Noir was ready to fight, gripping a normal sword. The Hound of the Abyss was getting closer, but a few moments later… the beast simply passed by him.
Noir turned his head back, noticing that the Hound of the Abyss sat down and closed its eyes in front of the giant door he had seen earlier.
"It didn't attack me?"
He stayed there for quite a while, but the Hound of the Abyss made no movement. Apparently, the monster wasn't interested in him at all.
Noir let out a relieved breath. Without wasting any time, he left the place.
"I need to raise my level first," Noir muttered.
**
Low-level monsters could die at any moment. They were fragile, that's why Noir decided he needed to farm EXP first. He had to increase his level, and he had to do it quickly. He had no idea what would happen to him later on. Perhaps the Hound of the Abyss might target him afterward.
There were plenty of monsters on this ninth floor. Their levels ranged from around 20 to 40. Of course, the safest choice among them would be those at level 20. Even so, it was still dangerous, considering Noir himself was only a level 1 skeleton.
As he walked, he frowned and glanced once more toward the Hound of the Abyss. "There are even beings stronger than that thing… Could this be a mistake? Or are there creatures more powerful than the Hound of the Abyss?"
It felt strange, but when Noir thought about it again, it wasn't impossible. Monsters could evolve, and perhaps every time they evolved, their level would reset back to one.
Or maybe every monster had its own base stats and unique skills. High level didn't always mean the strongest. There were many different kinds of monsters in this world.
This was just Noir's assumption. He wouldn't know for sure until he experienced it himself.
"Looks like I have no choice," Noir said.
He gripped the sword he had picked up earlier. In front of him were several goblins, all level 20. They each carried a small wooden club in their right hand.
There were about twelve goblins in total. Not an easy fight—even though they were just goblins. Noir understood well that as a level one skeleton, they were most likely stronger than him.
"Alright, no choice."
He set his stance and dashed toward the group of goblins. At first, they stayed still since he was also a monster, but the moment Noir started running, all of them turned their heads.
Quickly, Noir threw one of the swords he had taken. The blade flew fast, but a goblin managed to block it. However, Noir wasn't some fool in battle.
He channeled mana into his legs and pushed his body forward with all his strength. In just two seconds, he appeared right in front of the goblin.
"Got you!"
The goblin was startled. It couldn't react in time to defend itself. Noir knew his strike was weak. He only had 14 points of STR. That alone wasn't enough to kill a level 20 goblin in a single hit. He had to go for the best target.
"Pierce the neck."
Splurt!
Blood sprayed as his sword stabbed through. The goblin collapsed instantly—Noir's strike had pierced its throat. It was an instant death. Every creature had their own instant death points, and for most, it was the head or neck—except skeletons and other undead.
Noir had taken down one of the twelve goblins. The others, seeing their comrade slain, immediately rushed forward to attack.
[LEVEL UP!]
[Name: Noir Valenhardt]
[Race: Normal Skeleton]
Level: 1 → 2
Stat Points +3 Acquired
Noir's body trembled slightly. He felt as if his bones cracked, then fused back stronger. A faint purple aura wrapped around him for a moment before fading. At the same time, he parried a goblin's slash that almost struck him.
"Ah, my movements feel sharper."
[Health Point +25, Mana Point +7, Strength +2, Agility +2, Vitality +2 automatically distributed.]
"I leveled up… twice at once?" Noir was surprised. "Could killing monsters way above my level really give that much of a boost?"
He didn't have time to think about it. The remaining goblins attacked again, swinging their clubs at his head. Not just one, but three of them all at once.
Clang!
Noir blocked with his sword. His body was pushed down, but he held his ground and forced their weapons upward. The three goblins staggered back. Noir grinned and immediately performed a wide horizontal slash, cutting across their torsos.
With his increased speed, he spun and sliced the legs of another goblin. The creature fell, screaming in pain, before Noir thrust his sword straight into its heart. Another goblin down.
[EXP +80]
Noir turned to the next goblin. "You're next!"
He moved swiftly. Leaping aside to avoid a strike, Noir thrust upward from below, stabbing through a goblin's jaw. His movement was precise, flawless. Almost no wasted motion. Noir had once been a hero of the sword—of course his mastery was exceptional.
Craassh!
Blood burst as another goblin fell.
[LEVEL UP!]
Level: 2 → 3
Stat Points +3 Acquired
The remaining goblins began to panic. They weren't smart creatures, but their instincts screamed: this one is different. That reaction gave Noir relief. Panic meant opportunity.
"If I can hold out a little longer…" Noir steadied himself, though he didn't actually breathe. Still, he could feel something growing inside him—strength, instinct, and… a hunger for more power.
Three goblins attacked at once. Noir infused mana into his legs and leapt behind one of them. His blade pierced through its back, then in a swift spin, he cut off another goblin's arm. In a single motion, two enemies fell.
[EXP +80]
[EXP +80]
Two more down.
Suddenly, a goblin struck from the side, slamming into him. Noir staggered, his bones cracking slightly. But he didn't feel it was too dangerous—just a loss of some HP.
[HP: 95/170]
Noir steadied his stance again, ready for more. "Come on… just a few left!"
He charged back in. Now he was stronger. He didn't feel fear anymore. Even though the level gap between him and the goblins was still huge, his past life as a sword hero was his greatest blessing. That was the only reason he had survived this long.
"Come at me, you green bastards!" Noir challenged.
**
After a fierce battle lasting nearly thirty minutes, Noir finally stood victorious. Every goblin had been slain. He now sat on top of the pile of corpses, gazing at his status screen with a smile.
[LEVEL UP!]
Level: 3 → 5
Stat Points +6 Acquired
"Only six levels… but the difference is incredible."
Noir opened his status panel.
[Name: Noir Valenhardt]
[Race: Undead]
[Class: Normal Skeleton]
[Level: 5]
[HP: 137/220]
[MP: 35/65]
[STR (Strength): 22]
[AGI (Agility): 27]
[VIT (Vitality): 28]
[DEX (Dexterity): 24]
[LUK (Luck): 1]
EXP: 290/500 (Next Level)
"Still far from enough to face the Hound of the Abyss…" Noir murmured. "But at least now, I can survive."
Looking around, Noir saw countless more monsters lurking across the ninth floor. This place was perfect for farming levels before he decided to take on the Hound of the Abyss. But before that, there was one more important decision he had to make.
"Where should I allocate my bonus stat points?"