Kael's blade carved through the last of the creatures, its shriek fading into silence. from its eyes. The corpse of the Burrow Serpent—a snake-like monster with moss-coated scales—slumped to the stone floor, coiling in on itself before vanishing into smoke. The echo of battle slowly died, leaving only the rhythmic sound of their breaths and the faint hum of the dungeon walls.
[You have slain a goblin.]
[You have gained 18 experience]
"That's the last one," Gareth said, lowering his shield. "Area's clear."
They stood at the edge of the first floor chamber, a vast corridor that ended in a colossal door. Unlike the rough-hewn stone of the previous passages, the walls of this one were smooth and covered in moss that seemed to pulse faintly with green light. The air here was different—thick, still, and heavy with something... Magical. Even without stepping closer, Kael could feel what lay beyond.
The Boss room.
It had been over two weeks since their first dive into Fairhaven's dungeon. During this time theyd encountered all the monsters the first floor had to offer.
There was the giant rats. They didn't look like much, but they gave off a mild rot debuffs with every successful attack. A few of them were easy enough, but in numbers they were one heck of a threat.
The remaining monsters were the where the armored nudes and government. Unlike normal born monsters, the goblins spawned from the dungeon lacked intelligence like the normal born counterparts and as such, like every other monster according to the aggro
The party had adapted quickly, growing in rhythm and coordination. Even Kael, who was a whole class behind everyone had somehow kept pace. His blade, his movements, even his technique—it all felt sharper and more precise now.
He called forth his status window, the semi-transparent screen appearing before his eyes.
---
[Status]
Name: Kael
Class: Warrior (Lvl. 21)
HP: 500 / 500
MP: 550 / 550
Strength: 35
Agility: 33
Intelligence 28
Stamina: 30
Vitality: 15
Endurance 27
---
He'd gained 19 levels during this time. Definitely fast by adventurer standards but not too far from it. At this rate, he'd still need at least a week's time to reach his class's peak.
For tier one classes they all maxed out at level twenty-five, and from there came evolution to 2nd tier.
> Consume…
[You have gained enlightenment.]
The whisper of the system rang faintly in his head as another faint flicker of energy coursed through him. It was becoming familiar at this but point, almost comforting.
"Looks like that's all for this section," Elise said, sheathing her daggers. "We've reached the end of floor One."
"Not bad for a week," Doran grunted, cracking his neck. "Most greenhorns wouldn't make it this far in two weeks."
Hazel smirked, adjusting her quiver. "Maybe that's because we've got our lucky charm."
Her gaze fell on Kael, who only offered a modest shrug in response.
"..."
"Out of the way!" came the voice of an adventurer behind them. "Actual... Adventurers coming through."
Down in the dungeon, they weren't alone. No, various adventurers were scattered around. Some resting near the walls, some battling monsters and many others checking their gear and loot. The dungeon was never truly empty. Even now, the faint murmur of other parties could be heard as they passed through connecting corridors. Some glanced curiously at Gareth's team, who stood before the door as though they wanted to enter it.
The door ahead loomed like a sleeping beas from just the sheer sight of the massive thing. Its height was already the size of the dungeon's gate itself not to mention the thickness of the thing.
'Are they gonna be taking on the boss now?'
'No silly the dungeon just got cleared few days ago.'
"Look at their gear, I'm so jealous..."
Whispers like these were surprisingly common around newbies afterall anyone who could cross that door confidently had to e strong.
Bosses were different from the rest of the dungeon. While regular monsters respawned within minutes, a boss only returned after an entire week. Until then, the room beyond remained a temporary safe zone for adventurers—a place to rest without worrying about a monster attacking them out of the blue.
"Arrogant bastards," Hazel murmured, running her fingers along her hair as the party went through the boss room."Its not like their facing the the boss."
"That means the next spawn's due in a few days," Gareth said, givving Doran a side eye. "We'll just stick to the first floor until we get a 2nd tier damage dealer"
"You got it boss..." Doran assured with a thumbs up. "I just need a few levels and we're set.
Kael glanced around the chamber again, taking in its scale. The dungeon was structured like a descending labyrinth—each floor larger and more complex than the last. Every level ended with a boss gate like this one, a test that determined whether adventurers were ready to proceed.
And beyond this door... awaited the second floor.
Even without knowing what lay ahead, the door itself seemed to warn them of the dangers within, something that excited Kael greatly.
'We should be strong enough by this point...' Kyle gave a small sign. 'Imagine the experience I'd get from one of the monsters down there...'
For now though, Gareth's decision was final—they would wait, rest, and grow stronger. Unnecessary risk wasn't an option.
Kael clenched his fists, feeling the energy of the soul he had consumed.
'Soon enough...'
---
Kael didn't always depend on diving into the dungeon for more power though.
'Now die!' he screamed as he sliced a goblin's head clean off it's neck with a well placed slice.
[You have slain a Goblin]
[You have gained +18 experience points]
*Huff.... *Huff.....
"Two more to go..." he panted, pointing his blade at the two remaining goblins before him, "Come at me."
The sun hung low in the horizon, casting it's golden rays on the black haired boy. He was stained in blood all over. His face and hair was filled with patches of dried blood. His entire demeanor screamed fear to any passer-bys. Even right now in front of him, the goblins glanced at their fallen comrades as they shuffled back, attempting to run away from him.
"Die..." he whispered and took a quick leap, startling the goblins as his cut through their heads in one perfect arc, spilling crimson on the trees and bushes around.
[You have slain a Goblin.]
[...]
[You have gained 18 experience points]
[You have gained 17 experience points]
[...]
[You have levelled up]
[Basic Swordsmanship has levelled up]
Seconds turned into minutes as the sound of his breathing filled the forest. He leaned against a tree with a blank expression, regardless of the blood. The scene clearly made him look like a cold blooded murderer, though he didn't know this, he was just pushing himself.
'I want to be stronger...' he thought, staring at the sword he'd been using for the past two weeks. For something so crudely made, it was a miracle it was still working properly. It was still working properly, but what drew his attention wasn't the the blade, but the blood that adorned it.
During his time in Fairhaven, he had gotten to test the limits of his skills in detail. His [blood manipulation] for example had gotten a bit easier to use due to his consistnt practice but the skill was limited to only his blood. Like right now he couldn't even 'feel' the goblins blood, talk less of to manipulate it.
Next was his [Soul Regeneration]. It was handy yeah, but as far as the skill was concerned, healing his body came before recovering his HP. If he were to face something that would surpass his healing then it would spell bad news for him.
Even [Soul predator] had its limits as well. A soul could only remain in this realm for a few hours at best if it didn't have a host. Meaning he had just 2 hours to consume a soul before it'd be too late.
All these thoughts circled his mind as he rose to his feet, swatting the blood from his blade before heading back to town for the day.