A crimson moon hung high in the gloomy sky, casting eerie red light over a dense forest.
Through the forest ran a narrow path that led straight to a pitch-black castle at the end.
On either side of the path, black crows perched on branches, cawing incessantly.
Lucien's eyes were cold as he gritted his teeth.
He couldn't believe that a mere guiding angel had the authority to alter his chosen difficulty.
"Fine, fine! Just wait until I see you again… Hmph!"
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Lucien opened the dungeon information panel.
[Dungeon Name]: Blood Moon Castle
[Dungeon Difficulty]: Hell
[Level Requirement]: Lv1
[Player Limit]: 1
[Completion Objective]: Defeat the Vampire Baron, 2 Blood Lieutenants, and 50 Blood Thralls
After reading the objectives, Lucien frowned. He wasn't sure how strong these monsters were,
but given the dungeon's Hell-level difficulty, even the weakest ones wouldn't be easy to handle.
"Damn angel!" Lucien cursed under his breath.
Opening his inventory, he used the talent upgrade item he had just purchased.
Then, he checked his updated stats:
[Name]: Lucien
[Profession]: Summoner (Common)
[Level]: 1 (0.00%)
[HP]: 100/100
[MP]: 200/200
[Strength]: 15
[Constitution]: 17
[Agility]: 13
[Spirit]: 24
[Talents]: Mana Refund (SSS), Skill Evolution (SSS)
[Skills]: Summon Goblin (Lv1)
[Mana Refund (SSS)]: Refunds 100% of mana spent on skills and reduces cooldowns by 99%.
[Skill Evolution (SSS)]: Skills gain additional effects or enhancements every 10 levels.
[Summon Goblin (Lv1)]: Consumes 50 MP to summon a Common Goblin, lasting 5 minutes.
Seeing the effects of his upgraded talent, Lucien's frustration melted away.
The upgraded Mana Refund talent could only be described as broken!
It refunded all mana used and nearly eliminated cooldown times,
essentially giving him unlimited firepower—a dream for caster professions like Summoners.
As for the other SSS talent, Skill Evolution,
it wasn't necessarily the strongest talent available, but for a Summoner, it was invaluable.
Without it, no matter how high he leveled up,
the skill "Summon Goblin" would still only summon weak Goblins,
a creature so frail even commoners could easily defeat it.
But with Skill Evolution, the skill could transform with leveling, potentially summoning something much more powerful.
Though the exact effects remained unknown, Lucien had high expectations.
Satisfied, he closed the stat panel and equipped his beginner gear.
Lucien wasn't in a hurry to explore the dungeon.
First, he needed to strengthen or evolve his skills.
He raised his beginner's staff, aimed at the ground, and activated Summon Goblin.
A magical array formed on the ground, consuming mana.
Soon, a Goblin crawled out of the array.
It had green skin, pointy ears, a small, frail body, and an ugly face.
The Goblin wore only a loincloth and wielded a wooden club.
Lucien inspected its stats:
[Creature]: Goblin
[Grade]: Common
[Level]: 1
[HP]: 120/120
[MP]: 40/40
[Strength]: 8
[Constitution]: 6
[Agility]: 6
[Spirit]: 3
[Skill]: Heavy Strike
"This… This thing is weaker than me smashing enemies with my staff!" Lucien muttered, exasperated.
He had expected Goblins to be weak but not this weak.
If he were a regular Summoner, he might have fainted on the spot.
Grumbling, Lucien began summoning Goblins repeatedly.
[Ding! You summoned a Goblin. Skill "Summon Goblin" gained 10 EXP.]
[Ding! You summoned another Goblin. Skill "Summon Goblin" gained 10 EXP.]
Time passed as the Goblins swarmed the area, filling the forest.
[Ding! Your skill "Summon Goblin" has leveled up to Lv2.]
...
[Ding! Your skill "Summon Goblin" has leveled up to Lv10.]
[Ding! Talent "Skill Evolution" triggered. "Summon Goblin" has been enhanced.]
Lucien's eyes lit up, and he eagerly opened the skill panel:
[Summon Goblin]: Consumes 50 MP to summon a Large Goblin, lasting 10 minutes.
"Large Goblin? What's the difference?"
Lucien activated the skill, summoning a new creature.
A Large Goblin emerged from the array.
Its green skin was darker, its height reached 1.6 meters, and it had visible muscle tone.
It wore a leather vest and trousers, wielding a spiked iron club.
Compared to the ordinary Goblins, this Large Goblin was a massive improvement.
Lucien inspected its stats:
[Creature]: Large Goblin
[Grade]: Common
[Level]: 1
[HP]: 300/300
[MP]: 120/120
[Strength]: 34
[Constitution]: 30
[Agility]: 27
[Spirit]: 18
[Skill]: Heavy Strike
With this much power, it was like the reincarnation of Lü Bu compared to the ordinary Goblins.
Skill upgrades had previously only added a small amount of stats to the summons.
But with Skill Evolution, the improvements were exponential.
Lucien smiled, relieved that the talent hadn't disappointed him.
It was time to start the dungeon.
Lucien commanded the remaining Goblins to surround him as they headed toward Blood Moon Castle.
While advancing, he continued summoning more creatures.
Soon, they encountered their first batch of monsters—four humanoid corpses blocking the path.
Lucien used Inspect on them:
[Creature]: Blood Thrall
[Grade]: Common
[Level]: 3
[HP]: 500/500
[MP]: 240/240
[Strength]: 28
[Constitution]: 37
[Agility]: 14
[Spirit]: 8
[Skills]: Bite, Poison Claws
Lucien's heart tightened.
These monsters were terrifying, far beyond the capabilities of ordinary Goblins.
But Large Goblins? They could hold their own.
Raising his hand, Lucien shouted, "Attack!"
A hundred Goblins screeched and charged forward, brandishing their clubs.
The newly summoned Large Goblins joined the fray, taking the lead.
The Blood Thralls roared and slashed with their claws, killing regular Goblins in a single swipe.
But the ordinary Goblins managed to chip away small bits of their health.
Meanwhile, the Large Goblins dealt devastating blows with their Heavy Strike,
knocking off 200 HP in a single hit.
-5... -213... -6... -9... -195...
Damage numbers floated in the air as chaos ensued.
[Ding! You killed a Lv3 Blood Thrall. Gained 30 EXP.]
[Ding! You killed a Lv5 Blood Thrall. Gained 50 EXP.]
...
[Ding! You leveled up to Lv2. Gained 50 HP, 50 MP, Strength +3, Constitution +3, Agility +3, Spirit +5.]