Pushing himself off the dry dirt ground, surrounded by pieces of the mud houses he was flung through, Nathan walked over to where the Hobgoblin champion had died. Its body already disappeared, and in its place lay a black hooded robe. Picking it up, its information appeared before Nathan.
Robe of the Hobgoblin Champion [Unique]
When Equipped:
Constitution + 10
Dexterity + 15
Unique Skill: Elemental Resistance
Passive skill: completely resistant against any elemental skill below level 40.
Nathan smiled, “This is definitely a great item…but I wish I got at least one more thing.” Nathan shrugged off his disappointment and put on the robe, understanding that he will get more items on the next few floors. Turning his head toward the portal that had formed only a few feet away from where the Hobgoblin champion died, Nathan walked through,
“I’ll go home for today,” Although Nathan’s physical exhaustion had disappeared, his mental exhaustion had not.
—----------------------------------------------------------------
Arriving home, Nathan took off all of his hunter gear, took a shower, and immediately went to sleep. The soft cushion of his bed felt heavenly as he was finally able to get much-needed rest. As his consciousness faded, and his mind went at ease, he fell asleep.
However, instead of a night filled with darkness, or an unusual dream, he appeared in a familiar place. Nathan stood alongside his friends, Noah, Samantha, Lucas, and James, in the dimly lit corridors of the dungeon they were exploring. Noah's jokes echoed in the air, lightening the mood, while Samantha's bright smile radiated warmth, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Lucas, ever the protective figure, stood guard, his banter with James filling the space with a warm and joyous tone.
As they ventured deeper, the atmosphere shifted. The walls of the dungeon seemed to close in, the air growing heavier, suffocating. They were hunters, after all, and danger was their constant companion. Yet, nothing could have prepared them for the horror that awaited.
The dream twisted, morphing into a chaotic battle scene. An immense orc, towering over everything, wielding a massive ax, and wearing light woolen clothes, emerged from the shadows. It had a scar over its left eye, and various scars scattered about its body. Its eyes burned with intelligence, and its muscles bulged with power. The group engaged in combat, their power surprisingly high for their level, but they were outmatched.
Nathan witnessed Noah fall first, his body crumpling to the stone floor, his eyes wide in disbelief. The sight of his childhood friend, broken and lifeless, struck Nathan with a paralyzing fear. Samantha's scream pierced the air as she rushed to Noah's side, only to be met with the orc's ruthless gaze. In a flash, her vibrant life was extinguished, her body collapsing next to Noah's.
Lucas, in a desperate attempt to shield Nathan, lunged at the orc. But his bravery was met with a brutal cleave, cutting him in half. James, their leader and strongest hunter, fought valiantly, his movements desperate as he fought with teary eyes. But even he could not withstand the orc's overwhelming strength. The dream slowed as Nathan watched James being split by the orc's ax, his blood painting the dungeon walls in a gruesome display.
Nathan stood alone, surrounded by the bodies of his friends, their lifeless eyes accusing him of his inability to save them. The orc loomed over him, its ax raised for the final blow. But instead of striking, it laughed, a deep, gruff sound that echoed throughout the cave.
The dream shifted again, and Nathan found himself running through the dungeon's corridors, his friends' voices echoing around him, screaming at him that he caused their deaths. He ran, but the corridor seemed endless, the echoes of his friends' voices growing louder and more agonizing.
As he ran, the images of his friends' deaths replayed over and over, each time more vivid, more excruciating. Noah's broken body, Samantha's lifeless gaze, Lucas's severed torso, and James's bloodied form haunted his mind.
“Ahh!” Nathan shot up in a cold sweat. His breathing was ragged and he had tears in his eyes, “Why, why did I have to see that again?” He turned around to look at the digital clock that sat on his nightstand, along with a small table lamp. The clock read 3:34.
“I can’t do this anymore,” Nathan mumbled, holding back tears. He gritted his teeth, “I have to kill that thing…now,” Without wasting a second, Nathan jumped out of bed, quickly changed his clothes, and equipped his leather armor, Aerial Boots, Berserk Ring, and the Robe of the Hobgoblin Champion. Sprinting out of his apartment building, he ran as fast as he could to the subway, and before he knew it, he could see the entrance of the tower. He quickly showed his hunter card to the sentinels and made it to the portal. He hesitated slightly, unsure how he would feel going back to the place where his friends died because of his mistakes. But, he knew he had to do this. Slowly, he entered the portal, his eyes beaming with determination and anger.
The third floor of the tower unveiled a starkly different world from the lush forests Nathan had navigated in the previous levels. Here, the landscape was a cold, barren expanse of rock and stone, stretching out into the horizon. Towering mountains, reminiscent of skyscrapers, loomed in the distance, their peaks piercing the sky.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
“I can’t take this boss lightly. I should probably level up at least once before I fight it." Nathan thought, his eyes scanning the desolate terrain. Only two groups of hunters and a few sentinels dotted the landscape.“There shouldn’t be anyone fighting the boss at this time” he concluded. With that, he bolted toward the boss, without even looking for the X on the ground. The haunting memories of his previous encounter on this floor were imprinted in his mind, guiding him to his destination.
As Nathan sprinted across the bleak, rocky terrain, the stillness was abruptly shattered by the appearance of a group of large orcs. These green-skinned humanoid beasts towered nearly seven feet tall, their bodies a mass of rippling muscles. They were garbed in coarse woolen attire, and each wielded an enormous axe, its length as great as a man. Tusks jutted from their mouths, adding to their fearsome look.
Upon noticing Nathan, the group of five orcs spun around. Their guttural roars echoed across the barren landscape as they charged toward him, their axes raised menacingly.
"Hopefully, I can gain a level after killing a few orcs," Nathan thought as he began sprinting towards the orcs, materializing a shadow sword in his hand. Surveying the terrain, his eyes flickered between the ground and the clouds above him, planning his next move. "This should work." With that, he seamlessly melded into the shadows.
The orcs, witnessing Nathan vanish into the ground, halted their charge. They huddled together, grunts of confusion resounding from the group. They remained on guard, weapons at the ready, eyes scanning their surroundings for any sign of Nathan. But Nathan, hidden in the shadow world, watched them intently.
He knew his stats far outclassed the orcs', but his ultimate goal was the Orc Chief. Conserving energy for that confrontation was crucial. The Chief, by all accounts, was a formidable adversary, and Nathan needed to be at his peak to face him.
From the shadows, Nathan observed the orcs' formation, identifying the most isolated target. With a burst of speed, he emerged behind an unsuspecting orc, his shadow sword slicing through the air. The orc's head fell before it could react, and Nathan slipped back into the shadows, leaving only a collapsing body as evidence of his attack.
The remaining orcs spun around, panic and rage in their eyes. The sound of their fallen comrade hitting the ground had set them on high alert. They formed a tighter circle, weapons brandished, searching for Nathan. Nathan repeated his hit-and-run tactic, each time targeting the most vulnerable orc. Despite his attempts at stealth, one or two of the orcs caught fleeting glimpses of him as he emerged from the shadows. However, they were too slow to react to his attacks.
After dispatching the last orc, Nathan paused, waiting for the familiar rush of leveling up, but nothing came. "I was hoping that would be enough," he muttered, clicking his tongue in mild frustration as he continued his sprint toward the Orc Chief,
Along the way, he encountered two more groups of orcs, each meeting the same fate as the first. Finishing off the third group, which was similar in size to the first, Nathan couldn't help but voice his disbelief.
"How am I not leveling—" he began, only to be interrupted by the appearance of a familiar blue screen.
Congratulations: You have reached level 7!
“Finally.” Opening up his stats, Nathans contemplated what he should put his stat points into.
Hunter: Nathan Pierce
Class: Swordsman
Age: 22
Level: 7
Stats:
Strength: 14 (+10)
Dexterity: 19 (+20)
Constitution: 14 (+25)
Mana: 12
Stat Points: 4
Skills:
(Lv 4) Slash
(Lv 2) Stab
(Lv 5) Dash
(Lv 2) The Eyes of Erebus
“Four points into strength or dexterity won’t make much of a difference right now, and I already have plenty of constitution. I’m probably going to use The Eyes of Erebus a lot, so I should put it into mana.”
Stats:
Strength: 14 (+10)
Dexterity: 19 (+20)
Constitution: 14 (+25)
Mana: 16
Stat Points: 0
Nathan, feeling more confident in fighting the Orc Chief, hastened his pace towards the boss room. This time, he skillfully avoided any encounters with roaming groups of Orcs, conserving his strength for the crucial battle ahead.
After more than twenty minutes of relentless sprinting, he reached a small opening amidst the rocky terrain. Nathan allowed himself only a brief respite, catching his breath and steeling his nerves for what was to come. His mind was a whirlwind of emotions, as memories flashed of his guild entering the cave, laughing and smiling.
Nathan's resolve hardened as he stepped into the dark, damp cave. The silence of the cavern was punctuated only by the rhythmic dripping of water. He had seen the fear in the eyes of the Goblin King; he knew these monstrous beings could feel terror. And he intended to exploit that, to make the Orc Chief pay for what had been done to his friends.
Navigating through the winding cave, Nathan finally emerged into a large, oval-shaped chamber. The room was dimly lit by a row of torches flanking either side, casting long, dancing shadows across the rough stone walls. His eyes were immediately drawn to the far end of the cavern, where a stone throne sat on a raised platform. But it was what, or rather who sat upon the throne that caused Nathan's heart to skip a beat.
"This isn't the same," Nathan whispered to himself. The figure on the throne was an Orc, but not like any he had encountered before. It sat there, garbed in thick, full-plate armor. Upon its head rested a crown, not of gold or jewels, but of large, menacing teeth bound together with black rope, and beside the throne leaned an oversized broadsword.
"Welcome, Human," boomed a deep, yet unexpectedly smooth voice.
Boss: Ancient King [Xoruk] has acknowledged your presence. Good Luck!