The sun was slowly rising in the sky as Lukas walked through the streets of Havenhart.
For the first time since he'd arrived in this world, he finally felt like he belonged. Just like the other Awakeners moving about their business, he also had a weapon or equipment, his sword sitting on his back, marking him as a man with a purpose.
As he walked, his eyes met that of other Awakeners and they gave him a respectful nod. Even though he was just E-rank, they could tell he was new. That meant he was filled with potential. He was now one of them.
He focused back on the task at hand. Even though the original Lukas had been here all his life, the city was so large, he wasn't familiar with every corner. So, Lukas had to ask for directions before he finally arrived at his destination.
He stood outside the small walled patch of land in the middle of a busy street, hands on his waist.
The entrance, a small sliver of space between the tall walls, were guarded, while some armored Awakeners patrolled the area. Not to keep people out, but in case there was ever a dungeon break. They would serve as the first, and hopefully, only line of defense.
Lukas walked up to the entrance, and after a greeting, paid the entrance fee. Thirty gold coins. That left him with just ten gold coins in his entire fortune.
If he wanted money for anything, he had to clear this dungeon. Entering higher ranked dungeons costs even more than that.
He thanked the guards, making his way through the small opening in the thick walls. They stared at him weirdly as he entered without a party but said nothing. It wasn't exactly out of the ordinary for some people to wait for their parties within the walls.
Lukas ignored them as he walked, emerging on the other side of the walls. Waiting for him was a large open space with only a two meter tall stone cube in the middle.
On the surface of the cube facing the entrance was a blue colored spatial gate that warped, emitting dim light.
This was it. The entrance into the E-rank dungeon, Goblin Tomb.
Without waiting for anyone, he walked into the spatial gate. His vision was overwhelmed by bright light, forcing him to close his eyes. A second later, the light died down and Lukas opened his eyes to find himself in a dark hall.
Whoomph!
Fire burst into life on the torches, illuminating the dark hall. The space was large, serving as an entrance hall to the dungeon. The walls were made of stone, as if they were somewhere underground, and there was only one opening in the hall, leading deeper into the dungeon.
This was one of the things they'd been taught in the academy. Most dungeons had an entrance hall, which was where the party would arrive upon being transported into it, allowing them to get their bearings before being attacked.
And according to what he'd learnt, a minute later, a pack of three goblins wandered into the hall. Or rather, three goblin skeletons.
True to the name of the dungeon, the monsters contained within were undead goblins skeletons, devoid of their muscles or skin. They were short and their eye sockets glowed a sickly green, displaying rudimentary intelligence.
Perfect for a party of E-rank Awakeners.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" He said as he unsheathed his sword.
In the hands of all three skeletons were stone weapons in the form of knives or axes.
They attacked immediately, rushing at him. For a newly minted E-rank Awakener, they'd appear fast, but with his high stats, they looked slow to him.
One of the skeletons leapt at him and he stepped to the side, letting it sail past. He reacted before the other two skeletons could, kicking one and sending its rib cage flying to the other side of the hall, and beheading the other.
He then turned to the one that he'd dodged, and with a swift kick, scattered its bones everywhere.
Silence filled the hall.
"Huh." He stared around in mild surprise. "Too easy."
Then, before his eyes, the bones began to move. They rattled in place, before flying through the air and assembling together, the three skeletons reforming.
"I knew something was off," he muttered to himself. He'd forgotten that he was fighting undeads, after all, this was his first time against one. To kill an undead, one had to destroy their entire body, or the anchor keeping them alive. And in the case of the goblin skeletons, their anchor was their skulls.
Their eye sockets blazed a brighter green as they attacked again, but this time, Lukas was more proactive.
He blurred towards them, and with a swing of his sword, cracked through the skull of the two skeletons standing together, sending shards of bone flying in every direction.
Then he turned to the last skeleton, severed its weapon wielding hand with a swing of his sword, decapitated it, and stomped on its skull.
Crack!
The bone crumbled and the light in its socket died.
[You have killed an E-rank Undead Goblin(x3)]
Lukas cracked his neck, and after a final look around the hall, stepped out into the hallway beyond.
Just like the hall behind him, torches were fixed at even intervals, their light providing illumination.
Carved into the walls were murals depicting the goblins. He frowned, studying the images with interest.
The first image was of the goblins as a scattered population, fighting among themselves and others.
The next showed a new goblin, depicted as taller than his peers, but still as short as a kid, emerged, fighting and defeating other goblins, forcing them to serve him.
Then he led them on campaigns, taking out different animals and carving out a new territory for themselves, creating a goblin kingdom as their king. They lived their best lives, fighting those who once stood above them.
The goblin King got himself numerous wives and sired more children than he knew what to do with, before falling in battle.
Then a grand tomb had been built for him, and brave goblins had been chosen as eternal guardians for the tomb.
Lukas chuckled as he got to the end of the mural. 'So, that means this is the tomb of the first goblin King and the undead goblins are the eternal guardians?'
Before he could even answer himself, a pack of seven goblin skeletons dropped from the ceiling over his head.