The cavern was silent except for the faint sound of steel slicing through the air. The man stood in the dimly lit space, dagger in hand, moving with deliberate precision.
He practiced his strikes relentlessly—slashes, thrusts, feints, and counters—all while adjusting for his missing arm. Each movement was calculated, each attack aimed at refining his control over the weapon. The dagger felt different from anything he had used before, almost like an extension of his will.
[System Notification – Proficiency with Weapon: Dagger reached Lv 4.]
He grinned. "Good… but not enough."
With a deep breath, he activated Dash and surged forward in a rapid burst, attacking as he moved. He then flickered out of existence, activating Stealth, before striking from a different angle. The combination of both skills required intense focus, but with each repetition, it became more natural.
The System kept rewarding his efforts.
[System Notification – Dash upgraded to Lv 6.]
Dash had already hit Lv 5 during his battle against the Lesser Nethrite Serpent. Now, at Lv 6, the cooldown had been reduced to 10 seconds—better, but still not enough.
Time blurred as he trained, his muscles aching but refusing to give in. He took small bites of serpent meat from time to time, barely tasting the raw, rubbery flesh. It kept his body from shutting down, allowing him to push further.
His efforts bore fruit.
[System Notification – Dash reached Lv 9.]
[System Notification – Stealth reached Lv 7.]
Stealth was harder to level than Dash since it required him to remain unseen for extended periods. But eventually, persistence paid off.
He exhaled, wiping sweat from his brow. "That should be enough."
His focus shifted to the next priority—finding an exit.
The Search for Escape
He crept to the edge of the cavern, activating Stealth. The ability masked his presence as he scanned the vast, writhing pit of serpents below.
After a careful examination, he spotted several openings scattered along the cave walls. Two stood out—much larger than the others.
"Which one leads out of this hellhole?"
His stomach clenched. The real question wasn't which one led to safety—it was how the hell he was supposed to reach them. The cavern floor was an ocean of serpents.
"Swim through this nightmare? No thanks." He almost laughed at the absurdity.
But for now, he had another task.
He picked up a jagged stone, weighing it in his palm. His eyes locked onto a non-scaled serpent—the same type he had first killed in this dungeon.
He hurled the stone. The impact was precise.
A dull thwack echoed through the cavern. The snake flinched before thrashing violently.
Immediately, several serpents raised their heads.
He stood there, fully visible—no Stealth, no tricks. The snakes locked onto him and rushed forward.
"Come on, then."
He walked forward at a steady pace, unshaken.
The first lunged at him—but it barely got close before its torso split in two. The dagger glided through flesh like it was cutting air.
Another snake attacked instantly.
[Dash!]
He vanished, reappearing at a distance.
[Stealth!]
He disappeared entirely.
A second later, a head rolled across the ground.
The third serpent panicked. Its movements became erratic—it knew something was hunting it. It made a desperate lunge.
It never reached him.
The dagger cut through its throat, dropping its body in an instant.
[System Notification – 450 XP gained.]
[System Notification – Reached Lv 9.]
[System Notification – Proficiency with Weapon: Dagger reached Lv 5.]
With the level-up, his HP and Stamina increased slightly.
"The infant serpents are really stupid. Then again, they're just kids."
But as he turned away, a chill ran down his spine.
"Now, you really think you can fool me?"
He whipped around.
A scaled serpent lunged from the shadows. It had used the infant snakes as bait to get behind his back!
But he wasn't the same man who had fought that battle. He already knew that the lesser serpent was much more intelligent than the infant. It made sense since the Infants would eventually evolve into lesser serpent.
[Dash!]
He sidestepped effortlessly.
The snake twisted mid-air to continue its attack—but he was already moving.
The dagger met scales. It shouldn't have been possible, but the blade sliced through effortlessly.
[Dash!]
He struck again before the snake could recover. The beast barely had time to process what had happened before its body collapsed, lifeless.
[System Notification –
800 Xp gained.
Reached Lv 10!]
[System Notification – Proficiency with Weapon: Dagger reached Lv 6.]
[System Notification – Dash reached Lv 10!]
[System Notification – Skill Store Unlocked!]
"Skill Store? Let's see what It has in it for me."