Arif stood quietly inside the dungeon.
The broken body of the Stone Beast slowly turned into dark particles and disappeared.
For a moment, the entire cave became silent.
Then the familiar blue screen appeared again in front of him.
[Enemy Defeated]
[You gained 120 EXP]
Arif stared at the message.
"EXP… so this really works like a game system."
Another message appeared.
[Level Up!]
A warm energy flowed through his body again. The pain from earlier disappeared completely.
He slowly clenched his fist.
He could clearly feel it.
His body had become stronger.
"Unbelievable…" he whispered.
Suddenly—
The system screen flashed again.
[New Quest Available]
His eyes focused on the message.
[Quest: Explore the Dark Dungeon
Objective: Move deeper into the dungeon and eliminate the hidden threat.
Reward: Shadow Energy + New Skill
Failure: Unknown]
He frowned slightly.
"Hidden threat…?"
He looked deeper into the cave.
The darkness ahead felt heavier than before.
Cold air slowly flowed from the deeper part of the dungeon.
It almost felt like something was watching him.
At that moment, a low growl echoed from the shadows.
"GRRRRR…"
Arif immediately grabbed his sword.
His heart started beating faster.
But this time… he didn't feel the same fear as before.
Instead, a strange excitement filled his chest.
He looked at the system window again.
"If I complete this quest… I'll become stronger."
Arif took a deep breath.
Then he slowly walked toward the deeper part of the dungeon.
The darkness swallowed him step by step.
Suddenly—
Two glowing red eyes appeared in the shadows.
Then four…
Then six…
Arif's eyes widened.
From the darkness, several monsters slowly emerged.
Shadow Wolves.
Arif tightened his grip on his sword.
But instead of fear—
A small smile appeared on his face.
"Good."
"I needed more experience anyway."
The system screen flashed again.
[Battle Started]
To Be Continued…