A/N: Hey, guys. I know this is identical to canon at the moment, with just character names and appearances changed, but don't worry! We'll be getting into the BNHA side of this soon! The Entrance Exam and Bakugo still have to happen, after all. And that Slime Villain. That'll be next chapter, though. Okay, I think I've bored you people long enough. Let's get into it! - Razor

"You know that patient, Izuku Midoriya?" One of the nurses off-duty asks. "I heard he's a Hunter."
"Yeah, that's right. It hasn't been that long since he regained consciousness, but he's been running around every single day." Another replies, sipping her coffee.
"What did the doctor say?"
"That Hunters are different from the average person, so he'll recover in no time. They also said that some light exercise wouldn't do any harm, but . . . " She glances out the window, watching the broccoli-haired boy as he sprints past. "Look over there, he's running right now."
"Light exercise . . . " They watch as he slows to a stop, panting hard. "Are you sure he's going to be okay? How long has he been running?"

'It's been four days since I regained consciousness. There are a couple of things I've become aware of.' Midoriya stops running, putting his hands on his knees as he breathes hard. 'Firstly . . . this screen I see in front of me is not an illusion.'

! NOTICE!

[RUN 10 KM: COMPLETED (10/10KM)] ✔

'I can see it crystal clear, but nobody else can.' The Quest Log screen comes up.

Ding!

! QUEST INFO!

GOALS

- PUSH-UPS                   [100/100]✔
- SIT-UPS                         [100/100]✔
- SQUATS                        [100/100] ✔
- RUN                             [10/10 KM] ✔

QUEST REWARD

Select your reward

[Choose a reward from the list below.]

REWARD 1.                 STATUS RECOVERY ✔
REWARD 2.                       ABILITY POINTS +3
REWARD 3.                RANDOM LOOT BOX +1

Accept this reward?

Accept               Decline

"Accept 'Status Recovery.'" Midoriya says, sighing in relief as soft gold light surrounds him for a moment, obliterating his fatigue. '"Status Recovery" relieves any fatigue from exercising. The exhaustion weighing down my body is gone in an instant. Other options include obtaining ability points to boost my stats, or an item from a Random Loot Box. I can distribute these points to any of the abilities in the Character Stats Menu.'

! NOTICE!

- You have obtained a [RANDOM LOOT BOX].

STATS

NAME: Izuku Midoriya                                                             Level: 1

JOB: None                                                                            FATIGUE: 0

TITLE: None                                                                                                  

HP: 100                                                                                                            

MP: 100                                                                                                             

STRENGTH: 16                                                                       HEALTH: 10

AGILITY: 10                                                                INTELLIGENCE: 10

SENSE: 10                                                                                                           

Available Ability Points: 3

'Increasing my abilities will make me that much stronger. Of course, I will level up as well. Stats, Skills, Items, Inventory, Item Stashes and so on. It's like playing a computer game. A strange phenomenon has taken control of me . . . '
"Haha . . . I have no clue how this happened . . . " He says, staring up at the display.

"Is it okay if I go out for a bit today?" Midoriya asks the lady behind the reception desk.
"Sure, where do you plan on going?" She replies.
"There's something I need to take care of." Midoriya replies with a soft smile.

Tatooin Station, read the sign high above him. Midoriya stood there, staring up at it as he thought.
"It's time to figure out what this is." He looks down at the green key in his hand. "I get a Random Loot Box every time I complete a Daily Quest. Sometimes, I get useless things like Band-Aids, notebooks and pens, but . . . This one seems different."

[Item: DUNGEON KEY]

Level of Difficulty: E
Type: KEY

This Key enables you to use an Instance Dungeon. It can be used at Tatooin Station, Exit 5.

"A Key that opens an Instance Dungeon . . . Quest, Stats, Rewards . . . Could the fact that I'm able to see these strange game-like features mean I've had a Second Awakening? In other words, have I been Reawakened? Or, is this just part of the process? If I'm right, I should be strong enough to give this a go! The weakest Hunter of all Mankind, Reawakened . . . ? People would mock me if I told them. I'm great at running away . . . So if things get dangerous like last time, I'll just make a run for it." He holds the key out and pushes forward like he was putting it in a lock, and the air around him crackles with golden energy. He turns the key, and a gate appears in the doorway to the station. Taking a deep breath, he walks in, feeling the black electricity of the gate buzzing around him. The world goes blue, then white, then darkens so much he almost can't see.

! NOTICE!

[You have entered an INSTANCE DUNGEON]

He hears a cracking sound behind him, like ice breaking apart, and turns to see the Gate had solidified, trapping him.
"No way . . . Did the entrance close up?" He slaps his palm against the solid surface of the Gate, slightly worried. A girl with her nose in her phone walks past, completely oblivious and . . . walks straight through the Gate as though it wasn't there. "Am I in a completely different dimension . . . ? This isn't just a regular Dungeon." He says, placing his hands on the Gate surface. "I think that it works like a Red Gate, even though I've never seen one in real life before. What should I do . . . ? I was gonna run away if things didn't go as planned . . . But my escape route has been cut off!"

! NOTICE!

[You cannot leave this Dungeon unless you defeat the BOSS or use a HEARTHSTONE.]

"I have to clear this Dungeon in order to get out . . . Not too long ago, I was struggling to fight E-Rank Magic Beasts, and now you're telling me I have to clear this Dungeon all by myself? Damn it . . . This doesn't make any sense . . . " A cold breeze blows past him, drawn deeper into the Dungeon. Midoriya starts to sweat, a shiver running down his spine. "Seriously, I have to do this all alone . . . Without a Party?" Another blast of wind, stronger than the last, draws past him, pulling black swirls of energy with it. He sighed, walking down the steps that led into the underground station. Cracked concrete was everywhere, and there was grass growing in any place it could. The lights were broken and hanging from their sockets, occasionally flickering, and letting off sparks. It was quiet and lonely in the Dungeon; it had a sort of isolation to it that seemed to sink deep into your bones, quietly whispering You're alone, but you're hunted. Turn and run before it's too late. Over and over again.

"What should I do . . . ? I don't think I can do this . . . There's a foul stench. Is this the smell of . . . A Beast-Type Monster?" An enormous red wolf lopes out of the shadows, a steel covering on the fur and teeth of its lower jaw. Steel-Fang Raikan. The wolf lets out a chilling howl, salivating at the sight of its prey. It launches forward, jaws snapping shut just inches from Midoriya's head as he leaps back, sliding a good few feet as the beat snarls. 'A wolf?! I can barely take on a couple of Goblins. Will I be able to win this fight . . . ?' He tries to spring forward, but doesn't move an inch. "My legs . . . Won't move . . . !" 'Why? Why . . . ?! Is it because . . . I'm scared? I didn't think I had any lingering trauma . . . ' He thinks back to the Temple of Carthenon, and the enormous statues waiting inside. The wolf takes advantage of his stillness and charges. "CRAP . . . !" He leaps out of the way, sliding to a stop. 'I don't have a Healer with me! I can't get hurt this time, no matter what!'

Midoriya blinks, and suddenly the wolf is right there. He just manages to pull his face away in time, the Monster's steel-and-bone jaws slamming shut millimetres from his nose. He leaps back, moving into a one-handed handspring, but he overestimated his strength and tumbled backwards into the wall. "Huh?" He said, staring at the wolf, which now looked like it was standing on the ceiling. Oh, wait . . . that was just him. He pushed his hands under him, managing a perfect handstand. 'My body . . . My body feels light!' He pushes down, sending himself flying upward, keeping his body parallel to the walls. He flips over the wolf and lands on his feet, back to his opponent. The wolf is right behind him in an instant, jaws open and ready to take his head off. "I was given a second chance at life!" 'I can't give in to the fear now!' He clenched his fist, feeling power pooling in the very pores of his right arm as he pulled it back for an uppercut.

"I REFUSE TO DIE SO EASILY!" He swings his fist forward and up, smashing the wolf square across its bottom jaw. It goes flying back into the opposite wall, landing in almost the same place and position Midoriya had been in moments before. "What's this?" He looks at his hand, which was glowing faintly with golden energy. 'Is this happening because I raised my Strength stats? But . . . It's still stronger than me!' Midoriya charges forward with a bellow, smashing his fists into the wolf's jaw again and again. 'Just as I thought, this isn't enough . . . Regular attacks don't have much impact on Magic Beasts.' He sends a significantly stronger punch at the wolf, sending it into the wall again. 'I can't believe this insignificant Beast is stronger than me . . . Goddamn it!' The wolf stalks out of the rubble, crushing the metal barrier it had been flung through in its jaws. 

'What should I do? It's impossible to clear this Dungeon alone . . . !' He sprints away as the beast charges, dashing to the side as its jaws close on empty air. Or so he thought. 'I can't win!' Blood sprays from three small gashes in his left arm. He hadn't avoided the attack completely after all, then. The Steel-Fanged Raikan turns, opening its jaws to clamp around his arm. 'I don't have a Party, a Healer, or any equipment!' He pulled away, twisting his body to kick the Raikan in the face. 'What do I have on me right now to help me defeat this guy? All I have is my body . . . If only I had a weapon . . . A weapon with Magical powers . . . !' His eyes widen, and he realises he does have something. 'A weapon?!' "INVENTORY!" He screams, shoving his hand into it to grab the cool leather hilt of the sword sitting there. 'All right . . . I don't know why this is in my Inventory, but it doesn't matter!' He slices through the Raikan's head with ease, splitting its body in two as he runs forward. 'It's the sword Heatwave-Sensei left behind in the Double Dungeon!'

[Item: INFERNO HERO: HEATWAVE'S STEEL SWORD]

Type: SWORD

Attack: +10

! NOTICE!

You have defeated the [STEEL-FANGED RAIKAN].

! NOTICE!

LEVEL Up!

The Raikan's two halves flop to the ground behind him.
"I remember Heatwave-Sensei saying he bought this sword for three million Yen. I can't afford anything like it . . . So I'll just use this for the time being. This Inventory feature is pretty handy. Can I store more random stuff in here?" Before he could think it over any further, the tapping of claws on concrete alerted him to the presence of another Steel-Fanged Raikan. "As long as I have a weapon . . . I'm not scared. Steel-Fanged Raikan. Steel-Fanged Raikan. Two glowing red nametags appear above two identical sets of glowing red eyes. The wolves pace out of the shadows of the long corridor, snarling. He looks down at his weapon, yanking on it, then back up at the Monsters. The tip had gotten stuck in the ground when he swung at the last Raikan. "Why can't I pull this out? Hurry up! Come on!" He yells as the two wolves open their jaws behind him, ready to rip him to shreds.

"AAAHH!" He roars, ripping the sword from the concrete. Using his momentum, he swings around, slashing the side of the first wolf like a hot knife through butter. The second, however, catches his sword in its jaws, snarling. "I guess it really does have steel fangs! I just got this sword . . . " He says, kneeing the Raikan in the gut, making it wheeze and release the blade. "I'M NOT GONNA LET YOU BREAK IT!" He swings the blade in an arc, slicing through the Raikan's head with a spray of blood. "Now I see that . . . Compared to those statues . . . you guys are totally weak." The remaining Steel-Fanged Raikan slinks back into the shadows, disappearing to lick its wounds. Midoriya opens up his Stats page. "Looks like all of my stats go up by one point every time I level up. I get three points when I complete a Daily Quest. And each time I level up, all five of my stats gain a point, for a total of five points. 

"Hunting Beasts seems like the fastest way to level up. I wonder how much difference each point makes. These Stats quantify things like Intelligence and Sense, too. But I guess the easiest to understand is Strength . . . My Strength is only at 20, but I definitely feel an improvement. Could it be that . . . every time my Ability Stats go up, the effectiveness increases with it? Either way, I know that I'll become more powerful the more I level up. I actually have a chance . . . at becoming stronger." He stands from where he'd been slumped against the wall, picking up his sword as he goes. 'Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. I only defeated a couple of Magic Beasts . . . ' "Do I not get any Magical Cores from these guys?" He muses, looking down at the dead body of a Steel Fang Raikan. "I thought all Magic Beasts living inside Dungeons had Cores . . . Is this place in a category of its own?" 'A strange phenomenon is happening to me. If I'm really being controlled by this game-like System, there's a high possibility that this Instance Dungeon and the Monsters inside of it have been specially designed by the System itself.' "So instead of Magical Cores, I get items . . . ?"

[Item: RAIKAN'S FANG]

Level of Difficulty: NONE
Type: MISCELLANEOUS

A large and sharp Lycan's fang. You can store this item in your Inventory or sell it at the Shop.

"There's even a Shop." He says with a chuckle, opening the window and selecting Raikan's Fang from the sell menu. "How does purchasing work?"

! NOTICE!

- You cannot make purchases at your current level.

"I guess beginners can't use the Purchase function." He sighs.

[Item: RAIKAN'S FANG]

Would you like to sell this item?

Sell                                Cancel

"Yes." The display chimes, and all the Raikan's Fangs in his inventory disappear. "Hmm, 20 Gold? Not sure how much that's worth in cash. Well, this Dungeon is probably . . . somewhere around E-Rank . . . So I don't think it's worth all that much. What should I do next . . . ?" He hefts his sword, resting it on his shoulder. "I can't leave this Dungeon until I've defeated the Boss. I could use a Hearthstone to get out of here, but I don't know when I'll be able to get one of those. Food shortage is going to be my main problem the longer I'm in here. Even though this is an E-Rank Dungeon, defeating the Boss by myself is more than I can handle. Wait, no . . . Maybe if I level up enough, it'll be possible. Though I could die . . . " His voice starts to shake. "Before making it that far." The shape of another Steel Fang Raikan looms from the mist, its red eyes glowing with pure malice.

An entire hoard of red eyes lights up behind it, showing Izuku just how numerous these cannon fodder were. He glares down the hall at them, rising from a crouch, sword in hand. "There's nothing to be afraid of. I've already died once." The lead Raikan snarls, jaws opening wide enough to swallow his arm. The others follow suit, roaring their challenge. He charges forward, his sword little more than a steel-and-blood-coloured blur at his side as he slashed, whirled, and dodged his way through the crowd of Monsters. He decapitates one and takes the paw off another in one swing, only for his momentum to be jerked to a halt when one of them grabs his hoodie. He swipes back at it and the wolf leaps away, landing in a crouch. More eyes glow in the darkness around him as he breathes heavily. "It's gonna take more than that to kill me!" His green eyes glow softly, lightening to almost a teal as blue light leaks from them.

"So put up a better fight. Otherwise, I'll feel bad . . . " His sword becomes a blur again as he darts forward, slicing through Raikans left right and centre. 'Give it your all. Let's fight at full force. As long as I'm alive, I'm gonna fight with everything I've got.'

! NOTICE!
LEVEL UP!

'I've come to a realization.'

! NOTICE!
LEVEL UP!

'If I give up here, I'll die in vain!!' He slices through the last Raikan.

! NOTICE!

LEVEL UP!

'I won't be able to protect my loved ones!' He thinks of Kitoa in her uniform and his mother, Inko, stuck in an Eternal Sleep. Another wave of Raikans appear, snarling. 'I'll end up losing everything. I can't keep hiding in the shadows like a weakling.' He grips the handle of the sword tighter, the worn leather creaking under his fingers. 'If it means I can become stronger . . . then I'll gladly follow these ridiculous rules!!' He screams, charging the Beast-Type Monsters.

! NOTICE!

LEVEL UP!

Midoriya stands, panting, in the middle of a clear space, the ground around him piled high with bloody, red bodies. He lets out a long breath before picking his way out of the massacre scene, walking further down the hallway. A low growl comes from his left and he glances over, seeing what could only be described as a wall of red eyes and white nametags. It seems like the colour of the name signifies the Monster's strength, with red names being strong, like the Giant Sand Centipedes, orange being moderately strong, like the Raikans used to be, and white being easy. At this point, he'd been fighting the Raikans for so long that they were just cannon fodder; useless in terms of levelling up, and at this point they were little more than a nuisance.

! NOTICE!
You have gained the [TITLE: WOLF SLAYER].

"The edge of the blade's been damaged. I guess it's only a matter of time before a weapon gets worn out . . . Even if you buy an expensive item, it gets destroyed after using it in a few dungeons . . . " 'I once splurged over 500,00 Yen on a dagger. It definitely made Hunting easier . . . but it got smashed to pieces during the battle against the Boss. As a reward, I got three E-Rank Magic Cores that day. The losses outweighed the benefits, so I never bought another weapon after that.' His mouth curves into a soft smile as he looks at the sword. 'That's why I chose to fight one Beast at a time with my bare hands, even though it made things harder for me.'

"Thanks. Thanks to you . . . " He looks around at the massacre, more red bodies on the floor. " . . . Looks like I was somehow able to pull through."

[Title: WOLF SLAYER]

This title is given to Hunters who excel at hunting wolves. All your abilities will now increase by 40% when fighting against Beast-Type Monsters.

"I've got 34 Wolf Fangs, two Worn Daggers, a Traveller's Cloak, and a Hearthstone. That was easier to find than I thought." He pulls the Hearthstone from his pocket. "A Hearthstone. Should I go back?" He sighs, looking around, then at the stone in his hand, tightening his grip before slipping it back in his pocket. "No. I don't know if I'll ever get the chance to boost my powers like this again. What will happen to the Dungeon if I use the Hearthstone? Will it disappear? Could be possible, if this Dungeon is like the other time-based events created by the System." He walks further into the Dungeon, sword almost dragging in the ground. "Though ultimately, that means an unknown being is controlling me . . . It feels like I'm just a pawn in their game." He narrows his eyes. "Do I go forward? Or retreat . . . ?"

His sword flashes through the air over and over.

! NOTICE!

LEVEL UP!

! NOTICE!

LEVEL UP!

! NOTICE!
LEVEL UP!

'Every time I level up . . . little by little . . . fighting against these Magic Beasts becomes easier.' He slashes at a large black panther, cutting it clean in half, the continuation of the strike decapitating a green monkey to his right, before he switches his blade's direction, slicing through another monkey to his left.

[YOU HAVE DEFEATED A RAZOR-CLAWED BRIGA.]

[YOU HAVE DEFEATED A BLACK-SHADOW RAZAN.]

[YOU HAVE DEFEATED A BLACK-SHADOW RAZAN.]

'I can definitely feel myself getting stronger.' "This place is different from a regular Dungeon. Because these Monsters keep respawning . . . it's like they're not actual living creatures. This feels exactly like a game where you fight against monsters with a set pattern. If I could just learn the pattern . . . I'D AT LEAST BE ABLE TO ANTICIPATE WHERE THEY'RE COMING FROM!" 'Monkeys jump down from above . . . And cats flank from the left and right, one at a time.' He stabs upwards, splitting a monkey in half before reversing his grip on the blade, decapitating the left Briga before splitting the second one, coming at him from the right, in half vertically. A Steel Fang Raikan jumps at him from behind and he whirls around, swiping diagonally. The wolf splits in half cleanly, both halves dropping to the ground with loud, dull thumps.

"The label of each Magic Beast changes colour based on how strong they are. If that label is white, that means the beast is relatively weak. Orange means they're the same level as you or stronger . . . And red means they're significantly stronger. The Raikan's label used to be orange, but now it's white . . . So I must've gotten a lot stronger. Still, at my current level . . . I might not be able to defeat the beast down there . . . " He turns to look down the stairs, into the looming darkness. An ominous presence radiated from the stairwell, raising the hairs on his arms. "I'm getting goosebumps. My Sense stats have increased . . . which is why I know for sure . . . that the thing lurking down there . . . is a monster. I can feel just how strong it is . . . I don't think I'm gaining any more levels by staying here . . . And my sword won't make it if I continue to fight unnecessary battles."

He looks down at the chipped, bloodied and worn blade with a sigh. Bracing himself, he walks into the darkness of the stairwell, descending to the Boss Room. "Is it just me, or are these stairs taking longer than usual to go down?" He looks at the moss and grass covering everything again, then up to the room in front of him. The subway tracks were submersed in water, and there was plant life everywhere. It was also very dark, with his sight only being enough for a few metres before things got lost in the gloom. "Is this really Tatooin Station?" he mused. Something moved to his right, in the water, and he only just managed to raise his sword to block a strike that would have otherwise taken off his head. 'So fast!' Sparks fly from the impact, and the blow sends him flying back into the wall. His back slams into the concrete hard, forcing a strange noise and all the air from his body out his mouth.

Small flecks of blood and spittle fly out as well, and he drops to the ground, coughing and gasping for breath. He looks down at his sword, and his eyes widen. The blade had snapped, leaving him with something closer to a dagger, with a very blunt tip. 'My sword . . . ?!' He climbs to his feet, panting, and glares at the boss. "I thought I levelled up quite a bit . . . but your name's still orange." The enormous cobalt snake hisses, orange highlights flashing in its scales as it rears above him.

[SWAMP'S RULER, BLUE POISON FANGS RASAKA]

Its mouth opens wide, revealing serrated, dagger-like steel fangs as it lunges, black tongue flickering out. "Are you the one in charge here . . . ?" He reverses his grip on his sword, holding it like a dagger, and stands tall, squaring off against his opponent. Midoriya looks it over, analysing the beast. Hard, plated blue scales with tiny, needle-width chinks covered the snake's entire body, save for its eyes and the inside of its mouth. 'Sword attacks won't work against those scales. Simply punching him won't work, either.' Rasaka hisses, lunging forward with its jaws wide open. 'It's using speed and its own body weight to attack!' Midoriya leaps out of the way, dragging his broken sword down its side as he dodges. 'I have to break down its defences while it's attacking me. But how am I supposed to cut through those thick scales?!' Rasaka's body slams into the ground inches from his feet, and the impact sends chunks of concrete flying everywhere.

Another coil of Rasaka comes flying for his body as the snake thrashes around, tearing up the structures around it. Midoriya presses the blade against its scales, holding it in place with his forearm as the scales flash past at a rapid pace. "MMPH! I'll die if I get a direct hit!!" Rasaka flicks its tail, sending Midoriya flying back into the wall again. "I thought I got a little bit stronger, but . . . was that not enough . . . ?" He gasps, spluttering and coughing as he tries to regain his breath. "How much stronger do I have to get . . . " He pushes himself to his feet, collecting the stub of a sword as he moves. Holding it in a reverse grip, he points it at the pink flesh inside Rasaka's mouth as the serpent lunges, hissing loud enough to shake the walls. ' . . . In order to overcome my past?' Sparks fly as the steel of Rasaka's fang collides with the sword. Rasaka's tail whips out again, knocking him away.

"I'm weak. That's why I got that nickname . . . " He charges forward, sword held out to the side. "I'm ashamed to be such a weak Hunter! Even I think I'm pathetic . . . !" 'Powerful strength. Overwhelming power is the only way to make people bow their heads . . . and kneel before you.' Midoriya thinks back to the Double Dungeon, and the Statue of God inside it. 'Fake hypocrisy won't protect me. No matter what kind of strategies your opponents use . . . they'll become helpless in the face of power. They might attempt to stand up against the terror, but will quickly be brought down to their knees again. People look down on me because I'm weak. People might thank you . . . for your intelligence . . . or wisdom, but . . . in the face of power . . . they'll easily betray you!!' He grits his teeth, slashing at Rasaka's scales again. 'I must become stronger. I came all this way to become stronger.'

Rasaka's tail flicks out a third time, flinging him face-first into the wall with enough force to break bones. But . . . he didn't break. He hurt, sure, but nothing was broken. He got to his feet, shaking from exertion and breathing hard. "I must . . . I must become stronger . . . " His eyes glow with fierce light as they pale to something closer to blue than viridian, black-and-purple lightning not dissimilar to the energy that laces a Gate crackling over his form. Rasaka hisses its challenge, jaws unhinging to strike, and shoots forward. Midoriya was already moving, leaping out of the way with his sword still in hand. 'Not yet . . . Not yet!' He scrapes his blade along Rasaka's side again, running full pelt around the snake. 'Compared to the Statue of God . . . Compared to the fear I felt that day . . . you don't scare me one bit!' Midoriya leaps forward with the broken sword as Rasaka's mouth opens wide enough to swallow him whole.

He dodges to the side, dragging his blade down the entire length of the snake's body as he sprints past, eliciting a loud shriek of metal and a flurry of sparks. Rasaka's viper-like head turns, jaws snapping shut just inches from his hand. He lets go of the blade and jumps back before latching onto the snake, just behind his head. He squeezes his arms tight, applying momentous pressure to the snake's oesophagus. "I POURED EVERYTHING INTO MY STRENGTH STATS!" Midoriya yells, feeling the scales crack under the pressure, craters forming under his fingers. "I SHOULD HAVE ENOUGH STRENGTH NOW TO . . . !" Rasaka thrashes violently, throwing its body into the walls, the floor, the ceiling, anything to get the constricting pressure off of its throat. It hisses furiously, slamming Midoriya into the wall and squashing him with its body, but he hangs on grimly, tightening his grip. 'DIE!' Blood spurts from Rasaka's mouth. 'DIE!' "DIE!" He screams, squeezing with all of his considerable strength, eyes glowing a bright, icy blue. The snake's scales cave almost completely under his hands.

"Mr. Izuku Midoriya hasn't returned yet?" A doctor asks.
"No. He left this morning . . . " The receptionist replies.
"The sun set a while ago. He's still not back?"
"Well, he's doing much better and will be discharged soon anyway."
"It's hard to tell with Hunters. You never know what might happen. He should be in his room, recovering." He sighs. "They say High-Ranking Hunters are millionaires, but Low-Ranking Hunters don't make much, and are constantly in danger . . . I don't get why they do it." He huffs, shaking his head. "You should see the Hunters admitted into the Intensive Care Unit. It's horrifying."
"How so?" The receptionist asks, her interest piqued.

"I have no idea what goes on inside those Dungeons, but . . . those injuries they sustain are severe. They come in here covered in blood . . . They're totally different from the patients we normally get. I'm amazed that they're able to survive under those circumstances."
"It's a miracle that they're even able to make it out of those Dungeons alive after sustaining so many injuries." The receptionist shivers.
"That's not entirely true." The doctor replies. "A weak Hunter is still much stronger than the average person. They may look normal, but they're monsters on the inside."

! NOTICE!
LEVEL UP!
LEVEL UP!
LEVEL UP!

"Haa . . . haa . . . haa . . . " Midoriya pants, slumped against the wall. The heavy panting slowly turns to laughter, and he grins. "I guess . . . This means I've become . . . A little bit stronger, right?"

! NOTICE!

[You have defeated SWAMP'S RULER BLUE POISON FANG RASAKA]

[Item: RASAKA'S VENOM GLAND]

Level of Difficulty: A
Type: POISON

A pouch containing refined venom from Rasaka. You have a slim chance of obtaining this item. Drinking this venom will make your skin tough, but your muscles will be permanently damaged due to the poison.

- Effect "Rasaka's Iron Scales": 20% less physical damage
- Side-effect "Muscle Damage": -35 Strength

[Item: RASAKA'S FANG]

Level of Difficulty: C
Type: DAGGER
Attack: +25

A dagger made from Rasaka's fang. Rasaka's venom still remains within it, thus causing Paralysation and Bleeding when used on an opponent. Can be stored in your Inventory or sold in the Store.

- Effect "Paralyse": The opponent will be paralysed at a certain rate.
- Effect "Bleed": The opponent will lose 1% Health every second.

"My clothes are a mess . . . and the sword I just got is destroyed." Midoriya looks sadly down at the weapon, now little more than a stub. "Ugh. My body feels kind of sore, too. But . . . " He grins, taking in his new daggers. "I got something even better than Heatwave-Sensei's sword. It's a dagger made out of fangs, not bones." He says, looking at the weapon's Stats. "My attack has doubled?! There's even an option to use Paralyse and Bleed effects. Though in comparison, this seems a bit trickier to use." He says, looking at Rasaka's Venom Gland. "I'll keep it stored for now."

! NOTICE!

[You have defeated the Boss. The Dungeon will now be restored to its original state.]

Blue light covers the station as it becomes brighter and cleaner, although it was still suspiciously quiet. "Is it over . . . ?" He sighs and climbs out of the subway station. Upon reaching the top of the stairs, he looks around at the quiet street. "There's nobody around. What time is it?"
"What are you doing?" A soldier with a gun asks, startled. "Why did you step out of there? Didn't you hear the announcement?"
'A soldier?'
"What happened?" Midoriya asks, looking around. The soldier looks startled.
"Wait, are you being serious right now . . . ?!" He glances down at the broken sword in Midoriya's hand, then to his ragged clothing, coming to a realisation. "Are you a Hunter?"
"Yes, I am, but-" Midoriya starts, only to be cut off by the soldier.

"Ah, I apologise. Allow me to escort you." He says, saluting. "Right this way."
"Ah . . . okay." Midoriya says, dazed and more than a little confused. 'What time is it?' The soldier moves away, and Midoriya walks after him. As they walk, Midoriya notices the damage surrounding him; crushed cars, massive craters in the road, chunks missing from buildings, dead monsters everywhere. 'Looks like a Gate opened up nearby.' "Did the Magic Beasts get through the Gate?"
"The ones in this area have all been taken care of. There's just this one large beast left." The soldier replies. Midoriya's eyes narrow, then widen. 'Maybe it's because of my sensory stats, but . . . I can feel it.' His eyes were glowing an icy blue again, and he turned to stare in a certain direction. He stares up as massive amounts of Mana flow upwards, lighting up the area. 'It's a Boss.'

The enormous stone golem glowed with a harsh blue light, not too dissimilar to Midoriya's own eyes when using his Awakened abilities. It stomped towards the heroes trying to keep it away, swinging its giant fists and beating everyone back. It bellowed as branches crawled up its arms, trying to restrain it. The golem simply pulled its hands apart, tearing through the wood. A large lady, as big as the golem itself, was kicking at it, but it wouldn't budge.
"Please don't take photos!" One of the soldiers holding back the massive crowd gathered nearby calls, sounding tired. "Please evacuate as quickly as possible!"
"What are all the Heroes and Hunters doing?" Someone in the crowd asks as a man that looked to be made of wood leaped from the golem's arms to its head, then to its shoulders, avoiding attacks and trying to restrain the beast.

"How long are they gonna fight?" Someone else asks, sounding bored and tired.
"I wish they'd hurry up and get rid of it." Gate breaches like this weren't nearly as common as Villains running rampant in the streets, but they were still treated as a spectacle by the general population, little more than a show. "This is a complete mess."
"Please evacuate!" The soldier calls again, trying his best.
"They're causing so much damage. What if the property values go down?" Someone complains.
"HEALERS!" The wooden man yells. "FOCUS YOUR HEALS ON THE TANK!" Their tank was a large, round man in a bright yellow jumpsuit with a shield.
"WE'RE DOING THE BEST WE CAN!" One of the Healers yells back, hands glowing with a golden aura as he focuses on the Tank.

"DAMAGE DEALERS! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? DOESN'T LOOK LIKE THIS GUY'S TAKEN ANY DAMAGE." The giant lady yells, kicking at the golem again and getting a sore foot for her troubles.
"ITS DEFENSES ARE TOO STRONG!" The tank yells. "AND WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MAGE HUNTERS OR RANGED QUIRKS TO COUNTER IT!" Midoriya stands in the crowd, watching with a bored expression. 'Is it because they were called here last minute?' He wonders as the soldier that escorted him yelled for the crowd to let them through. Nobody moved. That was fine, though. 'Their attacks aren't coordinated. And all of them are in Low-Tier Ranks. I think eight of them are E-Rank and one is a D-Rank. If Kamui and Mount Lady worked together, they might be able to bring it down.'

He turns his attention to the Tank. 'Fatgum can't land any final blows because he's a Tank. That's why the battle is dragging on . . . The Healers consist of . . . two D-Ranks and one B-Rank . . . Huh?' His vision zeroes in on the B-Rank Healer, who was none other than Momo Yaoyurozu.
"HEY! WHAT'RE YOU DOING!" A Hunter with a crossbow and throwing knives yells, looking back at her. "GIMMIE SOME HEALING, QUICK! YOU SAID YOU WERE A B-RANK HEALER! DON'T JUST STAND THERE, C'MON!"
"Right . . . Okay!" Yaoyurozu says, generating a potion and tossing it to the woman, who chugs it quickly before turning back to the Golem.
"What's up with her?" Yaoyurozu shakes, stopping halfway through making a second potion, the glow in her hand fading as her body shakes.

'If I back down now, I won't be able to get back up . . . ' The golem stamps on the ground, trying to step on Fatgum, and she flinches, her mind flashing back to the Statue of God and the Double Dungeon she had barely escaped with her life.
"It's been a week since the incident . . . " Midoriya mutters, watching. ""Looks like she hasn't been able to overcome her trauma yet. Well, I understand why . . . Since I'm also . . . " 'No.' He rolled up his sleeves. 'I must overcome this.' He felt energy build up in his muscles as he widened his stance, staring the boss down. 'The Boss is around D-Rank. It's a step down from the Boss I fought earlier. If I can just break down his defences . . . ' He slides his right foot back, bracing. 'I'll have a chance! I need to land a single heavy blow to smash through those hunks of stone!' He drew his arm back, energy pooling in the limb, then launched it forward, throwing the broken sword like a javelin. 'Go!' A loud bang echoes from Midoriya's position as he releases the weapon, sending it arrowing straight for the golem's head.

"AT THIS RATE, WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!" One of the Healers yells, looking to his companion.
"IF THE HIGH-RANKING HUNTERS OR HEROES DON'T SHOW UP SOON . . . " She replies, trailing off. The words left unsaid hang heavy in the air . . . We'll all be gone, and that monster will be free to wreak havoc.
"N-NO!" Fatgum yells as his shield dents.
"FATGUM WILL BE KILLED IF HE KEEPS GOING LIKE THIS!" Already, the man's usually round body was looking slimmer, more well-muscled and defined. That wasn't a good sign. "WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?! I'M ABOUT TO RUN OUT OF MANA!"
"Huh?" Fatgum says, eyes widening slightly as the golem stumbles backwards a little before the thing's head explodes outwards, leaving a crater where its left eye should have been.

"We did it! Our attacks are working!" Mount lady cheers, kicking at the thing again as it stumbles. "It's collapsing! Just a little more! Now's the time to hurry up and attack!" She kicks it one final time, square in the chest, and the golem topples backwards, landing in the road with a loud crunch and a cloud of debris. "We did it! We defeated it!" The heroine cheers, shrinking back down to human size.
'What?! Up until a moment ago, our attacks had no impact. Why did he collapse all of a sudden?! This can't be. None of our attacks were working. What was that thing that flew over here just now? Did that knock the golem out? What the hell made that stone giant's head explode?' Fatgum thinks, walking over to the remains of the Beast's head. A shattered sword is the only thing left of the area where the golem's head used to be.

'The Boss-Level golem didn't budge when over 10 Heroes and Hunters attacked at once. So how could a mere dagger knock him out . . . ? Who the hell was it?!' He turns to the soldier that had been trying to keep the crowd back. "HEY, YOU!" He calls.
"Yes? Are you talking to me?" The soldier asks, turning towards him.
"Did you happen to see the person who threw this?" Fatgum asks, holding the broken sword in one hand.
"Oh, it belonged to that Hunter over there . . . " The man turns to point to Midoriya, but the boy was gone. "Eh? Weird. There was a Hunter here just now."

Midoriya walked back to the hospital in the rain. He didn't know when the drizzle had started; sometime during the fight, he assumed.
'The strength, the destructive power . . . Could it have been a High-Ranking Hunter?'
'Didn't think a single blow would knock it out . . . Maybe the others exhausted it . . . ' He turned the corner and jogged the rest of the way to the hospital.
" . . . Midoriya-Kun?" Yaoyurozu asks, seeing a mop of bright green curls round the corner and disappear.