The Tower's base feels different the moment I stepped into its shadow—quieter, despite the foot traffic, like the building itself absorbs noise the way the Dungeon absorbs corpses.
The massive doors leading downward sit open, carved with symbols I don't bother reading.
Every anime viewer knows the shape of this gate.
Every adventurer knows the weight of it.
For me, it's a lifeline.
A method of growth like it is for so many other, but rather than through the gaining of Excelia to feed the gods, i shall absorb the miasma of the dungeon to empower myself.
A few adventurers lounge near the stairs, checking their equipment, whispering strategies, or boasting too loudly about their last run.
I slip between them without drawing eyes—just another newbie heading to get himself killed.
The descent begins with worn stone steps spiraling into cold air.
The light fades with each step.
That bright Orario sun is replaced by the Dungeon's own pale illumination—an eerie blue glow seeping from the walls as if the place is breathing.
My heart thumps once.
Hard enough that I feel it echo in my ribs.
The instinctive fear that mortals have of dark places.
But fear is a luxury I can't afford.
The first floor opens before me—a vast open cavern with smooth, unnatural walls and a floor that looks carved yet grown.
The air is heavy with the scent of damp stone and something sharp, metallic, faintly wrong.
This is where the world starts eating you.
This is where I start eating back.
I took three steps in, and the sound hits me—soft scraping, low growls, the shuffle of something small dragging its feet.
Not loud.
Not dramatic.
Just present.
Watching.
Waiting.
A goblin creeped from a crack in the wall ahead.
It's smaller than I expected—barely up to my chest—but its eyes gleam with feral hunger.
A knife-like bone is clutched in its grimy fist.
It screeches once and charges.
I do not have a weapon.
I do not have training.
I only have necessity.
I braced, arms up more out of instinct than martial knowledge.
the goblin leaps, slashing wildly.
Pain slices across my forearm as I twist, grabbing its wrist with my other hand.
The creature snarls, foaming spit hitting my chin.
It's stronger than it looks.
But desperation makes people ugly.
I rammed my forehead into its face.
The shock rattled my skull, stars dancing in my vision—yet the goblin recoiled, dazed.
I didn't give it time to recover.
I grabbed its head with both hands and twist.
The sound is wet.
Sickening.
The goblin's body goes limp.
Then, before I can even breathe, to grieve about the life i just took with my own hands, its corpse dissolves—sinking into the floor like melting wax.
The dungeon reclaims what's its own.
All except one thing.
A purple magic stone—faintly glowing—drops where it fell.
About the size of a golf ball.
The sickening feeling subsided quickly as if i hadnt actually killed a living being, merely ended an npc or a monster within a videogame.
Crouching down i picked up the tiny crystal that served as the monster drop.
The crystal hummed, a faint vibration crawling over my skin like static electricity.
Then—
It melted
Not into the dungeon, but into my, the stone literally entered my palm before just vanishing.
Like water being passed through a sieve, the other advantage is that once the absorbtion was completed i felt different... refreshed perhaps.
And knowing this was the effect or boon promised to me by that shadowy figure i pulled up my self-falna, or my status.
However at first i was disappointed, my stats remained the exact same, except at the very bottom there was a new line entry.
[Distributable points: 1]
Without hesitation i moved to place that single earned point and put it on my Strength which now read I 1.
It wasnt much, and even on my body itself it didnt really feel like anything at all had changed but this is how this world works.
Stats are accumulated during levels before being reset to zero upon a level up.
The current Stat range is I 0-99 H 100-199 G 200-299 F 300-399 E 400-499 D 500-599 C 600-699 B 700- 799 A 800-899 S 900-999.
Of course it was only ever shown on one character but there are marks beyond S-Rank though at this time unless Bell is around already, S is the known peak.
But above S there is SS 1000-1249 SSS 1250-1499 EX 1500+
Theorectically there is no actual limit to the growth of ones status but to remain forever a lowly level one isnt something anyone is willing to do, instead most will go for the level up as soon as at least one of their attributes reach rank D and the nessessary Excelia reaches the required amount.
Then there are others true powerhouses who have the luxury of growing their stats waiting for the peak moment to attain a level up to maximize their growth.
For me, i'll be aiming to become one of these powerhouses, even if it mean spending endless days in the dungeon gaining a single point at a time, i shall reach the peak, a strategy nerds of my old world would have call min-maxing.
I'll gain as many points as i can from Goblins, Kobolds, Ants, War shadows etc until i've absorbed all that i can from them only them will i bother with levelling up, and starting over from scratch, only then could i successfully rise up to the previously unattained rank of a Level 10, the point at which a Human ascends to relative godhood, and the peak at which the gods themselves would tremble in fear their human slaves unable to defend them as they are laid bare before the judgement of humanity itself.
One stone down. Thousands to go.
Another sound—a low rumble, like growling through a cracked whistle.
I turned sharply as two kobolds emerge from opposite sides of the corridor, hackles raised, claws scraping stone.
Taller than goblins, longer limbs, hungrier eyes.
They moved faster.
The first lunges, claws aimed at my throat.
I ducked, but not fully—its claws rake my shoulder, hot blood spilling.
I gritted my teeth, grabbed its arm as it passes, and pulled.
The kobold stumbled, letting out a startled yelp as I slam my knee into its jaw.
The second jumps onto my back.
I hit the ground hard.
Pain explodes through my chest as the kobold on top screeches, jaws snapping inches from my ear.
Its spit lands hot on my cheek.
I slam an elbow backward, catching its ribs once—twice—three times until something cracks.
It loosened its grip.
Allowing me to twist, throwing it off.
The first kobold scrambles up again, charging with claws outstretched.
I met it halfway.
My fist connects with its throat.
It makes a choking noise that sounds almost human before collapsing.
I drop onto it with all my weight, grasp its head, and wrench—
Snap.
The body dissolves.
A stone is left behind.
I grab it.
Absorbed instantly.
The second kobold clawed at my leg, dragging itself forward despite its broken ribs.
Its mouth opens wide, teeth like rotten needles ready to tear into flesh.
But without giving it the chance to injur me further i stomped down hard.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Crack.
Without a twitch its body ceased moving.
Its gem appearing on the ground like the others, stooping over to pick it up, but there was a clear problem with my current method.
I took several breaths to recover, though breathing hurts now.
Blood dries sticky on my shoulder.
My knuckles ache.
My legs tremble from adrenaline.
But each inhale feels a little steadier than the last as my stamina from my previous life had carried over.
But before i had fully recovered the Dungeon decided it wasnt done with me just yet.
Three more goblins emerged from the right corridor, sniffing, drawn by the scent of fresh blood.
They screeched, bone weapons raised high.
I squared my stance.
They came as a pack.
But I'm not the same as I was minutes ago, i was no expert but i had learned something from my previous fights and it was clear i needed to end these fights fast, the faster the better and the fewer injuries i would sustain..
The first rushes.
I sidestep, shove it into the wall, and smash its face against it.
Bone cracks.
The second jumps onto my side, biting into my bicep—I yell and slam it onto the floor, elbowing its skull until it bursts like rotten fruit.
The third pauses at the sudden brutality.
I did not.
I grabbed its throat and crush it against the ground.
Three stones drop.
Three cold pulses course through me.
My breathing steadies.
My vision sharpens.
The trembling in my limbs quiets once more.
I wiped blood from my arm and keep walking, investing my new points into my agility to give me a slight boost to my speed.
A dull clatter caught my attention—a metallic sound out of place in this stone cavern.
I moved closer and found the source: it was a short sword lying near a wall stained with blood.
The most basic of all weapons possible.
A newbie weapon, and in this case an unlucky newbie who was defeated by the dungeon.
The flesh already having been absorbed while the gear was left behind, metals taking more time to be absorbed than flesh or cloth.
Though this didnt matter to me, if anything i wished the deceased newbie could have left behind ever just a little bit more.
But oh well, at least now i have a blade, and with it not only will i avenge the dead adventurer against the goblins and kobolds of the first floor but my own slaying speed will increase now thanks to having a proper weapon for a change.
~ 166:22:41:31 ~