Volume 1 - Chapter 5: Trace Of The Lair

Since Aaron was at level 12 and the experience was evenly shared, he hadn't even come close to leveling up. If he were alone, he would have gone on a goblin hunt with all the stats he had gained.

Amidst all these events, while his family was regaining their composure, Aaron was planning:

"I need to level up my family to at least level 20 in 5 days. If I can do that, I can go hunting on my own for 5 days. If I can raise my level to at least 25 or 30, I can take on boss monsters. Alright, that's the plan."

"If you're done gathering, let's go. Please take the goblins' shields, just in case you need protection." After voicing these words, Aaron's family picked up the shields from the ground and strapped them on. They were lucky that the handles of the wooden shields were sturdy, providing them with significant protection against other goblins. However, the scent of goblins on the shields could attract nearby goblins or, worst-case scenario, the "Lork Wolves." Aaron could accept the first possibility, but if the second one occurred, he would have to fight as well.

"If you've gathered yourselves, let's go," Aaron said suddenly.

"Can't we take a little break?" Valerie countered.

"Unfortunately, we can't. I may have aspirations of becoming a leader, but the more we strengthen ourselves and the more accustomed you become to fighting, the less you'll need me. I don't want to rely on me being there for you," Aaron said with a serious tone.

Valerie understood very well why her son was saying these things. If he tried to protect them in a serious battlefield, he could get injured, and if he got injured, he wouldn't be able to protect them. Instead of engaging in such a cyclical debate, it would be more existential for everyone to become much stronger and protect each other.

"Alright then, let's be quick," Valerie said. After these words, everyone nodded their heads in agreement, and the group continued on their way.

About 10 minutes later, intense and serious goblin voices could be heard coming from around them.

"KIEK!! Filthy humans, they've donned the shields of our kind, KIEK!"

"Kiek! DEATH TO ALL OF THEM, KIEK!!"

The event Aaron had been waiting for for 10 minutes finally happened. A dozen goblin warriors stood before the group. After surveying the surroundings and noticing no signs of goblin archers or goblin spellcasters, he spoke without taking his eyes off the goblins:

"This time, I won't assist you directly. Rest assured, I'll protect you if things get serious, but you must kill them all."

"Us?!" Sean exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, you. Otherwise, how will you learn to deal with them?"

"Okay," Dahlia said in a serious tone. Aaron was surprised by Dahlia's words. He had only met this young girl a few hours ago and had taken her with him because she reminded him of his old self. Nevertheless, she was truly brave. Despite having killed only one goblin so far, she had set her mind on facing a dozen goblins with three people.

"Well done, Dahlia," he said with a voice filled with pride.

When Dahlia heard her brother's words, she felt proud of herself. She was still afraid, but she remembered what Aaron had told her when his mother mourned. She thought to herself, "When we enter the tower's borders, if you want, you can stay with my family. I'm sure they will love you." They were the first people who had treated her well besides her mother, and she wanted to be strong enough to protect them. She didn't know if they were truly good or if they were just wearing a mask, but she had already made up her mind to die for them. It was absurd and unrealistic for someone to trust another person so much within just one hour, but Dahlia, as intelligent as she was, was also naive. Perhaps she was simply too trusting.

Valerie and Sean were suddenly filled with courage upon hearing Dahlia's words, and they assumed a ready position for battle. They were not holding their swords and shields properly; if they were facing a more intelligent creature race, they would have likely been killed by now. However, there was something lacking in these lower-level creatures, something that humans possessed: "Human Ambition." This ambition had filled them to such an extent that, fueled by either the power of love or their own instinct to kill, they wanted to annihilate the opposing side.

Suddenly, the opposing side went mad and launched a swift attack. They weren't very fast, after all, they were goblins—less powerful and agile than humans—but their numbers were quite large.

One goblin suddenly leaped onto Sean and tried to stab him with its short sword. Sean's military instincts must have kicked in as he intercepted the short sword and swiftly severed the goblin's head with his own sword.

Although the goblin managed to evade Sean's attack at the last moment, the goblins realized that these three humans and the mad terror child behind them were challenging targets. Therefore, they needed to work together.

All the goblins launched their attacks, wielding their swords against the trio. Their attacks were directed at Valerie's held shield, and Valerie was struggling to block them all. However, at that moment, Dahlia swung her sword forcefully, decapitating the heads of two goblins. A system notification appeared:

"Party member Dahlia has acquired the active ability Quick Cleave." Aaron was thrilled to see this notification because Quick Cleave was an ability that improved and grew stronger with each use, based on swift and lethal strikes. Such abilities were not uncommon, but there were few that could progress and strengthen based on sudden killing.

At that moment, Valerie noticed a goblin approaching Dahlia from the other side and gathered her courage to stab her sword into the goblin.

"Party members Sean, Valerie, and Dahlia have leveled up." Another system notification appeared.

Sean had already killed the four goblins that attacked him, leaving only four goblins who had fallen to the ground in fear.

"Dahlia, use your new ability and kill them. Let's see what your ability is." Aaron said, using his acting skills a bit.

"Okay," Dahlia replied, and activated her ability. After activating the ability, Dahlia's sword shimmered in a blue light, and she targeted the goblins. In a very short time and with great speed, Dahlia killed the goblins, and thus, the group successfully completed their first major hunt.

Suddenly, another system notification appeared.

"Party members Sean, Valerie, and Dahlia have leveled up." Aaron wasn't expecting this because the group shared their experience equally, and they had only killed a total of 15 goblins, which was an insufficient number to level up by three levels.

"God has really made this game significantly easier. Thanks," he thought with a smiley face expression.

"Congratulations, team! You did a great job. And on top of that, Dahlia gained an ability. With this, hunts will be easier from now on. I'm proud of you, my family," he said with another smiling face.

The group didn't get upset or complain like last time. On the contrary, they were happy because they had worked together as a team and killed a group of goblins four times their number. This was their true first hunt because in the previous encounter, if it weren't for Aaron confusing the goblins' minds, they might not have been able to kill them. This was a real success for them.

Aaron was proud like never before, neither in his previous life nor now.

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Aaron and his family had spent a full 5 days hunting and growing stronger. They would hunt from 5 in the morning until 10 at night, and then return to the tower to rest. Aaron believed it was important for them to rest mentally, and it proved effective as they became better fighters each day, making significant progress.

Except for Aaron, every member of the group had reached level 20, while Aaron himself had reached level 23. The reason for his slower level progression was because he had temporarily left the group to allow them to level up faster, and later rejoined them. During these 5 days, the group had killed over 400 goblins, and they were filled with pride because of their achievements.

It was now 10 o'clock, and their hunt for the day had ended. Naturally, the group returned to the tower and used their unit points to acquire what they needed from the market. The market was versatile, allowing them to purchase almost anything except for life, death, and time.

As the family sat down together and finished their meal, Aaron began to speak: "I'm leaving." His words surprised the group, and they all exclaimed, "Leaving?"

"Yes, we have gathered enough experience for you. As I mentioned before, you have allocated your points as I recommended. Right now, you are strong enough to fight on your own. I can confidently say that there are only a few people around here who are as strong as you."

"I understand. Take care," Sean immediately agreed.

"Sean? Our son wants to leave, and you're just agreeing without hesitation? This is ridiculous! It's too early! We do not even know what is outside?!" Valerie exclaimed, her anger directed at her beloved husband.

"Please be careful, big brother," Dahlia said to Aaron. In these past five days, Dahlia had grown accustomed to the family and realized that they were not the masked villains she had feared. Especially her brother Aaron, as whenever Dahlia was in danger, he would abandon the creature he was fighting and protect her without hesitation. Because of that, Dahlia had started calling him "big brother" with certainty.

"Dahlia, you too?" Valerie asked again, but this time her face shone with a strange astonishment.

"Yes, isn't our strongest member is my big brother, mrs. Mom? Even if the three of us attacked him, I feel like we wouldn't stand a chance. That's why I understand. We're not helping him, we're being a hindrance. If he wants to go for a few days, I think we should let him," Dahlia said, although she had grown accustomed to calling him "big brother," she didn't yet see herself having the potential to call someone "father" or "mother."

"What? You're all unbearable, and all three of you are so mischievous. Well then, be careful. If you get injured, I'll kill you!" Valerie said with an angry and unhappy expression.

Aaron was terrified by these words. It was as if his previous life, where he was known as the "Cold Executioner of Death," was turning his current life into a plaything. Mothers were the same everywhere.

"Oh-Of course, Mom. I'll return on the last day of the mission in the morning, and then we'll go to slay the boss monster. Until then, continue hunting outside, but don't exert yourselves too much and don't stray too far from the tower. And please stay together, alright?" Aaron said, speaking to them with concern.

"Mhm, don't worry about us," Sean said in a reassuring tone. Aaron smiled at his father's words and added, "Alright, then."

//////

Aaron, sitting on top of the building away from the boundaries of the tower, uttered the word "system."

In his previous life, the concept of the system had been discovered and utilized almost half a year after the apocalypse began. It involved linking the attribute card to the system, ensuring that the card would no longer be lost and would be transferred to the virtual environment of the system. Aaron had performed this process while everyone in the group was asleep the previous day. However, it required unit points, and unfortunately, his family still didn't have enough points to do the same.

Suddenly, Aaron's own statistics appeared in front of him:

"Aaron Light Corbyn - Level 23

Race: Human

Gender: Male

Age: 19

Occupation: Mage, Warrior

Attributes: All Elements

Abilities: God's Eyes (passive), God-level Swordsmanship (passive), God System(passive/active), Transcendence (active), *****, *****, *****.

Rank: B

Title: The Returner (unique ring), Beloved by the Gods (increases affinity with gods by +1000), Supreme Dragon Slayer (increases power stat by +50), Goblin Slayer (increases all stats by +2), Kind-hearted (increases all stats by +5)

Strength: 80

Agility: 53

Intelligence: 185

Magic Power: 59

Luck: 10

Charm: 55

*****: ***

Remaining Points: 0"

Aaron had already distributed the attribute points he had earned in previous days. His intelligence had increased from 176 to 180, agility from 18 to 48, and magic power from 33 to 54.

His status had undergone a significant evolution, and on top of that, he had gained the rank of "Good-hearted." He had also obtained the same rank in his previous life, which was granted when 100 people leveled up due to any impact he had on them. This meant that most of the people within the tower had become stronger.

Furthermore, when all the stat points from this rank were included, his strength increased to 80, agility to 53, intelligence to 185, magic power to 59, luck to 10, and charm to 55.

No matter how much his stat points had increased, Aaron didn't care about them at all. He was currently focused on two things: leveling up and the unique ring he received from the "The Returner" rank. He had a vague idea about what this ring could be, as he had possessed magical rings in his previous life. Some of them contained a certain amount of dimensional space and could store non-living things apart from the human body, while others naturally affected stat points.

Deep down, Aaron secretly wished for this ring to be a dimensional ring because having a dimensional ring would mean significantly surpassing the limited usage area of the system bag. Just like the hunter cards, a dimensional ring could also be connected to the system. This would increase the capacity of the bag, naturally providing a vast storage area. Unable to resist any longer, Aaron quietly said, "Claim the reward of the The Returner rank," and suddenly a ring appeared in front of him. He took the ring and tried to connect it to the system, but a notification came from the system:

"Spatial ring with unlimited capacity detected. Do you want it to be merged with the bag?" Upon reading this notification, Aaron's eyes widened like a fortune-teller's crystal ball. In his previous life, even as an X-level hunter, the largest capacity dimensional ring he possessed was 250 m2, and he had never heard of or seen anything related to unlimited capacity before, whether in stories or rumors.

Aaron sat in place for a few seconds, unable to move. Should he cry tears of joy or should he jump for joy?

Suddenly, Aaron sprang to his feet and clasped his hands together, saying, "Thank you, God, or whatever you may be." Then he confirmed the system notification, and a faint light shimmered before the ring disappeared. Soon after, a new notification appeared from the system:

"The unlimited capacity dimensional ring has been merged with the inventory." Aaron still couldn't believe what he was reading. He had never come across such absurdity before. Even slaying the Supreme Dragon and encountering the Gods didn't excite him as much.

"I can't believe it. The existence of such a thing is a complete cheat, a total cheat. I can loot goblin corpses and sell their belongings in the market. I can do it countless times and earn unlimited money. Why would they give such a cheat to me?" That's how he was thinking, but the Gods didn't know that Aaron would think in such a shortsighted manner.

After contemplating the event for a while, Aaron stood up and started scanning the surroundings from atop the building. Using his passive ability, God's Eyes, he was able to see distant objects in great detail.

Furthermore, this ability had an incredibly cute yet "ridiculous" passive effect. Whenever the user activated this passive ability to a certain degree, it would be referred to as "personally active," and it would cause the user's eye and hair color to change based on their emotions.

When Aaron felt sad, his eyes and hair would turn pale blue. When he felt angry, they would turn red. When he felt happy, they would turn yellow. When he was filled with love, they would turn pink. When he felt hatred towards something, they would turn black. When he had great confidence in something, they would turn white. When he felt disgust towards something, they would turn green. When he felt a strange sensation, they would turn brown. And when he felt guilt, they would turn purple. If his emotions intensified greatly, such as becoming extremely angry, his hair and eyes would turn crimson.

This ability made it quite prominent, although it couldn't be said to be a significant thing for Aaron.

Of course, thanks to all these things, the ability not only showed him the details of distant objects, but also seemed to slow down the world in front of him, and his reflexes were greatly heightened. This was one of his most powerful abilities.

Due to his overwhelming happiness at the moment, Aaron's hair and eye color were golden yellow and shimmered with the reflection of the moon. Since Aaron had this ability in his previous life as well, he didn't find the situation strange and continued to observe with delight.

Shortly after, Aaron found the creatures he had been tracking for 5 days, the "Lork Wolves," and he wanted to hunt them down. The Lork Wolves were low-level creatures that provided a significant amount of experience points. Although their levels were not as low as goblins, they were not as powerful as a spiked rat. If you were to ask who would win in a battle between a spiked rat and a Lork Wolf, the answer would definitely be the Lork Wolf. In this situation, there was nothing else to be done; it was how the system was designed.

After checking his equipment, Aaron started leaping from building to building, and after about 10 minutes of running, he finally reached the ruins that served as the den for the Lork Wolves. There was only one thing left to do: enter and kill them all.