As soon as the Golden Dragons and all other adults disappeared using some intricate spells, all that was remaining around the ruins were students from many different middle schools, making their numbers range in the thousands.
Instantly, the surroundings became alike to some kind of market or guild, many people asking for others to create a party with them, and others selling items they brought just for this occasion.
Stark on the otherhand wasn't asked to join any party, and no one even tried to sell him anything.
But he didn't mind, he only smiled at the sight of all these people try their hardest.
'It's fine… because I have my incredible system!'
[Commentary from Rher: you don't have a system, you have to work just as hard if not harder than them or you'll just die]
'…'
Stark was one of the first people to approach the entrance of the [City Ruins] and entering it.
As he passed through the dungeon entrance, it felt like his consciousness was slapped.
And when he opened his eyes, he found himself in another world.
The sun was burning bright in the sky, and instinctively, Stark looked up to check it out.
But…
'Huh?' the sun wasn't normal, not at all, it didn't have its orangeish color, instead…
It was completely black, casting not its usual light on the world below, but an eerie darkness that made it just enough to see.
His [Perception] skill automatically activated as he looked at it.
[Black Sun: Capable of transforming dead humans into monsters, the power of its rays slowly but surely infects others, so it is recommended to always be on the lookout]
[Tip: look for a bonfire every now and then]
Stark then switched his attention from the sun to his surroundings, and he immediately understood why it was called the [City Ruins].
The entire area was covered in broken and decaying buildings, as well as abandoned cars, the ruins of a once-great city.
Piles of rubble and debris filled the streets, and the air was heavy with the stench of decay and the absence of life.
Shadows hid all sorts of lurking threats, and the silence was broken only by the distant sound of battle.
Stark took a deep breath, feeling the tension building in his chest. This was the first challenge he would need to face in this world, and no one would be here to help him, so he would need to solo this dungeon by himself.
This meant more danger, but also more rewards and experience point, and he was ready to take that risk.
With a determined nod, Stark set off into the ruins, his eyes scanning the surroundings for any signs of danger.
He was getting ready to encounter his first monster and see if he was truly capable of dealing with all the shit in this world.
After all, fighting a human was one thing, but fighting monsters with unexplainable appearances was something he had only seen in novels.
It didn't take long for him to encounter his first ever monster in this world though.
As he walked through the seemingly empty streets of the ruined city, he heard noise in front of him, and suddenly, three creatures appeared from behind a corner.
[Name: Decaying Corpses (Black Sun curse)]
[Level: 6]
[HP: 850]
[Strength: 32]
[Stamina: 192 (they don't get tired easily)]
[Speed: 8]
[Defense: 28]
[Skills: Infect; Bite]
'850 HP…' Stark repeated, his eyebrows raised, it was extremely tough even for a level 6 monster, not that he knew anyway.
Plus, the thing that worried him the most was the fact that he could only use his fists as weapons, meaning he would have to approach them no matter what.
Thankfully enough, their speed was extremely low, and their defense not so great either.
And so without hesitation, he focused his thoughts on the battle ahead.
"Domination, activate!" he whispered the words, and suddenly the same aura that had aided him against Daniel surrounded his legs and hands.
Not wanting to waste time, Stark dashed at the monsters, and before they could even attack…
~SLAM~
"-928!"
He hit the first one in the head, causing it to die with a single attack.
It was an instant-kill.
Surprised, Stark backed away to look at his fist again, it was still surrounded by that aura, but it shone brighter than before, a sign that he was starting to dominate the battle.
Without any delay, Stark charged at the remaining two Decaying Corpses.
They were caught off guard by his sudden attack, and the aura in his fists dealt massive damage to both of them.
"-953! -856!" Stark punched them in quick succession, eliminating the last two monsters with ease.
The air was heavy and still, the devastated street silent once more.
Stark examined the bodies of the Decaying Corpses, his eyes narrowing as he noticed a strange symbol inscribed on them.
'What is this, some sort of mark left by the curse of the Black Sun?' he wondered, his curiosity piqued, but eventually didn't put much more thought into it as he would need to keep going if he didn't want to get ambushed.
[You have slain three "decaying corpses lvl6", gained 1800EXP!]
'Phew…' He sighed, it would have been devastating if he failed to even defeat a single one of the weaker monsters, but thankfully he was able to deal massive amounts of damage, almost crossing the 1000 mark.
He continued his way through the streets as he was officially now in the area where monsters would constantly appear to stop him.
He also felt the rays of the black sun on him, but luckily they didn't seem to affect him, yet.
On his way, he encountered more decaying corpses and even some 'cursed dogs', the same symbol was on them when he inspected their dead bodies.
[You have slain two "decaying corpses lvl6", gained 1200EXP]
[You have slain four "cursed dogs lvl7", gained 2884EXP]
Each of these horrifying creatures were extremely fast, enough to almost take Stark by surprise the first time he encountered them, but thankfully enough he was able to avoid them quite easily when his eyes were on them.
Their HP was also lower than the decaying corpses, allowing him eliminate them in one hit too.
[Your level has increased to level 3, granting you one skill point and boost in stats]
[Experience: 1355/10000]
He hadn't paid much attention to it before, but he realized he had gotten something called 'skill points', and so he wanted to check what they were.
…
[Skill Points]
[Description: Able to allocate one to upgrade a skill by one level, once used, it is impossible to get them back, so make sure to use them wisely]
[In Inventory: 2]
…
'Hm…' he thought, 'well, I guess can try that…'
But right as he was about to try, he heard a heart wrenching scream behind him.