Chapter 6: Dungeon Raid

[ Ding!]

[ Congratulations! You have leveled up.]

[ You have received 5 attribute points to distribute freely ]

"Status:"

Name: Aengus Degaro (Ethan Smith)]

Race: Human

Level: 1

Class: None

Age: 18

Strength: 10

Agility: 8

Defense: 9

Mana: 100

Attribute points: 5

Skills: Swift Sword Strike (F)

Unique Skills:

- Basic: Appraisal

- Mythic: Skill Absorption

- Ultimate: Universal Synthesis

---

Ethan quickly distributed the attribute points on strength and agility, and felt a rush of power rising through his being. He clenched his fist, feeling the increased strength that almost felt unnatural. It was a exhilarating experience.

Ethan and Aria were currently on the third floor of the underground dungeon. Each floor became progressively hotter as they descended.

"Thud!"

As another big fire frog fell to the floor, defeated, Ethan saw a bright light where the frog had died. He approached and found a skill book there, the frog's body having disappeared.

[ Skill: Fire Toad's Leap.]

[ Class: F ]

[ Description: Acquiring it will grant you Fire Toad's jumping ability ]

"Wow! Ethan, congratulations! You've triggered your first monster drop. And, on top of that, you got a skill book out of it. You're quite lucky," Aria smiled.

"You can equip it, or even sell it at the market for 20 silver coins at least. Both win win situation."

"Let's go ahead more."

While Aria was momentarily preoccupied, her attention drawn to the floor, Ethan quietly held the skill book against his chest to equip it.

If Aria had noticed, she would have been stunned. Because, most people could only equip one active skill, and two passive skills at the beginning. It was the limit of a ordinary hunter's capabilities.

But Ethan, unaware of this restriction, managed to do so without a sweat.

[ Ding! Congratulations! You have acquired a active new skill: Fire Toad's Leap(F) ]

"Great!" He exclaimed inwardly seeing two active skills on his panel.

---

He continued to grind until sunset. Ethan managed to level up Once, which was great considering he had just started his adventure.

Aria just observed his struggles, feeling impressed at his tenacity.

Ethan was now at level 2 with 5 additional attribute points to distribute freely. He allocated them as per his need on defense and strength this time. Defense was equally important as others, as it makes his body more sturdier and stronger.

After leveling up, progress became harder, so they decided to quit for the day.

The Fire Toad's Den had twenty floors in total, and Ethan managed to clear the first four floors all by himself. Although he was close to dying many times, Aria saved him just in time. From this, he understood that he needed to prepare himself more for the next raid.

"Hey, Aria, I almost forgot. How should I increase my Mana? I can't use my attribute points on it." When they were about to part ways, Ethan finally asked the most important question that was on his mind.

"Oh, that. You need to use Mana orbs to increase your Mana. You can buy them from the shop, or if you're lucky, you can find them in monster drops."

She added, "Mana Orbs are very rare, so their price is also high. Ordinary people can't afford them at all. You will understand how rare they are soon enough."

"I see." Ethan nodded in understanding.

"By the way, how much Mana do you have?" Aria asked, curious.

"It's 100," he answered honestly.

"Well, 100 is good, especially if you're just a newbie.

----

After parting ways with Aria, Ethan entered a shop to sell the extra skill book he got from another monster drop. It was the same skill he already had: Fire Toad's Leap.

It was not useful to him anymore, so he sold it for 20 silver coins.

Afterwards, with that money, he bought another two iron swords.

"Synthesize!" he commanded after reaching his room.

"Congratulations! Your Synthesis was successful."

[ Appraisal ]

[ Iron Sword → Silver Sword (Sentient) ]

[ Metal grade: F → E ]

[ Attack power: 3 → 15 ]

[ Durability: 10 → 30 ]

"Awesome!" he cheered as soon as he saw the result. Its attack power had increased to 15, meaning it could double his strength now.

"You will be my buddy from now on." He kissed the silver sword with affection.

The silver sword softly glowed as if responding to his words. The soft glow emanated a sense of warmth and companionship, almost as if the sword had a soul of its own.

---

The next morning, Ethan woke up early, feeling a mix of excitement and apprehension. Today was the day he would head back to the dungeon alone.

After a quick breakfast, he made his way to the dungeon entrance. The city was bustling with activity, but his mind was focused on the challenges ahead.

As he descended into the dungeon, he felt the familiar heat intensify with each step. The first few floors were relatively easy, thanks to his new skills and his sentient sword. The Fire Toads were no match for him now. His confidence grew with each battle, but he knew he couldn't let his guard down.

On the fifth floor, the environment changed dramatically. The walls were covered in glowing red moss, and the air was thick with the scent of sulfur. The heat was almost unbearable, and he could feel the sweat pouring down his face. He took a deep breath and pressed on.

Ethan encountered a group of Fire Toads and used his Swift Sword Strike to take them down quickly. As he fought, he noticed a strange-looking Toad watching him from a distance. It was larger than the others and had a menacing aura.

"Darn..."

The creature leaped towards him with incredible speed. He barely managed to dodge its attack and retaliated with Swift Sword Strike. The blow connected, but the Toad didn't seem fazed.

"Croak Croak!" It let out a terrifying screech and lunged at him again while spitting fire from its mouth.

This time, Ethan used Fire Toad's Leap to jump out of the way and landed behind the creature.

.

"Die!" He struck with all his might, and the sword glowed brightly as it cut through the Toad's tough skin, thanks to his new upgraded sword.

"THUD!"

The creature let out one last screech before collapsing to the ground.

[ Ding! Congratulations! You have leveled up ]

[ You have received 5 attribute points to distribute freely ]

Ethan let out a sigh of relief and checked his status. He had received more attribute points, and his strength and agility had increased. He distributed the points evenly, focusing on improving his strength and agility.

Then, he quickly used Skill Absorption on the fallen Toad. If he hadn't done that quick, the body would have disappeared completely.

[ Congratulations! You have acquired a new passive skill ]

[ Skill: Fire Toad's Resilience (passive)]

[ Class: F ]

[ Description: Acquiring it will increase the user's resistance to fire-based attacks ]

This was exactly what he needed. Yesterday he wasn't able to use Skill Absorption because Aria was with him, but now he could use it as many times as he wanted.

Ethan equipped the skill and felt a surge of energy coursing through his body. The heat in the dungeon no longer felt as intense.

With renewed confidence, he continued deeper into the dungeon, determined to see how far he could go.