D-rank dungeon is child’s play? What we’ve achieved is a feat of its own. You’ll realize that once you see the title we got after coming out," Jessie smirked.

She was proud. Normally, to clear a D-rank dungeon, at least five members with a wide range of professions were needed. And considering this dungeon was far more unique than normal ones, their accomplishment was even more impressive.

When will this title stop playing with me... Jessie thought, her eyes locked on Destiny Bender.

Ash hadn’t paid much attention to his system screen after leaving the dungeon. He was more concerned about what had just happened.

But now, hearing Jessie mention a new title, he grew excited to check.

[D-rank dungeon cleared]

[Rewards: +1000 Exp]

[Rewards: +25,000 Store Coins]

[New Title Acquired]

[Rank Slayer: You have defied expectations and cleared a dungeon ranked higher than your own.

Effect: Increases all stat points by 10% while fighting higher-rank beasts. Ignore the pressure from enemies one rank above.]

[New Title Acquired]

[Twin Fangs: Together, you have accomplished what others deemed impossible. Your synergy as a duo has been recognized.

Effect: When fighting alongside your bonded partner, all stats increase by 20%. Gain a sense of each other’s movements while fighting.]

[Infant Aura is overlapping with Rank Slayer]

[Infant Aura has evolved into Phantom Aura]

[Phantom Aura: Your aura mimics that of a higher existence, weaving fear and confusion into the hearts of foes.

Effect: Counts as one rank higher in terms of aura pressure. Intimidation effects scale with Luck and Killing Intent.]

Ash’s eyes widened in surprise—so many changes in titles. The first two were the result of their hard work, but Phantom Aura was different.

His old title, [Infant Aura: Ignore the pressure from enemies one rank above], had overlapped with Rank Slayer, triggering an upgrade. Now—not only did he no longer feel pressured by higher-ranked enemies, but his aura itself could be projected as if he were a rank above.

This could be troublesome. He focused on the system screen and disabled the title. It worked—Phantom Aura was no longer equipped. If he needed it later, he could re-equip it.

That was... convenient.

His eyes shifted to the other two titles. Titles or skills that increased power by percentage were always better than those that gave fixed values.

Numbers could become negligible in front of high stats after leveling up—but percentages scaled with growth, showing their true power later.

His first title was limited to fights against higher-ranked enemies, but Twin Fangs had no such condition. Its drawback, however, was that it required Jessie’s presence.

"Did you also get Twin Fang?" Ash asked, looking at Jessie, who had already returned to her usual playful self.

"Of course," she nodded, giving him a look like he was an idiot.

Profession: Modern Assassin

[Level: 9]

[4240 / 5000 Exp]

[ AGILITY: 6 (+12) | ENDURANCE: 4 (+20)| STRENGTH: 3 (+14) | LUCK: 7 ]

[MP: 100 / 100 (Recovery Rate: 1 per 450 seconds)]

[Stat Points: 3]

Skills:

1. Mana Surge – Permanently increases MP regeneration speed by 50%.

2. Killing Intent – Releases a focused aura of bloodlust, locking enemies in fear.

Cost: Depends on target.

3. Vital Shot – Channel mana into the next attack. Bypasses armor and deals 250% damage on critical hits.

Bonus: Under Killing Intent, multiplier rises to 300%.

Cost: 50 MP

Talent:

1. Shadow Veil – Enter stealth mode. First attack out of stealth deals double damage if undetected.

Cost: 2 MP/second

Titles:

1. [Phantom Aura]

2. [Rank Slayer]

3. [Twin Fangs]

Store Coins: 32,450

He was just 760 Exp short of reaching level 10. His hands itched to re-enter the dungeon and finish it, but it was currently on reset—and the Commander wouldn’t let them in anyway.

Going to an E-rank dungeon would be a waste of time. He was already at the pinnacle of E-rank, so each kill would give him maybe 10 Exp at most. Killing over 80 beasts wasn’t appealing.

"Jessie, I’m just 800 Exp short of leveling up," Ash said, almost pleading for a solution.

Compared to this life, he appreciated the wilderness more—at least there, he’d have infinite chances to grind.

Jessie looked at him with a twisted expression. It had taken her six months to go from level 1 to level 8, yet after meeting this guy, she had jumped two ranks in just ten days.

It was even more absurd when considering the fact that the Exp required from level 8 to 10 was almost double the total needed from level 1 to 8.

She simply shook her head and sighed. "I’ll look out for any D-rank dungeon. Now that I’m D-rank too, it should be easier to find one."

Her gaze fell on her Destiny Bender title, then shifted to Ash.

’Is there a reason I got the Twin Fang title?Maybe the world wants me at his side... ’ Jessie thought.

This title had always been a mystery. She hadn’t done anything to attain it—it was simply there the day she received her system.

’Is fate tying me to him?’