Free Web NovelChapter 21: Chapter21-Seer’s Eye
I stared down at the ruined corpse for another second, then turned away.
I needed to get out of here.
I started walking back toward the tunnel, the one that led to the entrance where Allen should still be waiting.
I didn’t want to keep fighting like this. Not alone. Not right now.
As I walked, I glanced back one last time at the scattered goblin bodies slowly turning to ash across the cave floor.
Then I faced forward and kept moving.
I needed to find Allen.
Fast.
Because I still wanted to rank up again.
***
Hours later—
"Die already, you bitch."
The words came out ragged, strained.
They belonged to someone crouched over a goblin’s corpse, driving a dagger into its stomach over and over.
That someone was me.
I’d lost track of how long I’d been at this. Four hours? Five? Maybe more. At some point, time stopped meaning anything.
After what felt like a full minute of stabbing the same spot, I finally stopped and pulled back, chest heaving.
I looked around.
The cave floor was still covered with goblins. Two, maybe three hundred of them, all lying motionless in the same horrifying state as before. Arms and legs severed cleanly. Only their torsos remained, scattered across the stone in brutal, methodical precision.
Allen’s handiwork...
He really did know how to cut.
The thought barely registered before my legs gave out. I dropped to my knees, utterly spent.
"Huff... huff..."
My lungs burned. Every muscle in my body screamed for rest.
But it wasn’t as unbearable as it used to be.
Back when I was a zero ranker, even the smallest effort left me completely destroyed. Now that I’d reached Normal rank, my body could handle more. My stamina had improved. I could push further without collapsing immediately.
It still felt like hell, though.
While kneeling there trying to catch my breath, I opened my character profile to check where I stood.
The screen appeared in front of me, clean and stark.
---
**Name:** Michael Frostburne
**Race:** Human
**Current Rank:** Normal
**Current Level:** 84
**Title:** 0
**Progression to Bronze Rank:** 84% (84/100 levels)
**Progression to Level 85:** 20% (2/10 essences)
**Total Essences Required:** (842/1000 essences)
---
Level 84.
So I needed to kill about 160 more monsters to reach Bronze rank. Not too bad, considering how many goblins were still sprawled across the cave floor.
I dismissed the screen with a swipe and turned my attention back to the battlefield. The goblins were still trying to crawl away, their severed limbs making their escape attempts both pathetic and futile. They were moving away from me, but I knew it wasn’t really me they feared.
It was Allen.
I glanced back at him. He was standing in the exact same spot he’d been in for the past five or six hours, completely motionless. Like a statue carved from stone.
Wait a minute. How long had we actually been here?
I checked my watch quickly.
***
Name: Michael Frostburne
Total Rules Broken: 0
Time: 8:14 PM
Date: 4th February
Year: 2130
***
Eight hours... We’d been in this dungeon for eight straight hours.
"Unbelievable," I muttered, looking back at Allen.
Was this guy even human? I knew Master rank hunters had incredible physical capabilities. They could stand in one position for days without food, water, or rest. Their bodies were that enhanced.
But the physical ability was only part of it. What really impressed me was the mental discipline. The patience required to stand perfectly still for hours on end while watching someone else struggle through combat training. Most people would’ve gone insane from boredom by now.
The Frostburne family had no idea how lucky they were to have someone like him. A butler with Master rank strength and seemingly infinite patience. That combination was impossibly rare.
I turned back to face the goblins and let out a long sigh.
"Alright, let’s finish this," I said to myself.
I was exhausted. Every part of me wanted to go home, take a shower, and collapse into bed. But I was so close to Bronze rank now. Just a little more and I’d be done.
So... Let’s fucking do it.
***
[Congratulations, Host! You have been rewarded with 10 Monster Essences for slaying a Common Rank Monster! The Monster Essences have been added to your Character Profile!]
[Congratulations, Host! You have met the essence requirement to level up!]
[You have leveled up!]
[Your current level is 100!]
[Congratulations, Host! You have met the essence requirement for a rank up!]
[You have ranked up!]
[Your current rank is Bronze!]
[Congratulations, Host! For ranking up, you have been rewarded with 6 Attribute Points!]
[Congratulations, Host! Your "Free Attribute Points" section has been expanded to 20 points!]
[Congratulations, Host! Your Skill Slots have increased from 1 to 2!]
[Congratulations, Host! You have also been rewarded with a Lucky Draw for your rank up!]
***
Finally.
I let myself fall back onto the blood-soaked ground, not caring about the mess anymore. The relief that washed over me was overwhelming.
Bronze rank. I’d actually made it to Bronze rank.
"Not completely weak anymore," I said to myself, a tired smile crossing my face.
Sure, Bronze wasn’t impressive by this world’s standards. But compared to where I’d started? This was massive progress. At least now I wasn’t at the absolute bottom of the food chain.
I sat up slowly and pulled up my character profile to see how the rank up had changed things.
---
**Name:** Michael Frostburne
**Race:** Human
**Current Rank:** Bronze
**Current Level:** 0
**Title:** 0
**Progression to Iron Rank:** 0% (0/100 levels)
**Progression to Level 1:** 0% (0/50 essences)
**Total essences required:** (0/5000 essences)
**Potential:** 0
**Attributes:**
[Power]: Bronze
[Speed]: Bronze
[Spirit]: Bronze
[Recovery]: Bronze
Free Attribute Points: (8/20)
**Human Racial Abilities:**
- Notifications
- Quest
- Inventory
- Skills (1/2)
---
So I had eight attribute points total now, including the two I’d gotten from reaching Normal rank.
My skill slots had also increased from one to two. That was definitely useful. Having room for another skill meant more options, more flexibility in combat.
The attribute points would have to wait though. I’d save them for later ranks when leveling became exponentially harder. When I’d need thousands or even millions of essences just to advance a single level, those points would be a lifesaver.
I turned my attention to the three black lucky draw cards that had materialized in front of me moments ago. They spun slowly in the air, identical and mysterious as always.
Which one this time?
I stared at them for a few seconds, then shrugged. Why overthink it? These draws were purely based on luck anyway. No amount of analysis would change what was already inside each card.
"System," I said mentally, "choose the first card for me."
Honestly, there was no deep reasoning behind picking the first one. I just wanted to get it over with. Standing here deliberating wouldn’t improve my odds, and I was too tired to pretend otherwise.
A system screen immediately appeared in front of me.
[Host! You have chosen the first card!]
[Congratulations, Host! You have been rewarded with a Skill Rank Upgrade Card!]
The moment I read those words, my excitement deflated like a punctured balloon.
"Are you fucking nuts right now?" I muttered under my breath.
Another Skill Rank Upgrade Card. Of course it was.
My luck really was terrible. I’d been hoping for an actual skill, maybe something offensive or defensive that I could use in combat. Instead, I got another upgrade card that I couldn’t even use properly yet.
Don’t get me wrong. The upgrade card wasn’t bad. It was actually pretty valuable, especially considering how rare skill upgrades were in this world. Most hunters would kill for something like this.
But I needed actual skills first. Right now, all I had was Seer’s Eye, and while an SSS rank future sight ability sounded incredible on paper, it came with serious limitations that made it nearly useless in actual combat.
I needed to check those limitations again just to remind myself why I was so frustrated.
Using the tip of my sword to avoid making it obvious, I navigated to the skills section in my character interface and tapped on "Seer’s Eye."
A new screen materialized immediately, displaying all the skill’s information in crisp detail.
---
[Seer’s Eye]
[An ability that helps the user to perceive or foresee events before they happen, typically through vivid dreams.]
[Duration: 1 minute.]
[Limitation: It can only be used twice a month.] freёwebnovel.com
---
Twice a month. That was it.
The limitation made the skill almost useless for regular combat. Sure, seeing the future was powerful, but what good was it if I could only use it twice in thirty days? I’d have to be incredibly selective about when to activate it, and even then, I’d only get a minute of foresight.
I understood why such a powerful ability needed restrictions. Without limitations, an SSS rank future sight skill would be completely broken. But understanding the logic didn’t make it any less frustrating.
This was exactly why I’d been hoping for an offensive or defensive skill from the lucky draw. Something I could actually use in a fight without worrying about monthly quotas.
After staring at the screen for a few more seconds, I finally accepted my fate and dismissed it. No point dwelling on what I couldn’t change.
I pushed myself to my feet, brushing off some of the dried blood from my clothes.
The moment I stood up, the system’s voice suddenly echoed in my mind.
[Host, would you like to combine both of your Skill Rank Upgrade Cards into a single, more powerful version?]
I froze.
"Wait, you can do that?" I asked mentally.
***
