The difficulty of dungeons increases drastically once they surpass B-rank. If a B-rank dungeon is like navigating a house, then an A-rank dungeon is comparable to an entire town where every inhabitant is at least B-rank, with the boss towering over the rest in power.
As for S-rank dungeons, I haven't ventured into one yet, but according to reports after the last S-rank dungeon was cleared, they're on a completely different scale."It's more like a city filled with nothing but deadly monsters that are ready to kill everyone."
S-rank dungeons are so rare that between the ten years time since the apocalypse began, only one has ever appeared and when it emerged, it became a global event, with the highest-ranked hunters from around the world forming elite teams just to stand a chance at clearing it which gave rise to the strongest hunters of today.
As soon as I stepped inside the forest,!!!!! my heightened senses instantly picked up a wave of killing intent aimed directly at me. Before I could fully react to it, a massive fox, nearly twice my size, lunged out from the shadows. It had three tails whirling behind it, and its three pitch black eyes were looking at me intensely, as if it would devour here and now.
The creature was faster than I had anticipated, "it's a B-rank monster!!." I attempted to dodge its incoming attack by bending down, but it moved with incredible agility. CLUNG! I felt a sharp scrape across my face, as its claws scrapped against my face.
"Agility, huh? That must be its specialty," I thought, realizing that I was not that strong in that area...yet.
I attempted to use [Telekinetic Control], but before I could activate it, the fox vanished into the shadows, its speed and stealth clearly surpassed my initial expectations."A quick one..Well,no problem."
"Allocate 10 stat points to senses," I commanded the system in my mind,Shush! The scenery changed...no it became slow,my perception surged.
Everything felt different. It was like a veil had been lifted,small details I couldn't notice before now stood out vividly. I could even sense the air shifting chaotically around me, indicating the fox's relentless slashes on my body.
CLUNG!CLUNG!CLUNG! The sound of bone claws striking against my body rang wildly."Maybe I should buy a shielding skill," I muttered, glancing at my clothes, which were already covered in cuts. "These attacks are ruining my outfit as collateral damage every time."
Sigh! "Time to end this," I muttered,as I pinpointed the fox's movements. The thought crossed my mind,"Should I just invest my stats into agility?" The fox was too agile for me to attack it physically, but I quickly dismissed the idea. "Nah, I have a.. better solution"
I activated [Telekinetic Control], manipulating the invisible force around me, making the air feel heavier and slowing down everything in the vicinity.I could sense the twisted bushes buckling down due to increased gravity.
Now, with increased senses,I signed out the fox's location. As soon as I caught her within my range, I focused my [Telekinetic Control] on her,THUD!, slamming her hard into the ground.Squeal! She made a slight howl.The moment she dropped on the ground, her form became visible once more, no longer hidden behind the invisible veil.
"Gotcha," I muttered, watching her struggle against the pressure.
I quickly casted two [Missilix], which hovered over her ready to pierce,both of them pierced through her head and leaving the fox completely lifeless. Observing the speed and precision, I realized that the destructive power of [Missilix] had increased to that of a B-rank skill."Is it due to its increased efficiency?"
"Looks like my skills are evolving faster than expected or am I just assuming?," I wondered, feeling a sense of satisfaction.
I picked up the mana stone, turning it over in my hand. "Should I absorb it?" I pondered, considering the fox's incredible agility. "Might as well..." I knew that a single stat point could decide the course of battle.
Without wasting any more time, I quickly absorbed the mana stone, feeling its energy course through me.
[Ding your agility has risen by 16]
[Ding your senses have risen by 5]
[Congratulations! You have acquired B-rank skill "shadow steps"]
"WOW! That's a jackpot!" I shouted in excitement,my voice rang throughout the forest as I couldn't hold the excitement of gaining a new skill,realizing too late that I had drawn the attention of nearby monsters.
"I think that was a bit too much for the excitement." The rustling of leaves rang faster and louder.
Quickly assessing my surroundings,I sprinted deeper into the forest to find a more spacious part of the forest.As I navigated the path more and more monsters began to follow my trial.I reached the center of a clearing, deep inside the forest,I stopped. My senses alerted me to the presence of eight large, red-colored hyenas with massive, drooling jaws, heading towards me from all directions.
Taking a deep breath, I assumed a fighting stance to slaughter the incoming hyenas, ready to unleash my next move.l waited for the hyenas to arrive, "Alright, let's see how well you'll do against my increased stats," I whispered, bracing for impact as they appeared from all directions.
[Telekinetic Control]!!
Shwoosh! The eight hyenas were suspended mid-air, caught in their attacking stance as I activated [Telekinetic Control].
Without hesitation, I swung my fist, punching all of them in a single motion.HWOO!! Their howls echoed throughout the forest, but the single punch wasn't enough for them.
The reason why I didn't just used [Missilix] on them was simple, I had another plans in mind."Since,this is the highest ranked dungeon in the city, I should make the most of it."
I punched all of them, feeling the rush of adrenaline surge through me.I sensed more monsters closing in due the howls of hyenas,I unleashed a relentless barrage of punches, one after another, each strike more precise then the last.
[Due to Infinite Adaptation, you have acquired E-rank skill "Basic Fist Technique"]
The notification I had been expecting appeared in front of me.As soon as the the notification appeared,Shush!, a strange sensation enveloped me like something had been set right.
I paused for a moment the clear pattern of the punching skill appeared in my mind.I followed that pattern.As soon as my punches, following the pattern, connected with the heads of hyenas,Bush!Splatt!!, their heads exploded with the disgusting blood all over my body, "Agh!, not again."
The increased power surprised me but I didn't have much time as a small horde of monster was still coming in my direction but luckily it was not close yet.
[Ding! Your level has risen by 1]
Disgusted, I slowly lowered their lifeless forms to the ground, collecting the mana stones from their bodies. "Not much better," I said, feeling the stench all over my body.
I slipped the mana stones into my backpack, grateful that I had brought a larger one, the kind used for hiking. "Today's an A-rank dungeon," I reminded myself. "Better to be prepared."
Looking around the dense forest, Sigh!. "If they keep attacking in small hordes like this, it'll take forever to clear the dungeon." The thought of fighting one wave after another was tedious, but I knew that deeper into the dungeon, things would only get more chaotic.
"Better pick up the pace," I muttered, adjusting the straps of my backpack before moving ahead.
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