Requiem Of A Failed Hero

[You have killed 1 Black panther]

The feeling was amazing. The monster began to melt with just one touch and the only thing that was left of it was its core.

The downside to this skill was that it leaves nothing of the carcasses of the monsters

But who cares.

[You have gained 10 cosmotic energy]

"Oho..."

Raith's lips arched upward with his eyes slit.

"Come to me! You crazy bastards!!"

Raith sprung forward, running through the panthers. All he just needed to do was touch them long enough for the melt to start spreading and even when there was an opening he didn't care about it because of the defense ability of the skill.

It served as a great trapping scheme to conveniently melt the panther to magma.

[You have killed 10 monsters]

[You have gained +1 speed stat]

The clear progress was a motivation to Raith. But there were no monsters around anymore.

[You have gained +10 cosmotic energy]

[You have gained +10 cosmotic energy]

[You have gained +10 cosmotic energy]

[You have gained +10 cosmotic energy]

[You have gained +10 cosmotic energy]

[You have gained +10 cosmotic energy]

[You have gained +10 cosmotic energy]

[You have gained +10 cosmotic energy]

Raith walked around the area collecting more cores before he went further into the wilderness of dead trees.

'Wow, I gained one speed stat'

clenched his hands and stretched them to release his tensed muscles as he continued further.

Since heroes were incapable of leveling up. Their stats points are gotten two ways. During the process of absorbing cores, there's always a certain chance of again stats points but they are fixated on certain stats. For example, Raith being in a dungeon where the monsters are a speed type meant that when their cores are absorbed there are certain chances of getting speed stats.

This is one of the reasons why heroes' stat are so diverse and unbalanced.

The second way is 'update' after completing a series of quests issued by the archon's dust, players can go to their archon's temple and update their status. After the update, they are rewarded with stats and skills in the proportion to how well they complete these quests.

Raith didn't need to be told as he got there.

"They are stronger than those."

He spread his fingers, exuding steam from his palm as he calculated their positions using [Transcendent sense]

'There are more...'

The panthers slowly crawled on the branches of the tree like lizards, with their tail wriggling over their head. The difference between them and the formers was their tail.

[You are using the skill 'Truth Seeker']

[Monster Details]

Name: Paralytic Panther

Hit Point: 1200/1200

Offensive Power: 400

Defensive Power: 250

Trait: Their extra long tails have very strong muscles that will paralyze their opponent.

'Holy shit.'

Raith smiled regardless of the information he saw. For a moment appeared to be mad. He just saw that he could get paralyzed and eaten by a set of paralytic black panthers and he responds to it with a smile.

He rolled the sleeves of his coat which over the months had almost become one with his body. He flexed his hand and fingers sharpening his gaze on the panthers closer to him.

[Lavaration] had one deadly flaw.

The skill cannot simultaneously use its offensive and defensive side—it was impossible to turn the skin into a defensive wall of molten magma while trying to melt an enemy. It was a pick one, use one situation and it put Raith in a bit of a situation where he didn't know what to do.

So the fact that he was smiling was crazy.

"Come at me!"

And as if they understood his languages clearly the black beasts in their numbers leaped towards Raith.

[You are using Perk 'Transcendent Sense']

Amazing! Truly amazing!! Raith danced through the horde of flying beasts in slow-mo, like a ballet dancer and with a fluid that donned the tune of no music with rhythm and ecstasy as the dark skies of the night watched and poured its atmosphere upon this scene.

'Being able to see the thread of their attacks was magnificent, this skill is worth a million!'

As if dancing through them like a tai-chi master was not enough, he took the in-between moments to touch each of them, reducing them to lavas that oozed the ground with flames and smoke.

In a jiffy Raith had done away with six panthers and had gotten closer to the rest of the horde that slowly moved their legs in reverse.

Was [Intimidation] playing out again?

This was just the sense of a beast that recognizes its superior, even a rat would run away from a cat wouldn't it?

A death glare from Raith's eyes darted through the panther. They suddenly made a U-turn and picked up the pace.

'Was the skill in too much effect?'

[Congratulations]

[The darkness in you has risen]

[You have gained 10 shadow energy]

'...right'

Raith couldn't deny the lingering emotion of emptiness and enjoyment as he slayed the panthers, it started as a kind of determination when he killed the first panther but it was feeling different like he was losing something and couldn't put his fingers around what it was exactly.

Raven Raith has always been one with a dark side but this is strange. However strange it may be, he wasn't about to ruin the moment which a horde of monsters ran away from.

"I don't want them running though... how will I pass the trial if they do like that"

Rairh scratched his head as if he didn't enjoy the fact that they just did.

Only that— they weren't exactly running from him.

He paused and let his eyes stay on the ground as a shadow began to rise and fill the entire place.

A shadow.

It was thicker and by the way, the night of the dungeon was, there was no light in the sky, no moon, no stars. The darkness was just bright enough for him to see. It makes no sense that a shadow would be on the ground.

~flap, flap, flap, flap~

The next was the rushed flaps of the birds like they were urgently fleeing from something.

[You have encountered the owner of the dungeon]

"So fast? I thought heroes said the owner of the dungeon is always the last monster to show.

Raith had based his entire theory –that had played in his head on how to clear this dungeon and complete the trial. In that theory, the boss was saved for the last because by then he would have gotten enough energy points.

But right now...

How will man handle this situation?