"I guess that's it for now," Stark mumbled as he killed the mini-boss and did everything that was needed to do.
[You have upgraded 'Aura Smash' to level 3!]
[You have upgraded 'Domination' to level 4!]
He used the two skill points he had that were available after reaching level 7, and then he kept going.
He of course noticed that the silver fog was gone, meaning that more people would be able to get to this area, but he didn't care, he had gotten the loot for himself.
[Current Level: Lv7]
[Experience: 6300/50000]
'My god, I wonder just how much people at the higher levels must of grinded, especially since this is a beginner level dungeon…'
At the end, Stark just wanted to get to level 10 to be able to use the necklace and to challenge the boss.
He wasn't dumb, and the fact he almost died against the mini-boss was a testament of how difficult the real boss will be.
Because even if in the end the rift had rewarded him for completing it without taking a singular hit, he had been completely forced to that with a little above 100 HP to spare.
And now… he had moved to another area, the "Advanced District" of the [City Ruins], which is a level 15 area.
[The rays of the black sun are calling your name, their cursed nature hitting harder than ever before, move fast or it will be too late]
[Enemies in this area only have one idea in mind: killing you, do not spare any of them]
'Didn't plan to do that…' Stark smiled, and as he turned the corner of a luxurious street, he found himself in front of the first group of monsters (other than the 'Feathered Scourge') he would encounter in this area.
[Name: Shadow Wolves]
[Level: 13]
[HP: 2500]
[Strength: 79]
[Stamina: 132]
[Speed: 271]
[Defense: 92]
[Skills: Shadow Bite, Quick Step, Menacing Eyes]
…
These wolves were swift and vicious, their red eyes locking onto some flesh they were eating as they bared their sharp, blackened teeth.
Their entire body was covered in a black matter that took over their furr, and Stark could only guess it was the black sun curse that changed them this much.
It was a group of six, and looking at their stats, they seemed to be extremely fast, although their strength and defense in contrast were low.
'Aura Smash…' Stark instinctively mumbled the name of the skill, and his right hand started glowing immensely again.
He threw his crimson fist at the wolves, and…
~BOOM~
"-3618!"
"-3238!"
"-2787!"
Three were killed by the attack, one was stunned and received more than half its life, and the other two… they avoided the attack.
"WAIT WHAT?" Stark had not expected them to be able to do that, but two of the shadow wolves had seen the fist coming at them, and began running towards him.
"Quick Step!"
They used that skill to immensely increase their speed, and then…
"Shadow Bite!"
The two lunged at Stark at the same time, their eyes still glowing with that red fury, and their furr's weird structure leaving dark aura behind.
But Stark remained calm.
"Focus…" he activated the skill, and suddenly he could see the wolf's movements better than before, now able to see their trajectory a few microseconds before they attacked.
And that was all that was needed for him to avoid the attack and not be instantly killed.
~Pwish~
He avoided the first wolf, and punched the second in the jaw with his aura-filled fists.
"-2162!"
It wasn't enough to kill it, but the sheer damage Stark had caused it made it so that the wolf was stunned.
"Go meet your friend," he laughed as he grabbed two of the wolf's legs while still mid-air and threw its body with incredible strength toward the other one he avoided.
"-628!"
"-1293!"
The 'Shadow Wolf' died upon impact with its companion, while the other one received more than half of its life with this strike.
It tried to launch itself at Stark again, but he just kicked it in the stomach.
"-1728!"
Now only one 'Shadow Wolf' remained, the one that was stunned and extremely injured.
Stark slowly approached it, almost walking and taking his time.
On the otherhand, the monster could see the human approach, a wide smile on his face.
"=)" Stark was only a few centimeters in front of the wolf now, able to punch it whenever he wanted.
In response, the wolf looked at the human and activated its third skill in a last ditch effort to survive.
"Menacing Eyes!" Its pupils and eyes started glowing more brightly with that crimson aura, trying to scare off Stark.
But…
[The 'fear' effect cannot be applied to someone with the 'domination' class]
And so Stark just stood there, unaffected.
"Aoohhwh~" the wolf growled, now able to move its mouth since the stun effect was going away, and it roughly translated to "Ah, shit…"
"-2719!"
Stark kicked it in the face, and it died.
[You have slain six "Shadow Wolves lv13", gained 14400EXP!]
'Holy!' Stark was bewildered, he had gotten so much EXP on these enemies even though he just took most of them by surprise.
[Experience: 20700/50000]
'The amount needed each level keeps getting bigger and bigger, I wonder just how much do I need to grind for level 10…'
There was only one more area to go through after the advanced district before eventually reaching the boss of the rift, and Stark could confidently confirm that he was probably the most advanced person inside the dungeon as beside Kent and Bill, who had stayed behind, he met no one else.
He checked the wolves' bodies for anything, but unfortunately, no piece of equipment had dropped, after all, these things were pretty rare.
'What about that black sun curse…?' he wondered as he continued walking in the direction he was following.
[Black Sun Curse: 48%]
'Holy shit, it's growing faster than before, although not unexpected…'
…
[You have slain 'Scorthed Businessman lvl14', gained 2100 EXP!]
[You have slain 'Underground Parasite lvl12', gained 1750 EXP!]
[You have slain 'Mother Bird lvl14', gained 2500 EXP!]
…
[Your level has increased to level 8, granting you one skill point and boost in stats]
[Experience: 1793/60000]
…
[Your level has increased to level 9, granting you one skill point and boost in stats]
[Experience: 5720/75000]
…
'Phew… took me at least an hour to level up, killing this many monsters is beginning to be easy, although it takes time,' Stark wiped the sweat off his forehead as he looked at his status window, many monster corpses around him.
[Level:] 9
[Health:] 118/950
[Bloodline:] Human
[Class:] Domination
[Info about class:] The first Domination Trial is coming REALLY soon, be ready, you will suffer.
[Talent:] Chosen one
[Attributes:] Strength 42; Speed 54; Mind/Soul 61; Stamina 81; Defense 68
[Skills:] Spatial Inventory; Class Wheel; Perception; Domination lv4; Focus lv3; Aura Smash lv4
…
'Hm… I guess it's better than last time,' he smiled.