KiRA prowled through the subway dungeon, his boots silent on the cracked tiles.
The substation was a closed off area where the initial station where he had started as a center, was not even half of a station.
It was around five or six blocks in one direction so after resetting his strings and leaving a piece of meat in the center, he left the place and walked towards one side, from where the goblins had first walked in.
If the champion had come from the other side, chances were better for a stronger monster to be present in that direction so he went to the other side. KiRA walked most of the time, his very presence a threat to anything around it.
-Swish! Swish! Swish!
The strings of Arcanum, when used by KiRA directly, acted as individual whips. He could use them as if he had some magical powers.
He wasn't using any skills or magic to handle these strings though. This was all results of his dedicated practice and the stats that he had invested in his initial stats.
===Status===
ID: KiRA [Companion: Unity.]
Age: 24
Title: Conqueror of the Tower of Beginning (U)
Class: -
Level: 12
IX: 1,112,312
_–_–_–
Strength: 9
Dexterity: 10
Stamina: 9
Energy: 9
Purity: 6
(Stat points: 0)
_–_–_–
Authorities: -
Blessings: -
Skills: Tenacity (Lv:2), Precise calculations(Lv:1), Wise eyes (Lv:1).
============
His skill {Tenacity} helped him consume less stamina and go on with his work for a long duration. At a higher level, this skill helped him continuously do his work and training for an extended period of time without needing sleep, food, or any recreational activities.
Thanks to this skill, even though he was using a great amount of mental stamina to control each and every movement of the strings in his hands, he wasn't getting easily tired. With the help of Unity's {Blessing of light} he recovered some of his stamina and energy as well. If he was wounded, the same skill healed him as well.
It was a necessary skill. He was glad to have her with him at times like these.
But still, one could not use skills like these continuously.
To use a skill, one needs enough mental stamina to activate the skill. If one was too tired, the skill would not activate. Some skills had their own activation conditions like Mana pool check, and after using each skill, one became relatively more exhausted.
Thankfully though, Unity's recovery powers were abnormally good. She could use all of her skills except the Maxed one however many times she wanted.
-Sturrrrr…!
The two of them were a phenomenal duo.
KiRA chopped off the creatures as he walked forward. In places where he did not want to waste much time, he created more of the traps and waited as he rested a little.
The Tutorial time was one day in real world time and even though it had only been a few hours since he started…
[Ding!]
[Monsters defeated: 45/201.]
[Ding!]
[Monsters defeated: 72/201.]
[Ding!]
[Monsters defeated: 87/201.]
[Ding!]
[Monsters defeated: 105/201.]
[Ding!]
[Level-up!]
[(Level-12) >> (Level-13).]
With each level-up, the experience points required for the next level increased significantly. The EXP was counted by the system and it varied according to the situation as well, however since this was still a tutorial, all the EXP was counted by how the creatures were killed.
If more people had joined the trial in this dungeon, the EXP would have gone to the person who killed the creature with the last blow. However, KiRA had closed the gate to this station on his side when he came here.
There was also no one else in this entire area. All those who were still alive when the tutorial started, had already been killed by the monsters.
[Ding!]
[Monsters defeated: 147/201.]
[Ding!]
[Level-up!]
[(Level-13) >> (Level-14).]
With each level, the experience required to reach the next one increased. Even though everyone got (+3 Stat points) when leveling up, the way people assigned their stats made all the difference.
Those who increased their stats through different means also had an advantage. And all those who had unique states were different from the normal players.
He already had a very important stat. He wasn't going to need a new unique stat for the time being. It wasn't easy to get one either so, as he reached the end of the right side of the subway, he had formulated his next moves.
"I have a bad feeling about this, Uni. Let's be careful."
On his way to the left side, he had already killed six Goblin champions. And they weren't the only mid-level threat here. He had also killed two [Flame hounds], beasts that threw fire from their mouths.
The battles weren't that difficult. With his increased stats and Unity's assistance, with all the experience he had, and thanks to the good equipment like his gloves and the threads, he was able to defeat them without any wounds.
The fire from the hounds had burned his clothes a little. But he had a spare pair with him. He had prepared enough things when he came to this dungeon. He also had enough rations and water for the time being.
"Let's go to the left side."
The goblin champions that he had met later weren't like the first one. They were closer to the ones that he knew from the Tower of Beginning.
There was undoubtedly something strange about that side… so, he was very careful as he walked back to the other side of the station.
-Shhhh…
His movements this time were covert. He had placed the meat in his inventory for the time being. With a dark cloak, he moved in the shadows, avoiding all the creatures that he came across on the left side from his middle point.
He searched for something different. He searched for the creature that was neither a goblin, nor a hound, nor an insect… or a rat.
There was something else inside this dungeon, something different. Something unusual, something that alerted his Pro-senses.
"Viv…" (Master…)
"Yeah. I see it as well."
"Vivi… viv?" (Does that make any sense?)
In the left tunnel's dim junction, where the lights barely flickered, a nightmare crawled.
"Ktktktktkt."
It was humanoid but wrong… a skeleton, with long, matted black hair dragging on the ground. It scuttled on all fours, its eyeless face a blank horror, its mouth a gaping black void like a snake's maw.
A spiky spine jutted from its back, pulsing with dark veins that seemed to suck in the light.
This horror… was a [Dungeon Crawler], a terror no newbie should face.
Even at Level 30, these things had killed KiRA over and over in the Tower of Beginning until he'd hit Level 40.
Its bony limbs clicked against the tiles, each step intentional, like it was sniffing out prey.
The air grew heavy around the place, thick with a cold, greasy dread that clawed at the gut.
Those eyeless sockets seemed to see, locking in KiRA's direction despite the shadows.
Its mouth twitched, revealing rows of needle teeth that glistened with black drool, promising a death that'd linger in nightmares. Perhaps, this was a nightmare itself.
This wasn't just a monster, that much was clear.
It was a walking grave, a thing that thrived on fear and despair, dragging its victims into the dark to be torn apart slowly.
"This one's gonna be rough, Uni," KiRA whispered, his voice steady.
"Viv." (I've got your back, Master…)
But there was no panic in his eyes, no tremble in his hands. Instead, there was a grin, sharp and fearless, like he was staring down an old rival.
The Dungeon Crawler might be a horror show, but KiRA was the conqueror of a hundred floors.
"Let's get this baby."
"Viv~!" (Yesssss~!)
This opponent, if anything, was merely a worthy opponent for him to test his current skills.