*Much more fun*

Axel smiled and nodded. They walked together toward the blue vortex, and once on the other side, it felt as if they had arrived inside the mountain. They were in the main gallery, where the ceiling was over twenty meters above them. A little further ahead, the gallery divided into two different paths.

Axel deployed his senses and discovered the expanse of the dungeon; it was a real maze of galleries, but it wasn't as big as he had feared. He shared his observations with Kevin and told him that they would probably need 4 or 5 hours to complete it. He also assured him that he was confident he would be able to find their way back through all these galleries, as he would only need to deploy his senses to find the exit.

Kevin trusted him completely and said he would keep his perception skill active, just like the last time.

Axel guided him to one of the galleries, and the first group of monsters they encountered were orcs. They had green skin, and their bodies resembled those of humans, except they were more muscular and taller. The smallest one must have been 2 meters tall, and they had lower canines that extended up to their cheeks and looked very sharp. Some wore armor while others did not, and Kevin, with his perception skill, relayed their opponents' levels to Axel.

There were 3 orcs of levels 5, 7, and 8, and there were 6 knight orcs: 2 of level 10, 2 of level 12, and the last 2 of levels 15 and 17. Axel said excitedly, "It's starting off well! We should be able to find a box not far from here. I'll leave the weakest ones to you and take care of the others."

Kevin nodded and took a dagger in each hand; it was time to level up. It didn't take long for him to take down the 3 orcs, and Axel was also done. He had left the 2 knight orcs of level 10 for Kevin. Thanks to the items he was equipped with, his stats had exploded, and he could fight and move as he wanted.

Once he slit the throat of the last knight orc standing and it fell on its back, finally dead, Kevin said to Axel, pouting, "It was way too easy."

Axel laughed out loud, and Kevin approached him with his eyes shining with excitement. In a pleading tone, he said, "Can you let me try to fight stronger monsters next time?"

Axel hugged him and kissed him; he found Kevin far too tempting with his green eyes shining like emeralds. He said honestly, "Don't worry; of course, I will let you fight stronger monsters. I saw that the way you move has completely changed. Do you feel more comfortable with this body now?"

Kevin nodded, satisfied with the response, and said, "I feel completely comfortable now. Let's see what the System has offered us as rewards!"

The sound of the System hadn't stopped echoing in his head, so he let the screen appear in front of his eyes and read the messages to Axel.

[ Congratulations, you killed a level 5 orc. You earned 150 gold coins and 40 exp points. ]

[ Congratulations, you killed a level 7 orc. You earned 250 gold coins and 80 exp points. ]

[ Congratulations, you killed a level 8 orc. You earned 300 gold coins and 100 exp points. ]

[ Congratulations, you killed 2 level 10 knight orcs. You earned 900 gold coins and 300 exp points. ]

[ Congratulations, you have leveled up. 1 point has been added to all your STATS. ]

Kevin checked his stats right after and was delighted; looting a dungeon was much more effective for increasing his stats than his daily quests, and it was much more fun too.

[ STATS ]

Name: KEVIN

Race: Human

Level: 5

Class: Mage

Exp: 250 / 500

Strength: 10 + 70

Agility: 10 + 35

Stamina: 10 + 15

Soul Strength: 623 / 623 (193 + 430)

Perception: 24 + 25

HP: 50 / 50

He also looked at how much experience Axel had gained; from 70,250, he had increased to 71,410. Axel was happy to know that he too could gain experience. After he put the bodies of the orcs and their weapons away in one of his magic bags, which he had brought with him on purpose for that, he asked Kevin, "So, do you see a box?"

Kevin shook his head and said, "No, I don't see any. Let's keep moving."

A little further, the gallery divided into two different paths again. Axel used his senses to guide them and chose to take the one that ended in a dead end, which had monsters inside that seemed stronger than the ones they had just faced. He warned Kevin, and when Kevin got the information about the monsters, Axel hesitated.

Kevin had just told him that there were 3 elite knight orcs of levels 22, 25, and 43. Axel asked Kevin for his opinion, "What do you want to do, Kev? Remember, there's nothing to heal you if you get hurt."

Kevin, who was looking at the monsters that were also watching them, said, "Leave the two weaker ones to me. I should be able to kill them without getting hurt, but I don't stand a chance against the level 43 one."

Axel pinched Kevin's cheek and said, "Like I'm going to let you face him, not even in your dreams, Kev."

Axel thought briefly and, still a little worried, said, "Okay, I'll leave them to you, but I'll intervene if I think it's necessary."

Kevin nodded, and with his two daggers twirling in his hands, he began to charge at his opponents.

The elite knight orc with the highest level suddenly materialized in front of him, but Axel immediately intervened and punched it so hard that it crashed into the back wall of the gallery. Axel wasted no time; while this elite knight orc was still stunned by the punch and couldn't even stand up, he crossed his swords in front of him and, with a quick, brutal movement, chopped off its head.

Now that it was dead, Axel took this opportunity to observe Kevin, and he wasn't disappointed by the spectacle. Kevin was really a war machine all by himself. The mere fact that he could stand up to this kind of monster was already a miracle, but Kevin didn't just stand up to them—he completely slaughtered them.