Chronicles of Forgotten Extra
Chapter 209 - 209: Flux Dungeon [2]

[You have entered dungeon: Proof of Qualification]

[Dungeon Type: Adaptive Flux Realm]

[Warning: This realm enforces Absolute Equilibrium.]

[Realm is being balanced to the lowest rank intruder– Intermediate Apprentice Rank]

[Rank of all monsters is being adjusted — Intermediate Apprentice Rank]

[Survival Requirement: Adaptation.]

[Completion Condition: Unknown.]

[Exit Condition: Survival confirmed.]

[Penalty for Failure: Death.]

The first thing Alden saw was system pop-ups.

The name of the dungeon and a few other things were shown.

Proof of Qualification?

That seemed to be the name of the dungeon. It wasn't mentioned in the novel.

It could've been the author's lazy writing… Or maybe Seles and Lucien were too busy running for their lives to notice the notifications.

Either way, convenient oversight.

The name seemed as if it would test challengers' qualifications for something.

He scanned his surroundings next.

Silence.

That was the first thing Alden noticed after the notifications.

Not the damp soil beneath his feet. Not the fog that veiled the horizon. Not the branches above that twisted into alien patterns.

Just silence—deep and crushing, like the world had swallowed its voice.

He blinked, and the world blinked with him.

Gone was the small cave. Gone was the calm pond that had served as the entrance.

Now, a forest stretched before him.

Not a peaceful kind, but the kind of place where even the trees looked like they could stab you.

If nature had a murder fantasy, this was it.

A living forest—spanning endlessly in every direction.

He turned around once, just to check.

The entrance was gone.

Of course it was.

Seles had to clear it to exit the dungeon in the novel.

Still, Alden muttered under his breath, "Could've at least left a door. Bastards."

Twisting, knotted roots rose from the ground.

Moss covered nearly every surface, but none of it looked soft. It glowed in a way that said: touch me and lose a finger.

The sky—if you could call it that—was pale green.

Not a shade caused by light or pollution, but by something deeper.

And it wasn't just visual.

The mana here… It pulsed.

Like a heartbeat.

His [Monarch of Mana] activated instinctively.

The mana was everywhere, not in clumps or nodes, but soaked into everything.

No rhythm. No centre. Just an ecosystem drunk on ambient power.

No wonder the dungeon could adapt.

It was alive.

And it was watching.

"I hate it here already," Alden said aloud.

Kyun didn't answer.

She was still sleeping within his shadow, probably dreaming of pecking pigeons or setting fire to his dorm curtains.

Good.

One less problem to worry about for now.

He moved forward, his feet sinking into soil that felt too soft to be trustworthy.

Each step was slow and calculated.

His senses remained.

Nothing yet.

The silence, however, was very creepy.

No birds. No insects. No wind.

It was too quiet.

So quiet it made his ears feel wrong, like they were hearing too much of his own body.

The soft thump of his heart.

The faint friction of his boots.

The exhale of his breath, like it was too loud for this place.

And then—finally—he saw it.

A small hill.

Except it wasn't a hill.

It moved.

What the hell?

Alden stopped in his tracks, lowering his stance.

His sword appeared in his hands without a second delay.

He narrowed his eyes.

His [Eyes of Supreme] activated, filtering out the mist and illusions.

The truth clicked into place.

It wasn't a hill.

Fuck.

It is a monster.

Why didn't Seles encounter it in the novel?

Alden wondered why no such monsters were shown in the novel.

Do the monsters also change depending on intruders?

Is that the reason?

He carefully scanned the monster.

It was massive, to say the least.

Its hulking figure was covered in moss and bark.

Dozens of thick and vine-like tendrils were wrapped around its body.

Its "head" looked like a broken tree trunk.

Alden had never seen any monster of this kind in any monster encyclopaedia he had read.

Fortunately, it hadn't noticed him yet.

Or maybe it had—and was pretending.

Tricky bastard.

Alden's lips curled slightly as he sensed the power radiating out of the monster.

It was similar to his as mentioned by the system window.

He wasn't too worried about the rank.

He'd been beaten worse.

What worried him… was the size and special property of this dungeon's monsters.

Monsters in this dungeon could adapt.

That meant the more he fought it, the more it would adjust.

He couldn't rely on using the same moves twice.

He couldn't drag out the fight either.

Fine.

He wasn't here for a vacation anyway.

Alden crouched.

He channelled his mana through his limbs, just enough to boost his precision—nothing flashy yet.

He didn't want to announce his presence until he could strike true.

He activated [Spirit Domain].

His senses expanded. He felt every small movement within his surroundings.

The creature stirred as if it felt his presence.

Subtle.

Not aggressive—but aware.

It was now alert.

One of the tendrils twitched. Bark creaked like joints cracking after a long slumber.

No more waiting.

Alden launched forward. No charge-up. No fancy technique.

Just clean, efficient movement.

His footwork was refined, honed from hours of training the last few days.

And now, every step echoed with the precision of intent.

As he approached, he drew his blade.

His katana sliced through air as mana began to rise from it.

The first step of [Sevenfold Ruins] activated—Ruinous Severance.

His sword met the creature's tendril with a slicing motion.

There was no resistance.

The vine hissed as his sword tore through it.

Bark cracked, and the limb fell away, thrashing on the ground like a decapitated snake.

Black fog oozed out from the severed tendril.

The beast roared.

The air grew heavier.

The beast had noticed him as an enemy.

More tendrils shot toward him from the monster's back.

This time, sharper, thinner and faster.

Already adapting.

Alden clicked his tongue.

That's fast.

He ducked, pivoted, and spun, avoiding the first lash.

The second scraped his sleeve.

The third—he parried with his sword, redirecting the strike into a nearby tree.

The tree screamed.

Alden froze for a microsecond.

….?

The hell.

Trees don't scream.

That sound wasn't wood. It was too human.

Something is definitely wrong.

This is different from what was mentioned in the novel.

This seems like a completely different dungeon.

How is that possible?

Not now. I'll think about it after dealing with it.

Alden thought, swinging his sword again.

This time, sharper, with his mana coiled around his blade.

[Ruin Arc]

The second step of his weapon art.

A wave of dark crescent mana shot outward.

It wasn't as fast as he wanted.

Still too clunky and too sluggish on activation.

But it did the job.

The arc of ruin carved through several tendrils and blasted the creature's torso.

The bark cracked.

The moss burnt.

A black smoke rose from its damaged body.

The monster staggered.

Then paused.

Its remaining tendrils retracted.

Its chest—opened.

From inside, something new emerged.

Not a core.

Not a heart.

But a mouth.

Rows of teeth made of stone.

Alden's eyes narrowed.

Oh, you've gotta be kidding me—

The roar this time was point-blank.

The sonic wave hit him like a truck.

He skidded back.

His bones shook, and for a moment, his vision went blurry.

Fortunately, he covered himself in his own shadow as armour at the last moment, reducing internal damage.

"Tch…!"

He coughed once.

Yup.

It's learning from my movement patterns—not just brute reacting.

He could hear some more monsters roar, closing in toward his direction.

Fuck. Its friends are coming to the party too.

I need to finish this soon.

He flicked the blood aside and ran forward again.

He didn't have the time to wait.

Not in here.

If he didn't finish this monster now, he'd be surrounded in minutes.

He had one option.

Go for the weak point.

Tendrils came flying in his direction. He didn't move till the last moment and—

The world blurred.

He had activated [Shadow Steps], arriving in front of the beast.

His [Eyes of Supreme] showed him the vital point of the creature.

There.

Alden threw his weight into his next strike.

Alden shifted his grip.

In one smooth motion, his sword shifted shape—

A spear appeared in his hand.

Piercing power. That's what I needed.

He stabbed forward towards the vital point shown by his eyes.

It wasn't just a normal stab. No.

He had activated [Ruin Arc] as well.

Within seconds the tip of his spear glowed in an ominous energy.

The air around the spear warped.

The world seemed to come to a halt.

Reality cracked.

The beast roared again, trying to close its chest.

Too late.

Alden's spear tore cleanly through its body and pierced it's weak point.

A devastating explosion was released from within.

A huge gaping hole was blasted in the torso of the monster.

The monster froze mid-roar.

Twitched.

Then collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.

The silence returned.

Alden stood still, breathing heavily.

That… was rough.

And it was just the first fight.

He thought, staring at the monster's remains.

It didn't disintegrate like in artificial dungeons.

Instead, the corpse remained.

And from it, something rose.

A small, glowing orb—flickering softly in green and gold.

An Intermediate Apprentice Rank core.

It was dense and filled with corrupted nature mana.

Alden threw it inside his storage ring.

He didn't smile just yet.

He could see three similar monsters already closing in on him.

Time for round two.