Calm before the storm...

Inside the dungeon of trial. 

The previous dilapidated place had transformed. From large buildings, the area had become a forest-like cave place instead. The walls were covered in green vines, with thick grayish spider webs hanging on the corners. As he entered, the scent of blood assaulted Hans' nose. 

Screee—

With a heavy breath, Hans turned around. From a distance, he saw bones of either monsters or humans sprawled on the floor. Loud sounds also echoed from everywhere which seemed to resemble a monster's cry. 

"..."

Hans immediately raised his guard and pulled the dagger from his back. Although he's not professional in using this weapon, the added attack power can still amplify his raw damage. 

Gulp—

Screee—

Hans gulped as he slowly walked forward into the dimly lit place. Even as a strong awakened, Hans couldn't relax at all, knowing that one mistake can lead to his death. 

Sniff—

He held his breath, spread his perception, and tried to sense any lifeforms nearby, yet he did not sense anything. Low-class monsters should be charging or attacking now the moment they saw an enemy but in this dungeon, it seems that rules outside don't apply. 

'Can't be careless.' 

Shortly, he passed by a small door and came upon skeleton bones stacked like a tower. He moved his gaze to the side and saw freshly splattered blood, dripping from the wall. With no humans or monsters on sight, Hans felt like he's inside a haunted house. 

Click —

A sudden chill washed over Hans. The sound of bone clicking alerted his eyes. Hairs on his skin stood up in shivers. He carefully took one step one step at a time as he studied the vicinity anxiously. 

"..." 

It's empty, but he felt something was not right. 

'It can be…'

Having entered countless dungeons, even if it's a low class, Hans knew what to expect in this type of place. A strong scent of blood plus bones on the way? 

The place was already telling him. 

'Ambush huh.'

However, he couldn't pinpoint their exact location at all. It seemed like these monsters knew how to hide their presence as even his enhanced perception couldn't capture any slight movement. 

'Hmm…  a brilliant strategy.' 

Looks like these beasts wouldn't show up unless he gave them an opportunity. 

'Lure them out?'

Well, since these guys laid an ambush like assassins, expect them to attack when an opportunity arose.

'Fine, I'll do it.'

Hans turned around, exposing his unguarded back in purpose as he slowly walked in the direction forward. Even if these beasts were intelligent, they wouldn't really expect they were being schemed on. That is the nature of lurking predators, as soon as they see a chance… they wouldn't let it slip. They wouldn't think first.

Crack—

Swish —

The bones cracked apart as something heavy stepped on them. The moment it closed the gap between the prey, it aggressively leaped towards Hans' exposed back

Roar—

'Gotcha…' 

Knowing his plan worked very well, Hans responded by lowering his knees and stabbing the dagger to the beast's neck as it entered his range. 

Stab —

Splat—

The sharp dagger penetrated through its neck before the beast flew to the wall, shattering it on impact.

Shatter—

Shrieeeek—

The beast issued a loud shrieking roar as it fell on the floor. 

Wriggle—

Hans wiped the blood from his chin and observed the monster. It was a large animal resembling a human with the head of a hyena. 

'A gnoll?'

Gnolls are low-level monsters known for their vicious, tricky, and ruthless methods. By luring their prey in the dark, they would then ambush the moment the prey lowered his guard. 

Shraaaa—

'...' 

Having its neck stabbed, the gnoll rolled and tossed on the ground in pain. With the beast agonizing in pain, now was the best chance to end its life. Hans raised his dagger and quickly dashed towards the writhing monster. 

Swish —

He brought down his dagger toward its heart, the moment he reached it.

Stab—

Its blood splattered, the dagger cleanly stabbed through its weak point like butter.

Wriggle—

The gnoll lightly twitched in pain, before letting out a death shriek. 

Tri-ring

[You have killed a Gnoll.]

[Do you wish to plunder the skill, 'Lurk (E)'?] 

[Yes / No] 

'Yeah.'

Hans briefly read the skill description and hurriedly tapped 'yes'. But he did not have time to check the gnoll's body, as out of nowhere, three more gnolls hiding in the dark came out. One of the three carried a bow while the two carried a blunt giant sword. 

'Sheesh… it has backups?' 

Hans's brow furrowed. 

Shrieeeek—

The two beasts close the gap between Hans instantly while the gnoll with a bow repositioned on the back. Hans hurriedly pulled the dagger stuck on the gnoll's heart and retreated sideways near the wall. 

Bam—

The gnoll's swords hit the floor as Hans already dodged before they could even bring it down. 

Shrrieek—

Seeing their swords missing the target, the two gnolls sprinted towards Hans once again. 

Swish—

Hans leaned his back to evade the swinging sword. Due to the momentum and the weight of the sword, the two gnolls couldn't control it and crashed to the wall. 

"Oh, careful there." 

Shatter—

The walls where the blade struck crumbled. 

'Ridiculous damage for an E-class monster.'

Gnolls are commonly E-class in strength, slightly higher than an average E-class awakened. But now, their combined attack can already be compared to a peak D-class monster. 

Swooosh—

But there's no time to be impressed, as an arrow shot towards his position. 

'Shit.'

Having no choice, Hans activated his body-enhancing skill and swung his fist to the arrow in midair. It generated air shockwaves, traveling towards the gnoll bowman. 

Bamm—

Smash—

Like an invisible attack, his air fist strike flew with the wind. 

Bamm—

Upon impact, the gnolls bowman's chest exploded. The heart that was quickly exposed was also shattered too. The gnoll let out a dumbfounded shriek as its dead body fell on the floor powerlessly. 

Thud—

It didn't even have time to process what happened.

"... Kruuuk?" 

Hans turned towards the other two gnolls and smirked. 

It seems like the dungeon… wouldn't be boring at all. 

.......... 

Click—, click—

Media and paparazzi cameras flashed towards the black sports car. As soon as the door opened, the cameras clicking even more intensified. Soon, a man handsomely stepped out of the car and tidied his bow tie as he looked around. 

His name is Jason James, a B-class Awakened. 

"Mr.James, do you have any thoughts about the New York crisis?"

"Is the James Corporation scandal true?" 

"Mr.James, now that you're a B-class, what's your father say about your fast leveling?" 

Jason raised his sunglasses, seemingly falling from the constant bumping he received. His bodyguards struggled to protect him from these reporters. Seeing the increasing tension around, he halted in his steps. 

"Everyone." 

As if his voice ruled, the crowd went silent. 

"I will be answering your questions at the press tomorrow but please, for the love of god… give me time to rest."

Shortly after, James and his bodyguard entered the large VIP hotel. The clerk immediately prioritized his presence and brought him to his hotel room. The bodyguards came after, carrying large bags. 

Jason sat on the couch, his feet above the table. 

"Any news?" 

One of his guards pulled an envelope and gave it to him. 

Rustle—

Opening it, Jason pulled documents and photos from inside. 

'Now, what is this?'

As he read through every document, his expression turned sour, until it gradually turned grim. Jason aggressively grabbed the photos and alternated his eyes towards each. 

'...' 

Clenching his fist, Jason smashed it on the table. Veins popped up on his forehead as his face turned red, "That bastard is still alive!?" 

"..." 

The guards stood straight at the side as if their master's outrage didn't bother them. 

"Bastard! Fucki*g bastard!!" 

Jason punched the vase on his side, kicked the couch into smithereens, and smashed the appliances into a wreck.

Crack—

Snap—

Clang—

"Sir Jason, calm down."

One of the bodyguards stepped up. 

"You're telling me to calm down?" Jason's eyes widened as he pulled the guard's collar up, "... I am calm!!" 

"..." 

Silence permeated through the room, as only Jason's loud breathing can be heard. He glared at the bodyguard menacingly before letting go of his hands. 

"Why did the assassin fail?" 

This time, his voice is calm. Jason sat down on an untouched chair, set his jaw, and lit a cigarette to his lips. 

"There's no further news. We assumed that she died." The guard pulled another folder from the air and handed it to Jason, "Based on the sources, the hospital room was quite a mess."

Jason received the folder. After confirming the contents of the documents, he reflexively let out a sarcastic chuckle. 

"Ha, haha. So you're telling me that this uhm, E-class assassin can't even deal with a regular human?..." Jason inhaled deeply and puffed the smoke into the air, "Hey, I'm not dumb."

"No, sir it's not what you thi—."

"Then tell me straight!" 

"Cough—, someone might have intervened and killed her. This was proven to be true by the slashed marks on her body. And as we know, it couldn't be done by the target."

Puff—

"I see…" 

Jason puffed his cigarette one last time, before he crushed it in his hand, "Since all of you are useless…" He stood up from his seat. 

Glasses cracked under his foot as he slowly walked towards the window edge, "Fine, I'll do it." Loosening the tie from his neck, Jason continued, "I will kill him myself. You hear me?" 

"Yes, sir."

"Find his location! I want it done in a day."

"Yes, sir." 

All guards left the room, few of them immediately observed the vicinity for any possible assassins before leaving as well. Jason raised his hand and caressed the long scar stretching from his neck all the way to his lips.

"Let's see how long you can escape my grasp… Hans." 

The sunlight shone from the window. It was calm before the storm. 

............. 

Wooosh—

As soon as the gnoll died from Hans' attack, the other two gnolls trembled in fear. They turned towards Hans, tails lowered as they began to step backwards. 

"... It got yeeted easily huh?" 

Hans raised his fist in surprise. Though it was the result of the air generating shockwaves after his punch, it's still enough to one-shot a D-class gnoll. 

'Ha—, I'm this strong huh?' 

As he stared at the two knolls that might pee anytime soon, a familiar voice sounded through Hans's head. 

[You've killed a Gnoll] 

[Do you wish to plunder the skill, 'Lurk?'] 

[Yes / No] 

'The moment of truth.'

What would happen if he accepted two similar skills? Hans wondered how this would work after thinking, back when he's still at the Jackal's dungeon. Now, it's time to find out. 

Hans tapped 'yes' and waited for a second. 

"..." 

No response. 

"..." 

Again, no response. 

"What the—!" 

[It wouldn't work. Unless you rank me up, you can't plunder similar abilities.] 

"Oh? Is that so?" 

Nodding in understanding, Hans closed his status window. He shifted his gaze towards the two gnolls holding large swords. 

"You won't attack?" 

"Kuuuuk?" 

The gnolls tilted their heads in confusion. It seems like they didn't understand a spec of words Hans said. 

"Since that's the case, then I'll do it."

Swish —

Hans dashed at the gnolls leaving a trail of wind behind his path. He closed the gap almost instantly and smashed the heads of these monsters in smithereens.

Slam—

Splash—

The blood splattered on his face, as the gnoll's headless neck fell coldly on the floor. The electronic sound echoed inside his head again but Hans ignored it and patted the dust in his jacket. 

"Do these monsters even give exp?" 

Unfortunately, no one would know as all of the people who entered here had their level locked. 

"What a waste of exp." 

Disappointed, Hans turned to leave. There's no sense staying in one place. Not only would it delay the time, but it would also not be worth it. As he turned around the narrow corner, a growling roar echoed towards the dark area. 

Roar—

Turning around, his disappointment vanished like dust in the wind. Hans' face bloomed in satisfaction. From a distance, 30 more gnolls were quietly waiting for his presence. 

'They are… scared?' 

No emotions can escape to an Awakened. Hans pondered for a while, chuckling after realization.

"Ha, haha… you guys watched, right?" 

At his menacing gaze, the gnolls cowered and backed away in fear. The frightening terror Hans instilled in them sent cold yet sharp shivers down their spine. 

"Shall we start?" 

Seeing the trembling legs of these beasts, Hans smirked. With his hands tightly gripped around the dagger, Hans dashed towards these gnolls.

......….

[You've killed a Gnoll.]

[You've killed a Gnoll.]

[You've killed a Gnoll.]

—

As expected, none of them even lasted for two punches. The constant ringing sound on his head indicated that the monsters died shortly after every punch. 

Swish—

As Hans smashed the last gnoll in sight, an unexpected message appeared in his eyes. 

[You have passed the 1st layer in under 20 minutes.]

[Rewards will be received after clearing the 5th layer.]

'Huh?'

After reading the contents of the message, Hans raised his finger under his chin. 

'Hmm… it seems like all these gnolls just gathered in one place huh?' 

Well, thanks to this, he wouldn't need to venture deeper inside and can just quickly ascend to the next layer.

 After further walking for a few seconds, Hans stopped by a stair made of stones. According to his observations, this might be the path towards the 2nd layer. 

"Haah, let's do this." 

Hans sheathed his dagger back behind his belt. There's no turning back now. If it's the old him, he might cower in fright but now, he had new hope. 

'The path to becoming the strongest is in my sight.'

If he wants to become the strongest living being on this planet, the only move is to step forward. Nothing more, nothing less. 

Hans closed his eyes and took a deep breath. As if it was a puzzle being solved, the goal began to shape in his head. 

[So in the end you chose this?] 

"..." 

[You really are… sigh— fine, I'll help you.]

"Thanks."

His resolve to keep going can't be shaken anymore. The decision had been firm ever since the day he got out of that dungeon.

"Haah—"

Silence echoed in the surroundings. It was then followed by Hans' light footsteps ascending through the staircase.