Ethereal Ascension

Chapter 9

~ Solo Raid ~

4 Hours Earlier

“So, this is it, huh?” Alan muttered, standing before a five story building, his neck aching as he tried to look at the zenith of the building.

The area was quite secluded. Most of the buildings here were either demolished or uninhabitable. It was as a result of a gateway break that happened about a month ago.

Only one or two people walked by, mostly adventure-seeking teenagers.

Alan lowered his head and stared at the green tab before him.

[† New Quest:

- Clear the five floors of the abandoned 5th Avenue bakery: To be completed before midnight.

- Rewards: ???]

There was a picture of the bakery’s current structure underneath the quest.

He pinched his nose bridge and let out a sigh, “Let’s do this.”

He easily made his way into the ground floor of the building, since the entrance door was barely locked.

Damaged baking tools and equipment were left scattered across the floor, rodents dashing here and there.

Alan gazed at the stairs that led to the first floor, “So... What now?”

Just as soon as he said that, the entrance door slammed shut, likewise the windows. New glass replaced the broken windows in an instant.

Alan flinched to the side, startled by the slammed door, “A heads-up would have been nice.”

[Converting bakery to a five floor dungeon.]

[Spatial bleeding activated.]

A subtle blue wave exploded from Alan’s body, spreading across the ground floor in an instant. He couldn’t see it, but he could tell that the wave had also spread upwards till it reached the roof.

The entire structure of the building’s inside changed. The walls were now made of stalactites, the ground was filled with rocks. It was as though he had been plunged into a proper dungeon. The stairs were now carved out of rocks.

The floor also seemed to have expanded in size, maybe three times more.

[Clear the ground floor and advance to the next.]

Alan raised a brow, “What am I to clear exactly? The whole place looks emp... ty.”

His voice gradually faded when red pillars of light began to beam upwards from the ground before him. The lights faded to reveal green, unarmed goblins, their brows arched as always, their hands twitching to kill.

“Oh... Forget I asked,” Alan smiled tersely, trying his very best not to panic. He wasn’t scared of the goblins, but he was also aware of his body’s capabilities. Even with a sword, he couldn’t fend off one, not to talk of a dozen goblins.

A white screen appeared over each goblin...

[Outcast Goblin.]

[HP: 100/100]

They saw him and cackled at each other.

“Dinner is right there,” they must have said.

Then their faces dissolved in a nasty frown. Without warning, they got on all fours and sprinted at him.

‘You can do this, you can do this,’ Alan encouraged himself inwardly, controlling his breath.

Just as he thought about it, his profile tab appeared before him.

[† Name: Alan Monolith.]

[Alias: The One.]

[Race: Human.]

[Level: 1.]

[Title: Nil.]

[Class: Awakened.]

[Health Points (HP): 100]

[Mana Points (MP): 55]

[Experience (XP): 10 / 100]

[† Attributes:

- Strength: 10

- Agility: 10

- Intelligence: 10

- Endurance: 10

- Dexterity: 10

- Luck: 5

- Wisdom: 5

- Charisma: 5]

[† Skills:

- Combat Skills:

- Basic Swordsmanship: Level 1

- Magic Skills:

- Basic Fireball: Level 1

- Miscellaneous Skills:

- Basic Cooking: Level 1]

[† Abilities:

- Active Abilities:

- Quick Strike: Level 1

- Passive Abilities:

- Enhanced Senses: Level 1]

[† Equipment:

- Weapon: Wooden Sword

- Armour: Locked.

- Accessories: None.]

[† Inventory:

- Health Potion: 1

- Mana Potion: 1

- Enhancement Potion: 1]

[Quests unlocked]

[† Secret Advancement Quest: Courage of the Weak >>> Completed.]

[† Active Quests:

- Complete Basic Training: To be completed before noon.]

It vanished almost as soon as it came, but he was able to retain the entire information at a single glance.

‘A wooden sword! That’ll be helpful,’ he thought and jumped to the side out of pure instinct. Two goblins gnawed at where he was standing just a second ago.

His eyes dilated, ‘I’m... Fast!’

He dodged a few more goblins, missing most hits by hair’s breadth. Then he kicked against the ground and hopped a few metres back. He needed some time to arrange his thoughts.

‘It must be my enhanced senses, and I’m only at level 1,’ he pondered. ‘I’ll leave the sword alone for now. I should put this Quick Strike skill to a test.’

[†Active Abilities:

- Quick Strike: Level 1

Increases movement speed by 10%, regardless of direction.]

His eyes darted to the side and he spotted a goblin bolting at him, its mouth watering in hunger.

Alan gave a mental command to activate the skill.

[Ability: Quick Strike >>> Activated!]

Alan turned and shot at the goblin, crossing the short distance between them in an instant. He had his right fist squeezed and ready, drilling it into the goblin’s face as soon as they got in proximity.

His speed, coupled with the force of the punch, sunk the goblin’s face in like kneaded dough, whilst shooting it back for metres. It didn’t stop flying until it struck a nearby wall.

It dropped to the floor, its face squashed in. Its HP easily plummeted to zero. It was dead.

[Number of Outcast Goblins killed: 1/12]

A small smile formed on Alan’s lips, ‘Interesting.’

He took another glance at his profile tab and scrunched his brows.

[Mana Points (MP): 45]

’10 MP for one strike? That’s extortion!’

While he complained to the System, a few goblins snuck up on him and jumped at him, aiming to pull him down with their accumulated mass.

“Get fuck off me!” he swung his arms around aimlessly as more goblins heaped up on him. He managed to hit two of them away from him, but more just kept coming.

He didn’t have a choice. He activated Quick Strike again, but this time in a more subtle way. Instead of using the ability on his entire body, he focused it on his hands.

[Ability: Quick Strike >>> Activated!]

His hands move in a flurry, puncturing holes through the goblins that gathered on top of him. With a slight hunch, he guessed that their core was located in their chests, so those were his targets.

Ten seconds passed and they all fell at his feet, stale and dead.

[Number of Outcast Goblins killed: 11/12]

Alan staggered back, heaving a heavy sigh.

[Mana Points (MP): 35]

‘Heh. Figures. It’s 10 MP per activation... Or is it 1 MP per second?’

He thought about it for a while, even though there was still one goblin left, standing at a safe distance from him.

‘I think it should be the latter. The first time I used it, my MP wasn’t deducted until roughly ten seconds later. So I can’t just waste it on one opponent alone. It has to be used on a group of opponents.’

The goblin wasn’t touched by the loss of the other goblins. It remained true to its nature — Feisty and hungry. It hissed and rushed at Alan, who was still pondering on a few things.

He sensed the goblin inching closer and he turned to face it, easily catching it by the head before it could lunge its claws at him.

He held the struggling goblin up and knelt down, pulling it down with added strength. He crushed the rocky ground with the goblin’s head, blood spewing in a splash of fine artistry.