Boom!!
A wave of energy went through the universe, which blasted everything that got in its way into smithereens."This is your last chance. Otherwise, there'll be [SkyFall]"This message reached every corner. Everything started moving into its place like a piece of puzzle as the Chaos Era descended......"Fireball.""Guardian Valor."Roar*"Neo, to your left.""Got it. Charlie, buff!""Already done."A sword light slashed, trying to cut the monster in two, but it jumped back, dodging the attack. The monster before the group was small in stature, but its wicked appearance made up for its lack of size. Its skin was a sickly shade of green, mottled with darker patches that made it look diseased and unhealthy. Its body was thin and wiry, with sharp claws on each of its bony fingers that glinted in the dim light.A small ball of fire landed on the tiny figure and blasted it backward. And before it could land on the ground, a sword moved toward it, fast.The attack from before made it unable to defend against the attack. The sword cut its neck before moving further swiftly as it experienced no resistance, cutting the head off from the body cleanly.The monster's greenish eyes dimmed as its head hit the ground with a thud*, and it breathed its last.Everyone sat down as a light flashed around their bodies, telling that they leveled up. The defender put down the huge shield, as it was too heavy to constantly wave it around. He looked toward Neo, who was moving toward the corpse of the monster.19-year-old before the group had a slightly average appearance, but there was something about him that caught his group's attention. His green eyes were bright and clear, seeming to dance with a hint of mischief just below the surface. His wavy hair was a sandy brown color, falling carefreely around his face and framing his features.As he spoke, his voice was warm and friendly. He had a relaxed and casual manner, as if he didn't take things too seriously, which only added to his charm.Despite his unassuming appearance, there was a confidence about him that was hard to miss. He held himself with a quiet strength and poise, as if he knew exactly who he was and where he headed.In a world where so many people try to be something they're not, it was refreshing to meet someone who was simply comfortable in their own skin.Neo before them may have had a slightly average appearance, but there was something undeniably magnetic about him. That was why they asked him to join their party for this Instance/Dungeon.The group of people had 5 members: one guardian, a mage, two archers, and Neo, who was the damage dealer. They weren't able to find a healer as those people were in demand and other than the fairy race, that rarely made their appearances, they got none. The priests disdain joining a local party, so the demand for healers was a lot.They were in this dungeon for half an hour now, but they were still fighting the weak monsters and couldn't advance to the boss' room."Shouldn't it be a child's play, according to the online guide?""Yeah, it should be, but somehow, even the mob monsters are this strong, then the boss will be a whole different specie. Did any of you receive a quest related to this dungeon?" The guardian asked everyone but his gaze was on the archer. They were clearing the dungeon because of the Dungeon clearance pass they needed from this dungeon.The archer moved his finger in the air like he was interacting with something and after moving his fingers around for a while. He said: "I received no such quest."The group turned silent for a while before the Guardian suggested."Let's go back and come back with a high level evolver."Everyone agreed, save for Neo, who was still squatting next to the green monster corpse, poking it around with a stick, like he was looking for something.The guardian looked at him with a raised eyebrow as he was confused by what he was doing and said, "Hey Neo, let's go. We'll come back with a high level ranker later."Neo looked away from the corpse toward the Guardian and nodded with a smile."You guys can go ahead. I'll be spending some time here."The Guardian was worried, as the level of the monsters was a little abnormal. The green monster before them was a level 8 monster who shouldn't be on this floor of the dungeon, but somehow it appeared on the first floor, and it was not the only one, as the monsters they dealt with all ranged between 7~9."Alright, be careful. We'll be back later. I'll contact you when we find a high level evolver to carry us."Neo nodded with a smile before going back to checking the monster's body. The party members looked at him once more, muttering 'Weirdo' in their hearts as they left the dungeon.Neo's focus was on the corpse as he circled its body before removing the sword from its sheath and hacked the monster into pieces, blood and meat flying around.He shook his head like he didn't find what he was looking for and moved on to the other bodies littering on the ground as he hacked them open. He kept opening the bodies like a present until the 7th body that when it was split open, it dropped something from its rib cage.Neo smiled as he looked at the small sphere the size of a marble. It was solid with white color with a ring of blue in it .Despite his normal appearance, one couldn't help but notice that the 19-year-old's clothes looked a bit worn out. His faded jeans were frayed at the hems, and there were a few small tears in the denim. His t-shirt was plain white, but it clearly had been washed and worn many times, as the fabric had become slightly thin and stretched out in places.Despite their worn appearance, however, his clothes were clean and well-maintained. There were no stains or rips that hadn't been carefully mended, and everything seemed to fit him perfectly. It was clear he took pride in his appearance, even if his clothes weren't the newest or most fashionable.He put the sphere in his pocket as he said, "Status."『 StatusName: Neo OrpheusClass: NoneLevel 1 (0/100)Title: NoneHealth : 150/150Mana : 60/60Strength: 12 Agility: 9Stamina: 10 Intelligence: 6Vitality: 15 Luck: 7』Looking at his level, Neo's smile faltered a little as this has been his nth time joining a party, but he wasn't able to get even a bit of experience from the kills. And every time he joined the party, the level of the monsters increased like he kidnapped their relative or something because they came at him with full force.But it did not discourage him, and he planned on trying again. He took the sphere out of his pocket and held it up high. A blue light flashed across it. Putting it back in his pocket, he checked the other corpses and found two more spheres. After seeing that everything was cleared up and taking one last look toward the door that had the boss behind it, he sighed and left the dungeon."Looking for a Guardian. A party of 4 needs a guardian.""Selling potions at a cheap price. Buy one, get one free.""Need a healer. Can carry the new evolvers."Different voices entered Neo's ear as he came out of the dungeon. He looked around and saw people hustling and bustling. Every one of them was an evolver as this was the starting point of their journey.It was a F Rank dungeon, which was like a novice village where an evolver start their journey.The world Neo was in was called "Sky World." He didn't know why it was named like that, but he couldn't complain even if he wanted to. The sky-world was home to many species, including Human, Elves, Dwarves, Demon Race, Winged Race, and many other races.It was an enormous piece of land which was surrounded by water from all sides and had only one continent named, as you know it, "Sky Continent."It was a simple planet before the Chaos Era, which according to the historians had a very drastic change in the planet's topography. Some say that the world expanded and mana flooded the land. Giving birth to many new species, while others say that a powerful figure combined many worlds into one and the other species were the inhabitants of those other worlds.But the Chaos era was a nightmare or doomsday for the humans as the other species invaded and took control over almost all the land, and they had to live in hiding or to be as their slaves.But again by some miracles because the historians didn't know what happened, the other species retracted their forces from the human lands and settled down in their own land or the new lands which emerged after the continent merged, new areas came out of the ocean.The evolution got introduced on the land after the reformation was complete which was titled as the "Golden Era" for all the races as Dungeon appeared all over the lands and new monsters were introduced in the wildlands which different races hunted and leveled up, becoming more powerful than before.And at the end of the growing era, a tower appeared on a piece of land that floated above the center of the continent. Which was called, "Ascendance Tower."People were cautious toward it as it appeared out of nowhere and when it appeared, a voice sounded in everyone's mind.[Climb the Tower and Become the master of the Universe]It tempted many as they attempted to climb the tower. The ones who conquered the floor got a price that made many kingdoms wage war over it and it created a new era of power struggle but it was solved as many powerful evolvers came out of the hiding and solved the issue. They created new rules that provided a safe passage for the floor clearing party or person.Every species then raced to clear the tower to receive the power that could dominate others. But the tower was also just, it didn't let anyone monopolize anything in it and if anyone was caught doing that, then they'll have to experience a harsh punishment that made even the dragon feel a chill crawl over its skin.These novice dungeons became the first rite of passage. The new evolvers had to clear it before they could enter the tower and without passing it, nobody could even step into the Tower as it would be just a suicide if the said person couldn't even clear the dungeon.Zero rank evolvers also called the "Unevolved" were the evolvers that just started their journey as a mana core formed in their body after accumulating mana in their body for a long time. Some had a natural affinity toward it and formed it faster, like around the age of 3, while some were not lucky and couldn't form one during their whole life.Neo had formed a core last week after the mana accumulated in his body for over 19 years and was attempting the novice dungeon now to get a clearance and become an official ranker, but he had a complication with his core.He walked among the crowd slowly as he thought about what he should do next. He heard many people chatting about this year's ranking and who was the most powerful ranker and such talks, which were normal as the world had attained a little peace.Just like that, he came back to his apartment, switched the light on, as he was the only one living in it.When Neo stepped into the apartment, it gave the feeling that this was the home of a single person. The living area was cozy, with a comfortable armchair and a small sofa arranged around a coffee table. The walls were adorned with paintings, and a bookshelf in the corner held a small collection of books and knick-knacks.To the left of the living area was a compact kitchen, with a stove, refrigerator, and sink all neatly arranged against one wall. A small table with two chairs was pushed up against the opposite wall, creating a cozy space for meals or working from home.In the back corner of the apartment was a bedroom, with a queen-sized bed pushed up against one wall and a dresser and nightstand on the other side. The walls were painted a soft blue, creating a serene and calming atmosphere, and a small window let in a bit of natural light.The bathroom was small but functional, with a shower stall and toilet tucked into one corner and a sink and mirror mounted on the opposite wal
Neo looked at this with surprise and said with a smile, "Congratulations." Bella wasn't letting him go with just that as she shook her head and dragged him out of his apartment, saying, "No, mister, just congratulating me is not enough. Let's go, we are going out for a meal." Neo shook his head helplessly and told her to at least let him lock the door, to which she nodded, but was still not letting him go like he might run away at any moment. Neo found her antics a little funny as he chuckled and locked the door. Bella dragged him to the parking lot as a vehicle was waiting for them there. Bella came near the car. The door moved up and welcomed them. Neo looked at the car, but then shook his head as he sat in the passenger seat. The car floated a little and zoomed from the car park as it moved toward the restaurant that Bella had already told the super AI about. She then brought her attention to Neo, who was looking out, appreciating the scenery that was constantly changing as th
Neo felt his belief in humanity slipping as he inwardly calculated the price and sucked a deep breath and when he heard her saying two of each, he just was left speechless. "Who can finish this much?" He muttered slowly, but Bella still heard him as they were the only two in the room and that Bella was a Ranker. She puffed her cheeks and said, "Are you calling me fat?" Neo was stunned by her question and inwardly thought, '𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯?' But he didn't utter that. Instead, he said, "I think we might end up wasting too much food, and I am not that hungry. How about you cancel one portion?" But Bella denied him strongly. "No, you need these nutrients as you are going to form the core and if you don't have a healthy body during the last moments, the core might end up being faulty with cracks in it." Neo smiled as he saw her concern for him, but still tried asking her to cancel at least some of them. She didn't budge one inch,
Neo said his goodbye to Bella, who informed him about the time before which he should be ready for the party."Remember to be ready before 6 pm. We need to reach there before 6:30. "Neo nodded as he opened the door and entered the apartment. He put down the shopping bags on the table and opened the log as looked at the notification that had appeared after he ate at the restaurant.『 You consumed a high nutrient meal. 』『 Strength +2, Vitality +4 』He stared at the extra stats for a while, before going to take a bath to freshen himself. After which he just went to his bed and slept soundly....Next morning:Neo opened his eyes as the morning sun shone over his face. Looking at the clock on the nightstand, he found it was 6 am. He got out of the bed and washed his face before exercising for a while.After sweating a little, he stopped and took a bath. Preparing breakfast for himself, he returned to the living room to enjoy the meal as he turned on the TV, which showed the hos
Neo gulped the potion. The moment the potion entered his body, he felt a soothing feeling and new found power waking every pore in his body. Neo clenched his fist as he felt he could crush a boulder, but that was just him overestimating himself. He looked at his new stats.『 StatusName: Neo OrpheusClass: NoneLevel 1 (0/100)Title: NoneHp: 190/190 ➠ 890/890Mana: 60/60 ➠ 760/760Strength: 14 ➠ 84 Agility: 9 ➠ 79Stamina: 10 ➠ 80 Intelligence: 6 ➠ 76Vitality: 19 ➠ 89 Luck: 7』No change in the [Luck] stats was not surprising to him as he knew that only [luck booster potions] could do that and those things were several times more expensive than the potion that he had just consumed.After confirming that everything was ready, Neo peaked from the crack to see what the monsters were doing. He didn't have the inspection skill and could only discern with his eye whether the monsters were the buffed up version of the monsters or not.The hall was dimly lit with
"This is strange." Neo said as from what Bella told him, every player only receives unallocated stat points after they level up and the number of free points depends on their potential. Bella received 16 stat points with each level up, that she told him herself."I'm receiving 12 stat points with each level up, but why are they getting allocated by themselves?" Neo said to himself as this was too strange for him and the more baffling this was that even his luck stat increased.This was quite impossible. Bella told him that other than some special items, it was impossible to add points to that stat and everyone was born with a fixed amount."Let's think about this later. " Neo squatted down and tore open their chests to find the spheres. He was quite lucky, as he found 4 of them. Putting away the spheres in his pocket, he said to himself, "I should have brought a bag."He decided to consult with Bella about this problem as she was the only knowledgeable person he knew.He arrived
Neo kept looking at the core to confirm what he thought was correct and only after confirming that was the case did he move his attention away from the mana core. He checked the increase in stats after he "absorbed" the "soul of the Goblin Elite". He found that there was indeed an increase in his stats. Neo felt the need to hunt more monsters to see why that happened. He butchered a lot of the monsters on his way to the boss's room, but none of them gave him any increase and why he didn't "absorbed" their "souls". He tore open the boss's chest, and he found the sphere in its body, but it was slightly bigger than the spheres he collected so far, red in color. "Might be because it's an elite monster or a boss monster." He had no time to think because he had wasted a lot already and the potion might not hold on before he could complete this dungeon. Neo put the sphere in his pocket and walked past the throne. The stairs came in his view. "Crossing this, I'll be eligible to access th
This floor was a maze-like structure filled with tougher and more aggressive goblins than those found on the first floor. These goblins were armed with crude weapons, such as spears and clubs. Neo came before one of them and used his only skill."Inspect."[Goblin WarriorLevel 10Health 1250/1250Mana Nil]The inspection worked and he got the information on the monster, he was just testing its effect. Neo lunged forward and pierced the goblin with his sword through its chest and damage appeared over its head.-1100He could one-shot a goblin, that he had just learned, but then he knew that as he beheaded many before. With his 80+ points of agility, he was fast and goblins couldn't keep up with his speed and were getting butchered left and right. Time was tight, so Neo decided to not care about the spheres for now and was cutting down the goblins as he navigated through the maze. It took him over 20 minutes to come out of the other side of the maze as a colossal door appeared befor