Darell, Lilith, Emma, Ariel, and Eric arrived on the second floor of the dungeon.

They first thing that they noticed was the difference in the environment from the first floor.

Above them, the once pristine white sky now bore subtle hints of darkness as tiny patches of black had emerged between the white sky.

The lushness of the grass underfoot and the graceful dance of the trees had diminished, casting a slightly diminished charm upon their surroundings.

Darell's brows furrowed as he glanced around the altered landscape and a perplexed expression mirrored on Emma's face.

Something felt off, and it didn't align with the previous floor in the dungeon.

Emma sensed a subtle attenuation within her Light ability.

The radiant Light that had flowed abundantly on the first floor now seemed tempered, as if halted by an unseen force.

The strangeness puzzled her, for the Draathil itself was a creature of Light, and this alteration contradicted their expectations.

Darell momentarily brushed aside his confusion, his focus shifting to their immediate surroundings.

Suddenly, a loud battle-cry shattered the silence.

* ARRRRROAORAOA *

They immediately turned in the direction of the sound as they tightly gripped their weapons.

Emerging from the northern horizon, a horde of towering ogres charged toward them, brandishing crude wooden clubs in one hand and wooden shields in the other.

These ogres, classified as rank 01 beasts, possessed the strength of a rank 02 creature due to their unique lineage.

They stood at a height of ten feet.

They also, had ghostly pale skin which was sparsely covered by tattered white cloth.

Their eyes glowed with a white hue.

Suddenly, they heard another battle-cry from the eastern direction.

The group turned their gaze toward the east.

They saw a horde of goblins shouting and snarling while charging toward them.

These were the very same rank 02 goblins that they had killed on the first floor.

Suddenly, Darell heard a new notification in his mind and he immediately closed his eyes.

He saw a new quest assigned to him by the system.

Quest Defeat the monsters Reward 50 XP

"We need to come up with a strategy. Now!!", Lilith said.

Darell raised his sword and said, "I have got it!"

He turned to Eric and ordered, "You and me will fight the goblins coming at us from the east."

Eric nodded and said, "We will take care of the freaks this time."

Darell turned to Emma and ordered, "You, Ariel and Lilith will fight the ogres coming at us from the north."

He glanced at everybody and asked, "Any problems?"

Seeing them nod, he turned around and shouted, "Then, fight!!"

They ran in their respective directions.

Darell and Eric seamlessly executed their battle strategy against the goblins.

* BOOM *

* BOOM *

* SPLURT *

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* SPLAT *

Eric used his gauntlets and attacked the goblins with it.

Due to the difference in their strengths, every punch of his shattered a skull or tore through their bodies.

He was unfazed by the carnage he caused or the blood that stained his gauntlets and remained focused on killing the goblins.

Darell, on the other hand, was toying with the goblins.

Whenever they tried to attack him, he would quickly evade their attacks and taunt them.

When he had enough, he caught one of them by it's head and threw it like a cannonball toward the other goblins.

* BOOM *

* SPLURT *

* SPLAT *

The speed at which he threw it caused such an impact that it resulted in a grotesque eruption of their bodies bursting apart.

* SPLURT *

* THUD *

An ogre's head flew off and the rest of it's body fell on the ground.

Lilith spun her sword on her hand.

She glanced at the headless ogre on the ground and murmured to herself, "That's one more."

Suddenly, she noticed a huge boulder coming at her.

So, she quickly activated her skill.

"Ice Shield!"

* BOOM *

The boulder collided with her shield, resulting in an explosion.

Lilith slid back a few meters due to the explosion and her shield remained intact.

She deactivated her skill and the shield broke apart.

She narrowed her eyes at the ogres who threw the boulder at her and activated her skill.

"Ice Tornado!"

A huge tornado materialized in front of her which she directed toward the ogres.

The helpless ogres were either thrown away by the violent tornado or turned into ice.

Lilith broke apart the ogres who turned into ice and killed those who were thrown away.

Ariel threw her chakra at the ogres from a safe distance.

She watched as the chakra sliced their throats and when it flew back toward her, she caught it happily.

Emma, despite experiencing the strange suppression of her Light ability, fought the ogres.

She didn't panic nor did she feared.

She remained calm and activated her skills.

She realized that each time she activated her skill, her mana grew as well as her comprehension of the Light ability.

This realization excited her and she fought the ogres with increased fervor.

After a few minutes, the combined efforts of the group paid off as they finally killed every ogre and goblin.

They took a moment to catch their breaths and wiped sweat and blood from their faces.

Lilith cleaned her sword with a piece of cloth she had in her bag, while Ariel retrieved her chakra from the ground.

Darell and Eric exchanged glances, pleased with how they had worked together to take down the goblins.

Emma, still feeling the effects of the environment on her Light ability, closed her eyes and focused on replenishing her mana.

They noticed a shimmering lake nearby, its clear waters reflecting the sky above.

They made their way towards it, relieved to find a place to clean their clothes and weapons.

They took turns washing and scrubbing their equipment, removing any traces of dirt and blood.

After they finished, they noticed a new green portal had appeared in the nearby forest, beckoning them to continue.

They exchanged looks of excitement, eager to see what the next floor of the dungeon held in store for them and they stepped into the portal.

They arrived on the third floor of the dungeon.

They noticed the once minute dark spots in the sky had expanded, casting an ominous shadow over the surroundings.

Emma, in particular, sensed the weight of the environment pressing down on her, intensifying the strain she felt.

It was as if the very air around her was putting a pressure on her body.

They exchanged glances since all of them were uneased by the changing environment.

Darell, on the other hand, was experiencing something else entirely.

He felt a surge of power coursing through his body.

It was as if the very essence of the dungeon floor resonated with him, granting him newfound strength and resilience.

Suddenly, he received a notification which he quickly read.

YOU ARE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE DARKNESS!!! YOUR STATS HAVE INCREASED!!!

Darell opened his stats as soon as he read the notification.

Name Darell Rogers Race *** Level 13 XP 100/1000 HP 425/425 MP 375/375 Strength 155 Agility 155 Stamina 155 Vitality 155 Defense 155 Intellect 155 Ability Space Skills Space Arsenal, Nihility, Space Tear, Teleport, Star Strike, Gate, Burst, SuperNova Special Skills Inspect, Conceal, Sense, Final Blow, Death's Touch Combat Techniques Reaper Fist, Earth-Shattering Slash System Points 35

Darell narrowed his eyes at his status interface.

Why had his stats received a boost while his friends remained unaffected?

The question reverberated in his mind, echoing with the possibility of the system's involvement.

In the depths of contemplation, a sudden realization struck him like lightning.

A revelation that demanded attention.

'Wait!', Darell's thought, 'How did I come to possess the system? And why was I only, chosen?'

Yet, his train of thought was abruptly derailed by the rumbling beneath his feet.

The ground quivered, causing his attention to snap back to the present danger at hand.

His eyes darted around, only to witness a horde of goblins marching relentlessly toward them.

What caught Darell's attention was the unusual synchronization in their movements.

It was as if they were following someone's commandes.

Amongst the chaotic scene, a goblin of imposing stature emerged.

Towering over its companions, it wielded a shield in one hand and a sword in the other.

Adorned in white armor that protected its shoulders and arms, leaving its chest exposed, the beast wore a helmet that prevented others from finding out what it looked like.

Darell noticed the strange goblin and immediately activated his Inspect ability on it.

He found out that it wasn;t any mere goblin.

It was a goblin boss, a rank 03 beast.

At that exact moment, he received a notification from the system.

Quest Defeat the goblin boss Reward 50 XP

Darell turned around and noticed their curious expressions.

He said to them, "That...", he pointed at the goblin and continued, "my friends, is a goblin boss - a rank 03 beast."

In the face of imminent danger posed by the horde of goblins, none of them questioned how Darell knew.

Instead, they nodded and focused on the horde.

This time, Ariel formed a plan to take down the horde and they quickly acted according to it.

Darell and Lilith fought with the goblins from the east, while Emma, Eric, and Ariel joined forces and fought the goblin horde from the west.

After a hard fought battle with the goblin boss, they finally killed off every goblin in the vicinity.

After that, they concluded their training for the day.

They exited the training hall and made their way back to their respective dorm rooms.

They quickly freshened themselves up and wore a new set of clothes before meeting at the dining hall.

They chatted with each other while eating.

But, Darell looked around the hall and noticed that he couldn't see Abel and his gang anywhere.

He put this observation at the back of his head and turned to his friends and enjoyed his dinner.

After eating their fill, they went back to their dorm room where they slept soundly.