"Goblins?" She questioned.

"Yeah, goblins," I answered.

"You're afraid of a bunch of goblins?" She blinked at me.

I hesitated in answering her question. While I certainly wasn't afraid of the monsters behind the door, I could vividly recall their sharp weapons poking holes in my body. And I loathed to admit it, but I was considerably weaker than my previous self, especially in terms of the agility department.

And Amara was even worse than me.

"One, not afraid; two, there's more than a bunch." I verbalized.

"I'm sure we can take them." She said. "And before you ask, no, there's no other exit in this place."

That made me frown a bit. If only one exit existed, then the dragon must've known about it. Which made me wonder if that bastard had orchestrated all this.

I looked around at the fallen chains, each link easily thicker than my forearm. Unfortunately for me, I couldn't find anything useful.

"What are you looking for?" Amara asked.

"A weapon," I answered. "I lost mine after they sort of killed me."

"Don't worry about that." She flashed a smile at me and lifted the hem of her cloak to show me her concealed weapon. "I've got a sword."

The sword in question was a beautiful piece of craft with a sleek and shiny blade. The cross-guard curved inward, and ornate threads wound around the grip. A red gem was embedded in the knot of the pommel, giving off a grim-dark luster.

I would've protested in any other situation, but knowing that Amara had Regeneration to fall back on assuaged my worries. That said, I wasn't about to sit back and watch her have all the fun. I had spent enough time that way; I wasn't willing to spend more.

"Let's go." I spoke. "Let's exterminate these bastards."

Amara opened the door with ease, finding the mechanism that operated the behemoth right beside a pillar. Upon my inquiry, she answered that this entire room was covered in runic inscriptions, and while not an expert, she was knowledgeable enough to recognize how to trigger the tool.

That was a minor relief to my heart. Knowing that she had only lost relevant, personal memories of her life. It sounded callous, but I was only being pragmatic.

As the door swung inward, the light from indoors seeped to illuminate the cavern in rich clarity. A small army of stout green monsters waited on the other side.

"Holy..." I couldn't form any words at the sheer number of goblins awaiting just beyond the door. For a moment panic gripped me, afraid that the monster would rush in and swarm us.

They didn't.

Instead I saw them waiting patiently while spread out in the cavern. They were watching both me and Amara like hawks, but none dared to step foot inside.

"They're afraid," Amara voiced the doubts in my heart. "They probably think the dragon is still here. Maybe it's the residual magic lingering in the air."

"So, they won't come inside?" I asked, my eyes narrowing at the monsters pointing their crude but lethally sharp weapons at me.

Amara shook her head. "I don't think it would take them long to figure out the dragon is gone, and when they do..."

I didn't need to listen further to understand the implications behind that thought. Over a hundred goblins would flood the chamber and swarm us like ants seeking food.

"That's why we aren't going to wait for them to make a move." Just as the silver-haired vampire finished speaking, she rushed forth with her sword drawn. The goblin closest to her stumbled back, startled at her unexpected charge, but in the jam-packed entrance, it couldn't move further than a few inches.

That's why it never even realized what took its head off, distracted as it was.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

A system notification flashed in my vision.

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

Your summon has slain a level 4 monster: Cave Goblin (E)

You have earned XP (+81.6%).

I was surprised at suddenly receiving a huge amount of XP, but then I realized that I was back at level 1. Instead of netting me a measly 2%, it had upped my bar more than a quarter way through.

Another kill and I would level up.

The goblins stood stock still from the shock of losing their member, or was it the astonishment at the speed of their assailant? Either way, the pause only lasted a few seconds.

And that was enough.

Amara flashed forward, and in a supernatural feat of acrobatics, slashed in a whirlwind arc, her sword claiming three monsters all at once.

[+45.4%]

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

You have leveled up!

You're now level 2!

+10 Strength, +10 Agility, +15 Vitality, +20 Intelligence, +10 Perception, +35 Spirit.

You have 5 unallocated stat points.

A sudden jolt of electricity passed through my body, and I nearly doubled down.

What the heck was that?

I hurriedly checked my newest notification and was pleasantly surprised to find I had leveled up but left gobsmacked at the sudden increase in my attributes.

100 points. Holy shit, that's a 100-point increase in one go!

I could feel my body filled with energy, demanding I vent it on my adversaries. With just a single level up, my attributes had nearly tripled. What an insane level up!

But then I caught sight of Amara's attributes, and my eyes flew wide open. Her Power Sync now rested at -99.5%, while her attributes eclipsed even mine.

I looked ahead and saw her give me a knowing look. She must've felt the sudden rise in her attributes, because she wasn't just moving fast; she was effectively everywhere.

The grace with which she landed among the flock of monsters was mesmerizing, even if the sight was one filled with blood and gore. Her sword left curved arcs in the air, reaping lives with terrifying virulence.

[+38.0%]

Every monster that fell was the XP earned. I no longer waited for her to finish the goblins by herself and rushed forth with haste and eagerness to join the battle.

Although my dagger was gone, I had no need for that anymore. The sheer attributes I supported made me an unstoppable force of nature.

I arrived before an unsuspecting goblin, my fist cocked back. The monster turned at the sound of my arrival but was met by the punch to its face. Its head slammed hard against the rock, bones breaking and spelling the doom for the goblin.

I smirked at the XP gone up.

And then I felt it. A container tipped over, the overflow leading to a new ascension.

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

You have leveled up!

You're now level 3!

+10 Strength, +10 Agility, +15 Vitality, +20 Intelligence, +10 Perception, +35 Spirit.

You have 10 unallocated stat points.

Amara stopped mid-battle and rushed toward me. In just an instant she had arrived, her speed leaving me awestruck.

"Ok, we need to have an urgent talk." She said.

"Kind of in the middle of something." With my enhanced attributes, I sidestepped a jab from one monster and grabbed at its spear. "Can't it wait?"

Amara held her hand forward, a ball of darkness taking shape. With a flick of her finger, the ball was launched straight at her enemies, tearing a hole right through their fragile bodies.

[+35.1%]

I sucked in a cold breath of air, finally realizing the true terror of a talent like Shadow Dominion.

"No." She answered. "You mentioned earlier about my Power Sync. Where does it stand now?"

I took a fleeting glance at her Soul Record.

Summons (1)

[Amara - SSS]

* Favorability: 12% (Friendly)

* Power Sync: -99%

Attributes

* Strength: 38

* Agility: 75

* Vitality: 52

* Intelligence: 58

* Perception: 31

I relayed my findings, while I couldn't help raising my brow at the increased Favorability. I still wasn't sure what the purpose of this reading was besides cluing me in on her attitude and feelings.

However, it was her attributes that had my eyes sparkling like Vaelin streetlamps.

In comparison, my attributes were...

Attributes

* Strength: 35

* Agility: 35

* Vitality: 43

* Intelligence: 50

* Perception: 29

* Spirit: 70

* Free Stat Points: 10

...Not bad, but somewhat lacking. I think the difference came from that single attribute called Spirit. It alone used more than a quarter of my points.

"You've got 10 free attribute points, right?" Amara asked.

I nodded in acknowledgment.

"Put them all in your spirit." She added. I frowned and shot her an inquiring look right after disposing of one goblin by kicking it in the chest. "I want to verify something. Trust me."

Even if she hadn't asked, I would've done so anyway. While I had some ideas as to the workings behind this enigmatic attribute, they still needed to be verified.

With a mental command, all of my 10 free attribute points were spent on the Spirit.

I heard Amara let out a satisfied sigh and felt the cavern darken slightly. Taking a glance at her attributes let me know why.

She had experienced a near 30-point increase in her attributes. And with that she was effectively equal to a powerful peak E-Rank hunter. With her talents, she might as well be unstoppable.

A massacre unfolded within the cavern.