The feeling appeared three minutes after Daniel collected the Dew of Vitality.
It was very subtle at first. A faint vibration beneath his feet, then another.
The tremors were so weak that an ordinary Novice Rank awakened would have dismissed them as natural movement within the forest. Even many Apprentice Rank hunters might have overlooked them. However, Daniel did not, he immediately stopped walking.
Beside him, Anna noticed the change, raising her eyebrows she asked, "What is it?"
Daniel slowly lowered his center of gravity. The forest had become eerily quiet. Not silent, but quiet as if no other beast existed in that particular area.
The distinction mattered.
Moments earlier, insects had been chirping from the canopy. Small creatures had been moving through the underbrush. Birds native to the dungeon world had occasionally called from distant branches.
Now there was nothing, it was as if the entire ecosystem had collectively decided that no other beast should exist there. It was likely the territory of something dangerous, near the top of the local food chain.
Another tremor shook the earth. This one was way stronger. The roots beneath Daniel's boots visibly shifted as if their core had been shaked.
Anna's antennae twitched, then her expression changed.
"Oh."
Daniel glanced at her.
"Do you feel it too?"
"I do, its an earth beast."
For the first time since entering the dungeon, her usual arrogance had completely vanished along with the playful irritation, constant complaints and endless commentary.
What remained was the instinctive caution of a predator recognizing another predator. A predator much more deadly than itself
The forest ahead suddenly exploded.
BOOOOOM!
Ancient trees shattered apart, massive trunks were thrown through the air like broken twigs. The ground ruptured as earth and stone erupted skyward.
Then something emerged.
Daniel's eyes narrowed and Anna stopped breathing.
The creature was enormous. Nearly fifteen meters from head to tail. Its body resembled an impossible fusion between a dragon and a reptilian beast. Thick layers of dark-brown scales covered every inch of its body, each scale resembling a piece of polished granite. The scales overlapped tightly together, creating natural armor capable of deflecting most Apprentice Rank attacks without suffering even superficial damage.
Its limbs were thick enough to crush boulders. Its claws resembled curved obsidian blades. Rows of jagged spikes ran along its spine. Most striking of all was its head.
Though clearly not a true dragon, traces of draconic heritage remained unmistakable. Two backward-curving horns extended from its skull. Golden eyes glowed with predatory intelligence. Its elongated jaw contained rows of serrated fangs capable of tearing through steel. Every breath released clouds of dust and earth mana.
An Earth Drake, a distant descendant of dragons, carrying less than one percent true dragon blood. Yet even that tiny amount elevated it beyond ordinary beasts.
Anna stared.
"...You're kidding."
Daniel didn't reply, because he understood exactly how absurd this situation was.
True dragons were among the most powerful bloodlines in existence. Even if it was diluted beyond recognition, reduced to less than a single percent, after countless generations of degradation. The blood itself still mattered much more than its purity when encountering non-draconic beasts.
The drake's aura rolled outward. The surrounding trees bent beneath the pressure. The mana within the clearing became noticeably heavier.
Daniel immediately estimated its strength— Second Stage of Apprentice Rank.
Far stronger than the boars he had been hunting or wolves from Greyback Forest. In terms of combat power, it rivaled most awakened hunters several ranks above itself.
The Earth Drake's golden eyes settled on Daniel, then on Anna. The moment it sensed Anna's presence, its pupils contracted.
A low growl emerged from its throat. The sound resembled grinding mountains.
Anna immediately floated upward, "I think I should remind you of something."
"What?" Daniel kept his gaze fixed on the drake.
"Dragons and Monarch Butterflies don't get along."
"...Why?" Daniel blinked once. He soon realized the beast had was drawn to him because of the fragment of Monarch Butterfly bloodline he had absorbed.
"We both belong to Absolute Bloodlines, but its a long story."
The drake roared as bloodlust filled its eyes.
The answer would apparently wait till he defeated the drake.
BOOOOOOOOM!
The creature charged as the forest exploded around it. Its massive limbs tore through the earth, as trees shattered and stone cracked. Its speed was horrifying. Despite weighing several tons, it accelerated like a runaway train.
The distance between them vanished instantly.
However before the drake could attack him, Daniel moved. Lightning surged through his body as he activated the Lightning Nexus Art.
Lightning Nexus Art: First Move — Lightning Dominoes.
CRACK!
His figure blurred, instead of retreating, Daniel advanced. Multiple afterimages appeared simultaneously around the drake.
Left.
Right.
Above.
Behind.
The technique wasn't true teleportation nor was it merely speed. Lightning Dominoes transformed movement into a cascading sequence of explosive acceleration bursts, allowing the user to strike multiple positions almost simultaneously.
The drake's head swung toward one image, then another. Confusion flickered across its eyes as it tried to make sense of what was happening in front of it.
Daniel appeared beneath its neck as Shadow flashed.
SHING!
Sparks erupted and Daniel's eyes narrowed. The blade had hit the drake barely but only a shallow line appeared across the drake's scales.
The drake seemed almost offended because of the weak human attacking it. It roared in anger and attacked with its tail.
Looking at this, Daniel's instincts flared.
BOOOOOM!
The tail smashed into the location he had occupied less than a heartbeat earlier. The impact obliterated three trees and the resulting shockwave flattened nearby vegetation.
Anna's eyes widened.
"That thing is ridiculous."
Daniel silently agreed.
The drake wasn't merely strong, its scales possessed extraordinary defensive properties. Ordinary attacks couldn't pierce them. It was like a tank.
The creature turned toward him, then smiled like it was mocking Daniel's weakness.
Daniel had encountered enough intelligent beasts to recognize one when he saw it.
This Earth Drake wasn't a mindless monster however it wasn't intelligent like Anna either. It knew exactly what it was doing, but its logic was driven by instincts alone, which made it considerably more dangerous.
The drake inhaled as earth mana gathered around its jaws. The ground beneath began shaking violently.
Noticing this, Daniel immediately moved behind.
A fraction of a second later—
BOOOOOOOM!
A torrent of compressed stone erupted from the drake's mouth. The attack carved directly through the forest.
Trees disappeared and the earth split open along with everything within its path ceased existing.
Daniel reappeared fifty meters away. Even so, several fragments of flying stone struck him.
His arm stung as blood flowed out of his wounds.
The drake's eyes brightened as he saw Daniel's Injuries, it had drawn first blood.
"You know, most sane people would retreat." Anna hovered beside him with a slight tone of amusement.
"Most sane wouldn't dare negotiate with a Monarch Butterfly or solo clear a Novice Dungeon." Daniel wiped the blood away.
"That's unfortunately true."
The drake charged again and Daniel responded, but this time he didn't use lightning.
Instead—
Cold exploded outward, because of this the temperature plummeted and Frost spread across the ground.
Anna stared with wide eyes, speechless beyond measure because of the sword art than Daniel was performing, "...Ice?"
Daniel slowly raised Shadow, for the first time since reincarnating had he used this move. Pale-blue mana flowed across the blade and the air crystallized around him.
Sensing this the drake hesitated, its instinct warning it that something had changed.
Ice Nexus Art: First Move — Frozen Horizon.