Chapter 9: Level up!

Chapter 9: Level up!

Hiding behind a tree, Dante carefully observed the goblins' movements. With three goblins spotted so far, Dante suspected there might be a goblin settlement nearby.

'I need to eliminate them swiftly and quietly,' Dante thought, crouching low and raising his dagger. If the goblin settlement were alerted, he would have to make a hasty escape.

The goblins in front of Dante appeared to be patrolling their surroundings. While goblins were not particularly intelligent compared to humans, they still exhibited basic reasoning skills, especially when under the leadership of a "Founding Goblin."

Dante grabbed a nearby rock and threw it, creating a noise that caught the attention of one of the goblins. With the curiosity of a child, the goblin ventured toward the source of the sound.

The remaining goblin was now alone. Seizing the opportunity, Dante leaped out from behind the tree and charged toward the goblin. The goblin, sensing the approaching danger, also sprinted toward Dante.

Activating his skill, Concentration, Dante prepared for the impending clash.

The first to strike was Dante.

Bang!

Sparks flew as the goblin managed to block Dante's dagger with a sword. However, Dante had anticipated this and used his entire body to force the sword aside, allowing him to swing his dagger.

Blood spurted out, but Dante had only managed to graze the goblin's skin as it skillfully dodged his attack. His hand tingled slightly from their last encounter.

'Michael could kill these creatures in one or two swings,' Dante thought while slowly retreating to avoid drawing the attention of the other goblin. Despite being physically stronger than a regular human, he still needed to rely on tactics to defeat a goblin. The goblin pursued him, and when Dante judged the distance to be sufficient, he engaged the creature once more.

They clash again and Dante uses his surroundings to his advantage.

Thud!

"You killed a goblin! +50 Exp." The mechanical voice of the system echoed as a screen appeared before him.

The goblin collapsed with a dagger piercing its heart. Dante wiped his forehead and retrieved his dagger. The disturbance had already attracted the attention of the other goblin, so he concealed himself and waited near the lifeless goblin's body while his skill remained on cooldown.

The remaining goblin appeared confused, following the scent of blood. Upon discovering its fallen comrade in a pool of crimson, it attempted to emit a shriek, but Dante swiftly punched it in the head.

Startled, the goblin promptly stood and swung its sword at Dante. Dante deftly parried the sword and retaliated with a dagger thrust. They engaged in a fierce battle as this enraged goblin fought more chaotically. Fortunately, Dante activated his skill once more, allowing him to dodge with ease.

Eventually, the goblin succumbed. Dante didn't emerge unscathed; he panted heavily, his health now standing at 76/100. This battle had taken longer than the previous encounter, where he had recklessly confronted three goblins without much regard for his own injuries.

"You killed a goblin! +50 Exp."

"You leveled up!"

Two consecutive system messages flashed before Dante.

"Finally! I leveled up!" Dante rejoiced, hastily summoning his status screen.

STATUS SCREEN:

Player: Dante (Human)

Health: 100/100

Energy: 100/100

Level: 2 (0/250)

Stat Points: 1

Skills: Concentration(+50%)

Attributes:

Strength: 1

Defense: 1

Vitality: 1

As the goblins noticed their numbers dwindling, some of them ventured out to investigate, unwittingly making themselves targets for Dante, who systematically hunted them down.

Dante found the task easier now, rarely breaking a sweat, even though his Health was still less than 90.

After exterminating all the goblins, he received another level-up notification, prompting him to allocate the point to Strength. With four points in Strength, Dante felt significantly stronger than before.

Clenching his fist, relishing his newfound power, Dante activated Concentration and conducted another thorough investigation to locate more monsters.

Inside the forest, he discovered three or four goblins, along with slimes and rock worms, each offering 25 Exp and 70 Exp, respectively.

Dante continued his hunting spree, focusing primarily on the goblins.

As noon approached, Dante decided to take a break, savoring a simple jerky he had brought with him. He accessed his status screen, wearing a smirk.

STATUS SCREEN:

Player: Dante (Human)

Health: 100/100

Energy: 100/100

Level: 7 (100/1,500)

Stat Points: 0

Skills: Concentration(+50%)

Attributes:

Strength: 6

Defense: 1

Vitality: 1

Endurance: 1

Agility: 2

Intelligence: 1

With these stats, he might have a chance against Michael, but victory remains uncertain in Dante's mind.

Lucius and his squad were still considered novice Holders, and Dante had realised that surpassing them now was easy. He will definitely take his revenge when the time comes.

Reflecting on his previous encounter with the Rock Worm, Dante decided to allocate a stat point to Agility.

"That damned worm!" Dante muttered as he recalled his encounter while chewing his food.

The Rock Worm possessed the ability to camouflage as a rock, and Dante had been caught off guard, failing to dodge because he had neglected to activate his skill at that moment.

The creature was coated with rocks, measuring at least a meter long and half a meter wide. It had incredible defenses and could inflict a considerable amount of damage. In the past, Dante would have fled immediately, but after getting hit, he decided to confront the rock worm.

Activating his skills, he quickly devised a plan to take down the creature. Dante positioned himself in front of a massive tree, wide enough for five people to hug.

The rock worm, realizing its prey was still alive, began wriggling toward Dante with surprising speed despite its rocky exterior.

When they were just a foot apart, Dante executed a somersault over the rock worm. With a resounding crash, the creature collided with the tree, leaving a gaping hole where the other side of the rock worm could be seen.

The Rock Worm's weakness lay at the back of its tail. Dante seized the moment and struck it with his dagger. The rock worm emitted a dying scream, and Dante gained 70 Experience Points. It was the only Rock Worm he had encountered so far.

"You level up!"

Dante leveled up once more, choosing to allocate the stat point to his Agility. This would grant him greater flexibility and speed, especially when dealing with monsters that might try to ambush him.

"If things continue at this rate, I should be able to complete this dungeon by evening, or perhaps even sooner," Dante mused. He was aware that with his current progress, he would become significantly stronger before conquering the dungeon.