The moment we stepped inside the dungeon, the world changed.
Dark clouds swallowed the sky and heavy rain started pouring from nowhere. Cold wind cut through the air, and the ground turned muddy beneath our feet. Every time I enter a dungeon, this sudden environmental shift still feels unnatural… like stepping into another world.
I slowly pulled out my sword and moved forward, staying alert.
Not far ahead, a group of orks were tearing apart the flesh of animals they had hunted. Blood covered their mouths, and the disgusting sound of bones cracking echoed in the rain.
I moved silently through the shadows like an assassin.
In one swift motion, I attacked.
Shadow Slash.
A dark crescent blade filled with black aura tore through the air and sliced the orks in half before they could even react. Blood splashed across the wet ground.
One ork tried to run.
I activated Shadow Teleport and appeared right in front of him.
He roared and swung his weapon toward me, but I easily dodged and punched him in the chest.
He barely moved.
"Hey kid, what are you thinking?" Lucus said calmly behind me.
"This is a C-rank dungeon. Monsters' skin is tough — not just because of their rank, but because of their species."
Before I could respond, another ork attacked from behind.
I jumped and dodged, landing behind him. I started punching him repeatedly. My punches were damaging him, but not enough to kill him quickly.
Then I realized something.
After killing his companions, my level had increased.
Level 10.
And I had unlocked a new skill.
Mana Bullets.
I decided to try it.
I raised my fingers toward the ork.
Dark circular bullets formed in the air and shot forward, piercing through the ork's chest and leaving a clean hole in his body. The monster collapsed instantly.
I dropped to one knee, breathing heavily.
The skill consumed too much mana. I hadn't invested many stat points into mana yet.
Lucus looked impressed.
"Impressive move, kid. Why didn't you show me this yesterday?"
I scratched my head.
"Actually… I am still not aware of my powers. It's hard to use."
How could I explain that all these powers came from my system?
We collected the mana stones from the orks' bodies.
Lucus picked up a green stone and said,
"We hunters absorb these stones to increase mana. Watch carefully."
He demonstrated the process and then handed me a stone.
"Try it. I'll protect you."
I sat down and began absorbing it.
Within two minutes, the stone dissolved into energy and entered my body.
I picked another stone and absorbed it too.
Mana increased by 10.
When I opened my eyes, Lucus was staring at me.
"What happened?" I asked.
"How did you absorb them so fast?" he asked seriously.
"A C-rank hunter takes hours to absorb just one stone."
"You showed me… I just followed the same steps."
Lucus shook his head.
"There's something special about you."
I stood up and continued moving forward.
As we moved deeper into the dungeon, I started experimenting with my abilities.
I grabbed monsters using shadows.
I created shadow weapons to pierce them.
I used teleportation to appear behind enemies.
Dark spikes emerged from the ground to impale monsters.
Every battle made me stronger.
Soon we reached the boss area.
A giant red ork was sitting on a stone throne, holding a massive axe. His body was covered with scars, and his eyes glowed with rage.
He stood up and growled the moment he saw me.
The battle started instantly.
He swung his axe, destroying the ground beneath me. I dodged and attacked with shadow slashes, mana bullets, and sword strikes.
The fight lasted for two hours.
Finally, with one final strike, I cut through his chest.
The boss collapsed.
Level Up.
Level 11.
For the next four days, we cleared multiple C-rank dungeons.
Nothing unusual happened.
But the number of monsters I killed increased rapidly.
Now:
Level 18
23 stat points distributed in strength, stamina, intelligence, and mana
I returned home, exhausted.
Suddenly…
I sensed someone.
I instantly teleported outside my house.
A man in a red hooded cloak was standing in the street.
He looked at me and smiled.
Before I could reach him…
He vanished.
Next morning, I reached the final C-rank dungeon.
Lucus arrived late, holding a burger.
"Sorry kid, I'm late," he said casually. "Let's go."
We entered the dungeon.
The environment looked peaceful… too peaceful.
Strange trees surrounded us.
Lucus suddenly laughed.
"What happened?" I asked.
"How many times have I told you to stay alert? And you're walking casually."
"There's no monster here—"
Before I could finish, something smashed into me.
I crashed to the ground.
A tree monster attacked me.
I stood up and prepared to fight.
Suddenly, tentacles grabbed me and threw me again.
I looked around.
Every tree was moving.
The entire forest was alive.
I fired Mana Bullets.
Black bullets pierced their heads.
Then I used Shadow Teleport and appeared in the middle of them.
Dark spikes erupted from the ground, tearing their bodies apart.
I grabbed monsters with shadows and sliced them with my sword.
After a brutal fight…
All monsters were dead.
Level Up.
Level 20.
At the guild, Lucus submitted my report.
Rohle handed him a badge.
Lucus smiled.
"You now have permission to enter B-rank dungeons. But you won't go alone. I'm coming with you."
I nodded.
That evening, Jack messaged me.
We met at a hotel.
Wang Lin was already there.
I told them about the red hooded man.
Wang Lin's expression turned cold.
"That red hood… it might be an evil cult. They kill hunters and steal their powers. They especially target young hunters."
"If you ever see them again and can't fight… run."
Later, we went to Danny's shop.
A powerful red and purple beam shot into the sky.
The doors opened.
Inside, a dark purple dagger with a red handle was floating in the air.
Danny was lying on the floor, exhausted.
"Put your blood on it," he said.
Wang Lin dropped his blood on the dagger and picked it up.
A satisfied smile appeared on his face.
Top A-rank dagger. Almost S-rank.
We thanked Danny.
Before leaving, Wang Lin gave me a special stone.
"If the red hooded cult attacks you… crush this stone immediately."
I stored it in my inventory.
That night, I returned home and spent time with my mother.
Tomorrow…
I will enter a B-rank dungeon.
And I can feel it.
Something is waiting for me there don't know what.
— End of Chapter 8 —
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