As he passed through the gate, a violent gust of wind surged around him, whipping through his hair and tugging at his clothes.
The pressure was intense, almost suffocating, as if the very fabric of reality was reshaping around his presence.
[You have entered the instant dungeon]
"W..hoa."
As he stepped through the translucent blue gate, the world shifted around him, and he found himself standing at the edge of a vast underground cavern.
Jagged rock formations loomed in the distance, and a dim, otherworldly light pulsed from the walls, casting eerie shadows across the uneven terrain below.
"Hmph?"
A low, rumbling hum echoed through the air, followed by a sharp crackle that sent a shiver down his spine.
Spinning around, he focused his gaze back toward the gate, only to find it completely sealed off with a dense, invisible force blocking his way.
BANG!
He pounded on the gate, trying to escape, but it was useless.
"So I really can't leave till I clear the dungeon?"
He cast a final glance at the dark, cavernous bunker below, a knot tightening in his chest. With a heavy gulp, he squeezed his eyes shut.
"I guess there's no turning back now." He said, turning away from the gate as he descended the stone stairs that led deeper into the cave
'Shit... I have no assistance, no weapon, all I have is my underdeveloped ability and... Wait a minute.' He thought.
"Inventory."
With a word, he summoned the translucent blue screen of the system, revealing an empty inventory.
"Store."
[Store]
[Heaven's Will: Holy Excalibur: A sword once held by the great archangel Michael, it is the living manifestation of heavenly power itself. It is said to have contained the power of the One Above All and was used to defeat the forces of the underworld and sealed the fallen in a faraway place. Cost - 100,000,000,000,000 spirit points]
[Grim Reaper's Scythe: A sword drowned by the dark magic of the Shadow Necromancer, Van Don. It is said to have been used in the holy war to shroud the continents in darkness, it was the only weapon that could combat the Excalibur. Cost - 300,000,000,000 spirit points]
The system's store appeared, showcasing a list of weapons, each priced accordingly, ranked from the highest value to the lowest.
It didn't take long for Kazuki to scroll to the bottom of the list. With only 500 Ryo at his disposal, everything above was far beyond his current or future capabilities.
After a moment of consideration, he settled for a simple sword, nothing more than a basic blade with no special features or abilities.
Armed with weaponry, he continued down the stairs, each step echoing through the stillness of the cave.
"Let's do this."
The moment he stepped into the underground cave, a low, guttural rumble echoed from somewhere in the shadows ahead.
He froze.
"What... was that?" He murmured, narrowing his eyes and peering into the dense blackness that swallowed the path beyond. The darkness pulsed with quiet menace, and something unseen stirred just out of reach.
From the shadows, a flicker of movement caught his eye—then another. Several pairs of glowing red eyes emerged, inching closer with every heartbeat.
"What!?"
He stumbled back as the shadows gave way to a swarm of small, red-furred creatures with sharp fangs and claws, pointed ears. They had four legs along with a long tail.
They numbered up to twenty five, each salivating as they observed their prey carefully.
[Multiple Red jackals have appeared]
[Fortitude: 2.1]
"Jackals? Huh, not what you'd expect to see in a typical cave."
The jackals charged at him, snapping their jaws at him without mercy like the diabolical creatures they are.
A slight grin tugged at Kazuki's lips, he was calm, confident. He didn't flinch, didn't waver. Was it because he had expected this all along? Not really, he had no fighting experience, but.
"With a fortitude of 2.1, you all are nothing compared to the A-rank Essen-Hunter I fought a while ago." With a strong will, he dashed forward to meet them.
He focused his essence and his enhanced strength into his legs, and In a flash, he leapt high above the charging horde, spinning through the air with a series of fluid front flips.
Then, with pinpoint precision, he came crashing down, landing squarely on the head of a jackal, slamming it into the ground with bone-crushing force.
SQUASH!
The head of the jackal splattered into chunks of hard meat as Kazuki landed on it, utilizing his essence to increase the weight of his foot by concentrating it. He realized, that these were some of the practical use of essence which he himself had no knowledge of till now.
Crouching low, he surged forward in a flash, spinning his katana with deadly precision before slashing through the mouth of a jackal that rushed at him in a fluid motion.
[You have gained ×2 Essen-Core!]
"Hm?" Hearing a low growl behind him, he instinctively thrust his sword upward, positioning it just behind his head. The blades met the descending fangs of two jackals, deflecting the bite with a resounding clash.
Relying on his quick reactions, he rotated his right leg sideways, his movement smooth and precise, flowing behind the two jackals with the grace of a Tai Chi practitioner in one, seamless motion.
With a precise slash, he beheaded the two jackals in one strike.
[You have gained ×1 Essen-Core!]
[You have gained ×1 Essen-Core!]
The more he struck down the jackals, the more notifications popped up in his line of vision. Each strike was a dance, and with time he slayed a majority of the magical creatures.
"Two more to go." With fierce determination in his eyes, he gripped the sword tightly as the jackals charged toward him in a straight line. In one swift, powerful thrust, he hurled the blade through the air at the head of the jackal in front of him.
Unexpectedly, he sliced through the skulls of both jackals and defeated them both in a single strike.
[You have gained ×2 Essen-Core!]
[You have slain all Jackals!]
"Awesome... Did I become this strong just by defeating an A-rank Essen-Hunter?" He couldn't help but notice the great difference between himself right now, and back before he went through his second awakening. Sure he had great reflexes after the ceremony, but his reaction time and confidence now? It was massive compared to before.
He pulled out his sword from the head of the last jackal and proceeded further into the dungeon. After walking for several meters, he found himself standing in front of three strange, huge holes in the walls.
"Huh, judging by the shape of those holes, my guess is these holes aren't natural. They were carved by something, something big."
Suddenly, a deep, guttural growl reverberated from the three holes in the walls. From the middle hole, a massive ant emerged, its legs scraping against the stone as it crawled forward.
Its jaws clicked menacingly, and with each heavy step, the ground beneath Kazuki's feet trembled, the vibrations shaking through his body.
"WHAT THE LIVING FUCK IS THAT!?" His eyes widened in terror, his legs trembling slightly as he stared up at the colossal beast,its towering form nearly twice his size.
[The boss of the dungeon has appeared!]
[Mutated Ant— Muramasa]
[Fortitude: 8.0]
"Fortitude wha-"
Before he could even finish his sentence, the ant lunged with a terrifying speed, its massive leg swinging down toward him without warning.
"Shit!"
Instinct kicked in. In a split second, he executed a swift forward roll to his left, narrowly dodging the crushing blow of the ant's leg as it slammed into the ground where he had just stood.
Its leg sliced through the ground effortlessly like a knife through butter, sending debris flying in all directions.
Kazuki's eyes widened in disbelief, fixed on the shattered ground beneath him.
"If I had wasted anymore time to avoid that strike, that ant would have sliced my head into two."
Impatient, the ant lunged at Kazuki, its fangs bared, aiming to sink into his flesh. Battling the surge of anxiety, he leaped high above its head, narrowly avoiding the deadly bite as the fangs sunk into the wall.
He landed softly, crouching on his right knee, taking shallow breaths as he gasped for air.
Shaking off the shock, Kazuki's eyes widened as he watched in disbelief—the walls where the ant's fangs had sunk melted away instantly, as if it had been dissolved by an unknown acid.
"What!?"
[The ant's fangs contains a deteriorating poison corrosive acid. It can easily melt down it's target cellular membrane with a bite, making it easier for it to consume it's prey.]