Victor arrived at the gate of the dungeon.
There were three types of dungeons in the world.
Green: They had levels ranging from E to S. However, they were all permanent dungeons. Once cleared, they would respawn in 30 minutes, making them reliable sources of resources and training grounds for hunters of varying ranks.
White: The unstable dungeons. They appeared out of the blue, without any warning or pattern. There was no way to predict where one might emerge. That unpredictability made them the most dangerous. Their levels also ranged from E to S, but that level could only be determined after entering the dungeon itself, often trapping unprepared hunters in overwhelming situations.
And finally, Red: These dungeons were all S-level dungeons and would appear once every month. The location remained unpredictable, but the date was always known in advance. Entire guilds prepared for them, as they often required coordinated assaults from elite hunters.
Right now, Victor appeared in front of an E-rank Green dungeon. Only 10 hunters could enter at a time.
It was named the "Goblin Dungeon," with 12 floors, each containing around 15 to 20 monsters. The structure was simple, but that did not mean it was harmless.
And the monsters were goblins.
There were two guards near the dungeon.
Victor approached them and showed his card.
"Don't you have a team? Are you entering alone?" one of the guards asked, narrowing his eyes slightly as he examined Victor's credentials.
"Yes," Victor nodded calmly.
"There are currently no hunters in this dungeon. You know that if no one appears, you will have to clear the entire dungeon alone to come out or wait until someone comes to your aid, right?" the guard said in a warning tone.
"Yes. I know. I am sure someone will appear," Victor replied with a faint smile. Internally, however, he was hoping that no one would come.
"Very well. You may enter."
Even the guards assumed someone would arrive shortly. It was rare for a dungeon to remain empty for long.
Victor stepped forward and entered through the green portal.
A huge room appeared in front of him with a high ceiling. The air felt dense, slightly damp, and carried a faint metallic scent.
Large rocks were scattered throughout the area, worn and uneven, as if shaped by time itself. The entire place looked ancient, untouched by the outside world.
As soon as he entered, a group of three goblins appeared in front of him. They carried crude weapons made of wood, their bodies small but tense with aggression. Each one stood around three feet tall.
"Creech!"
They roared the moment they saw him.
"Let's begin with you."
"Fireball."
He muttered, and two fireballs formed instantly in his palms. Without hesitation, he hurled them toward the goblins.
Boom!
The fireballs struck the group, and the three goblins were vaporized instantly.
Victor paused for a brief moment.
"What the... How can a basic spell be this strong?" he thought.
Then realization followed.
His combat prowess was at 30 stars, while those goblins had at most 15 to 20 stars. The gap was overwhelming.
He walked forward and collected the three cores, placing them into his bag. They dropped nothing else.
He continued moving deeper into the dungeon. His objective was clear: reach the lowest floor and eliminate the boss.
"Creech! Creech!"
This time, five goblins rushed toward him.
Victor let out a short laugh. "Die."
He began casting rapidly, alternating between fireballs and water jets. The spells flowed almost instinctively from his hands.
Within seconds, the five goblins were reduced to lifeless remains.
Normally, hunters entered dungeons in teams because their mana was limited.
After casting spells around five times, most would exhaust their mana reserves. They would then need to rest or consume mana potions to recover. During that period, they became vulnerable and had to rely solely on physical strength.
This was a universal limitation, even for legendary or epic mages.
But Victor stood outside that rule.
He could use spells continuously without depletion. His mana flow was inexhaustible.
At his current level, he could likely clear a D-rank dungeon as well.
He collected the cores again. This time, only two dropped cores while the others yielded nothing.
He continued walking, experimenting with different fire and water spells. Each cast felt smoother than the last.
In just ten minutes, he cleared the first floor and collected ten mana cores.
Then he descended to the next floor.
It took him even less time. His movements became more efficient, his reactions sharper. His combat sense was steadily improving.
One hour later.
Victor was sweating heavily. His breathing had grown uneven.
He had been casting spells non-stop, eliminating hundreds of monsters without pause.
In low-level dungeons, only boss monsters dropped items or skill books. Regular monsters dropped mana cores.
By now, he had collected over 90 mana cores.
He stood in front of the boss room.
He took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
The boss room was massive, far larger than the previous chambers.
At its center stood a four-meter-tall goblin, its body bulky and imposing. Ten smaller goblins surrounded it, acting as guards.
The moment they noticed him, the boss let out a deafening roar.
The ten minions lunged toward him simultaneously.
"Ice shard."
Victor cast the spell, and sharp shards of ice shot forward like bullets.
Ice shard was the tenth spell of the water element, significantly more refined and lethal than the earlier techniques.
The ten goblins were killed instantly.
The boss goblin charged toward him, raising a massive stone hammer.
Bam!
The weapon came crashing down.
Victor raised a shield, forming it with water but reinforcing it with ice for added durability.
The impact cracked the shield almost immediately.
The boss had at least 30-star combat power, Victor estimated.
"Die."
He extended his right hand from behind the fractured shield and cast fire lance.
Multiple fiery spears formed and shot forward, piercing through the boss goblin's body.
The creature staggered, but it did not fall immediately.
Victor followed up without hesitation.
An ice shard shot forward and penetrated directly through the goblin's eye.
The boss collapsed.
Silence filled the room.
Victor exhaled slowly.
He approached the remains and found several items scattered near the core.
[Item: Sword
Rank: E
Combat prowess: 5 star
Class requirement: Warrior]
[Item: Spell book
Name: Body Strengthening
Rank: E
Class requirement: Mage]
Victor's eyes sharpened the moment he saw the book.
It was exactly what he needed.
Body strengthening spells were extremely rare and often sold for ten times the price of normal spell books.
He placed the sword into his bag. It had no real use for him. While he could wield it physically, the combat enhancement function only applied to warriors.
Then he focused on the spell book.
[Body Strengthening Spell: The caster can use mana to strengthen their physique up to 10 points. Applicable to Apprentice and Novice mages.]
"Good," Victor said quietly, nodding to himself.
A portal appeared in front of him.
He stepped through it and exited the dungeon.
...
The two guards were still outside.
"Do you think the kid can hold on until someone else comes? Should we inform the federation hall if no one appears in two hours?" one guard asked.
"Let's wait," the other replied.
At that moment, the portal activated.
Victor stepped out.
Both guards froze instantly.
"Holy... It has only been one hour. How did he clear the dungeon so quickly?"
They approached him immediately.
"Hey, kid. How did you do that?" one of them asked, disbelief evident in his voice.
Victor did not hesitate.
"I am a genius," he said plainly before walking past them.
The guards stood there in silence, unsure how to respond.
That should be correct. Otherwise how would you explaim the situation of soloing a dungeon within 1 hour?
Victor headed toward his scooter.
He planned his next steps carefully.
He intended to sell the cores and the sword. One E-rank core was worth around $300, and an E-rank item could sell for about $1000.
His pockets were completely empty. He needed money.
However, he decided he would only sell 30 cores to the federation.
The rest, he would sell through his own shop.