Zoey arrived on the other side of the portal, she arrived inside a massive cave. The walls etched with vines on them, small crystals inside the walls and some on the ground.
The air was much thicker and harder to breathe in for Zoey, due to the Mana in the air. Which was far more dense than the outside world's.
"Woah..." Zoey's eyes widened as her eyes roamed the cave, walking forward slowly, her mouth hanging open in awe and wonder. She had only read about the dungeons while she was a kid, but being in one was a whole new world for her.
Her eyes fell on a few large shiny crystals, she approached them and gently touched it with a finger, marvelling at the cool and magical sensation they gave off.
"Mana Crystals..." Zoey muttered in amazement, "They're usually rare to find in dungeons, making them pretty valuable for those who manage to find them and collect them." Zoey sighed in dissapointment, "Too bad I don't have a way of extracting these without a pickaxe."
She grabbed her kitchen knife tighter in her hand as she proceeded, her guard up at all times. A loud ringing sound pearced her ears, making her head ache and her body feel numb, she closed her eyes as she fought the pain "Dang it..not now..." Her hearing abilities increased, allowing her to hear from afar.
She could hear the sounds of footsteps approaching her, creepy cackling and a small monstrous shriek. She looked in the distance, her eyes focusing as the distance of her vision increased. She could see the figures of human-like creatures approach her, but they were much shorter, their skin were greener and much more rough, sharp ears, and gleaming golden eyes filled with malice.
These ominous creatures were Goblins.
'What is this strange feeling...' Zoey thought, the longer she stayed in the dungeon, the more heated her body was starting to become.
'I think I've read about this before..but no...it can't be...could it?' Zoey's eyes began to widen at the thought, the feeling she was experiencing right now, was a term known as Mana Absorption.
The feeling could be described as a mild burning sensation that thrives on the skin, before penetrating past it and seeping gently into the body. This was how mana found it's way into the system of the human body, and mutating it to be able to manifest Mana into it's body while also awakening their system.
'But the doctor told me when I was a child, that my body couldn't absorb the Mana in the air, meaning that I had no hope for awakening as a Hunter.' Zoey began to recall a distant memory, 'But, could it finally be happening? Since the Mana in dungeons are usually more potent and more stronger?'
Zoey's mind began to race, her heart beginning to beat faster and faster. But before she could continue contemplating, the resounding shriek of monsters caught her ears, making her quickly spin around to face them.
Her eyes widened as she caught sight of six horrific creatures with green, murky skin, yellow eyes that shone with malice, holding onto sturdy and rough clubs.
'G-goblins?' Zoey thought, her body trembling with fear. Even though she had read countless stories on the types of monsters Hunters faced, she had yet to see them in person, and it was more terrifying than anything she had seen in her life.
'I have to stay calm, I have to be ready to fight them, that's what I came here to do after all.' Zoey instructed herself, taking deep breaths to calm her nerves, her eyes never leaving the goblins.
A goblin rushed from the six, charging toward Zoey with a evil grin, cackling under their breath. A drop of sweat rolled down her face as she prepared herself, grabbing her knife tighter in her hand and gritting her teeth.
The goblin, once in reach, swung their club at her in a wide arc. Zoey jumped to the side just in time, barely dodging the attack. Her breaths were heavy, but an excited smile formed on her face, adrenaline coursing through her veins.
'I...I did it!'
Zoey couldn't stop grinning, she was too excited in the moment, this is what she was chasing, the adrenaline, the rush of battle, it was everything she had wanted as a Hunter, and now she was experiencing it.
Zoey dashed toward the goblin who tried to attack her, deciding it was now time to counterattack. "Haaa!" With a battle cry, she delivered a clean slash across it's chest, swinging in an upward motion.
The goblin cried out in pain as it grabbed the wound with it's free hand, stumbling backwards. The goblin growled under it's breath as it locked eyes with Zoey, rage coursing through its being.
The goblin roared as it charged at her again, immediately starting to swing it's club in a wild flurry of attacks. Zoey began to dodge the attacks, barely able to jump to the side or lean against their momentum.
After a few seconds of constant dodging, Zoey's stamina began to wear thin, her movements becoming more slower and more stiff. A gush of air left her lungs as the goblin managed to strike Zoey hard in her stomach, her eyes widening and her strength vanishing.
Seeing the opportunity presented to it, another goblin rushed at Zoey and swung it's club at her, aimed for her face. Zoey, with the last of her strength, brought her arms up infront of her face to use as a shield to block the attack.
'Damn...' Zoey thought as the force of the attack blew her back, her arms aching from the pain.
She fell hard on her back, weakly gasping for air and groaning in pain. The goblins formed a small circle around her as they surrounded her, laughing at her mockingly with evil expressions.
Zoey's memories began to resurface as she remembered the countless times she was mocked and laughed at for not having any Mana, for being a "Disgrace".
'No! Not again, I won't be looked down upon again, especially by a freaking monster!' Zoey yelled inwardly, determination coursing through her body, despite her weakened state.
The goblins raised their clubs high in the air, before crashing them down hard on Zoey's body. Zoey groaned in pain as she was assaulted by the force of the goblin's strikes, her nails dug deep into the ground as she forced herself to stay strong and endure it all.
'I can't die yet..not yet! I refuse to die here, in an F-Rank dungeon!' Zoey declared.
The goblins stopped momentarily with their attacks as they observed her for a moment, she was heavily bruised and her forehead started to bleed a little, her body trembling from the pain, but refusing to give up.
The goblins cackled with malice as they raised their clubs again, ready to continue the onslought.
She gazed up at the goblins as their clubs started to crash onto her, her eyes widened as she grit her teeth, preparing to endure the pain again, but before she could, a mysterious, robotic voice sounded in her mind.
[Ding! Enough Mana Has Been Accumulated!] A crimson sleek, floating plate appeared in her vision, buzzing with a ominous presence.
[Starting System Installation...]
'S-system installation? It's....happening?It's actually happening?' Zoey felt like time slowed down around her at the voice of the System, her mind still in awe at the sight of it.
[Error! A mysterious system has already been bound to the host! Starting the A Hundred Times System Installation!]
'W..what?'
[0%...10%....40%....70%....80%...90%..100% Installation complete!]
[Warning: Host's health is below 50%!]
[Activating Talent: Heightened Senses]
Before Zoey could react, a shock of electricity coarsed through her being as she felt all her senses being enhanced to a heightened degree.
With automatic-like movements, Zoey's hand quickly bolted out and grabbed the club of the nearest goblin before it could strike her.
'What's happening...my body feels so strange...' Zoey thought inwardly to herself, her eyes wide with shock.
All the goblins stopped their attacks before it could reach her in suprise, a chill running down their spines as they saw Zoey standing up from beneath the ground, her expression turning to that of bloodlust.
'I have to think about this later, right now, I must fight!'
Zoey then quickly reacted, plunging her knife in the throat of the goblin who's club she was holding, before pulling it out and kicking the goblin hard on the chest, sending it hard onto the ground.
The goblins jumped back in shock to create distance, their bodies trembling with fear.
They gazed at their brother on the ground, watching him sprawl in desperation to cling onto life, chocking on his own blood helplessly before going limp. Dying. It's body beginning to disintegrate in a shimmering, golden light.
[You Have Killed A Goblin! +5% Exp!]
[Activating Talent: A Hundredfold Ascension]
[+500% Exp!]
'Finally...after so many years..' Zoey thought as she gazed at her palms, tears freely streaming from her eyes out of pure joy. It happened, she finally awakened, she has become a Hunter.
She didn't care about the mysterious A Hundred Times System the system mentioned, but her interest was peaked once she discovered that she had two Talents.
'I'll check them out later.' Zoey thought as she wiped the tears from her eyes, she couldn't afford to be crying infront of her enemies.
'Now then...' Zoey looked back at the goblins, her expression turning serious, 'Time for some payback.' Zoey grinned, her eyes shining with malice.