It was common knowledge on the internet that many aspiring Awakeners, even those with promising Talents, had been felled inside a dungeon because they had underestimated it.

Increasing one’s stats without anyone to serve as a lookout while in a hostile environment was, it turned out, a perfectly good way of kicking the bucket.

Still, as James looked at his Status Window, the pull of a quick jump in strength was simply too great. He knew he should retreat and be content with what he had achieved so far, but with how easy it had been to deal with the squirrels, James thought he had a real chance at clearing the dungeon.

Since it was a newly established H-rank one, there shouldn’t be too many monsters, and the Boss should still be well within his capabilities.

Had it been an older dungeon, he wouldn’t have dared his luck, but things seemed to be working well for him.

Thus, he decided to assign his free points, since even he wasn’t foolhardy enough to believe he could take the Boss with level 2 stats.

STATUS WINDOW

Name

James Summers

Age

19

Awakening

1st

Talent

Thakinesis

Title

Level

3

MP

12/15

STR

6

VIT

5

AGI

6

SENSE

6

MIND

7

STAT POINTS

0

Again, the weird sensation of muscle and mind expanding all at once overtook him, leaving him defenseless to the outside world. In a stroke of luck, no monster approached him for the few seconds he was busy writhing and panting on the ground.

Thus, James completed the change, standing up with a satisfied grin. He opened and closed his hands, feeling new strength fill them.

This is such a heady feeling. It’s no wonder so many people throw themselves at danger if these are the rewards.

That wasn’t even to speak about the massive wealth that could be accrued by dungeon diving. An H-rank one like the one he was in currently, which was considered not worth the time by experienced Awakeners, would still rack in more than two months’ pay in his last job.

Considering that a G-rank Awakener could clear it in an hour, the trade-off was simply amazing.

The reason the squirrels hadn’t been dealt with already, despite the money that could be made, was that better opportunities were available elsewhere.

In human cities, mana struggled to concentrate in significant amounts, resulting in weaker dungeons than what could be found outside them.

In the American wilderness, where you could go for hours by car without meeting anyone, Mana Sinks grew to massive size, resulting in a C or B-rank, considered the best to raid by professional Awakeners.

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Coming back to reality, James put all his dreams about taking part in those expeditions away, aware that he’d need to at least complete his second awakening - possibly even reaching the third - before he could be considered for any such team, even in a support role.

I could be a good scout, with Thakinetic Awareness allowing me to feel any monster around. Speaking of…

Two squirrels, though luckily not the size of the one he had just dealt with, were rapidly approaching his position, evidently having been drawn by the sounds of fighting.

Taking up his stance, James decided to face the monsters head on, without any trick this time. The power up might be making him more reckless, he realized, but he needed to see how much he could push himself in a straight fight, and enemies as weak as these were not easy to find where he would go in the future.

Twin screeches heralded their arrival, and the squirrels wasted no time jumping toward him, claws drawn and murderous looks promising death.

Though he hadn’t raised his AGI, which he promised himself to do next, James was able to easily dodge the first one, bending low beneath its jump, its glowing claws barely touching his hair, before he set his left foot forward, using his momentum to empower the heavy punch he had prepared.

Being filled with his Will, the blow sent the squirrel flying, its ribcage cracking with an audible sound.

With one momentarily dealt with, James rolled to the side, barely avoiding a charge from the first squirrel. It quickly righted itself, screeching out a challenge. This time, it jumped between rocks and trees, making the trajectory it would follow more confusing.

Surprised by the show of intelligence by an otherwise dumb creature, James couldn’t entirely avoid it, a line of searing pain opening in his arm next to what the bigger squirrel had already done.

He hissed but didn’t allow himself to get distracted. Thanks to that, he was able to track the beast’s movements using his Awareness skill. Therefore, he was ready for it when it jumped in a repeat of its previous move.

A devastating punch to the head sent it rolling away, and James quickly followed that with even more blows, ending its life. Wiping a few droplets of blood that had splattered his mask away, he rose from the crouch he had been in and walked over to where he could feel the last squirrel.

It was in bad shape, the hit to the ribcage having evidently damaged its internal organs enough that it could only lay there, breathing laboriously. James ended its suffering with an empowered stomp, crushing its throat. That over, he sighed, disgusted at how quickly he had gotten used to the gory mess.

A quick sweep with Thakinetic Awareness revealed that one more squirrel was approaching, this time of a similar size to the biggest one he had encountered so far.

Grabbing the corpse he had just made, James threw it in the direction the beast was pouncing from, forcing it to roll away and interrupt its charge.

Unfortunately for it, no second chances were available.

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Dealing with a dozen murderous squirrels had taken more time than he would have liked, but it had brought him all the way to the brink of level 5.

Having assigned his two stat points to AGI and, again, STR, once he was sure the coast was clear, James felt more prepared to deal with what was waiting for him in the center of the grove.

I know that a Boss is not the same as the ones I’ve been fighting so far. They are the strongest and most changed by the mana, which makes them smarter too. Taking it on at level 4 might be too much, but this dungeon is extremely new, which makes me think it shouldn’t have had the time to grow enough. I’ll just take a peek.

First, he removed the corpses he had created, gathering them all behind the bench he had hidden his backpack under. He drank some water, checked to make sure the few wounds he had taken were not still bleeding thanks to his first aid skills, and walked back in.

Nothing stopped his path this time, signifying that he must have dealt with all the dungeon’s denizens but one.

Fifteen monsters is at the lowest end of the scale. Really, even calling this a dungeon is a bit of a stretch. But I guess it works in my favor. Had it been more populated and with stronger creatures, I would not have made it this far.

The top of the hill the squirrels had taken over was crowned by one large oak tree. Its thick trunk was decorated with slashes, as if attempting to warn interlopers of the resident’s might.

In its branches, James spied his quarry. The Boss was a fair bit bigger than even the muscular squirrels he had fought, telling him that even without it using skills - and he doubted he’d be so lucky - it would be much harder to defeat.

His biggest problem was that he had trouble inflicting lethal damage quickly. His strength and skill usage was better than any of these monsters, but he needed to spend a lot of time ending each one.

Even when empowered and using the reinforced gloves, his punches only broke bone and bruised flesh. He might end the fight on the spot if he got a good hit in, but it was more a matter of luck than skill.

Still, seeing the Boss lazily resting within its tree, as if unaware of what had been going on in its domain, made James think it wasn’t as bright as he had feared.

The whole dungeon had turned out easier than expected, and though he didn’t want to put the cart before the horse, he believed he might have a good shot at clearing it entirely on his first try.

It’s literally the weakest dungeon possible, but not many people get to say they cleared one by themselves while H-rank, even a newly born one. Without the support of a guild.

James grabbed another rock from the ground and considered it. He might have a shot if he managed to get a good hit in before the thing knew of him.

It was still entirely possible that he would miss and then have to contend with a large-dog sized murder squirrel intent on tearing him to ribbons. His speed had increased, but he didn’t think he’d be able to run away from it.

He should have given up. Let the rock fall from his hands, go back to his loot, and relish in having accomplished the goal he had set for himself. Be safe.

Instead, his hand rose up unbidden, even as he started pumping mana in his limbs with his skill. His choice was made without even a hint of hesitation.

My goal is too big to give up now. I can’t possibly think of tackling the corruption of the Guild System if I give up before a newborn H-rank dungeon.

Thanks to his latest level, the strength he could exert had increased again, and the point in agility would serve him well in aiming his shot.

With his Awareness locked in on the Boss and his muscles coiled tight, James set his mind to the task, the resoluteness of his decision flooding his limbs with additional energy.

His arm shot forward like a rocket, inhuman strength forcing the rock at speeds he would have never been capable of even just a couple of days before.

It flew true, striking the Boss in his ribs and sending it tumbling down the tree, a grunt of surprise and pain leaving it.

James used the the momentum to run to it, not wanting to give it time to reorient. Forcing even more of his dwindling mana reserves into his limbs, he quickly reached it as it was rolling on the ground and mercilessly attacked.

This squirrel, however, was evidently much more resilient than its subordinates, which it demonstrated by withstanding a kick that would have killed any of them, clutching at James’ foot with a deadly grip, its glowing claws tearing into the shin guards and reaching the flesh beneath.

He screamed in pain and smashed his foot against the trunk of a nearby tree, aiming to dislodge the monster.

It took the blow, staying where it was as if stuck with glue. Even as James repeatedly smashed it against the hard trunk, it tore into his leg, mangling it with desperation fueled by the knowledge it was about to die anyway.

James growled, pain making his thinking hazy but somehow sharpening his focus. Every ounce of him was focused on getting the monster off his leg, so much so that he didn’t even notice when Thakinetic Empowerment stopped working on all his limbs and instead focused on the injured one, strengthening it well beyond what it used to be.

The image of Sally's foot being bit off was a powerful motivator, and James fought desperately to prevent the same fate befalling him.

Finally, with one last yell, he landed a blow to the squirrel’s head that made its grip go slack.

James wasted no time freeing himself and ending the Boss’ life, his fist blowing through the monster’s already dented skull, splattering bits everywhere.

That over, James laid down beside it, softly weeping for his ruined leg.

“Well, I can’t say I expected you to get here. Good thing I stuck around, eh?” Came a feminine voice from above.