Aiden lay on the cold ground, staring at the morning sky as the last fragments of the collapsed dungeon faded from existence.
His chest rose and fell slowly.
He had barely survived the Pale One…
But the system didn't give him rest.
A faint glow flickered beneath him—
And suddenly, the world twisted.
*WHUM—!*
The ground vanished.
The air warped.
Aiden felt his body pulled through space.
And then—
He hit soil.
Hard.
He groaned and pushed himself up.
"…Where the hell I am—?"
Tall ancient trees surrounded him, stretching endlessly in all directions. Sunlight filtered through thick leaves, and distant roars echoed across the forest.
A new message blinked into existence.
""[You have entered: Actual E-Rank Dungeon – The Forest of Trials]""
Aiden blinked.
"I got teleported… into the real dungeon entry."
That explosion hadn't merely thrown him out—
It had thrown him deeper in.
He brushed dirt from his clothes and stood up.
Still bruised.
Still bleeding.
Still exhausted.
But alive.
He sighed. "Guess the test just started."
---
""[Academy Grounds – At the Same Time]""
Thousands of students and dozens of instructors stood gathered beneath the massive floating screen. Each name flickered with a point tally beside it—real-time dungeon kill scores.
The top ranks were exactly as expected:
""[1st – Li Hao (A-Rank, Fire Talent): 398 Points]""
His team efficiently roasted through monsters.
""[2nd – Shen Ling (A-Rank, Ice Talent): 377 Points]""
The academy's beauty queen froze everything in her path.
""[3rd – Fe Xiao (B-Rank, Earth Talent): 351 Points]""
Expected of Fe Xiao and his team being the third strongest
Aiden Rael, however—
""[Last Place – Aiden (F-Rank): 0 Points]""
Whispers spread like wildfire.
"He seriously picked an E-rank dungeon? Is he stupid?"
"He probably just wanted attention."
"Look at him. Zero kills. Not even one."
"Trash awakener pretending to be special."
Every hateful word filled the air—
and flowed into Aiden's system.
""[Hate Detected]""
[Hate conversion system activated]
[Converting hate into stats]
Ding..
""+1 Strength""
""+1 Agility""
""+1 Stamina""
""+1 Defense""
""+1 Mana""
The numbers climbed each time someone insulted him.
His stats crept upward.
Quietly.
Unnoticed.
""[Forest of Trials– Back to Aiden]""
Aiden dusted off his dagger and started walking cautiously through the forest.
He didn't get far.
A rustle came from the underbrush.
Then another.
Then dozens.
"…No way."
A whole goblin village stood in the clearing ahead—
crude huts of sticks and bones, smoky campfires, and nearly a hundred goblins turning toward him at once, yellow eyes glowing with hunger.
Aiden's grip tightened.
"Good. I needed a warm-up."
The first wave shrieked and charged.
Aiden sprinted forward, meeting them head-on. He slashed the first goblin across the throat, stepped aside from a spear thrust, and countered with a clean stab to the heart. Another goblin jumped on him from the side—Aiden grabbed its arm, twisted, and slammed it into the dirt before finishing it with a quick strike.
More poured out from the huts.
Aiden darted between them like a shadow, each movement sharper and cleaner than the last.
A goblin swung a club—he ducked, rolled, and sliced its calf, then its neck.
Two archers fired arrows—Aiden weaved between the shots and hurled a dagger, piercing one's skull.
Goblins overwhelmed him from every direction, but he didn't let them surround him.
He kicked off a tree trunk, leaping above the swarm, and came crashing down with a spinning slash that cut down three at once.
He felt it—
the boost in his body from the constant hatred back at the academy.
His muscles responded faster.
His movements were instinctive.
His strength was almost unnatural.
Minutes later, the clearing was a battlefield of silence.
Aiden stood among burning huts and fallen goblins, breathing heavily but victorious.
The system chimed.
""[Title Earned: Goblin Slayer Level 01]""
""[Effect: +20% Damage to Goblins]""
""[1% Chance for Instant Kill on Goblin-type Monsters]""
Aiden exhaled, flicking blood from his blade.
"Not bad."
""[Academy Grounds – Floating Screen]""
A blinding flash struck the leaderboard.
A gasp spread through the crowd.
One student's score suddenly shot upward at insane speed.
"Who is that?!"
"Which team is killing so fast?!"
"Wait—that name—!!"
A girl screamed.
To be Continued...
End of Chapter 11