Now it was just the two of them.
The goblin boss let out a guttural roar, its massive sword dragging against the stone with a shriek of metal. Its muscles bulged with rage, thick veins throbbing beneath its grayish-green skin. This beast stood nearly two meters tall—an absolute brute.
Zephyr cracked his neck and clenched his fists. He felt the sting of fatigue, but his HP and MP were full. That last level-up couldn't have come at a better time.
"Good thing I learned Muay Thai," he muttered, steadying his breath. "And had plenty of sparring with strong fighters. Otherwise, I'd be goblin steak by now."
The boss charged—sword raised high overhead, preparing to bring it down with terrifying force.
WHAM!
Zephyr rolled to the side, narrowly dodging the earth-shaking slash. The blade splintered the stone where he'd just been standing. No way was he taking that hit head-on.
Too slow, big guy.
He slid in, fist cocked—and drove a straight punch into the boss's ribs. It was like hitting a wall. The monster barely flinched and swung its elbow wildly. Zephyr ducked just in time, feeling the wind graze his hair.
Then he smirked.
"Let's see how you handle this."
He darted in again, weaving through the boss's wild swings with clean footwork—then suddenly jumped off the goblin's thigh, rising into the air.
THWACK!
A flying knee to the side of its head staggered the boss. It stumbled back, growling—but before it could recover, Zephyr dropped low—
And delivered a full-force, Muay Thai crotch kick.
THWUMP!
The boss's eyes bulged. Its roar turned into a squeal. The sheer force of the kick made the giant flinch and drop its massive sword with a clatter.
"Sensitive there too, huh?" Zephyr grinned.
Taking advantage of the stunned moment, he unleashed a brutal combo:
Right elbow to the chin
Left hook to the temple
**Low kick to the knee joint—crack! **
And a final spinning elbow to the face.
The boss reeled, blood spraying from its mouth as it staggered backward. Zephyr didn't let up.
"You're big. You're strong. But you're not trained."
He sprinted forward one last time, channeled his remaining strength, and—
FLYING KNEE—DIRECTLY TO THE FACE!
The boss's head snapped back as it fell like a collapsed building, landing with a thunderous BOOM.
Zephyr stood over its twitching body, panting but victorious.
"If I didn't have martial arts… I'd be dead meat."
The blue glow of the gate shimmered for a moment—then vanished.
Just like that, the dungeon closed.
A group of people nearby jumped in surprise. Some were hunters waiting for backup. Others were civilians trying to peek past the barricade. Murmurs spread quickly among the crowd.
The guards scratched their heads, exchanging uneasy glances. They radioed in the report.
A few blocks away, tucked into the shadow of an alley, a figure emerged. Cloaked in the veil of stealth.
Zephyr.
His breathing was calm but heavy—battle-worn. He tapped his inventory, equipping a clean jacket and suppressing his mana signature even further. Only once he was certain no one had spotted him, he dropped out of stealth.
I did it.
Cleared the entire dungeon. Alone.
His fists clenched slightly. A small, proud smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
The system screen appeared before him:
Name: Zephyr Navarro
Level:
EXP: 124/ 13,000
Job: --
Title: Reincarnator
HP: 13,100/13,100
MP: 13,100/13,100
Fatigue: 0
Strength: 27
Agility: 31
Sense: 28
Vitality: 26
Intelligence: 21
Free Stat Points: 16
"From Level 1 to 12… in one dungeon."
He couldn't help but feel a surge of adrenaline just thinking about it.
"There's no way I'm just an E-Rank. Not after that."
"I'm at least D-rank… maybe even C."
Still, without an official evaluation, his actual Hunter Rank remained unregistered. And the system he'd awakened with didn't follow the standard Hunter Bureau guidelines either. Which meant…
They wouldn't know what to make of me even if I told them.
Better to keep quiet. For now.
He moved toward a quiet street, away from the growing chatter at the gate.
"Let them guess. Let them wonder what closed the gate."
Only Zephyr knew the truth.
"So every point in Vitality and Intelligence gives me +100 HP and MP respectively… and each level gives me a flat +1000 to both. That's huge."
I stared at the numbers. At this rate, I was growing way faster than any standard Hunter I'd read about.
"No wonder I felt like a damn tank by the time I got to the boss room."
But there was something even more interesting—my new skills. Apparently, hitting Level 10 unlocked something extra in my system. Maybe it was a milestone mechanic?
I flipped through the skill tab. Two new entries blinked at me.
[New Skill Unlocked: Heal — Lv. 1]
Cost: 1000 MP per cast
Effect: Restores 20% of total HP to self or one target. Cooldown: 5 seconds.
[New Skill Unlocked: Chains — Lv. 1]
Cost: 1000 MP per target
Effect: Conjures shadowy chains that bind enemies in place for 10 seconds. Strength and Agility influence how easily the target can break free. Cooldown: 20 seconds.
"Interesting…"
Heal was costly, but at 1000 MP a pop and healing 20%, that was nearly 2,620 HP per cast at my current level. It could save my life in a tight spot—or someone else's.
But Chains?
That was control. And control was power.
"A good binding skill is rare this early. If I can level it up, maybe the chains will get stronger… or even gain effects."
Still, 1000 MP wasn't cheap. I had 13,100 now, which meant I could only cast either skill a few times per fight without draining myself dry. Definitely not spam material.
"Guess this confirms it: hitting level 10 gives me a reward set. Probably every ten levels does. I'll need to test more, but…"
I clenched my fist and grinned.
"I'm on the right path."
My Intelligence stat is seriously lacking. I need to allocate more points into it to boost the power of my magic skills and increase my total MP.
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