Chapter 7 – Too easy
I called for a ride as soon as I was done and I was driven to the [Frozen Wasteland] dungeon in 20 minutes. I still had that same backpack with me as it should be more than enough to carry [Core]s that drop even if I dive multiple times
I placed my hand on one of the squares of the monolith, and I was back onto the cold floor with rushing wolves once more. Rank E dungeon, 20 floors, just how fast would it take for me to clear you now that I have Rank D skills?
I quickly activated [Arctic Armor] and [Safeguard], as I wanted to ascertain just how useful the skills were going to be. I immediately felt like my entire body was rooted to the ground as I couldn’t move a single muscle
A transparent layer of energy quickly formed on top of the [Arctic Armor], and the rushing wolves arrived. The nearest one took a swipe with its huge claws, but I didn’t even feel an impact as the wolf was bounced back
The rank D [Safeguard] provided almost absolute defense against lower-ranking monsters and skills, this held true. With both defense skills on, I watched as the wolves rushed at me and tried clawing, biting, and anything else they could think of, but they didn’t even touch my clothes
With my confidence slowly coming back, I then cast a skill I was very much looking forward to, [Flames of Torment]
A blinding ray of flames quickly sprouted in front of me, piercing two of the wolves that were standing opposite me. The flames literally incinerated the area where they touched the monsters, leaving holes in their bodies
The 2 remaining wolves beside me let out frightened yelps, but I didn’t give them any time and had two condensed fireballs quickly explode on their heads. I deactivated [Flames of Torment] & [Safeguard] and could move again, and I went to check out the wolves pierced by the pillar of flames upfront
A burnt smell was in the air, as the wolves had almost half of their bodies burnt away. The blood remaining on the other half of their bodies was even bubbling and sizzling
Damn. I kept my amazement inside as I rushed forward, wanting to see more of just how this deadly new skill was. I only kept [Arctic Armor] active and continued indiscriminately throwing fireballs in front of me so that I could increase its proficiency
Now that I was becoming more familiar with skills, it seems that the closer the proficiency nears 100, the closer the skill becomes able to deal just as much damage as a skill of the next rank. As the F rank [Fireball] neared 100 in proficiency, its speed and damage was almost the same as an E rank offensive skill
I didn’t want to completely abandon [Fireball] now that I had the rank D skill, [Flames of Torment], as it was still very effective when used well.
On the next floor, as soon as the wolves began appearing I initiated [Flames of Torment]. I made the pillar of fire move horizontally instead of just shooting straight, causing it to literally melt the beasts in half. All 5 rushing wolves. Dead from one attack. Haha! I was already falling in love with this skill!
Feeling the rush of easily overpowering these monsters, I rushed down the floors even faster. No matter if it was the wolves, the foxes, or the Musk Ox, [Flames of Torment] did not discriminate and easily burned holes through the beasts with its extremely high heat
The feeling of adrenaline slowly faded as I stood by the stairs to the BOSS once more. I was decent enough to leave in one piece yesterday, but I was gonna be sure to take it out even more thoroughly today
I went down the stairs and watched the slumbering mass of a beast get up once more, Its bright red eyes trying to pierce through me.
Without wasting a beat, a pillar of flames sprouted in front of me like a blooming red flower. The rising bear raised its huge paws to protect its body once more, but this time there was no rest from the flames
GRAAAA!!!
A mournful howl was released as the beast’s limbs did not last even a second, blasting them apart in an explosion of flesh and bones, continuing onto the body of the bear!
A sizzling hole was quickly apparent at the center of the beast’s chest, stopping its howls short, and causing it to plummet back down to the cold hard ground
BOOM!
Controlling my breath, I looked down at the huge mass that was now burning in front of me. Something that gave me fear the day before, did not even manage to come a few meters near me now
I closed my eyes as I relished this feeling, and then went forward to grab the [Core]s and…oh?
It wasn’t a skill book this time around, but…an [Item]. I was quickly able to identify the equipment beside the huge bear, [Swift Boots: Increase the speed of the wearer]. The item brought a smile to my face, as they rarely dropped and could fetch a high price. The best thing about items is that you can use, reuse, and then sell them without them ever losing their value
I put the boots on, feeling my body get noticeably lighter. I dashed around and confirmed that I could more easily move around.
Swiftly clearing the Rank E dungeon [Frozen Wasteland], a sense of accomplishment rose as I went towards the green crystal. Before going out though, I took out a few of the [Vitality] and [Strength] cores that I had collected in this run and began absorbing them
Rank F [Core]s allowed a hunter to be strengthened up to 50 attribute points, Rank E [Core]s up to 100, Rank D up to 150, and on and on. The hunters standing atop the world currently had their attribute points nearing 300. It didn’t matter how many F ranked [Core]s you consumed, if you wanted to go past 50 on your attribute, you had to absorb rank E cores, with the process repeating for higher ranks. Absorbing rank E [Core]s while my stats were still under 50 only made them rise a bit faster
I stopped absorbing once [Vitality] and [Strength] both reached 50, and as usual, [Focus] was blank so all those cores were saved up in the bag. I wrapped everything up and approached the crystal to leave the dungeon.
As I touched the crystal and I was transported outside the monolith, I debated whether I should repeat this dungeon, or go towards one of the few Rank D dungeons in Outer Bank X
I currently held 2 rank D skills, one of which was shredding the monsters in this Rank E dungeon as if they were paper, the other, once activated anyways, would make me almost impermeable to any damage below Rank D, and provide huge defense when facing monsters of equivalent rank
For time efficiency, it makes a lot more sense to head to a higher-ranked dungeon, which will mean more floors, more monsters, and better drops. This time around though, I couldn’t be reckless.
Since I was already at [Frozen Wasteland] though, and it took me less than 20 minutes to clear everything, it shouldn’t be an issue to repeat this dungeon once or twice. There will be no surprises and my safety is guaranteed…as well as the fact that there are so few people here
I made up my mind and approached one of the squares of the monolith again, placing my hand and disappearing right after.
The 2nd run of [Frozen Wasteland] today brought me more [Core]s, with the addition of [Blade Strike: With a swing of your sword, unleash a deadly strike upon your enemies]. This skill wasn’t that useful for me, so I threw in the backpack and went in again for the third time today
The 3rd run of [Frozen Wasteland] gave me a similar amount of [Core]s, this time with a fairly rare skill, [Summon Golem: Summons a single partner to fight on your behalf]. Many hunters would buy this skill as soon as it hits the shelf, as it allows casters to effectively have another tank, or the Knights and Berserkers to have a partner to take the damage for a few seconds. It doesn’t really go with my style though, as it will be a slow-moving golem, and I rush through these monsters fairly fast. All that it meant for me was being able to receive more money for a skill
Fourth run, only [Core]s, not a single skill book or item. This run bummed me out.
Fifth run, more cores, and 1 item: [Kenshin’s Sword]. As simple as that, it was a sword. I wasn’t planning on getting near any monsters, so this would be getting sold too. My backpack was nearly overflowing though, so I will be heading to an Awakened Center to sell the things I’ve collected so far. I was looking forward to this, as my profits now would easily pass half a million, meaning I can finally grab myself a Rank C skill…
[Noah][Occupation: Hunter]
[Vitality: 50]
[Focus: – ]
[Strength: 50]
[Skill(s): (F-Fireball-96)(F-Heal-10)(E-Arctic Armor- 79)(D-Flames of Torment-31)(D-Safeguard-8)]
[Equipment: (E-Swift Boots)]
Chapter 8 – Offense is the best defense?
In an unknown mansion somewhere in Outer Bank X…
“Sir, we noticed an abnormality in one of the dungeons today.” (Butler)
“Oh? And what happened?”
The butler observed the disinterested look on the man in front of him and continued. “The E rank dungeon, [Frozen Wasteland], has suddenly gone from a risky assessment of moderate to low”
“Oh, so someone is doing my job for me while I’m busy with the C rank dungeon?”
“Yes sir…but the problem is, this change occurred in the span of 2 hours”
As soon as the butler finished these words, the eyes of the man he was talking to flashed. “Who was it? A team or a Ranker that just appeared?”
“We don’t know Sir, we’re currently checking.” Butler
“Good, let me know as soon as you find out. Are the girls ready?” The man’s attention quickly moved to the floor above him where he could feel some movements.
“Yes Sir”
“All newly awakened?”
“Yes Sir…”
“Good, don’t bother me for the next hour.”
The butler in a clad black suit watched as the man climbed the stairs. His major worry right now was the fact that a dungeon had moved from a moderate risk level to low in a period of two hours. This required a dungeon to be cleared by a team of highly skilled hunters, or one very skilled Ranker, multiple times in those 2 hours
There was currently only one hunter in Outer Bank X who would be able to bring a specialized team to clear a dungeon at such high speeds, and he was looking at him now heading to perform some…activities
The butler bowed towards his benefactor and then turned around to find out just which new hunters had appeared in their city.
—
I was back in the central Awakened Center of Outer Bank X, currently selling the items I didn’t need along with the [Core]s I didn’t absorb. Before coming down here I made sure to absorb the E rank cores until I hit 70 attribute points for [Vitality] and [Strength]. I slowly adapted to the newfound power my body felt as I moved around, exhilarated at my fast progress
The remaining cores, items, and skill books were all sold and I soon had an extra $674,000 deposited in my account. This was something unbelievable unless you were a high ranking Hunter
The receptionist handling my order was shocked as the number of things I was bringing in did not match the rank on my license in any way. I had the plan to be tested and increase my rank today anyways. A jump from F to D wouldn’t be too out of this world, right?
This was something I was hesitating on as it had only been 2 days since I was registered as an F rank hunter. Heads will definitely be turned my way if I jump ranks this quickly. I still didn’t feel comfortable enough to parade myself as someone strong when my highest skills currently were rank D and I was just about get a rank C skill. Increasing my rank can wait for now, there’s no rush
I was heading towards the [Skill Book] Shop to buy a skill I had already seen yesterday, but I couldn’t buy. Rank C skill, [Arcanist’s Sphere of Protection: Arcane energies protect the caster from all harm, but at a great cost]
There were very few rank C skills for sale, as the highest C rank dungeon was regularly being cleared by the only B rank hunter in Outer Bank X with his own team. Over the last few months, many of the C rank skills came from them
[Arcanist’s Sphere of Protection] provided absolute defense to any attacks of the same rank thrown your way along with a high defense against skills of a higher rank, did not have any movement effect like [Safeguard], but required a large amount of energy to be kept active
My heart was about to leap out of my chest as I bought this killer skill. I’ve heard the proverb that offense is the best defense, but right now looking at this skill, defense was definitely the best defense. There were other spectacular C rank offensive skills on display that I wanted to buy, but they would have to wait after I dive into dungeons a few more times and raise my funds once more
The offensive skills would definitely decimate everything on sight if I were to spam them, but they won’t guarantee my life. So defense first, offense later.
On Top of the defensive rank C skill, I also bought rank D [Danger Sense], which quite literally let you sense anything that might take your life a few seconds before it happened. It was an invaluable skill that also had high energy usage to be kept active all the time.
[Arcanist’s Sphere of Protection] cost me $550,000, with [Danger Sense] taking away another $100 k. I gave a look at the rank C offensive skills that I couldn’t yet buy and left the Awakened Center to head towards my apartment this time. I was planning on spending the night there and grab my laptop along with other essentials
After giving directions to the driver, I relaxed in the back of the car and learned [Arcanist’s Sphere of Protection] and [Danger Sense]. I immediately activated [Danger Sense], but nothing felt any different. I’m assuming I would feel something if my life was ever in danger
We arrived at the dilapidated apartment complex in half an hour. I gave the place a glance before heading towards the room I’ve been living in for the past months
Opening the door, I was shocked to find out there was someone in my apartment. The moment that person turned, A loud ringing sound went off in my head. This…was dangerous
The man was decked in clothes that let off a blue light, which means they were all [Item]s. He spoke as soon as his eyes landed on my face
“Noah Osmont. Parents deceased, living alone, has been a registered hunter for about 2 days” The man was flipping through some papers while speaking. I had recognized his face, he was a celebrity in Outer Bank X
My face quickly became stern and I activated [Arcanist’s Sphere of Protection]
He looked up and gave a surprised look before continuing. “Dungeon diving history includes [Ape’s Paradise] and [Frozen Wasteland]. Has been observed to enter both dungeons alone and clear them with some of the fastest clear speeds. Now, why would a man like you be hiding your power?” He wrapped up the papers and gave me a piercing look
My entire body felt like it was on pins and needles. I took a quick breath and calmed myself down while remembering I had a C rank defensive skill activated right now and said. “I didn’t want any trouble the first few days after awakening.”
“Trouble huh? Well, it always manages to find us” He stared around my apartment before continuing. “I won’t be here long, I’m a very busy man. I came to offer an olive branch”
He walked around my apartment and continued talking in that arrogant tone “The highest dungeon in this beautiful city of ours requires me and a team of others to regularly clear so that a dungeon break does not occur. Looking at your past 2 days history, and the fact that you can comfortably keep that defensive skill active after all this time…means your power should be upper-Rank C, even possibly nearing B”
He gave a smile as he said that last part. This man was the top ranker in Outer Bank X. B rank hunter, Cohen Anderson.
“We need more talents like you to keep the safety of this city and its…citizens. We have casualties every now and then and are in need of another powerful hunter in the team. The next dungeon dive is 3 days from now. We gather at [Solael’s Castle] at 10 am, be sure not to miss it.”
He finished the last few words, looked around some more, and walked out the door without giving me another look.
I felt anger quickly boiling up inside me before I squashed it down. How the hell did they find me so fast?!
I closed the door of the apartment and went towards a chair with a horrible expression on my face. Cohen Anderson. The most powerful hunter in this city, and the one at the forefront of the defense against the C rank dungeon, [Solael’s Castle]
The dungeon monolith always showed a deep orange hue, showing that it could shine red at any moment and cause a dungeon break. Cohen forms a party to clear this dungeon twice a week. The hunters that form this party always change though, as there are casualties in almost every dive
That was how hard a C rank dungeon was. Even with a B rank hunter leading the team, there were still casualties. This information was commonplace in the local hunter platforms. New hunters were regularly recruited to help in the defense of the city, but there would be a Memoriam at least once a week for a fallen Rank C hunter on the team
I wanted to increase my strength slowly before doing what I can to help without the risk of death, but I guess that’s out of the window.
My anger was kept in check as I recalled his tone that felt more like a command. Arrogance, that was all that I felt from him.
Sigh. This was what power could do to you. Cohen was widely known to be arrogant, but he was the strongest hunter in the city and could be relied on to prevent a dungeon break from [Solael’s Castle]
It looks like I will be visiting a C rank dungeon faster than I thought, but there was one thing he was wrong about. My power was definitely not upper-rank C or nearing B. As soon as I learned the appropriate skill book, with my endless casts nothing will stand in my way. A ferocious expression rose in my face as old plans were thrown out and new ones formed.
[Noah][Occupation: Hunter]
[Vitality: 70]
[Focus: – ]
[Strength: 70]
[Skill(s): (F-Fireball-96)(F-Heal-10)(E-Arctic Armor- 79)(D-Flames of Torment-31)(D-Safeguard-8)(D-Danger Sense-5)(C-Arcanist’s Sphere of Protection-2)]
[Equipment: (E-Swift Boots)]
9 Reflection and planning
I reviewed everything I had been doing so far and looked for what I could change. I was going to keep farming [Frozen Wasteland] tomorrow, but I would also be heading towards one of the rank D dungeons in the city, [Goblin King’s Abode], for at least a few rounds
I just learned a C rank defensive skill that most hunters can’t even use because of its high energy requirement. There shouldn’t be any surprises that might pop up to endanger my life. Along with the rank D [Flames of Torment], I should be able to clear the 30-floor dungeon without an issue
Another thing was the usage of my skills. If I really can cast endlessly, then I need to use this to my advantage even more. [Arcanist’s Sphere of Protection] and [Danger Senese] were still active. I sat on my old bed then closed my eyes, activating both [Safeguard] and [Arctic Armor] too
A few minutes passed and I calmed down some more and realized what I might have missed. [Frozen Wasteland] wasn’t as actively cleared as other E ranked dungeons and had a tint of orange. What would happen when it was cleared multiple times in one day? A change would be very noticeable.
Sigh. I looked to my ceiling as I realized how full of mistakes I still am. Today I’ll rest, tomorrow I’ll start moving for real.
—
The man adorned with rank C [Item]s sat in the back of a luxurious car heading back to his manor. He had a distasteful expression on his face as if he had just swallowed a bug.
There were very few people he hated in this world as he stood above the masses. Noah, the newly awakened hunter he just visited, landed near the top of the list of the most irksome people. It wasn’t whether he was strong or weak, it was his attitude.
He looked down on people with such a pathetic attitude. Wanting to lay low and evade danger after awakening to a powerful ability? Distasteful. You should use your God-given talents to help the other pathetic masses to live in this world a little longer. The strong ruled the weak in this era, and I do not want a weakling in my city. Either he falls in line or…
A phone quickly connected in the car and Cohen spoke. “Revise his danger level, make it B. He was able to use a defensive skill that would have taken me a few attacks to destroy, and it remained active the whole time I was talking to him. Find out which skill matches the description and gauge his power. He is most likely a naturally awakened individual with an [Inherent Skill] that adds a large amount of [Focus], allowing him to jump over rankings”
There was silence on the other end of the line before a reply came. “Yes Sir”
He was the only B Rank Hunter in Outer Bank X. He held the city’s life in his hands. He could do whatever he wanted with nobody batting an eye. The local government could not control him. Nobody else in this city could contend with him. And that is how things will stay
—
As soon as I got up in the morning, I compiled everything I knew about Cohen Anderson. Besides his unstable attitude, he was the only one in Outer Bank X holding a rank B skill. A few months back, when his team that was made up of rank C Hunters took down the BOSS of [Solael’s Castle] with half the team wiping, he was lucky enough to receive a rank B skill book from the BOSS
BOSSes rarely drop any skill books or items that are a higher tier then they are, but this chance increases when it is bosses from high ranking dungeons. A rank C dungeon is filled with hundreds of beasts of that level, along with a huge BOSS that earns the title of a Titan. These huge bosses are extremely powerful and have the chance of dropping something that is of higher rank than the dungeon itself.
Anderson was that lucky. He joined the ranks of B tiered Hunters and took his position at the top of this city. His team never remained the same over the months, with rank C hunters having a high mortality rate from the dangers of [Solael’s Castle]. I would soon be joining them a few days from now
I thought over everything and began moving, hailing a ride and heading down to [Frozen Wasteland] for the last time. Since they already know I cleared this, I’ll clear it a few more times to raise the fund for a skill I didn’t think I would need
I spent around 20 minutes for each run yesterday, and it took me less than two hours to clear it multiple times and bring in more than half a million. I’ll only need $400 k to get the skill that I have in mind though
This time around I was even more efficient. I entered the dungeon and immolated the huge bear another 3 times, giving me a multitude of [Core]s, and two skill books that were only worth selling
In less than an hour, I had finished with [Frozen Wasteland] and went down to the central Awakened Center to fully start my next phase of plans. The [Core]s and [Skill Book]s sold for $447,000, and I went towards the Skill Shop to buy the skill that will allow me to let loose with no reservations
The skill was still behind the thick glass, which I quickly called the person at the front desk and bought. Rank C skill, [Camouflage]. The skill allowed you to blend into your surroundings and had to be kept active to keep you from being seen. Besides extremely rich perverts, not many people used this skill
I would be relying on it to keep my movements hidden while I do things that go against the norm for many people even now.
I wasted no time learning the skill and went out of the Awakened Center. I still had my F rank license, and it would allow me to get past any gates no matter the rank. The gates and guards placed around the dungeon monoliths were to make sure normal people do not pass through and get themselves killed while trying their luck in the dungeon. Hunters could pass through the gate no matter the rank they held as long as they had a license, as many of the hunters congregating around dungeons wasn’t just for the purpose of diving
I called a ride and gave directions to head towards [Goblin King’s Abode].
Dungeons get progressively harder as the ranks increase, as can be seen how a rank C dungeon was barely being handled by a B rank hunter surrounded by rank C hunters. The difficulty from E to D hunters being able to notice you fairly easily. If someone were to be keeping tabs on me right now, I 15:16
am 100% sure it would not be a B rank hunter, so my movements from now on would be hidden
was also a huge gulf to cross for many, with D rank hunters opting to dive in groups of 10, or C rank hunters forming smaller groups to receive more profit.
Rank D dungeons are very profitable, but when you have to split the loot between 10 people, the returns are minimal when looking at the dangers you face.
I had the driver stop while we were at the center of downtown, where you could take many paths to get to a lot of dungeons. I found the nearest alley and activated [Camouflage] along with [Arcanist’s Sphere of Protection] and [Arctic Armor]. [Danger Sense] was still kept active all this time.
The rank C [Camouflage] could hide a hunter from anyone of that same rank, with powerful rank B hunters being able to notice you fairly easily. If someone were to be keeping tabs on me right now, I am 100% sure it would not be a B rank hunter, so my movements from now on would be hidden
I stepped out into the middle of the street with cars blazing down and people rushing about, not a single person was able to see anything, with a few bumping into me and tilting their heads to see exactly what hit them
As soon I confirmed the usefulness of the skill I rushed towards the direction of [Goblin King’s Abode] and arrived there in 20 minutes.
This time around, I didn’t bother showing my license and just passed through the man-made gates, the rank D guards on the side being none the wiser. None of the hunters clustered inside even looked my way either, increasing my confidence for the new plans from now on.
I then looked up at the huge monolith that shone with a blue hue. This dungeon was regularly cleared by rank C and D hunters, being one of the more profitable dungeons because of the special drop that occasionally comes out, [King’s Valor]. This item was a full body armor that increased your defense by a wide margin while not hindering your speed. As rank C [Item]s were extremely rare, and mostly hoarded by those diving into the only rank C dungeon, this item was one of the hottest pieces of equipment for hunters
I stopped reminiscing and went towards one of the square doors of the monolith, placing my hand and instantly being transported to [Goblin King’s Abode].
[Noah][Occupation: Hunter]
[Vitality: 70]
[Focus: – ]
[Strength: 70]
[Skill(s): (F-Fireball-98)(F-Heal-21)(E-Arctic Armor- 95)(D-Flames of Torment-49)(D-Safeguard-15)
(D-Danger Sense-33)(C-Arcanist’s Sphere of Protection-25)(C-Camouflage-3)]
[Equipment: (E-Swift Boots)]
Hi everyone. Comments, feedback, and reviews are appreciated as usual. Next chapter should be out in a few hours!
Adui
Chapter 10 – [Goblin King’s Abode]
The layouts of high ranking dungeons gradually became more extravagant. In [Goblin King’s Abode], the first floor you were transported into had overgrowths and trees all around. Goblins traveled in groups of 5 and paroled the entire floor. The moment you attacked one, they would alert others with a loud signal and have them all rush to where you were
Parties created to dive into this dungeon had to make sure they had enough damage dealers to take care of at least one of the groups before the other two groups rushed in. If your party ever found themselves surrounded by 3 groups of goblins, you had to say your prayers
I looked to the group of goblins that was just alerted in front of me. The goblins had a layer of green scales on them, with their heights reaching up to 3 meters. Four of them held clubs and maces with one holding a wooden staff
I began by testing the effectiveness of the rank F [Fireball] that had its proficiency almost reach a hundred, making it on par with E rank skills. The swirling fireball that was even further condensed rushed towards one of the goblins and exploded
The goblin was pushed back a few feet but quickly got back up like nothing was wrong. Its green scales were only slightly dented. Damn, here I was thinking [Fireball] might still have some uses in the future. Its fast casting and moving speed would actually be good if I was ever going against things that didn’t have such high defenses like monsters, but that wasn’t something I was looking forward to
The dashing goblins were almost here though, so I initiated my most offensive skill on hand, [Flames of Torment]. A line of fire quickly appeared in front of me, moving forward to hit the foremost goblin. There was a second of pause after the impact before a scream rang out as the line of fire pierced from the front to its back
I made a grasping motion to the pillar of flames and moved my hand to the right. The skill followed my command, acting like a thick rope that moved horizontally and bisected the heads of the two goblins on the right
The remaining two goblins were immediately frightened to see such quick deaths of their friends and they began dashing back. I wouldn’t give them a chance though, so I moved forward and kept the distance, quickly commanding the skill to coil around the two goblins, burning them to a crisp
Haha! This was a method I had begun using after becoming familiar with this skill. I didn’t have to just allow the skill to shoot flames in front of me, as my proficiency rose I could more easily control the pillar of flames to not just move forward, diagonally, or horizontally. With enough concentration, I could command the skill to act as agile as a rope to suffocate my enemies in flames
As soon as I finished them off, rustling sounds could be heard as another 5 goblins dashed in. I didn’t sit still this time around, giving them a cold grin and running towards them, a pillar of flames eerily squirming in front of me.
I practiced controlling and moving [Flames of Torment] as I liked, resulting in dying screams from the goblins. Soon enough, there were another 5 burnt monsters on their ground, their bodies still bubbling from the extreme heat
I had already taken two groups, there should be one more remaining. I didn’t wait for them to come and went towards the screams and sounds to the side, taking the last 5 down just as easy as their previous friends.
From then on, it was just me rushing down the floors, increasing the proficiency of my now favorite skill. On a few of the floors, I tested the effectiveness of [Camouflage] against monsters and the results were spectacular. I could sneak in a few meters around them without them noticing a single thing, but If I stayed at that location for just a few seconds or went in any closer to them then eyes would shift to where I was at.
I wasn’t sure if it was just sharper senses or a stronger nose that alerted them as you neared, but it was fun running around without being seen
From the 10th floor onward, more goblin archers and mages began appearing, shooting arrows, fireballs, lightning, and frost bolts towards me. I had [Arctic Armor] and [Arcanist’s Sphere of Protection] always active though, causing the arrows to be bounced away from my body and the spells to simply disappear the moment they came in contact with the transparent sphere around me
All they could see was a small being deflecting and absorbing their attacks while he lashed out with a thick pillar of fire that either tightened their bodies to death or blasted their heads apart. Surprising the goblin mages and archers with [Camouflage] was even deadlier, as they can’t even cast a single spell before they become lifeless
Adrenaline was coursing through me as I watched these D rank 3-meter tall monsters easily fall, but I reminded myself this wasn’t what I was aiming for. They were D rank, they were weak, just like me. I cannot think too highly of myself. Any random millionaire could buy skills just as strong and enough [Core]s to easily make someone just as powerful.
The change I wanted to make inside of me was to not feel that feeling of cowardice, that feeling of helplessness that I wallowed in for so long. Whatever stood in my way, whether it be human or monster, whether it be the largest Titans I will eventually be facing, I wanted to face it head-on without fear
I reigned in my emotions and rushed down the floors even faster.
Within an hour and a half, I had rushed down all 29 floors of the dungeon and stood near the last steps of stairs that would take me to the BOSS room.
I realized the pain of normal hunters and why most of them only dived into dungeons once or twice at most a day. Me rushing down while mowing enemies left and right still required me to spend a few minutes on each floor. There being so many floors and monsters, the hunters in a party had to put their lives on the line to kill monsters on each floor while resting to recover their energy and heal up right after
Just going through one dungeon could take them 5 hours or more. Me being able to endlessly cast my skills was such a huge thing that even now I found myself questioning if it was still real.
I went down the steps while making sure all defensive skills and even [Camouflage] was active, and I was soon in a huge clearing with a small mountain in the middle. Scratch that, not a mountain, just a very savage looking goblin that was about 6 meters in size. Its skin was shining a dark black that made it very prominent in this clearing. Holy shit. It held no weapons on its hands, and yet its hands alone seemed enough to smash anything coming near it
This BOSS was the killer of many Hunters, its large size and strength quickly weeding out inexperienced hunters from knowledgeable ones. At Least 2 rank D Knights or 1 rank C with the heaviest of armors were required in order to withstand even one of its strikes. You also better hope your team’s Mages and Berserkers were saving up their energy to unleash multiple spells and attacks on this beast to take it down in as little time as possible, or deaths would follow
I was a distance away from it, so I thought I wouldn’t be found out with [Camouflage] active, but it’s huge eyes honed in on me the instant I arrived in the clearing. So blending into your surroundings is not enough to evade the senses of this type of monster? And I wasn’t sure if this rank D boss could be classified as a Titan yet, but its size made me feel like an ant as I had to raise my head just to meet its gaze
I felt my blood pumping as I found myself in this staredown against something more than 3 times my size. I was not scared. I looked at this huge beast and I saw my goals. I saw my future!
I slowly began walking, and my walk gradually changed into a run. The beast stood still, not making a single sound. A smile broke out on my face as unrestrained laughter could be heard. A few meters long thick line of flames quickly appeared beside me as I charged towards this humongous beast
As soon as I got near it, a huge black fist covered the entirety of my sight. My laughter didn’t stop as the line of flames also shot out and wrapped around that fist. Then…a huge impact was felt
BOOM!!!
The fist felt like the whole world was dropped on me. I had seen it smash into the sphere that was protecting me, and instantly felt myself fly back at a speed I’ve never been exposed to before
BAM!
I was smashed into the wall behind me a second later, a spherical dent created as I dropped down to my feet. Not a single hair on my body was harmed, the rank C skill, [Arcanist’s Sphere of Protection], was not for show!
The beast in front of me didn’t stay silent anymore as a mournful howl rang throughout the huge clearing. Its right fist had fallen to the ground, forever removed from its arms. The calmness in its eyes was completely gone as its feet smacked the ground and jumped towards me
One of its remaining good hands reached out towards me as if trying to snuff out a candle. I commanded the cable of flames to twist and form into a circular shape while watching this palm crushing down on me. The circular line of flames then began spinning at high speeds when the palm landed
ZZIING!
A horrible sound could be heard as flesh and bones were cut apart. The Goblin’s King’s remaining arm was grotesquely bisected in the middle, dark red blood gushing out. We were only a meter apart, and I stared at its furious face as I commanded the spinning line of flames to rush at this giant’s neck
ZING!
A second passed, and then the head of the 6-meter tall monster crashed to the ground.
11 The right skills to buy
I let out a laugh as I relished on the feeling of taking down such a humongous beast.
I was even happier from learning how to better use your skills as your proficiency rose. [Flames of Torment] shot out a line of flames in front of me when I first casted it, but as I gradually kept on using it, new ways to manipulate it came to light.
From being able to move the line of flames in the direction I wanted to twisting the thick flames like a rope, to now connecting their ends and adding a spin to it, making them even deadlier
This made me look forward to learning and improving higher ranking skills as time passed.
I continued thinking while observing the headless giant before I gathered the things that dropped. Aside from the [Core]s, there was also a rank D skill book, [Ice Shards: Drops sharp shards of ice at a specific location]
This skill book was in fairly high demand and could be sold for a decent amount of money. It didn’t fit with the current me and I wouldn’t be learning it as my goal now is to focus on obtaining an offensive rank C skill. Along with that, I wanted to buy other skills like [Arcanist’s Sphere of Protection], [Arctic Armor], and [Danger Sense] that could be activated, and on my case, become passive skills that only end after I command it
This was my next phase of plans, skills that I could turn on and keep on without them requiring anymore thought from me. If I can collect a multitude of support and defensive skills that provide a variety of effects and layer them on top of each other…just the thought of it kept my blood pumping. The next skill will be a killer rank C skill that will be of use when I dive into [Solael’s Castle] in a few days, and the other skills I had in mind will follow after
[Flames of Torment] had a very high proficiency currently with its power most likely nearing rank C skills, but a genuine rank C offensive skill is nothing to laugh at with their large scale of damage
I sat down besides the fallen giant and began absorbing the [Vitality] and [Strength] [Core]s it dropped. I had collected tons from the smaller goblins across the 29 floors, and planned to bring my [Vitality] and [Strength] attributes higher than 100.
As soon as I finished, I reached out towards the green crystal that rose when the goblin king was defeated and was transported outside. My [Camouflage] was already activated, and not a single one of the many hunters clustered in groups or selling items and skills around the encampment of the monolith noticed me
The areas around safe dungeons usually turned into small markets of their own, with hunters trading skills, cores, or items without going through official channels like Awakened Centers. The selling of these things around the dungeons gave much less profit though, so unless a hunter was willing to pay a high price for a specific skill or item they wanted, most people sell their loot to the Awakened Centers.
The government controlling these centers gobbled up everything they could, paying top prices for materials to strengthen their soldiers. The funny thing about it though was how many of these soldiers would be stationed in high end cities where the rich were clustered together. That’s just how this world was.
I ignored the hustle and bustle of the environment and neared one of the square doors of the monolith, being transported back into [Goblin King’s Abode] for another run. I was planning to dive into dungeons like a madman for the days to come and accumulate as much as I could before being fully prepared for any situations when diving in to [Solael’s Castle] and dealing with that arrogant prick.
—
“Sir, we lost him a few hours ago after he got off a car downtown” Butler
“What? How do you lose someone when we have eyes all over the city?” Cohen asked the burly man that was dressed in a tuxedo over the phone.
“It was our mistake Sir, we’ll be sure to find him as soon as possible. If I may, I would like to share my thoughts about this subject though” The butler hung his head low as he talked to his master. This was the man that had saved his life when monsters were about to snuff it out, and he had been indebted to him from then on
He was an official holding a high position in a major firm, but he left everything behind and followed his master willingly over the past months, managing his financials and turning a blind eye to the many tastes his master had. After all, nobody was perfect.
“What is it?”
“There are many inconsistencies about him that we are unsure of, and have not yet grasped exactly how high his level of power is. My apprehension increased today as he was able to escape under the watch of many of our people. Might I suggest that we approach him in a different manner?” He carefully spoke out every word, making sure his words would not be the cause of anger
There was silence on the other end of the phone before Cohen spoke. “Do you doubt me?”
The butler quickly frowned and hung his head even lower before he replied “I would never. I am only speaking from an abundance of caution of this man who has suddenly awakened to a power nearing rank B in just a few days”
A pause followed thereafter, before a reply came with the call being ended a moment later. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
The butler wiped off the perspiration and looked out of the mansion. He did not succeed, his master had still become angry.
—
My second run of [Goblin King’s Abode] was fruitful, as the BOSS had been kind enough to drop the sought after armor [King’s Valor]
The 6 meter goblin had horrible burns all over its body, as I took my time with it to get more practice facing something that much bigger than me. This was all in preparation to go against much bigger BOSSes that fully earned the title of TITANS from rank C and above
One of the things I learned was that if you didn’t have a strong enough defensive skill, it didn’t matter how knowledgeable you were about its moves, as a single punch would be able to stain your body all over the wall
I equipped [King’s Valor] and felt a new layer of clothes wrap around me. The armor had a light blue metal sheen to it with a slight protrusion at the chest, covering a majority of my body besides my extremities and head. The greatest thing about this armor was the fact it did not feel awkward to move around in, as if the metallic attribute was malleable. I could move and stretch my body even better than normal with no issues
The third run of the dungeon gave me more than enough cores that my backpack was almost overflowing now, along with the rank D skill [Triple Shot] that was commonly used by ranged Berserkers that used bows
I had taken more than half of the day diving into this dungeon, and it was already night outside. Tightening my overflowing bag on my back, I left [Goblin King’s Abode] encampment and went towards the downtown, with my [Camouflage] active as usual.
Once I was in the middle of the city, I turned the skill off and called for a ride that dropped me off the central Awakened Center 20 minutes after. It was rush hour around this time with many people running about downtown. Many drowning their troubles and fear with alcohol and many more going towards the unsavory places deep in the city
I went inside the Awakened Center and had to be taken to a private room because of the volume of things I was trying to sell. A fat looking middle aged man replaced the gorgeous woman that was talking to me and quickly handled the transaction, taking all my remaining cores and skills from [Goblin King’s Abode] and offering to deposit $1.6 million into my account
I looked at these numbers as if they were imaginary, and they might as well be as they would be gone a few minutes from now when I purchase the rank C skills. I became a high profile client in the man’s eyes as he asked me if there was anything else I needed before completing the transaction, and I told him the names of the skills I wanted
A few minutes later, 3 rank C skill books were situated at the table next to us, and only $100 k was deposited in my bank account.
Next chapter should be done in the evening ^.^
Adui
