Floor 8 loomed ahead.
Time to upgrade.
[Great Sun Inner Energy Lv. 5]
Passive Effect: +5 HP, +5 SP, +0.5 MP every minute
Stat Bonus: +5 Vitality, +5 Strength
It had been stuck at Level 5 for days. Why? Because leveling this thing required inner self meditation.
Which is great in theory—except I'm a teenager. Meditation for me is staring at the ceiling wondering if pizza counts as a food group.
But I needed regen. Like, badly.
And for some reason, my gut was screaming that this skill was the key. That I'd need it soon. I had just enough points.
Screw it.
I dumped 45 skill points into it.
[Skill Leveled Up!]
Great Sun Inner Energy Lv. 10 (MAX)
Passive Effect: +10 HP, +10 SP, +1 MP per minute
Bonus Effect (Maxed): +10 HP, +10 SP, +1 MP per minute
Stat Bonus: +20 Vitality (+10 bonus), +20 Strength (+10 bonus)
New Passive Effect Unlocked:
Great Sun Aura – Attack and Defense +10% permanently.
I blinked at the screen.
"Holy crap."
Every minute, I was now healing +20 HP from passive regeneration and another +20 HP thanks to the +20 Vitality stat boost. That was 40 HP per minute without even touching a potion. Add my base Vitality on top of that—another +38 HP—and I was regenerating a total of 78 HP per minute."
This wasn't just a buff. It was a lifeline.
I flexed my fingers, feeling the strength simmer under my skin. Muscles didn't magically swell up or anything, thank God but I felt sturdier. More grounded.
"Alright, Great Sun. Let's melt some goblins."
Next stop: Floor 8.
The air changed the second I stepped down. Heavier. Hotter. Like someone had cranked the thermostat to "volcano."
The forest was gone. In its place: a jagged canyon with sulfur vents, cracked black stone, and zero cover. Great. Just what I needed—lava-themed murder zone.
I crouched behind a boulder and peeked at the enemy.
Enemy Detected:
Hobgoblin (Lv 20) ×7
Status: Alert. Armored. Ugly.
Weapons: Clubs, cleavers—one guy had a spiked shield because of course he did.
These weren't your average green cannon fodder. They were built like trolls on protein powder and moved with actual formation. Shields in front. Mages in back.
Fantastic. Goblin Special Forces.
"Alright, Kyle," I muttered. "You've got better regen, better stats, better hair—use it."
Strategy Time:
– My upgraded Great Sun Inner Energy gave me +78 HP per minute. Tank mode: unlocked.
– Fireball was now Lv 7. Time to give it a test drive.
– Shadow Sense in case anyone tried stealth.
– Combat Awareness to avoid being flanked.
I took a deep breath, let the inner energy flow, and started channeling mana.
Time to light 'em up.
Step One: Distraction.
I launched a Mana Arrow toward one of the mages—not to hit, just to pull aggro. It worked. The whole squad snapped to alert.
Step Two: BOOM!
While they were focused on the arrow, I sprinted sideways and lobbed a Fireball into their formation.
Direct hit.
Still running and then one fireball. Then two. Then three.
The blasts knocked two off their feet and singed Mr. Shield Guy's eyebrows. They roared and charged.
Step Three: Controlled Chaos.
I dashed in, batted aside a club swing, ducked under another, and slammed my baseball bat into a hob's ribs. Crack. He folded.
A spiked shield came flying at my face, I raised Magic Shield just in time, sparks flaring. I countered with a Mana Arrow to the legs and a roundhouse bat swing to the jaw.
Two down. Five left.
The mages began chanting.
I didn't wait. I hurled a Fireball straight at one—point blank. It embedded in his chest and detonated. Crit flash. He staggered, coughed something goblin-y, and collapsed.
Their mistake? Chanting. Mine? Zero casting delay and a five-second cooldown.
They were spellcasters.
I was a walking flamethrower.
A club grazed my ribs. HP dropped—but Great Sun Inner Energy kicked in. Regen climbed steadily.
Three down. Four to go.
One rushed me with a flaming axe. Real subtle.
I ducked, jabbed upward with the bat, straight to the armpit. Not glamorous. Somewhat effective.
He staggered.
I pointed a Fireball at his face.
Boom. Minus one hobgoblin.
The last three tried to regroup—too late.
I downed an HP potion mid-sprint and charged.
Three versus one.
Messy. Brutal. A little too close for comfort.
But I didn't stop swinging.
By the end, I was scorched, panting, and standing in a crater surrounded by roasted hobgoblin.
Victory.
Loot Gained:
– Hobgoblin Axe (Heavy, +20 Att, +5 STR, +5 fire damage)( Rare )
– Spiked Shield of Bash (+10% stun chance , +10 def )
– Ancient Coins ×2,000
– $950
– 450 Soul Shards
– Goblin Blood Gem ×3
– Mana Potion ×4, Healing Potion ×3
– Enchanted Toothpick (???)
Level Up! Lv 26
Stat Points Gained: +5
Skill Points Gained: +5
"Whew," I gasped, dropping into the warm dirt. "Two more floors. How hard could it be?"
(Answer: Very.)
I sprawled on a sun-baked rock, chest heaving, heat rising off the canyon floor like a simmering pan.
Regen in Progress…
+ 79 HP/min
+ 79 SP/min
+ 33 MP/min
(Thanks, Great Sun Inner Energy.)
I chugged a mana potion, mana regen still too slow for my taste—then tore open a protein bar from my inventory. Apple-cinnamon. The worst flavor. Pretty sure LETI stocked these as a prank.
Floor 9 unlocked.
I still had free stat points and skill points to spend, but I held off. Better to see what fresh nightmare was waiting. Adapt on the fly. Panic later.
After a few minutes, my health bar was back to full. Meanwhile, my poor baseball bat had finally given up the ghost after cracking one too many hobgoblin skulls. Either goblins were getting tougher, or sporting goods were getting cheaper.
Rest in pieces, old friend.
With a sigh, I equipped the Hobgoblin Axe (Rare). It felt a lot heavier—and a lot deadlier.
Hobgoblin Axe (Rare).
+20 Attack
+5 STR,
+5 Fire Damage
I gave the axe a few test swings. It was heavy, sure, but nothing my current strength couldn't handle. It cut through the air like it was looking for something to eat.
Yeah. This would do. Way better than the bat, like upgrading from a broomstick to a chainsaw.
And bonus: my Attack stat finally broke 100. About time.
My cloak still smelled like toasted goblin. Nice.
I stood, cracked my neck, and stepped onto the glowing stairs.
Descending to Floor 9…
Floor 9.
The second my boots hit the ground, I knew something was wrong.
Not just "this place is creepy" vibes. No. This was graveyard-at-midnight, air-has-fangs, who-turned-the-sun-off kind of nope.
The forest was dead, literally. Twisted, leafless trees stretched like skeletal hands in every direction. The bark glowed with faint purple veins, pulsing like it had a heartbeat. Yeah, trees shouldn't have heartbeats.
Even my minimap flickered like it was reconsidering life choices.
[Warning: Environmental Debuff – Death Field]
-10% HP Regen
-10% MP Regen
All healing halved.
"Great. Love that for me."
My Great Sun Inner Energy still gave me positive regen, but the Death Field was dragging it down like a mood-killing group project partner.
Then the growls started.
Enemies Detected:
– Undead Goblin Berserker (Lv 22) ×6
– Undead Goblin Mage (Lv 20) ×4
– Bone Archer (Lv 21) ×6
– Undead Goblin Captain (Lv 24) ×1
Status: Undead. Angry. Smelled like regret and old soup.
The Berserkers charged in—jerky, twitchy, half-rotted but faster than they had any right to be. I dodged one, parried another with my axe, and cleaved a third in half. It didn't even flinch.
"Okay. No pain. No fear. Love that."
...
Fireball. Mana Arrow. Axe swings.
They fell slowly, like something was force-gluing their bones together with pure spite.
One grazed me. My HP dipped lower than I liked. I weaved through attacks, tried using the terrain, but even with Dodge Lv 8, I couldn't avoid everything.
Then the mages started glowing.
Purple lightning arced through the air. I dove behind a rock as the ground exploded beside me. My cloak was officially smoking — and not in the fashionable way.
Magic Shield at 30%. Not great.
I chugged a potion. Healing? Halved. Of course it was.
Then I took a frost-tipped arrow to the shoulder. My HP bar dropped like a bad stock. I spun mid-roll, activated Combat Awareness, and hurled my axe straight into a mage's chest.
Did it kill him?
Nah.
But it sure looked like it ruined his whole afterlife.
I sprinted, yanked the axe free, and bisected him like undead sushi.
Shadow Sense pinged.
Behind me.
The Undead Goblin Captain stepped out of the shadows like a villain with a theme song. He wore black bone armor and wielded a saber that practically screamed Definitely Cursed!
He raised a hand. Everything froze.
Then surged.
I got dogpiled.
Slashes, blasts, pile-driving tackles — my shield broke and rebuilt like a stressed-out Lego set. My axe worked overtime. I could hear my HP bar wheezing.
Then a pop-up:
[Skill Level Up! Dodge Lv 9]
Well, yay me. I was learning while dying!
I blasted them off me with a point-blank Fireball, coughing through the smoke. Most of the goblins? Re-dead. Again.
Just me and the Captain now.
He was fast. Too fast. His saber clashed against my axe, sparks flying, magic crackling. He feinted, kicked, slashed — I staggered back into a tree. The bark actually whimpered.
I drank another potion — meh results.
My SP bar was emptier than my motivation on Monday mornings.
He got the upper hand.
I needed a boost. Any boost.
And that's when it happened.
Maybe my Luck stat finally paid rent. Maybe the system just pitied me.
But suddenly—
[Great Sun Inner Energy has Evolved to: Blazing Sun Core Energy Lv 1 ]
My body flared with golden heat. My skin glowed like a skincare ad. My aura screamed, You messed with the wrong overpowered teenager.
All passive and active stats: Doubled.
( Passive Effect: +40 HP, +40 SP, +4 MP per minute
Stat Bonus: +40 Vitality, +40 Strength
Passive Effect :
Blazing Sun Aura – Attack and Defense +20% permanently.
When fighting with undead +20% damage. )
I felt like someone had injected me with radioactive chicken blood supercharged, overheated, and definitely a little unhinged.
I roared, charged, and swung my axe like it was divine justice wrapped in steel.
The Captain tried to block.
He failed.
CRACK.
His saber went flying. His chest got axe'd. He didn't stand a chance.
Victory.
---
Loot Gained:
Necrofang Saber (+20 ATK, +10% lifesteal)
Undead Goblin Heart ×4 (Alchemy)
600 Soul Shards
2,800 Ancient Coins
$1,400
Shadow Core (Crafting Material, Rare)
Undead Core (Crafting Material, Rare)
Ring of Decay Resistance
+50% resistance to death-type debuffs
+10% DEF vs Undead
Level Up! Lv 27
Free Stat Points: +5
Free Skill Points: +5
New Title:
> Enemy of Goblin
10% more damage to goblin-kind.
Goblins hate you.
Skill Updates:
Dodge Lv 9 → 28% evasion chance
Magic Shield Lv 9 → 280 durability
Fireball Lv 10 → Maxed
Used 100 Soul Shards + 10 skill points to evolve the skill Fireball...
Yes... No...
"Are you kidding me, system? Yes, of course."
> Ding!
[Fireball has evolved into: Inferno Burst Lv 1 (High Tier)]
Effect: Unleashes a blazing explosion with splash damage and burn over time. Cooldown: 7 seconds.
Side Effect: Looks ridiculously cool.
[Fireball Lv 10 (Maxed)] has been retained as a separate skill.
Fast-cast fireball, 5-second cooldown.
Because sometimes, you just need more fire.
I grinned. Double the firepower. Double the chaos.
The Undead wouldn't know what hit them.
(Spoiler: it was me. And it was on fire.)
Kyle Walker (Lv. 27 )
HP: 800/800
MP: 420/420
SP: 800/800
Stats:
STR: 52 (+40 from Great Sun Inner Energy) (+3 from Arm Guard) ( +5 leather armor ) ( 100 )
VIT: 32 (+3 from Arm Guard, +40 from Great Sun Inner Energy) ( +5 leather armor ) ( 80 )
DEX: 44 (+1 from Title ) ( 45 )
INT: 30
WIS: 30
LUK: 30
Unassigned Stat Points: 104
Unassigned Skill Points: 78
Att: 100 ( weapon+20 ) ( 120 )
Def: 80 ( Leather Armor +20 ) ( 100 )
Eva: 45
System Remark:
With these stats, you could punch a dragon.
(Success not guaranteed, but you'd look really cool trying.)
" Very funny system...very funny"