As Raven entered the cave, his body passed through the purple portal with ease, his heavy steps sinking inside the ground as he felt the dungeon's atmosphere enshroud him. The air was damp and musty, and dripping water echoed throughout the cavern.
"Hmm... it's a bit wet this time." Raven thought as his feet stepped into the slightly soft mud, his eyes sharp as the darkness couldn't hinder his vision, saving the need for torches that would give away his position.
The first room inside the dungeon was spacious, with high ceilings and a wide entrance. At the same time, the floor was uneven and covered in rocks and pebbles.
A strange crystal illuminated the walls giving a small amount of light, revealing they were covered in moss and lichen.
Raven noticed several tunnels leading off in different directions as he looked around the room.
He couldn't see very far down any of them, but he could hear faint noises echoing from one of the tunnels.
Raven cautiously approached the tunnel where the noise was coming from.
As he got closer, he could make out the sound of rushing water. He peered down the tunnel and saw a small stream flowing through it.
The water looked clear and inviting, but Raven knew better than to drink from it without first testing it.
He took out a small vial and filled it with water from the stream. Thanks to the glowing crystals he could see the stream better and began looking for signs of corruption.
'I wonder if I'll get sick from drinking dungeon water?' He mused before reaching deciding to test his luck.
After determining the water was safe to drink, Raven took a long swig and felt a refreshing coolness flow through his body. He continued down the tunnel, eager to see what lay ahead in the dungeon's depths.
He heard more voices now; some sounded like people speaking, while others seemed to be growls or moans. He even caught himself listening intently to the sounds hoping someone might say something that resembled words.
But that was wishful thinking, as the yelps of dog-like creatures began to sound like they were having a conversation.
'Do dungeon monsters have a sense of willpower?' He wondered, holding his axe tightly.
Slowly, like a stalking tiger, Raven walked further into the dark tunnel; his footsteps became louder on the hard stone floor with his sticky boots, causing a slight squelch with each step.
Suddenly, the tunnel opened up and revealed an expansive chamber beyond. A large pool of water surrounded by stalactites hung over its surface, creating a mist which created a veil of fog within the room.
A thick layer of dust coated everything in sight, making Raven feel uncomfortable as he hated dirt, especially on his suit.
'Let's buy something nice... I have extra cash; some more flexible dungeon gear must be in the bureau and adventurer's online market.'
"Phew... 12 kobolds..."
He wasn't just lazily wondering about fashion but spending a moment to count the footsteps and distance of most of the kobolds that were moving around near his position, Raven wasn't one for stealth, but he wasn't an idiot either as his body began to shimmer with a purple mist, his energy or rather aura was no longer black, as it began to wrap around the axe like a serpent he felt the familiar sense of drain of his stamina and willpower, now able to judge his rough remainder thanks to practising with Lilith the night before.
'9 Shadow strikes....'
Raven grabbed onto the wall tightly, his muscles bulging as the force of his body crushed the rocks, launching himself out like a catapult towards the first two unsuspecting kobolds who suddenly yelped as his thick blade decapitated them with a sickening crunch, the momentum of his body sending him flying into the centre of the chamber.
Thud!
His body landed in the central circle, cracking the ground as the 10 kobolds around him began to yelp and bark as they all picked up their weapons and rushed towards him.
Strange black ripples began to form in the air around Raven as he let out a vicious shout from his mouth, a fearful bellow as the kobolds stopped their movement, all shuddering as Raven's grim smile flicked up into a wicked grin with axe in hand he began to limber his body, pulling back his axe, he began to spin rapidly.
'Shadow Strike!'
With a burst of speed, he swung his weapon at the nearest kobold, knocking it backwards with a loud thump, leaving only nine left standing; they would only stand still for 2 seconds as his body, like a swirling storm approaching, provoking.
The remaining kobolds charged forward in unison, but Raven had already anticipated such behaviour, spinning his axe in circles so fast that it appeared blurry. His movements were fluid, like a snake slithering across the earth, striking every direction simultaneously as the 9 kobolds collided, smashing into a heap of bones and flesh.
Raven stood there, waiting patiently as the last three crawled slowly toward him, grunting and groaning as they attempted to pull themselves upright again.
They didn't know how much time remained until Raven struck, nor did he care.
With an axe overhead, he executed them with a cold heart, feeling a strange sensation as the final few died.
[Killed Kobolds x 12!]
[Gained 36 EXP]
[Gained 120 Credits]
"Cheap!"
Too cheap! Kobolds were such a pitiful creature, worth a mere 10 credits! "Even goblins are worth 20... poor little guys....." Raven thought, his actions the opposite as he skinned their fur, sliced their ears and pulled their fangs, his face emotionless like a psychopath.
[You have Gained Enough Experience To Level!]
[Accept?]
Slice!
His knife skill began almost instinctively to fillet the kobold meat; somehow, it smelt tasty to him, even goblin meat that was disgusting when he saw it in the market in the past. 'I've sure changed... Please level me up!'
[Level 1]
o-- Experience: 36/10
[Processing Level]
o-- Please Choose your Level up Reward! 2/2
[Bonus Attributes] [Skill Upgrade] [Class upgrade] [Unlock First Talent] (Second at Level 20)
"What is this... school... why give me a multiple choice... What if I choose wrong..."
Raven was never told this by the system or Emily, wondering if it was common knowledge. Yet even his mother didn't tell him, as he was finally finished with collecting some good meat for the next few day's dinners, he washed his hands of the sticky blood and flesh in the kobold holy lake, but he didn't realise that this was where their young were born.
He then noticed a new hint/help section on his guild card before noticing his current Credits were strange, as a weird message was attached.
o-- Credits: 1000 (Hehe~ you should have gotten only 495, but take 10 credits extra as a token of my affection! Stay safe, from Emily!)
[The level-up rewards are random, usually, you would only be given the choice of the Attributes and Talent first]
He leaned back, cleaning his axe in the water, too, before wiping it with a special cloth, then adding a swab of oil, whistling the pianist lament as the kobolds began to sink into the dungeon floor.
"So they will start to vanish in 30 minutes.... when do they respawn? 1 hour....?"
[Bonus Attributes] Chosen!
Strength + 0.1 Intellect + 0.1 Vitality + 0.2
The moment the attributes were added, he suddenly felt his muscles and flesh acting strange, like a slight tingling sensation, before transforming into a full-fledged cramp and spasm, causing him to hold onto the short wall, snapping off the head from the kobold's holy maiden statute.
"Argh... fuck.... why does it hurt so much every damn time!?"
[Congratulations!]
Strength --> 4.0
Vitality --> 6.0
Intellect --> 3.0
[Each time your attributes reach a complete number, your body will undergo a qualitative change; the difference between a 3.9 and 4.0 strength warrior is more than a simple 0.1!]
'Shut up.... this pain is like someone is tearing my damn muscles off or making me wear a 200kg body suit after a full body workout the day before!'
He gritted his teeth, trying not to scream in agony as the sensations continued before they disappeared, leaving him panting heavily with sweat pouring down his forehead.
Raven checked his clock, having killed the kobolds 48 minutes ago; he closed his eyes, trying to remember his former position... The patrol, where the most kobolds were and the most efficient way to kill them every hour. 'Phew... I don't want to upgrade my skills just yet... when I don't feel for them, let alone something that might change how I fight before I understand my class... Let's go with a Talent...'
[Unlock First Talent] Chosen!
o-- Heart of Dread [MAX]
You are an existence of dread, and your heart cannot be inferior and tied to morality.
Lowers All Mental Instability during combat or inside dungeons by 40% (Paranoia, Inferiority Complex, Envy, Guilt, Regret.)
Immune to all effects related to Fear and Dread.
Can use Vitality to Cast [Skills] and [Spells]
A sudden calm filled his body, although it didn't remove those feelings; instead, it dampened them during combat and inside the dungeon. His self-hatred began to dwindle, now realising the other side that if he didn't kill them, how many others might die? Although some might chastise him, he had Emily, Lilith and his mother's words to support him.
'Good.. this seems boring for most people, but for me...'
Clang!
His axe readied, looking at the centre circle; only a few minutes until the Kobolds would respawn, but his heart was on fire, like he was a slight battle junkie, already flowing with purple energy ready to use both [Dread Aura] and [Shadow Strike] the instant they spawned, planning to [Whirlwind] the poor dogs to death, then farm them for the next 4 hours.
o-- Experience: 26/20
[Processing Level]
o-- Please Choose your Level up Reward! 2/2
[Bonus Attributes] [Skill Upgrade] [Class upgrade]
"Upgrade Shadow Strike twice!"
"Ohohohoho... Jackpot!" Raven began to feel satisfied as the slight changes to his skill filled his mind, from an overhead slash to a wide sweeping cleave, able to be used while he performed [Whirlwind], which was a skill, but he could perform it with just his ability.
'I should maintain my daily practice, but add training skills with my axe in the future... if I don't need to waste points to learn skills... just perform them? Isn't it far better... I'll also make Lilith learn this way... Although I want to learn some magic one day...'
Raven stood in silence, breathing slowly as he practised a martial breathing exercise his mother taught him to increase the oxygen taken into the body with each breath, two tiny breaths then one slightly elongated; he continued as the timer ticked down to 1 hour.
The kobold massacre was about to begin as the black death reaped their lives; without care for the dungeon rules or etiquette, he wanted to avoid being the weaker party, and if asked, he'd say FUCK THE RULES!
[Killed Kobolds x 12!]
[Gained 36 EXP]
[Gained 120 Credits]
---
[Killed Kobolds x 12!]
[Gained 36 EXP]
[Gained 120 Credits]
...
[Killed Kobolds x 12!]
[Gained 36 EXP]
[Gained 120 Credits]
...
[Killed Kobolds x 12!]
[Gained 36 EXP]
[Gained 120 Credits]
------
o-- Please Choose your Level up Reward! 8/8
[Bonus Attributes] [Skill Upgrade] [Class upgrade] [Unlock Second Talent (Level 20)]
He chose to upgrade attributes 6 times and Shadow Strike twice, for excellent results as his body was covered in sweat, the sticky suit now felt disgusting as his body smelled of his strong odour, the white shirt on his body was now see-through, as his alluring almond muscles were bulging but tightly packed in his firmer frame.
[Bonus Attributes] Chosen!
Strength + 0.3 Intellect + 0.2 Vitality + 0.5 Stamina + 0.2 Agility + 0.7 Wisdom + 1.2
o-- Level: 7
o-- Class: Dread Knight
o-- Experience: 36/70
Attributes (Average = 1)
Strength: 4.3
Agility: 2.3
Stamina: 5.8
Vitality: 6.5
Intellect: 3.2
Wisdom: 3.4
Shadow Strike [Level 5]
Dash towards an enemy and brutalise them with a dark cleaving double strike (NEW!), causing heavy shadow damage, ignoring defence.
It can be used two times per cast! (NEW!)
3-second cooldown
Stamina -0.5 --> -1.5
Wisdom -0.1 --> -0.5
o-- Credits: 1,720
"Well fuck me senseless... a mere day of grinding... I've made more than I used to make in a year, working 65 hours a week..." Raven spoke, his sweat forming a small pool, small black dirt seeming the last of his impurities and dirt, but an hour passed, and it seemed that nothing respawned; he was about to leave when suddenly his body felt extreme danger!
Woosh!
A huge skeleton, over 2 metres in height, wearing a black full plate armour, attacked him with a massive greatsword, the withered bones painted red, with a sizeable flaming skull inside the helmet.
'What the fuck is that!?'
The swing of its sword caused the entire room to fill with a gust of wind, a feeling of dread as the room resounded with a howl after its cleave missed Raven's head by a mere inch or two, turning the kobold's holy maiden statue into mere dust particles.
"Shit... this isn't normal!!"
Somehow, he believed his farming of the dungeon might have spawned this monster, probably aimed to kill poachers and people like him.
However!
"I fucking love challenges! Come at me, you red skull bastard!" Raven bellowed, his body swelling with power as his muscles and body began to glow a dark purple, his neon eyes glowing with a piercing gaze as he lunged towards the skeleton, his Axe and fist ready to pound him into bonemeal!
The moment he resolved to fight, a massive red bar appeared under the skeleton's body, as a name glowed with firey mana above his head; it was strange but seemed to be caused by the dungeon's magic rather than the skeleton himself.
=>Level 15. Ragovad - Slayer of Wretched Poachers⇐
"Let us fight RAGOVAD!"
"Grrrrr!" The skeletons flaming face billowed with red flames as its armour clunked, body shifted forward.