He entered the den and began walking silently. What he saw shocked him because the den was filled with corpses of Lork Wolves and goblins. If there were so many corpses, it couldn't be just normal Abyss Bears.
The only thing he knew was that it wasn't the Ghost or a Constellation inside, but other than that, nothing felt familiar to him, and it was quite concerning. He knew that many things in this life were not like his previous life and were unfamiliar to him.
After examining the corpses for about 5 minutes, Aaron found something interesting. The claw marks on the bodies were not deep but excessively powerful, just like an Abyss Bear. However, there was a difference—the saliva on the corpse belonged not to an Abyss Bear but to an Elemental Bear.
Elemental Bears were mutated forms of Abyss Bears. Abyss Bears were bears with Dark/Shadow elements, making them difficult opponents to deal with. However, Elemental Bears were even more different. In addition to the Dark and Shadow elements, they could also harness the power of Moonlight.
Moonlight was a superior element that enhanced darkness and shadows, and could only be obtained through mutation or by possessing a highly powerful elemental class. This showcased just how strong Elemental Bears were.
When we think of mutation, we usually imagine creatures whose bodies and personalities have changed. In the case of monsters, mutation could completely alter their stats, levels, ranks, and even their appearance. Thus, monsters bearing the name "mutation" were considered to be at the pinnacle of their species.
The progression of transformations such as Giant Bear -> Abyss Bear -> Elemental Bear -> Demonic Bear -> Divine Bear indicated that each form represented a significant leap in power. However, certain individuals within their species, like the Elemental Bears, could undergo mutation and would be referred to as Mutated Elemental Bears.
He was puzzled because if it were a Mutated Elemental Bear, there wouldn't be any corpses around, and the ambient moonlight energy would either drive Aaron insane or empower him. So, the reason behind these claw marks had him deeply pondering.
After enduring for another 10 minutes, Aaron couldn't resist any longer and decided to venture further into the depths of the dungeon. As he entered the first chamber, he was taken aback by the sight before him. Approximately 10 Elementals and 40 Abyss Bears stood there. With his current state, he could easily defeat them, but what truly surprised him was the organized layout of the dungeon, indicating different chambers. There were three excavated tunnels.
Unable to resist any longer, Aaron desired to uncover the truth of what lay within. However, in order to do so, he had to first eliminate the bears in front of him. With that in mind, Aaron drew his dagger instead of his sword and utilized his ability, "Transation," to increase his speed, swiftly launching a direct attack on the nearest bear.
He plunged his blade into the skull of the sleeping bear, eliciting a brief moan. The surrounding bears awakened, their anger ignited by the sight before them. In an instant, they lunged into an aggressive assault, as their current state of fury had almost eradicated their intelligence, rendering them unable to think rationally. And that was exactly what Aaron intended to achieve.
"Nicely done, come at me," Aaron said, speaking with a smile on his face as he began to slice through the bears with his gleaming, sharp blade.
The bears were falling one by one, and after approximately 2 minutes, around 20 bears had been slain. Finally, the bears managed to calm their nerves and retreated. These highly intelligent bears were able to communicate with each other, which was something Aaron didn't want. If the bears devised a plan, it would exhaust him unnecessarily, leading to a decline in his stamina for the remaining chambers.
Aware of this, Aaron exclaimed aloud, "Black Ice Flower", and suddenly, everything around him froze. The Elemental Bears, due to their high endurance, remained unaffected, but the same couldn't be said for the remaining 25 Abyss Bears. Almost all of them had turned into ice sculptures.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Aaron began systematically killing each frozen bear, until only 4 Abyss Bears and 5 Elemental Bears remained alive in the first chamber of the dungeon. The bears, their initial aggression and astonishment completely gone, stared at him with fear. After all, they were intelligent and formidable creatures.
Using his ability, "Transition," once again, Aaron swiftly eliminated the remaining bears and entered the leftmost passage before him.
Aaron, quite surprised, had stumbled upon something that left him perplexed—a chest. But he found this chest to be rather peculiar. In that moment, a thought flashed through his mind, "Could it be... am I in a dungeon?" he pondered, both quickly and furiously.
Without delay, he exclaimed aloud, "System Features," and what he had thought appeared right before him. He had seen this before, but he hadn't paid much attention to it at the time. It seemed like he hadn't fully grasped its significance. He had thought it prevented entry into the dungeon, but now he noticed a particular feature in the midst of the system specifications:
"Dungeon Entry Notification: Closed/Open." The sight of it infuriated him. Who was the imbecile responsible for creating such a requirement? "YOU STUPID SYSTEM!!" Aaron yelled furiously in the middle of the dungeon.
If Aaron had accidentally entered a different type of dungeon, he wouldn't have been as furious. However, the dungeon he had entered was a room-type dungeon. There were four different types of dungeons, and each one was progressively more challenging.
"Normal Type"
"Room Type"
"Death Type"
"World Type"
As the name suggests, the Normal Type was the easiest among the dungeon types. It had only one type of monster, and unlike the other dungeons, you could see the dungeon's features before entering. In short, it was an easy dungeon type with no element of chance.
Room-type dungeons consisted of rooms or chambers in specific or random configurations. They were the least dangerous but had the most random monster distribution. Despite being the least hazardous, an Orc Lord or a goblin could still emerge from within, and it was the randomness that made it potentially dangerous.
Death Type dungeons were rare in the world. These dungeons contained an incredible number of traps and assassin-type monsters, designed to create areas of emotional danger.
On the other hand, World Type dungeons were among the most dangerous. These dungeons housed a living World, and a Supreme Dragon or even a Goblin could emerge from within. The randomness factor was set to a medium difficulty level, and each dungeon had its own degree system. For example, the X-level dungeon where the Supreme Dragon Elajiah resided.
However, Aaron was relieved for this reason. The monsters in the dungeon couldn't hear him or chase after him. The only advantage provided by room-type dungeons to a hunter like him was this.
He was standing in a room with a chest in the middle. After calming his nerves, Aaron slowly approached the chest in the center of the room.
His thoughts and instincts had made him truly dangerous and intrigued. Finding such a chest in the second room of the dungeon seemed odd to him. Although he had encountered such things in his previous life, they usually appeared in "death-type" dungeons, and the likelihood of finding them in "room-type" dungeons was very low.
Aaron, the moment the mimic chest trembled and opened its mouth, quickly retreated and drew his sword. He was taken aback because he had never encountered such a creature before, nor had he heard anything about it. However, he had some knowledge about mimics from the places he had read about in books. This was a "mimic chest."
With his sword drawn, Aaron stood in a combat position, ready for the mimic's attack. It didn't take long for the attack to come. The mimic suddenly lunged forward, attempting to bite Aaron with its enormous mouth.
He managed to dodge the attack, and in that moment, a loud "CRUNCH!" sound echoed through the room. When he turned to face the mimic, he realized that the sound was the mimic's biting sound, confirming his suspicion that he would surely die if it managed to bite him.
To prevent any further surprises from the creature, Aaron decided to use his ability, "Elajiah's Wrath," and his aura began to radiate. The glowing aura enhanced the length and sharpness of his sword visibly. With a swift movement, he made his strike.
Aaron, his strike was so heavy, fast, and powerful that the mimic couldn't evade it and was cleaved in half. The attack not only ended there but also caused some damage to the floor of the dungeon. His current magical and physical strength had contributed to achieving this feat.
While Aaron was observing the aftermath, a system notification appeared in front of him:
"Mimic Low D-Class slain. Do you wish to collect the loot? If rejected, all loot will be destroyed."
Aaron was shocked. Not only had he encountered a new monster in his life, but he had also learned that the system could delete the loot if he chose to reject it. But what if he didn't have space in his inventory? What would happen then?
Without much hesitation, Aaron said aloud, "Accept," and another system notification appeared:
"E-Class Skill Book obtained."
Aaron was quite pleased with this loot. After all, skill books were not something obtained every day. Now he could create his own skills to a certain extent, although there were certain skills that he couldn't create. To obtain those, he either had to gain a class or acquire a skill book.
Aaron, the greatest limitation of his ability was that he couldn't create a skill whose properties he didn't know. After all, he needed a clear understanding of a skill's attributes to replicate it.
Not wanting to use the skill book at the moment, Aaron stored it in his inventory. He took a moment to catch his breath and then turned back to the entrance of the dungeon, preparing to take a step into the next room.