Chapter 1: Level Zero???

Chapter One

A sharp whoosh cut through the air, followed by the pained cry of someone... or rather, something; "Skraaahh!"

The dust that had been kicked into the air slowly dispersed, revealing the battlefield once more. It was inside a dimly lit cave, its walls covered with countless crystals that emitted a bright, eerie glow.

The radiance of the crystals illuminated the battlefield, revealing a rather gory sight. At the center of the battlefield, the corpses of several creatures lay scattered across the ground. No... not humans.

They were short and ugly, with thin bodies and disproportionately large heads. Their faces were twisted into grotesque expressions, and their greenish skin was stained with blood. They were none other than the most common monsters one could encounter inside a dungeon... Goblins.

Three goblins stood side by side, their hands tightly gripping crude clubs. Four other goblins were already lying dead on the ground.

And the one responsible for the deaths of their comrades was none other than the young man standing directly across from them. He was dressed in simple dark clothing, his short raven-black hair slightly disheveled from the battle.

Several wounds, although not severe, covered his body. Blood trickled down his clothes from a few of them, staining the dark fabric even further.

The young man slowly inhaled a deep breath; "Haa... haa... haa..." He was tired. Of course he was.

After all, despite being only Level Zero, he had managed to kill four Level One goblins all by himself. And that was while facing all seven of them at the same time. The remaining goblins shrieked angrily as they stared at the human before them.

The young man held a small sword in his hand, its blade completely covered in the dark blood of their fallen comrades. After a moment, he slowly raised his head. His dark-gray eyes locked onto the three remaining goblins.

The goblins instinctively flinched. It wasn’t that they were afraid of humans. No... scratch that. The human standing before them was making them feel extremely uneasy. After all, he had just taken down four of their comrades while fighting all seven of them simultaneously. Four of them were already dead.

Only three remained. And despite the appearance of his body, as though he had suffered heavy injuries, the reality was completely different. He had deliberately taken damage only in areas that were far from vital and would not hinder his movements. Not a single one of his wounds was truly serious.

This human... When he had first entered the cave, he had looked like nothing more than easy prey. A weak, harmless human. Something they could easily tear apart.

But now, as they stared at him... Why did they suddenly feel as though they were the prey? The young man suddenly smiled; "What’s the matter?" His voice was calm and almost playful; "We’re only starting to have fun. Don’t go showing that kind of face."

His smile was warm. Sincere. Almost calming. If not for the small sword in his hand, its blade completely drenched in the dark blood of the goblins, he might have looked like an angel descending into the cave. "Let’s continue, then."

The young man charged forward. The three goblins had no choice but to charge toward him as well, their clubs raised high as they roared. Once again, they collided. A tide of rapid combat erupted within the cave. Yet it was just as they had expected. The young man was as smooth as ever.

His raw speed was only around the same level as theirs, but his reaction speed and ability to respond to their attacks were something the goblins simply couldn’t understand. He was moving too fast. Too smoothly. It was as though he had already experienced this exact battle a hundred times before.

A goblin swung its club toward his head. The young man tilted his body slightly, allowing the weapon to pass harmlessly beside him. His foot immediately lashed out; Bang! His powerful kick slammed directly into the side of the goblin’s head.

The goblin staggered. At the exact same moment, the small sword pierced through its body from behind. Its eyes widened. A moment later, its body collapsed lifelessly onto the ground. Another goblin was dead.

The remaining two roared furiously and lunged at him from both sides.

Yet the young man continued to face them with the same calm and smooth movements. And, strangely enough, he still had that warm, sincere smile on his face. He ducked beneath another club strike. Then he stepped forward. The goblin swung again. The young man effortlessly dodged.

His foot suddenly slammed into the back of the goblin’s knee; Crack! The goblin’s leg buckled. Its body was forced downward, its face heading directly toward the small sword the young man had dropped onto the ground only a moment earlier.

The goblin’s eyes widened in pure panic. It tried to stop itself. It tried to twist its body away. But it was already too late; Puchi! Its face slammed directly onto the blade.

The sword pierced through its face and into its throat. The goblin’s terrified expression froze in place. Its body twitched once... Then went completely still. Another one was dead. Only one goblin remained.

The final goblin stared at the corpses of all its comrades. One after another... They had all fallen. And now, it was the only one left. Terror and fear slowly swallowed it whole as it looked at the human before it.

The human seemed to be enjoying himself. He moved around it with calm, effortless steps, dodging one blow after another as though the battle were nothing more than a game. This human was weak. He wasn’t supposed to be strong at all.

The fact that his aura was so weak was something the goblins had sensed from the very beginning. He was only Level Zero. So why? Why the hell was he killing them? Why was he killing them again??

The goblin’s mind suddenly froze; "Wait..." Something clicked inside its mind. Its expression changed. This human... He had killed them before. Not once. But multiple times. No wonder... No wonder he seemed so familiar. The goblin finally understood.

The battle ended a minute or so later. The will to fight had already fled from the goblin the moment it realized who this seemingly harmless young man was. He wasn’t a harmless human. He wasn’t easy prey. He was their nightmare.

It died right by its club. The young man stood amidst the cave, which was now littered with the seven corpses of Level One goblins. He let out a small sigh, a mixture of relief and something resembling forlornness appearing on his face. He had been having fun, after all.

But at the same time, he was genuinely happy that he hadn’t been wounded as badly as before. The more he cleared this recurring dungeon, the more he learned about the patterns and fighting styles of the goblins.

And the more he learned, the more he improved. Still... "This isn’t as much fun as before."

He sighed once more before walking over and picking up his short sword.

With a firm tug, he pulled the blade out of the throat of the goblin that had fallen directly onto it. His gaze then shifted toward the clubs scattered around the corpses. Among the weapons wielded by the green-skinned goblins, he found one that appeared to be of particularly good quality.

He picked it up and casually swung it around several times; Once. Twice. Three times. He continued for a while until he finally got a feel for the weapon. The young man nodded in satisfaction; "This should do."

He glanced toward the far side of the cave. It should arrive... Three... Two... One.

He suddenly pointed toward the empty space at the far end of the cave; "Booyah!" The moment he said those words, a brilliant blue ray of light suddenly descended from above. The light shone brightly, illuminating the entire cave.

Then, when the radiance finally faded... A massive figure stood in its place. It was a goblin. But unlike the ordinary goblins he had just slaughtered, this one was nearly twice their size. Its muscular body was covered in green skin, and it held two massive clubs in both hands.

The weapons were considerably larger and of far better quality than those wielded by its underlings. Well... That was only understandable. After all, this was the dungeon boss.

Ding! A system notification suddenly flashed before the young man’s eyes: [The Dungeon Boss has appeared.]

Ding! [Warning! The Dungeon Boss has appeared.]

The notification was written in glaring red: [WARNING! ALERT!]

Normally, seeing such a notification should have caused the young man to feel apprehensive. After all, the dungeon boss was a Level Two monster.

And not just an ordinary Level Two monster either. It possessed the Dungeon Lord buff. Yet instead of becoming scared or feeling as though he was in danger... The young man’s face became even brighter.

He looked as happy as someone who had just watched their best friend finally arrive at their birthday party. "Rraaaagghhh!" A deep, savage growl escaped from the Goblin Lord’s mouth.

The moment it appeared, it looked around at its people who had been slaughtered, and its anger immediately boiled over. Its eyes locked onto the human responsible. It was ready to make him pay for his crime.

But the moment its eyes landed on the young man... The Goblin Lord froze. That dark hair... Hair that seemed almost as deep as the abyss.

Those gray eyes... Its anger faded away in an instant. Its mind went completely numb. The Goblin Lord rubbed its eyes as though hoping it was seeing things incorrectly. It rubbed them again. Then it stared. Once more. There was no mistake. It was that human.

That nightmarish human who had somehow turned slaughtering them into a hobby. The Goblin Lord’s anger disappeared completely. In its place came fear. And helplessness. What is he doing here... again?!

The young man looked at the Dungeon Boss and smiled warmly; "I’ve been waiting for you for what seems like forever, friend." His smile widened; "Now, shall we begin?"

Before the Goblin Lord could even react, the young man charged forward. The Goblin Lord’s expression twisted. Should it try to put up a fight? Or should it simply allow itself to be slain? Well... Even if it fought, it would still die.

After all, this nightmare disguised as a human had already killed it more than two hundred times. Being killed one more time after that... Wasn’t really anything special.

But still... It should try to put up a fight. After all, it was a Dungeon Boss. It had its pride. And even if that pride had been shattered more than two hundred times... And was still being shattered... A Dungeon Boss’s pride was still its pride. With that thought, the Goblin Lord roared and clashed with the human.

The battle erupted once more.

Several minutes later... The Dungeon Boss stood trembling. Its massive body was covered in wounds, while the young man stood before it, breathing heavily. Yet despite his exhaustion, unmistakable excitement still glinted within his eyes.

The Goblin Lord raised one trembling hand and pointed at him; "P... ls..." Its voice was hoarse and broken; "Don’t... co... me... agai...n..." The meaning was clear despite its broken voice. With those final words... The Goblin Lord collapsed. It was dead.

The young man stared at the corpse for a moment before rubbing the back of his head awkwardly; "Sorry, friend." He gave a helpless smile; "But I doubt I’ll be able to keep that promise." There was no one left to hear him.

All the goblins were dead after all. If they could somehow hear what he had just said... And learned that he intended to return once again tomorrow... They would probably cry tears of blood.

Ding! A system notification flashed before his eyes:

[Basic Green Dungeon has been cleared.]

[0.2 EXP received.]

[Status.]

Ding!

[Name: Orion Stormblade]

[Talent: Summoner]

[Grade: G]