Free Web NovelChapter 59: Raiding Spree
The presence numbered more than a hundred.
A smirk played on Reiji’s lips as one thought rang through his mind: EXP.
Reiji slowly removed the mask from his face and returned it to his inventory.
He concealed his presence with Mana Manipulation.
After all, if the monsters sensed danger, they might scatter.
That would be troublesome.
Though his level was only nine, Reiji was confident.
With the skills he possessed now, dealing with a few hundred monsters wasn’t impossible.
Reiji stood quietly in the middle of the path.
Soon...
THUD!
THUD!
THUD!
Heavy footsteps echoed throughout the cave.
The sound grew louder and louder. Small rocks began falling from the ceiling. The ground trembled slightly.
Then they appeared.
A pair of crimson eyes emerged from the darkness.
Followed by another, then another.
Dozens of glowing eyes filled the tunnel. The monsters surged forward like a tide. Most were Goblin Warriors.
Several Hobgoblins were mixed among them. There were even a few orcs standing nearly three meters tall.
Reiji raised an eyebrow. "That’s a lot."
The monster horde quickly noticed him. Yet strangely, none of them stopped, none of them retreated.
To them, Reiji simply looked like an ordinary creature. No threatening aura, no pressure.
Just an ordinary insect standing in the way.
The lead Goblin Warrior let out a savage roar.
"GRAAAAH!"
It charged.
The distance rapidly closed. Thirty meters became five. The rusted blade descended toward Reiji’s neck.
Reiji calmly raised a finger. A faint smile appeared on his face.
[Shadow Step.]
He vanished from where he stood and appeared beside the goblin.
"Let’s see if this skill is worth almost killing me," Reiji said as his finger touched the goblin.
[Rupture.]
Before the goblin could react, a streak of light covered Reiji’s finger and...
BOOM!
The goblin’s body exploded like a water balloon and was instantly reduced to a cloud of blood.
Not even flesh remained.
Ding!
[Host has killed an F-Rank Massacre Goblin!]
[+1 EXP]
The system notification quietly rang in Reiji’s head.
The other monsters were stunned.
Just now, they couldn’t even react when Reiji vanished.
And with a simple tap of his finger, one of them had disappeared completely.
The worst part was that he still radiated no dangerous aura or murderous intent. Nothing.
How terrifying was that?
The monster horde hesitated.
Only for a brief moment. Then their instincts won over.
"GRAAAAH!"
The monsters charged again. This time Reiji didn’t bother holding back.
[Shadow Step.]
His figure vanished.
BOOM!
Another goblin exploded.
Before the blood could even hit the ground, Reiji appeared elsewhere.
BOOM!
A Hobgoblin exploded and only a pool of blood remained.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Explosion after explosion echoed throughout the tunnel, one after another, and the horde rapidly shrank.
Every time Reiji appeared, another monster vanished.
The cave walls became stained red. Several orcs attempted to surround him. One swung a massive club.
The attack struck empty air.
Reiji appeared behind it.
[Rupture.]
BOOM!
The three-meter-tall monster exploded into a rain of blood.
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
System notifications rapidly filled his vision.
EXP continued accumulating. Though it only climbed by ones and twos, it was still better than nothing.
Less than ten minutes later, silence returned to the cave.
The horde was gone.
Only broken weapons and blood remained.
Reiji dusted his hands.
"That was easier than expected."
His gaze shifted deeper into the dungeon. He could sense a stronger presence there.
The boss.
After thinking for a moment, Reiji shook his head. "Not today."
The military would probably enter soon.
If he killed the boss too, the entire dungeon would disappear.
That would attract unnecessary attention.
Reiji immediately turned around and left.
The moment he exited the Gate, he used Shadow Step and vanished before anyone noticed him.
***
A short while later, Reiji arrived at another F-Rank Gate.
It was still heavily guarded like the previous one, and it made Reiji a little annoyed.
"But might it be something more than the crystals?" Reiji thought.
He quickly slipped in using Shadow Step.
Ding!
[Dungeon Gate (E)] - {Stable}
"..."
Reiji stared at the notification. Then stared at the portal behind him. Then back at the notification.
"Again?"
For some reason, every F-Rank Gate he entered seemed determined to become an E-Rank Gate.
The system remained silent. Almost suspiciously silent.
Reiji narrowed his eyes.
"This is definitely your fault."
[...]
The system ignored him.
Reiji clicked his tongue and proceeded deeper into the dungeon.
Unlike the previous Gate, this one was filled with giant wolves.
Their numbers weren’t particularly large.
Unfortunately for them, Rupture was absurdly effective.
Several minutes later, the entire dungeon had been cleared.
Including the boss.
A glowing crystal floated before him.
Ding!
[Dungeon Core Harvested.]
He quickly stored it inside his inventory.
He looked at the boss’s corpse slowly disappearing. The system had informed him about the Dungeon Core, and Reiji hadn’t wanted to kill the boss monster since that would cause the dungeon to disappear.
Unfortunately, the boss had been a complete dickhead, so Reiji killed it anyway.
He quickly left. There was no point in staying any longer.
***
The night continued.
One dungeon became two.
Two became four.
Four became seven.
Every F-Rank Gate he entered somehow became E-Rank.
By the fourth one, Reiji wasn’t even surprised anymore. freёwebnovel.com
He simply accepted it.
At some point during the raids, he obtained another Dungeon Core.
Later, after defeating a D-Rank Orc Chieftain, a Monster Core dropped as well.
The glowing blue crystal looked far more valuable than the Dungeon Core.
Reiji stored it immediately.
Hours passed, monsters died, and his EXP increased.
The number of cleared Gates steadily climbed.
By the time the night was approaching its end, Reiji had cleared four D-Rank Gates that were once E-Rank and seven E-Rank Gates that were once F-Rank.
His clothes were stained with blood. He removed them and put on the hoodie.
His mana reserves had dropped considerably. But the smile on his face remained.
Tonight’s harvest was excellent.
Two Dungeon Cores. One Monster Core. A mountain of EXP.
And the best part, nobody knew he was responsible.
Reiji glanced toward the brightening horizon. "Damn. It’s already morning."
He quickly activated Shadow Step.
The figure of the world’s last man vanished into the darkness before the first awakened teams could begin investigating the mysterious series of cleared Gates.
_____
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