Leon stared at the mutated ruins golem with a calm, almost empty expression, his sword already raised and ready to strike.
The effects of [Vision Enhancement] were still active, sharpening the world around him—but not for long. At most, he had fifteen seconds left.
Without it, dodging would become much harder.
Especially against a monster like this.
'Most of its combat power probably comes from raw strength and constitution,' Leon thought. 'Its agility should still be low.'
Strong Fireball!
Leon thrust his hand forward and launched a blazing fireball straight at the mutated golem.
The massive creature reacted instantly. It raised both of its reinforced stone arms and crossed them in front of its body.
BOOM!
The fireball exploded against its guard, flames spreading everywhere, but when the smoke cleared, the golem was still standing.
"…Damn."
Fwoosh!
The mutated golem bent its legs and leapt forward with terrifying force, covering the distance in a single jump. Its massive arm swung down, aiming not to strike—but to grab.
"Still trying to throw me into that liquid, huh?" Leon's eyes glinted. "Not happening."
Thanks to [Vision Enhancement], Leon could clearly see the trajectory of the attack. The monster was powerful, but its movements were heavy and predictable.
Leon dashed to the side, then instantly circled behind it.
Slash!
His sword struck the golem's head with full force.
CRACK!
Deep fractures spread across the stone where Leon hit. The impact echoed through the chamber.
It wasn't enough to kill it, but it was enough to prove something important.
'I can hurt it.'
That alone was more than enough.
Slam!
The golem twisted and slammed its fist toward Leon, trying to crush him outright.
Leon stepped back effortlessly, avoiding the blow just like before.
For several seconds, the exchange continued.
The mutated golem attacked relentlessly, swinging its arms, stomping the ground, and lunging again and again, desperately trying to seize the human before it.
But none of its attacks connected.
Leon moved smoothly, dodging each strike by a narrow margin, his movements precise and controlled. With [Vision Enhancement] active, every motion of the golem felt slow.
Seeing an opening, Leon stepped in once more.
Slash!
He struck the same cracked area on the golem's head, deepening the fractures.
The golem reacted instantly, raising both arms to protect its head.
That was exactly what Leon was waiting for.
At the very last moment, he changed his stance.
Strong Fireball!
BOOM!
The spell detonated against the golem's exposed side.
A massive chunk of its body was blown apart, stone fragments scattering across the chamber.
The mutated golem staggered.
Leon didn't hesitate.
Slash!
His sword flashed, cutting cleanly through the weakened structure.
The golem collapsed, its massive body crumbling into lifeless rubble.
Ding!
[You have killed x3 "Ruins Golem" and gained 900 experience points.]
[You have killed "Ruins Golem (Mutated)" and gained 700 experience points.]
[100% Drop Rate has triggered, items have been automatically placed in your storage space.]
"Nice."
Leon exhaled lightly.
That fight alone had given him a massive amount of experience. He was now only a few monsters away from leveling up again.
More importantly, his storage space was filled with new items.
[Ruins Golem Essence x3: Consuming will increase Strength by 5.]
[Mutated Ruins Golem Essence: +7 Strength and +5 Constitution.]
[Ruins Golem Armor x4 (Rare): +100 Constitution, +80 Strength, -25 Agility.]
"Oh?"
Leon didn't waste time.
He immediately consumed all the essences.
A warm sensation spread through his body as his muscles and bones grew denser and stronger.
Then his gaze shifted to the armor.
At a glance, it was clearly superior to the armor he was currently wearing—even at level 1.
The agility penalty wasn't a flaw. Heavy armor always came with a trade-off.
Leon didn't hesitate.
Fwish!
[You have consumed two identical equipments… enhancement successful!]
He enhanced the armor twice, creating two identical upgraded pieces.
Then, without stopping, he pushed further.
Fwish!
[Enhancement successful!]
"Yes!"
If that enhancement had failed, both armor pieces would have shattered completely.
But luck was on Leon's side.
[Ruins Golem Armor +3 (Rare): +250 Constitution, +150 Strength, -10 Agility.]
The increase was massive. Not only did the stats skyrocket, but even the agility penalty was reduced.
That was the true strength of enhanced equipment.
Leon immediately removed his [Poison Mushroom Armor +2] and equipped the new armor.
The moment he did, he could feel the difference.
His body felt heavier, but also far sturdier.
His constitution was now so high that he could probably tank a direct hit from most monsters in this dungeon.
He glanced at his combat power.
[Combat Power: 1,204 (+1370)]
His combat power had officially surpassed 2,500.
"I gained over 500 combat power in an instant," Leon muttered with a grin. "Higher-difficulty dungeons really are the best."
After dealing with the golems, Leon continued forward.
Ahead of him stood a massive gate.
There were other paths branching off to the sides, each leading deeper into the ruins, but Leon didn't bother choosing carefully.
He wasn't here to rush the exit.
He was here to get stronger.
Leon passed through the gate and entered a long hallway.
The corridor was dimly lit by flickering torches embedded in the stone walls. Shadows danced along the floor as Leon walked forward calmly.
Then—
Fwoosh!
A fireball shot out from the darkness ahead.
Leon immediately sidestepped, the spell passing right by him and exploding against the wall.
He reacted without hesitation.
Strong Fireball!
BOOM!
His fireball rushed forward and exploded deep in the hallway.
Ding!
[You have killed "Skeleton Magician (Level 10)" and gained 250 experience points.]
[100% Drop Rate has triggered…]
"…I didn't even get to see it."
Leon walked forward and checked the drops.
[Skeleton Magician Essence: Consuming will increase Spirit by 5.]
[Skeleton Staff (Uncommon): +100 Spirit. Requirement: At least knows one spell.]
[Skill Stone]
"Wow, nice."
This single enemy had dropped far more than expected.
Leon actually hoped to encounter more of them.
And as if the dungeon itself had heard him—
Fwish!
The torches at the end of the hallway flared to life.
Seven figures stepped out of the shadows.
Seven skeleton magicians.
Each one held a staff, all of them pointing directly at Leon.
"…Damn."
---
[Skeleton Magician]
[Level: 10]
[Combat Power: 1,600]
[Details: Skeletons that have learned low-level magic out of boredom after being trapped in these ruins for a long time.]
---
Fireball! Lightning Strike!
All seven skeleton magicians fired their spells at the same time, flooding the hallway with blazing fire and crackling lightning.
Leon's expression didn't change.
He sprinted forward, using the narrow walls of the hallway to his advantage, leaping and rolling past the incoming spells with precise movements.
The skeletons hesitated, clearly shocked.
Before their cooldowns could finish—
Strong Fireball!
Leon raised the skeleton staff he had just acquired in his left hand and pointed it forward.
The fireball he launched this time was far stronger than before.
BOOM!
The explosion engulfed the group.
The blast was so powerful that almost all of the skeleton magicians were destroyed instantly.
When the smoke cleared, only two remained.
They barely had time to react.
Leon was already in front of them.
Slash!
His sword flashed twice.
Both skeletons collapsed, their skulls cleanly severed.
Ding!
[You have killed x7 "Skeleton Magician" and gained 1,750 experience points.]
[100% Drop Rate has triggered…]
Ding!
[Congratulations, you have leveled up to Level 8!]
[You have gained 5 points in all attributes and 5 free points to distribute.]
Leon exhaled slowly.
Along with the experience, the skeletons dropped [Skeleton Staff x7], [Skill Stones x7], and [Skeleton Magician Essence x7].
Every single one dropped the same items.
Leon was a bit surprised that no spell scrolls appeared, but his talent couldn't force drops that didn't exist.
He consumed all the essences, increasing his spirit by 40.
Then he began fusing the staffs.
Three out of four fusions succeeded, giving him a [Skeleton Staff +2].
He didn't stop there.
Fwish! Ding!
[Enhancement successful!]
"Nice."
[Skeleton Staff +3 (Uncommon): +300 Spirit.]
It was a very basic weapon.
No special effects. No skills. Just raw spirit.
But Leon didn't mind.
A 300 spirit boost was enormous, directly adding hundreds of combat power.
Leon held the staff in his left hand and the [Flame Tail Sword] in his right.
"I'm not used to fighting with both a sword and a staff," he muttered. "But I'll manage."
With that, Leon stepped forward once more.
Deeper into the [Wild Ruins]. Eager to see what else the [Hard] difficulty had waiting for him.