Chapter 23: Successfully Levelled Up

Chapter Twenty Three

"So this is the power of an elite-level warrior..." Orion muttered under his breath, his gaze locked onto the battle between the Red Ogres and the Blind Swordsman. That was if it could even be honored with that name.

The fight couldn’t even be called a fight. It was nothing more than one-sided bullying. Using nothing but pure strength and hand movements, the old man had been able to cripple all seven Red Ogres, beating the life out of them.

And yet... He didn’t kill them. When he saw that they were totally subdued, the old man turned his gaze toward Orion.

"Alright, kid. Come up. It’s your turn to end things."

Orion was confused at first, but the confusion lasted only for a second before his eyes cleared. It seemed that the old man wanted him to land the killing blow. By doing so, he would gain the EXP for slaying the seven Red Ogres.

Orion paused and then asked, "You want me to take the kill?" The answer was obvious, but Orion couldn’t wrap his head around why a legend like Sir Dwaine was helping him.

They had no connection, and humans were selfish by nature. So he didn’t believe in free food. The man must want something in return. What was it? Orion had no idea.

Seeing the small guy hesitate, Sir Dwaine chuckled and waved at him. "Calm your nerves. The fact that you are a no-level and still have the guts to enter such a dangerous dungeon tells me just the kind of person you are."

"The kind of person I am?"

Sir Dwaine nodded. "You are either the bravest person I have ever met or the greatest fool."

"Either one doesn’t matter. What matters is I am willing to help you level up. Whether you choose to take my help or not is up to you," he said.

Orion remained silent. He didn’t know if he could trust the old man. But really, it wouldn’t matter. Seeing the kind of power he wielded while warming up, Orion was certain he was not his match... Not even close.

If the man wanted to hurt him, he had no chance of fighting back anyway. He might as well use this opportunity to level up. With that, he stepped forward, unsheathed his daggers, and moved toward the first crippled Red Ogre.

He pierced it with the dagger, driving it straight through its neck. The ogre let out a muffled cry and went limp. The next second, Orion’s System flashed.

[Ding!]

[You have slain an A-Grade Level 12 monster... Red Ogre.]

[You have received 5 EXP.]

Seeing the EXP he gained, Orion was lost for words for a moment. "5 EXP for slaying one monster... That’s huge." That five EXP was the equivalent of him grinding for a month or so in the Basic Green Dungeon.

A month’s worth of effort had been obtained just like that. It was understandable, considering the fact that unlike the goblins Orion spent his time slaying, who were only E-Grade monsters, the Red Ogres were A-Grade.

The difference between them was like heaven and earth. And also, the monsters were twelve levels higher than Orion, who was a Level 0, so getting that much EXP was no surprise.

He would have even gotten threefold or more, provided his Talent Grade wasn’t so low. Still, this was the best thing that Orion had ever seen on his System screen before.

After seeing the System notification, Orion moved to the remaining six crippled Red Ogres and ended their lives as well.

[Ding!]

[You have slain an A-Grade Level 12 monster... Red Ogre.]

[You have received 5 EXP.]

[Ding!]

[Ding!]

[Ding!]

When Orion was done, his gaze moved to his System screen, and he felt more joyous than ever. He felt excitement. The required EXP was almost full.

Soon, he would finally level up.

"Thanks a lot, Senior. I will surely repay you in the future for this," Orion said sincerely. Without the old man’s help, he doubted he would be any match for those Red Ogres.

They were too strong. He couldn’t survive against one, not to talk of seven.

The man waved him off, a small smile on his face. "No need for repayment. Just see this as a gift for your bravery."

"Stupidity, perhaps. Can’t tell."

The old man chuckled once more and moved forward. The other six warriors had finally slain the other three Ogres, and they collected the ten Flame Cores that they dropped.

The group switched with Taro’s group, the third, and this continued like that. Under these tactics, the dungeon raid could be said to be going smoothly... maybe too smoothly, even.

After all, the number of warriors that had entered the dungeon was simply too much. Most of them were at least in the High Basic Level, while the rest were Elite-Level Warriors.

Coupled with the fact that they were all veterans and competent fighters, the raid was progressing with almost no stress at all. With the formation of the three groups to top it all off, things were seemingly proceeding without any trouble.

Each of the Red Ogres they killed also granted them bountiful rewards, making the entire raid seem even more worthwhile. Whenever it was Orion’s group’s turn, the old man would subdue some of the monsters and allow Orion to deal the killing blow.

Two more times. That was all it took before Orion finally received the long-awaited system notification he had been longing for.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have successfully leveled up!]

Orion’s eyes widened slightly. He immediately opened his status, and sure enough, he could see it. He was no longer a No-Level.

He had officially become a real warrior. Yes, he was still only a Low-Level One Warrior, but to Orion, that didn’t matter.

A win was a win, no matter how small it might be.

"Thanks a lot, Senior." He thanked the old man once more, his voice filled with genuine sincerity.

Sir Dwaine merely nodded in approval. The fact that Orion needed to kill so many high-ranking monsters just to level up had already allowed the old man to come to a conclusion... the young man must have an extremely low-grade talent.

Yet surprisingly, this did not lower Orion’s status in his eyes. If anything, it elevated it by a great deal. Most people who awakened with low-grade talents would simply give up on becoming warriors.

It was rare to see someone who dared to continue pursuing the path despite the terrible hand fate had dealt them. And yet, this young man was clearly one of them.

Several long minutes of battling and harvesting the bountiful rewards passed in the blink of an eye, and soon, the group finally arrived at a large clearing.

It seemed they had reached the end of the dungeon. A second after they arrived, a red light suddenly descended from above with a deafening bang.

BOOM!

A massive Red Ogre appeared. It was far larger than any of the Red Ogres they had been fighting before, its enormous body towering over the warriors like a small mountain.

The group immediately moved into action. They surrounded the massive monster and bombarded it from all sides. Level 18 or not, it didn’t matter.

Under the endless assault of more than thirty high-leveled warriors, the dungeon boss didn’t last more than ten minutes before it was finally killed.

Its massive body began to dissipate, and in its place appeared a clear blue crystal. It was about twenty inches long and five inches wide.

The moment the warriors saw it, their eyes lit up with greed.

"That is a Pure Magic Crystal!" Several warriors couldn’t help but salivate at the sight. And it was an extremely large one at that.

A Pure Magic Crystal of this size was incredibly valuable and would cost an enormous amount of money.

The group was still staring at the crystal when suddenly...

Hummmmmm!

The ground began to tremble as if something beneath it had suddenly come alive. A bright white light illuminated the entire cave.

Sir Dwaine, who had sat out during the battle against the dungeon boss, immediately turned his gaze toward the source of the light. A white gateway had suddenly appeared.

His expression finally became serious.

"So it’s like I expected, The prelude was finally over." Behind that gate... Must lie the real horror of this Dungeon X.