《Agorɔ》


 Prologue

    In a normal ablbeit well to do house, a mulatto teenager sits in a gaming chair. He seems to be focusing quite a lot on the game shown in front of his eyes on a computer screen, which is shown by the rapid pressing of keys, the intense gaze in his light blue eyes, and the rare blinking of his eyes. Focused so intensely on his game, he is quite suprised when


    [ The game has begun]


    [ Welcome Adam ]


    [Status]


    Name : Adam "Kweku" Greene


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.Age : 18


    Lv : 1 ( Exp 0/100)


    Condition : Normal


    Title : None


    HP : 155/155


    SP: 100/100


    MP : 100/100


    STR : 11 AGI : 10


    VIT : 10 DEX : 13


    INT : 10 WIS : 10


    CHA: 9 LUK : 10


    STATUS POINTS : 0


    PERKS


    none


    SKILLS


    The Gamer''s Mind [ Skill lv : MAX ]


    This skill allows the Gamer to stay cool and collected at all times


    Nullifies all types of mental attacks


    The Gamer''s Body [ Skill lv : MAX ]


    This skill allows the Gamer to treat life as if it were a game.


    No damage to the body is permanent, and any injury suffered by the body is recovered instantly.


    Suddenly popping up out of the blue, this translucent screen appeared right in front of his eyes.


    ..."Huh?" making a sound of confusion, Adam stared dumbly at this screen.


    And thus,his life was totally changed

 The Game Begins

    ....Huh ?


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Welcome to The Game</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ''Was mum right this whole time ?''


    The first thought that Adam found coming into his head was this.


    Remembering all the times he''d heard his mum tell him that he''d turn into a game character from playing all those games as he looked at the blue screen hovering in from of him, showing numerical values that he was oh so familiar with, that was the first thought that came to mind.


    ''Goddamn it the boss killed me while I was distracted''


    And that was the second.


    Having had his vision to the abyss mode rpg he was playing blocked by the translucent blue screen for just a few seconds while fighting the hardest boss in the game had cost Adam dearly as his video game character was brutally and mercilessly massacred.


    Sighing, he mechanically loaded his last save and attempted to beat the boss again, an action he''d been performing over 100 times.


    Or at least he tried to, as the floating screen was still obstructing his vision with the multiple physics defying screens which somehow all seemed to stay in his center of vision and allowed him to see barely anything behind it.


    "Great, just great. My first week after finishing High school and I''m already going crazy from binging on games non stop"


    Having completed school just recently, Adam had promptly gone home, loaded his favourite genre of games, rpg, and played like there was no tomorrow , leaving all bittersweet memories of school behind him


    An average student , Adam was by no means an outcast in his school, but he certainly didn''t feel like an "in"cast either.


    Born into a normal, albeit large family of 4 girls minus him, he grew in a family filled with lots of love and laughter. Although tragedy had struck a few years ago in the form of the death of their husbandand father,King Greene, the family had grown even closer.


    He''d discovered gaming at a young age, through a Gameboy his parents had bought for him as a present for his birthday. Fascination eventually became Obsession, and the young boy grew into a teenage gamer, with pretty much zero social life, who saw school as a prison keeping him from his beloved. He later on grew to love one genre of games above the rest, the JRPGs, which unfortunately made his already boring school experience worse.


    As a proud gamer, he would proudly wear the merchandise of some of his favorite games, most of which were the Final Fantasy franchise, a game he loved with a passion. This caused him to be grouped in with the Anime fans, or Otakus (as they referred to themselves) and Weaboos ( as they were referred to by others ). Thus he was laughed at and mocked for most of his high school experience. This made him quite anti-social ( a trait not helped by his video game hobbies ) with few friends throughout high school.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    With High school done and done however, Adam threw all these past memories behind him and looked to the future, playing a sh**load of games, possibly even turning it into a career.


    And thus, after a week long period of endless gaming , he received the message.


    After blinking repeatedly for a minute, splashing water in his face for two, and unsuccessfully trying to meditate for five, Adam came to terms with the fact that this was not a hallucination.


    "How do I get these things to close? "


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>To close any window, simply think or say it</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    .....The hell ?


    With the new pop up screen''s instruction (Which some seemed a bit condescending), Adam was finally able to close the translucent blue screens. Being the curious boy that he is, he of course tried opening and closing it again a few more times.


    "Ok, it looks like this isn''t a prank, and since I''m positive I''m not crazy, does this mean I''ve really gained the powers of a video game character ?


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>INT+1 for good reasoning</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ....'' Seems I''m correct.''


    ''What does this mean exactly though ?'', he wondered


    ''Will I level up if I beat up people and stuff ? , get quests, explore dungeons and fight boss monsters ?''


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>INT+1 for good reasoning</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ....'' Again it seems I''m correct.''


    "Ok, let me check my stats I guess"


    "Open Status page"


    <table><tbody><tr><td>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''8''>STATUS</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Name :</td><td colspan=''4''> Adam "Kweku" Greene</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Age :</td><td colspan=''4''> 18</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Lv :</td><td colspan=''4''> 1 ( 0/100 )</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Condition :</td><td colspan=''4''>Normal</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Title :</td><td colspan=''4''> None</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>.</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>HP :</td><td colspan=''4''>155/155</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>SP:</td><td colspan=''4''>100/100</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>MP :</td><td colspan=''4''>120/120</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>STR:</td><td colspan=''2''>11</td><td colspan=''2''>AGI :</td><td colspan=''2''>10</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>VIT:</td><td colspan=''2''>10</td><td colspan=''2''>DEX :</td><td colspan=''2''>13</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>INT:</td><td colspan=''2''>12</td><td colspan=''2''>WIS :</td><td colspan=''2''>10</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>CHA:</td><td colspan=''2''>09</td><td colspan=''2''>LUK :</td><td colspan=''2''>10</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Status Points:</td><td colspan=''4''>0</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>Perks:</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>none</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''8''>Skills</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>The Gamer''s Mind [ Skill lv : MAX ]


    This skill allows the Gamer to stay cool and collected at all times


    Nullifies all types of mental attacks


    The Gamer''s Body [ Skill lv : MAX ]


    This skill allows the Gamer to treat life as if it were a game.


    No damage to the body is permanent, and any injury suffered by the body is recovered instantly.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    ...''Hmm.''


    Looking at his stats, Adam contemplated.


    ''Looking at these stats, it seems most of them are close to 10 and only STR, DEX and INT is above it, it would seem that 10 is the average stat number, and further effort or talent possibly, would give you a higher value in that stat.''


    ''Since I used to weight lift a bit, that would explain the STR, and the DEX is probably cause of my nimble fingers.... at playing games of course, not any other.... activity. Also it seems my INT stat has grown from 10 to 12 since I last saw the stat page,which should be the system''s reward for my reasoning. So that must mean doing specific actions will cause an increase in a stat that corresponds to that''.


    "I''ll have to test it out I guess." He muttered


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>INT+1 for good reasoning</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>WIS+1 for wise conclusions</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ...." Or not."


    Seeing his WIS and INT stats both go up one stat point, Adam thus confirmed his theory


    " Now then, what do I do from here ? "

 Starting Training..... Or not

    ''For now let''s check out the rest of my parameters I guess.'' Adam thought while looking again to the status page. Looking closely at his HP value, he was startled when it all of a sudden expanded.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>HP ( Health Points )


    Used as a value to determine the life force of The Gamer


    HP =( VITx10 +STRx5 )


    As long as this value is non-zero, no injury to The Gamer will be permanent.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Seeing this explanation, Adam nodded, thinking ''Just like a normal JRPG.''


    Then he looked at the other values.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>MP( Mana Points )


    Used as a value to determine the quantity of mana in The Gamer.


    MP = ( INTx10 )


    Used in casting magic and enchanting.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>SP( Stamina Points )


    Used as a value to determine the quantity of energy in The Gamer.


    SP = ( VITx10 )


    Used in reinforcing the body and aura attacks.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    From the information he gained by looking at these two values, he came to two conclusions.


    One


    Magic and aura which he assumed warriors use exists


    Two


    It is possible to learn it( from the fact that his MP value and SP value is non-zero )


    " This is so freaking awesome." Adam whispered to himself.


    "Now that that''s done, let''s look at skills."


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Skills]


    Skills are physical or magical abilities which can be gained by performing a specific action.


    They usually have levels, and proficiency with the skill may be gained by acquiring more knowledge about the skill or increasing their familiarity with the skill through repetition. Once fully mastered,itis sometimes possible to advance or evolve a skill. It is also possible to combine skills.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ...Hmm


    Then what''s up with Gamer''s Mind and Body ? How are they already at max level?"


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Gamer''s Mind and Gamer''s Body is a perfect skill, and does not need any increase in proficiency to master it]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    "Oh is that so ? I wonder how they work?"


    ''Time to experiment I guess''


    Thinking so to himself, Adam decided to test out the two skills.


    "Guess it''s time to bring out the tear jerkers"


    He then proceeded to Y**T*be, searched "Top 10 Saddest Movie Scenes" ,and watched the whole thing without so much as a sniffle.


    ..."I guess it works.Now to test out Gamer''s Body."


    Taking a small knife from the Kitchen, he held it to his pinkie


    ''Please don''t hurt like a b**ch.''


    Thinking so he slashed the knife quick and clean over his pinkie.


    "F*ck that hurt like a b**ch !", Adam yelled, like a little bi**ch.


    After yelling out from the pain, he looked again to the wound,or rather where the wound should have been.


    "It''s gone"


    Inspecting his pinkie well, he observed that wound had totally disappeared. After checking his HP, he noticed it had gone down to 154/155


    "Now that, is awesome"


    "So I guess that''s that for skills"


    "Perks?"


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Perks]


    Perks are special abilities gifted to those that have been awakened to the Abyss after reaching a certain strength. These perks are normally based on the lineage of the awakened, who will receive the legacy of their ancestors.These are the Bloodline Perks


    Normal Perks may also be earned which usually give a bonus to the stats on which they''re based.</td></tr></tbody></table>Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    "Awakened?, the Abyss?, what are those?"


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Level too low for this information]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''Hmm? that''s sorta odd.So what level do I need to be before I can know this? '' Adam thought.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[...]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    However all he got in return was silence.


    ''This is strange. Could it be that there are other people with game-like abilities like me?And if so why haven''t they shown themselves yet ?Could there be some restriction that prevents "awakened people" as the system refers them as from showing themselves or their abilities ?''


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[INT+1 for good reasoning]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    .....Hmm


    ''It''s been confirmed by the system. That must mean it must be something serious if it''s able to keep super powered people quiet. So for now I think I''ll keep my mysterious new circumstances to myself.''


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[WIS+1 for wise decisions]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''I guess that was the right choice to make.'' Adam thought


    Putting the knife down and turning to leave the kitchen , Adam said, "Alright then, I guess I should go experiment on how my other stats work."


    "Kweeekuuuuuu" .Someone yelled


    "Or not."


    "Coming mum." Adam yelled back, as he raced to reach his mother''s presence, since the only times she ever called him by his African name, or " Fie Din", is when she was severely pissed.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[WIS+1 for wise decisions]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    "Oh f*ck you.", he softly whispered as he ran to receive retribution for whatever wrongs he might have done.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Hannah "Akua" Greene]


    Lv: 8 Businesswoman</td></tr></tbody></table>


    The first thing Adam noticed when he found his mother was the translucent blue screen floating on top of her head.


    The second thing he noticed was that she was standing inside his room. A room he''d been holed up in and dirtied for a whole week with no care whatsoever.


    The third thing he noticed was that she was mad, very, very mad.


    A stern disciplinarian, Hannah Greene was a woman who had toughened up and held her family together in their lowest moments.A strong woman,who albeit was very sweet and caring to her children and close friends, also had a fierce temper and a strong will. This was shown by her very high level despite being a normal person.Normally she wouldn''t be so mad at him, but seeing all the filth and disorderliness of Adam''s room, all which served as evidence of him not leaving his room for the whole week she''d been working,set her off.


    What followed was the worst 30 mins of scolding Adam had ever received in his life.This was then followed by him being somehow reverse grounded, And he had to stay outside the house for 3 hours everyday and some fresh air and exercise.Then his official punishment followed, which was cleaning not just his room, but the kitchen and toilet as well as taking out the trash. There was a silver lining in all this trouble though,two in fact.


    The first silver lining was he now had a legitimate excuse to go outside for long periods of time and experiment with his abilities.And the second silver lining


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Quest]


    Make Mum Happy Again[Grade F]


    You''ve been punished with cleaning duty and taking out the trash.Do these chores promptly or face mum''s wrath.


    Reward for Completion


    [Exp +20]


    Bonus Reward


    [Exp +10 , Mum is happy again]


    Completed by putting in more effort and cleaning as well as you can.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''My question about Quests has been answered I guess.'' Adam said


    he then quickly got to work, putting in all the effort he could to get those extra 10 Exp and of course his mum''s favour again.And then.....


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[By performing a specific action, you''ve gained the skill "Cleaning"]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[By increasing skill proficiency, Cleaning has become Lv. 2]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[By increasing skill proficiency, Cleaning has become Lv. 3]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[By increasing skill proficiency, Cleaning has become Lv. 4]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Looking at the messages that had popped up as he was cleaning as well as he could, Adam went to his status page and observed the skill.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Skills]


    Cleaning ( Lv. 4 Exp 47/80)


    A skill that housewives are highly proficient in, this skill increases the efficiency and speed of cleaning (Based on level)


    Increases efficiency and speed by 10%.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    .... '' Well it seems like a useful skill at least. And yet ,somehow, why does this feel so bittersweet ?''


    With these thoughts, the first day of the Gamer''s life ended with him cleaning the kitchen and toilet.

 [Aura Strike]

    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>[ By having a good nights sleep, HP, MP, and SP have been restored to full]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ...''Well that''s convenient.'' , was the first thought Adam had as he opened his eyes and saw this message.


    ''So I guess yesterday wasn''t just some bizarre dream.I really am the Gamer now huh?


    Well It''s finally time to get training.''


    ~~~Weird stomach growling noises~~~


    ''I should probably get some breakfast first.''


    .


    .


    .


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>[By eating Cereal, you''ve been granted the effect Max SP and HP+ 50, SP regen + 5%]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ''Now that''s even more convenient. Guess I should grab some food and water to take along for training.''


    Deciding on this, Adam then set out to raid the fridge for supplies, getting a few bottles of juice, some snacks and water in the process.Taking a bag, he stuffed it all in.


    ''This looks too conspicuous, wish I had some sorta storage box to keep this all in.'' He thought


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>[ To open Storage,simply think or say so]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Looking at the message box displayed in front of him( which somehow seemed condescending again ), Adam mentally berated himself, saying, "Of course it has a storage function, it''s an rpg after all.


    Mentally thinking ''Storage'', he observed as a new message box opened in front of him, with miniature blue squares inside, along with a small floating 3D rendering of himself.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>[Objects may be put into or taken out of storage , or equipped on the body by thinking or saying ''Equip''.Equipment may also be grouped into sets, and equipped together. ]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ...I have no words at this point.''


    Taking out the food and putting them into the storage box together, he saw the similar drinks took up a single slot, and the snacks took another, the water bottles taking the last slot.


    ''Must be a stacking effect.'' He thought


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>[INT+1 for good reasoning]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ''Now, let''s finally set off.'' Adam thought as he put down the bag and left the kitchen.


    Telling his mum he was going out for his 3 hours of exercise, Adam left the house and went to a nearby park.Going into the wooded and private area, he set out to experiment.


    "Let''s start with the basics I guess."


    Getting on the ground, Adam started doing push ups.


    After the first 20, he still felt totally fine.10 more and still going strong. At the 34th push up however, he suddenly felt like he''d just run a marathon, twice, back-to-back. Collapsing on the ground, he lay on his back while breathing heavily.


    "What... just... happened.." He said.


    ''Wait.... could it be...'', Having an idea, he checked his status page.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''8''>STATUS</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Name :</td><td colspan=''4''> Adam "Kweku" Greene</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Age :</td><td colspan=''4''> 18</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Lv :</td><td colspan=''4''> 1 ( 30/100 )</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Condition :</td><td colspan=''4''>Stasis</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Title :</td><td colspan=''4''> None</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>.</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>HP :</td><td colspan=''4''>155/155</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>SP:</td><td colspan=''4''>0/100</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>MP :</td><td colspan=''4''>120/120</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>STR:</td><td colspan=''2''>11</td><td colspan=''2''>AGI :</td><td colspan=''2''>10</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>VIT:</td><td colspan=''2''>10</td><td colspan=''2''>DEX :</td><td colspan=''2''>13</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>INT:</td><td colspan=''2''>15</td><td colspan=''2''>WIS :</td><td colspan=''2''>13</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>CHA:</td><td colspan=''2''>09</td><td colspan=''2''>LUK :</td><td colspan=''2''>10</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Status Points:</td><td colspan=''4''>0</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>Perks:</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>none</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>Skills</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>


    The Gamer''s Mind [ Skill lv : MAX ]


    This skill allows the Gamer to stay cool and collected at all times


    Nullifies all types of mental attacks


    The Gamer''s Body [ Skill lv : MAX ]


    This skill allows the Gamer to treat life as if it were a game.


    No damage to the body is permanent, and any injury suffered by the body is recovered instantly.


    Cleaning ( Lv. 4 Exp 47/80)


    A skill that housewives are highly proficient in, this skill increases the efficiency and speed of cleaning (Based on level)


    Increases efficiency and speed by 10%


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    </td></tr></tbody></table>The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    "Stasis huh..., that should probably be why I suddenly felt so weak. That means if I use too much stamina and it gets to zero, I''ll go into stasis. I''m guessing there''ll be a similar effect if I do the same for Mana."


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>[INT+1]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>[WIS+1]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ''Bingo.''


    "Guess I''ll just wait for my stamina to recover, see how long it takes for me to naturally recover"


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>[SP regen =(10% + .1% x VIT )/min= 11%/min]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>[MP regen =(10% + .1% x WIS )/min= 11.3%/min]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ''Or not..... thanks system''


    ''So according to this I''ll have to wait around 10 or so minutes to recover. That''ll take a while. Better eat some food and recover faster. And I''ll be able to see their effects too.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>[ By drinking Orange juice you''ve gained ''SP+50 and SP regen +3% for 10 mins]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>[By eating chocolate bar you''ve gained ''MP +50 and MP regen +3% for 10 mins]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>[ By eating doughnuts you''ve gained ''HP+ 50 and HP regen +3% for 10 mins]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>[By drinking water, you''ve gained ''SP and MP +30 and SP and MP regen +1% for 20 mins]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''Hmm, so different foods give different effects, some better for instant recovery, while others are better for the long term. I''ll have to try out other foods later to see which ones are best.''


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>[INT +1]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>[WIS +1]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ''These stats are gonna get harder and harder to earn at some point, so I''m thankful for whatever I can get, even if it''s from a slightly insulting system.''


    ''Let''s get back to those push ups then.''


    Getting back to his feet, he went back to exercising.Making sure to pace himself this time, and with the help of the bonuses from eating the food, He was able to last a lot longer this time (( ?¡ã ?? ?¡ã))


    After doing push ups for a while


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>[STR+1 for training your body ]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>[STR+1 for training your body ]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ''Yes, it worked. and unlike the increases to INT or WIS, I can actually see the effects of this.''


    Looking at his sweating body, he noticed a few new cuts and muscle definition that hadn''t been there previously.


    "At this rate I''ll be Superman in no time." Adam said, imagining himself using mountains to do squats.


    "Or probably not. It''s gonna get harder and harder to gain STR points cause of diminishing returns, and also the fact that I''ll eventually run out of stuff to lift discreetly. But I''ll still become super strong. Maybe I can even get some Perks from it."He said to himself.


    Time to test out other exercises then


    .


    .


    .


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>[STR+1 for training your body]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>[STR+1 for training your body]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>[VIT+1 for exercising your body and keeping fit]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>[VIT+1 for exercising your body and keeping fit]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>[AGI+1 for training your body]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>[AGI+1 for training your body]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ''Wow.... what a rush.'' Adam thought to himself as he breathed heavily in stasis.


    After pushing himself for the whole morning, doing push ups, squats, pull ups using tree branches, and sprinting as fast as he could, this was the result.He''d used up all his food supply is the first hour and a half, and had to spend the remaining time training till he entered was very near stasis, then wait till he recovered fully to continue.


    ''This is so freaking awesome.'' He said while looking at his skills window


    <table><tbody><tr><td>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Skills</td></tr>


    <tr><td>Sprint(Active)[ Lv. 4 Exp. 35/80]


    A skill usually utilized by athletes and thieves.


    Increases sprinting speed and decreases SP cost per second while sprinting.


    Sprinting increased by 8%(+2% per level)


    Cost: 10 SP/sec


    Aura Strike(Active)[Lv. 3 Exp. 29/40]


    The most basic attack used an awakened, it is also useful for setting a foundation for aura use and control, before they learn to achieve releasing aura outside the body.Then this skill is inevitably forgotten and left un-mastered. The user reinforces an object or part of their body with aura, then unleashes a powerful strike on their opponent.


    Increases attack of reinforced object by 53%( +1% per level)


    Cost: 25 SP per use ( -1 SP per 5 levels)</td></tr></tbody></table>


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    The sprinting skill, obviously was gained by him repeatedly running as fast as he could multiple times.The Aura strike however, was gained by accident.He''d picked up a tree branch, closed his eyes and focused as hard he could to make it glow and shoot out spells like a certain wizard. Shouting out words like..... Avada K*d**ra. After embarrassing himself for a while, he finally gained this skill which wasn''t what he had intended to get at all.


    ''Aura strike seems quite powerful though, especially when it''s mastered. 150% increase to an attack means the attack would be 2 and a half times more powerful than usual, so why does it keep being abandoned ?'' Adam wondered to himself.He then proceeded to test out the skill to find out.


    ''Hmm,I guess I can kind of understand why this skill isn''t used.It''s extremely short range.


    The skill only works on the object that it''s been activated on, and nothing else. That means if you''re fighting a long ranged opponent, the skill will be useless.And with the existence of magic, I''m betting that there''s a lot of magicians out there, which makes this skill powerful but not worth it. I guess it makes sense why "awakened" would choose something more practical instead.


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>[INT +1]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>[WIS +1]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ''Thank you system.'' Adam thought


    ''I''ll still level it up though. With no other skills to use, there''s not really any harm in practicing with it.Having a good hard punch as a surprise attack wouldn''t be bad either, and I''d still be able to use the skill on some opponents who are close range fighters.''


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>[...]</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    ''Damn, no free points. Guess it''s almost run out now huh.Well, it''s time to go home I guess.''


    Having recovered, Adam got up while saying this.Dusting himself off, he turned and started jogging back, periodically activating Sprinting for a few seconds to train on the way home.


    ''I should go check out some fighting videos, maybe I can learn something. Or read some books on wizardry or something, If I can find some.'' Adam thought to himself, as he quickly went home


    .


    .


    .


    .


    Or at least, he tried to.

 Enter the Dungeon-First Contact

    Jogging home from the park, Adam was contemplating on what his mum was cooking for dinner that night.Not wanting people to see a kid abnormally speeding up and slowing down again, he opted to take the back alleys. Running around the corner of a building, he bumped into some people and fell backwards.


    "Hey kid, watch where you''re going"(Stranger)


    "Sorry about that sir"(Adam)


    Looking up at the manly voice that spoke, Adam saw


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Name: ???]


    Lv. 6


    Gang Member</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''Oh sh*t''( Adam)


    "Steve, what''s going on?" (Stranger 2)


    Another voice spoke out, which was accompanied by the sound of walking.


    The gruff guy, a freckly red-headed skinny guy in tattered clothes, who''d been identified as Steve, replied


    "It''s ok John, it''s just a kid that wandered where he shouldn''t."(Steve)


    "Oh he did , did he" said the man called John as he appeared from the shadows and stood behind Adam.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[ John]


    Lv. 6


    Gang Member.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''Shit, another one ?And this one is a lot bigger''


    John was a hulk of a man. Big, blond, and ugly. With fists the size of mallets and a dull-looking face, he was obviously the guy who did most of the grunt work.


    ''These guys look dangerous. One wrong move and I''ll be in trouble. I''m gonna have to escape cause I don''t know what I''m dealing with, and two thugs with an obvious history of fighting isn''t a something I want to mess with right now.They look vigilant so I''m gonna have to surprise them. The big guy looks slow so I should use the path behind the lanky dude since he(the big dude) is blocking the route where I came from .I''ll have to prevent the lanky guy from chasing me though. He looks fast, and if I get delayed by him the big guy will catch me, so I gotta act quick. Ok, let''s do this thing, and hopefully make it out alive.''


    Making his decision, Adam, who''d never so much as slapped anyone, got ready to have his first fight with guys who grossly outmatched him.


    "Alright kid, it''s your own fault for wandering around this neighborhood, so if you know what''s good for you, you''re gonna give us the money you have on you before I and friend here get mad, and trust me, you don''t want us mad. You understand ?"(Steve)


    Taking out a slim switchblade and slowly approaching Adam, the man called Steve said.


    "Ok, ok , I understand. I''ll give you the money, just please don''t hurt me",Adam said, with his hands raised and looking scared.


    " Here, take the money"(Adam). Putting one of his hands into his pocket, he saw the lanky guy relaxing his guard. Mentally thinking ''Storage'', he grabbed one of the bottles he''d drank from.


    ''Good thing I thought to take my trash with me.'' Thinking so quickly pulled out his hand and threw the bottle at the lanky guy''s head.


    Not expecting this, the un-vigilant man reflexively shifted his head to dodge the projectile.


    At the same time as this was happening, Adam took the chance to quickly approach him. Using Aura strike on his foot, he kicked the defenseless man''s side of the knee with all his strength, aiming to incapacitate him. Not stopping for a second, even as he felt and heard a sickening crunch from the guy''s knee, Adam took of,his face cool and collected, like an experienced killer, as he headed deeper into the alley and away from the giant.


    "AAAAGGGHHHHHHHHHH" he heard someone scream


    "STEEEEEVE" he heard someone else shout.


    Not turning back to check, he ran faster and faster, conserving his SP by not using any skills to prevent going into stasis in the worst possible place.


    ''What the hell..... I knew I had to do it but I didn''t think I''d injure and possibly cripple that guy like that and feel so... normal. What the hell is wrong with me? Is this what having the Gamer''s Mind feels? That I can do anything and everything without feeling remorse or fear? Could I even kill someone with zero effect on me ?''


    Distracted with all these thoughts and worries, Adam didn''t notice the new thug in front of him until it was too late.


    BANG


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[HP -50]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    A split second after hearing the sound, he felt a sharp piercing pain and a force pushing against his stomach,stopping his momentum and taking him to his knees. Coughing out some blood, he looked up to to identify his assailant.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Name: ???]


    Lv. 7


    Gang Boss.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    It was apparently the leader of the thugs who''d tried to rob him, and big level difference aside, the fact that he had a gun had sealed Adam''s fate.


    ''How am I going to get out of this then?''


    Gamer''s Mind kicking in, Adam found himself quickly calming down and already thinking of a way to survive this encounter.'' Well, at least it has some uses.'' He thought.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[HP = 145/195]</td></tr>


    <tr><td>[SP = 72/120]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Checking his remaining HP and SP, Adam formed a plan.


    ''Alright, with the HP I have left, I can take one or two more shots so there''s not much problem there, although I should probably avoid being shot in any vital areas... might cause a critical hit or something. What I''m actually worried about is my SP, or lack of it rather.If I wanna survive, beating this guy is a must, cause running away will just get me shot to death.But to beat him, I''ll need to get in a strong hit in, which means I''ll need Aura strike.At the same time, I also need to approach him enough to do that, which will need Sprinting, the SP guzzler. Looking at the SP I have left, I can only use Sprinting for 1 second if I want to Aura strike him, which is impossible cause I can''t reach in 1 second.The big guy will probably catch up soon too, so I have to do something now. Well..... this sucks''


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[INT +1]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[WIS+1]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''I was wondering when those would come back. Guess the grind will be starting soon.'' Adam thought to himself.


    ''Ok. Back to business. Guess I don''t have a choice huh ?.... Please don''t like a b**ch.''


    Deciding to himself, the motionless Adam who''d caused the thug leader to lower his guard a bit suddenly started running as fast as he could without any skill''s aid, trying his best at evasive maneuvers.


    The startled boss focused again, moving the gun to try and focus on Adam. Shooting once, he missed him by a small fraction.Visibly irritated now, he shot again, this time three times consecutively.


    Adam dodged the first bullet, got grazed by the second, losing 20 HP in the process, and Sprinted to avoid the last bullet and closing in on the boss at the same time. Staring down at the boss, who seemed to be confused as to why this boy could still move so well after being shot twice, Adam reached up, grabbed his head with both hands, jumped, then kneed his face in with an Aura strike powered knee, taking his anger on him in the process. Crying out from the blow, the boss was thrown back by the force and then collapsed on the ground.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Critical Hit!!]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Shock from blow has caused "???" to faint ]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Gained 70 Exp]


    [Gained +60% bonus for defeating an opponent 6 levels above you]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[ Level up]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    These messages then popped up, assuring Adam that the boss had really been taken out.


    ''Whew, that was close. One wrong step and I would''ve been dead.''


    Sighing to himself, Adam didn''t grow conceited, thinking he won by his strength or anything. He knew if was just a fluke, and some lucky coincidences had allowed him to survive.


    Just then, he heard some footsteps fast approaching. Thinking to himself, ''I gotta get out of here'', he started running again, stopped to take the boss''s gun and put it into storage to prevent anyone from shooting him in the back, then continued running , not noticing 2 very important messages which popped up in the process.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[ Warning!, nearing Dungeon, proceeding further will cause you to enter]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[ You have entered the Dungeon]


    Name: Goblin village


    Grade: F-


    Floors: 1.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    "Oh what fresh hell is this ?"


    After running for a while and feeling that he''s safe, Adam finally saw these messages and let out this statement.


    "How can this day get any worse?" he muttered out loud, and then realizing a second later what he had just done yelled out "wait no I didn''t mean that", but it was far too late, for he saw what appeared to be a group of children, except green, with seriously ugly faces, all heading for him while holding a club. Studying it, he found


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Goblin]


    Lv. 5


    Villager.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    A small, and yet malevolent creature, Goblins are monsters that are known to cause mischief and injury, sometimes even killing and dying their caps red in the blood of their enemies. A menace to *****, these monsters must be exterminated as soon as they''re found.


    "Sh*t."

 Enter the Dungeon- Give me more Perks !

    ''Status Page''


    <table><tbody><tr><td>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''8''>STATUS</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Name :</td><td colspan=''4''> Adam "Kweku" Greene</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Age :</td><td colspan=''4''> 18</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Lv :</td><td colspan=''4''> 2 ( 35/150 )</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Condition :</td><td colspan=''4''>Normal</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Title :</td><td colspan=''4''> None</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>.</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>HP :</td><td colspan=''4''>125/195</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>SP:</td><td colspan=''4''>27/120</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>MP :</td><td colspan=''4''>200/200</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>STR:</td><td colspan=''2''>15</td><td colspan=''2''>AGI :</td><td colspan=''2''>12</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>VIT:</td><td colspan=''2''>12</td><td colspan=''2''>DEX :</td><td colspan=''2''>13</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>INT:</td><td colspan=''2''>20</td><td colspan=''2''>WIS :</td><td colspan=''2''>17</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>CHA:</td><td colspan=''2''>09</td><td colspan=''2''>LUK :</td><td colspan=''2''>10</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Status Points:</td><td colspan=''4''>5</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>Perks:</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>none</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''8''>Skills</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>The Gamer''s Mind [ Skill lv : MAX ]


    This skill allows the Gamer to stay cool and collected at all times


    Nullifies all types of mental attacks


    The Gamer''s Body [ Skill lv : MAX ]


    This skill allows the Gamer to treat life as if it were a game.


    No damage to the body is permanent, and any injury suffered by the body is recovered instantly.


    Cleaning ( Lv. 4 Exp 47/80)


    A skill that housewives are highly proficient in, this skill increases the efficiency and speed of cleaning (Based on level)


    Increases efficiency and speed by 10%


    Sprint(Active)[ Lv. 4 Exp. 55/80]


    A skill usually utilized by athletes and thieves.


    Increases sprinting speed and decreases SP cost per second while sprinting.


    Sprinting increased by 8%(+2% per level)


    Cost: 10 SP/sec


    Aura Strike(Active)[Lv. 3 Exp. 34/40]


    The most basic attack used an awakened, it is also useful for setting a foundation for aura use and control, before they learn to achieve releasing aura outside the body.Then this skill is inevitably forgotten and left un-mastered. The user reinforces an object or part of their body with aura, then unleashes a powerful strike on their opponent.


    Increases attack of reinforced object by 53%( +1% per level)


    Cost: 25 SP per use ( -1 SP per 5 levels).</td></tr></tbody></table>


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''Well this is just peachy. Is my whole day going to be spent running away ?''


    Looking at the group of Lv. 5 goblins who''d spotted him and were making their way towards him with obvious hostile intent, Adam thought this.


    ''They don''t really look like they could cause that much harm. Individually, I bet I could take on any of these things, but with the numbers advantage, I''m screwed. There''s also the fact that my SP is dangerously low, and my HP isn''t looking so good either. For now I''ll escape and try to recover as much as I can.''


    Turning around and facing the opposite direction where the goblins were coming from, Adam raced off into the sunset, his tail between his legs, justifying running away as a "strategic retreat".


    After running through the landscape which had somehow miraculously transformed into a forest environment for a while, Adam finally came a stop by a tree and sat down to rest.Watching his SP and HP slowly getting full again, he questioned the system.


    ''What exactly is this dungeon, and how do I get out of here ?"


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Dungeon]


    A dungeon is a sub-dimension, created by **** from **** ****** to ******** ** **** and ****** *** **** ( Level too low)


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.Dungeons are usually explored by groups of awakened, who eliminate the monsters for materials and to close them down.Within the dungeon, time flow is different, and the higher the grade, the slower the time flow.In F grade dungeons, 1 day outside = 3 in the dungeon. The dungeon can be cleared by destroying the crystal which supplies the dungeon with it''s mana. The crystal is usually guarded by powerful monsters which receive more support from the dungeon and thus are usually a lot more powerful than the normal monsters. More powerful dungeons also have Elite, Unique and Rare class monster''s, which are stronger than normal monster''s, but weaker than Bosses. There''s also some [Special] dungeons which may have Elite, Unique or Rare bosses, which usually need awakened who are higher leveled than the dungeon to challenge it, due to the high difficulty of defeating them.Dungeons are Classified from F - A for mortal awakened, and S - ****** for the ******** to ******* ( Level too low).</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''This is the first time I''ve seen the system tell me so much about something. That must mean that dungeons are that important I guess.And whats with all the censored words? What level do I need to be to have access to it ?''


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Above Lv. 100]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''.....Wow. And who knows when that is going to happen.''Adam thought.


    ''Well, that''s something to worry about later. Right now let''s concentrate on getting out of here.'' way


    ''From what the system has told me, the only way I can leave is by breaking the crystal supplying the dungeon.The crystal is going to be guarded by a normal monster probably, since I didn''t see any [Special] tag added to the Dungeon.That''s good news for me at least, but it still doesn''t mean it''ll be easy to beat, especially if a dungeon normally needs a group of people to clear it.There''s also the problem of the groups of normal goblins roaming around. If I try to fight the boss and they interfere, I''m done for. The best solution that''ll also help me in getting stronger,and having a better chance at beating the boss, is by first taking out the goblin groups.This will give me the chance to Level Up, get experience fighting their race, and increase his skill proficiency at the same time.Three birds with one stone.''


    ''It would sure help if I had some more skills though.''


    <table><tbody><tr><td>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[INT+1]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[WIS+1]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[By having INT over 20, you have gained the perk Genius]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Genius]


    A being born with superior intellect to the normal person. This person , with higher functions of thinking and aptitude, have hardly any problems solving problems they encounter, and have great potential in any field of interest that they find themselves.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    [Effects]


    INT+ 25


    WIS+ 10


    Grants skill [Mana release]


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    .


    .


    ''Yes, with this skill, I''ll have a higher chance at surviving.''


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Mana Release](Active)[Lv.1 0/10]


    A basic skill mages must practice from childhood.


    Allows mana to be released externally from the body.


    This skill helps children who are training to be mages learn to control the flow of mana through their body.


    Higher levels in this skill will allow one''s ability to release mana and the area where the mana will be released from, to increase.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ....''Or not. Seriously system ? A skill for children ?'' Sighing, Adam thought so.


    ''In the end I can only depend on myself to get out of this.Well, better get started then, so I can get out of here as quickly as possible.''


    Standing up after recovering fully, Adam headed off into the woods, plotting the best ways to kill the goblins as he walked, his feet making crunching noises as he stepped on the dead leaves on the ground, and smelling the sweet earthy scent of nature.


    ''At least the weather is really good.'' He thought


    ''Ok, so right now I can''t risk facing any big groups. Although they''re small, they out-level and outnumber me. They might also call for help the instant they see me, which would be annoying. I''ll have to find some lone one''s first to level up. I could also try putting Stat points to the stats close to zero so I can get some more perks and hopefully some useful skills. But is it really worth it? Stats are going to get harder and harder to earn manually, and stockpiling Stat points to use in the later game, possibly after I get the stats I''ll be focusing on to around 50 or so manually, seems like the best strategy.'' He thought.


    ''But does future strategy really matter when facing this present crises?, I don''t really have a choice. I need any edge I can get, and these stat points are going to help me get it.


    Deciding this, Adam brought up his stat screen and looked at which stats he could get over 20 .


    ''Hmm, STR and WIS are the closest ones, so I''ll focus on those. Putting stat points into the others seem like kind of a waste cause I''ll have to use a lot to get them over 20. Hopefully STR and WIS give me something good. Ok, here we go.''


    ''Wishing he gets something good, Adam put 3 stat points into WIS, taking it to 21.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[By having WIS over 20, you have gained the Perk ''Wiseman'']</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Wiseman]


    Known to posses great understanding and wisdom, many people come from far and near to consult those enlightened to the world.


    [Effects]


    WIS+ 25


    CHA+ 10


    Grants skill [Mana Control] and [Meditation].</td></tr></tbody></table>


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''Great, these seem equally as useless for this situation. Guess I''ll just check them out I guess.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Mana Control]( Active)


    A basic skill usually used by children training to be mages, this skill is used for controlling mana released externally into different forms, and is very useful for setting the foundations for mana usage.


    Increase in level will allow one to have a greater and more versatile control over the mana they release to the outside.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Meditation](Passive and Active)


    After learning the basics of releasing mana into the environment, and then controlling it into different shapes, one must then learn how to control the external mana from the environment and guide it back into the body, filling it again.


    Increasing levels in this skill will allow the body''s ability to actively or passively recover mana will Increase.


    Current


    Passive: +5% increase to mana recovery (+0.1% per level)


    Actively: + 10% increase to mana recovery (+0.1% per level).</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''Well these skills will be great when I finally get magic skills, but right now they''re pretty useless.''


    His hopes dashed, Adam lamented.


    ''Guess I''ll have to level up and get STR over 21 for a hopefully useful skill.And so it begins huh?''


    Going into his cool and collected phase, Adam whispered " The hunt begins" ,as he slowly started prowling through the woods, searching for his first victim.

 Enter the Dungeon- First Hunt

    *Growl*


    With the sounds of growling echoing out from it''s open mouth, saliva dripping down and entering the moist earth, a lone goblin wandered around the forest. It''s eyes searched the forest eagerly as it slowly shuffled forward, a hungry look on it''s face.


    Being given only enough sustenance by the dungeon''s crystal to survive, these normal monster''s in the smaller dungeons always lived in a state of perpetual hunger. With no other monsters in the dungeon, they could only live by drawing support from the dungeon''s crystal. However, there could be only support, and not true hunger satisfaction.This would sometimes drive the monster''s to fight and kill each other to finally taste some meat and feel full, although most of the time they would be stopped by the boss, which doesn''t feel any feeling of hunger due to being sustained by a large portion of the dungeon''s mana. Thus, these monster''s were very hostile to anything that wandered into their domain, seeing them as only pieces of meat moving around, they would lose their mind and do anything to get a bite to fill their stomach.


    Seeing Adam entering their territory,the goblin group which saw him were really excited and thus started racing towards him to catch their meat.However, he had escaped, so the goblins alerted the village of his presence, leading the whole village to go on a manhunt, or rather a meat-hunt. Some of the goblins stayed in groups, slowly searching everywhere, however, others which were impatient and wanted to feel full as soon as possible, went out by themselves, moving faster, and thus farther away from the groups in the process, slowly heading off to their doom.


    .


    .


    .


    .


    (Back to Adam''s POV )


    *Growl*


    While stalking around looking for prey, Adam heard this noise this sound being made.Crouching down and slowing his breathing, he slowly and stealthily approached.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[By performing a specific action, you have gained the skill [Sneak] ]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Sneak](Active) [Lv. 1 Exp. 0/10]


    A basic skill usually used by thieves, this skill allows the user to decrease their presence and approach targets without their knowledge.


    Decreases presence of the user by 10%( +0.4% per level)


    Reduces all noise by 50% ( fixed)


    Cost: 15 SP/sec.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''Jackpot.'' Adam whispered to himself. Casting the skill, he silently approached the origin of the sound, his steps now muffled on the dead grass, and his presence now fainter than usual. Standing behind a tree, he peeked behind it to find a lone goblin wandering around, saliva dripping from it''s open mouth.


    ''Jackpot again. Finally found one by itself.'' Cancelling the [Sneak] skill to preserve SP, Adam said.


    After deciding to hunt the normal monsters for experience, Adam had set out searching for any he could take on. So far he''d seen a lot of groups roaming around, but they were all too large of a group to be taken on by him alone.He kept searching, and now finally he''d found one. A straggler possibly.Now for the hunt.


    ''I gotta make sure I don''t give it time to call for help. I''ve gotta kill it as soon as possible. Hopefully the Gamer''s mind won''t make this too traumatizing. I can''t believe I''m going to kill a living thing and I don''t even feel any apprehension. I guess I really am abnormal now.But now is not the time to be thinking about that. Let''s first get out of here, and then I can question my morality.''


    With these thoughts in his head, Adam slowly continued to sneak up behind the goblin, his hand holding a long branch he''d found. Coming up behind the monster, he silently used [Aura strike] on the branch,reinforcing and strengthening it in the process, and then swung the branch with all his might.


    Finally hearing the disturbance from the noise of the branch being swung in the air, the goblin turned around just in time to see it heading straight for its head. With no time to do anything except stare horrified as it bashed it''s head in.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Critical hit]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[ Blow to the head has given the Stunned effect]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Seeing the notifications, Adam didn''t hesitate to use his advantage, quickly using the opportunity to hit the goblin with another powerful [Aura strike]. This seemed to finally finish it off; as the monster fell down, suddenly began smoking, then vanished; leaving only a pile of what seemed to be notes of money, a club, a few coins and some teeth.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Exp. +50]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Bonus 30% Exp for defeating an opponent 3 levels above you = 15 Exp.]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''Huh?, that''s weird.'' Walking over to these objects, Adam picked them up and inspected them closely. The teeth and the club aside,which he understood could have been left behind after the monster dissipated, and maybe it was holding onto the coins, and it dropped them after it died.But the cash was a different matter; he couldn''t understand how the notes of cash, which looked more and more authentic as he studied it, Adam asked the system.


    ''How did a wad of dollars end up here all of a sudden''


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[The game takes the energy from the monsters useless body parts and transforms them into something which is actually useful for the Gamer]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''Oh. So kinda like loot drops from rpgs. And things get even more game-like now.So this money is actually real?, doesn''t that mean I could become super rich just from hunting in dungeons from now on?, although I''m obviously not gonna be doing that anytime soon. Cool.''


    Satisfied with the explanation from the system, Adam then pocketed the Cash. Taking up the club and coins, he then studied them closely to see if he could get more clues. While studying these objects closely, suddenly...


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[ By performing a specific action , you have gained the skill [Observe] ]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Observe ]


    A skill used to study an object closely to try to gain understanding from it, this skill uses any knowledge the user may have read or seen previously to deduce the information of any object they may be observing. This skill is mostly used by researchers and craftsmen, as its use is only shown when the user has a large store of information in their minds.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''Great, another skill that looks like it''ll be quite useless for a long time. Am I going to have to read the whole internet before it''ll be useful? That seems like quite the waste of time.''


    Thinking this, Adam sighed, about to put the drops in his storage. Then....


    <table><tbody><tr><td>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[The skill [Observe] has been combined The Games database]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[The unique skill [ The Gamer''s Observation] has been created ]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[ The Gamer''s Observation](Active) [Lv. MAX]


    Using the game system''s database, which is connected to **** and is always being updated, Information about a target the Gamer is observing can be displayed. As long as the target is born from or connected to ****, their information will be known.


    The targets Stats, Skills/Magic and Perks will be shown. The amount of info shown depends on the difference in level( Strength). The higher the targets level is from the Gamer, the less information that''ll be shown.


    Cost: 0 SP.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    .


    .


    .


    "Whoaaa mama.Now that is what I call a skill." Adam exclaimed out loud, then hurriedly shut up again.


    ''Now then, let''s try that again shall we.''


    Taking out one of the dollars, Adam used [The Gamer''s Observation] on it


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[100 Dollar Bill]


    A normal dollar bill. Can be used in in the purchasing of goods and services.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''So it *is* real. Awesome. Now the others''


    <table><tbody><tr><td>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Club].


    A wooden one-handed weapon. A basic weapon of the one-handed type.


    ATK +10.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Goblin Teeth]


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.Proof of having defeated a goblin. Along with it''s nails, these monster materials are mostly used by alchemists and enchanters in their recipes.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[ Iron Coins of the Abyss ]


    A normal abyss coin. Can be used in the purchasing of goods and services.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''Coins of the Abyss huh ?Is this the currency used in the Abyss? Better keep it for now, and the goblin teeth might come in handy later.Now let''s see how much Exp. I need to level up. Status''


    ''Status Page''


    <table><tbody><tr><td>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''8''>STATUS</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Name :</td><td colspan=''4''> Adam "Kweku" Greene</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Age :</td><td colspan=''4''> 18</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Lv :</td><td colspan=''4''> 2 ( 100/150 )</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Condition :</td><td colspan=''4''>Normal</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Title :</td><td colspan=''4''> None</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>.</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>HP :</td><td colspan=''4''>205/205</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>SP:</td><td colspan=''4''>130/130</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>MP :</td><td colspan=''4''>460/460</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>STR:</td><td colspan=''2''>17</td><td colspan=''2''>AGI :</td><td colspan=''2''>12</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>VIT:</td><td colspan=''2''>13</td><td colspan=''2''>DEX :</td><td colspan=''2''>13</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>INT:</td><td colspan=''2''>21+25[46]</td><td colspan=''2''>WIS :</td><td colspan=''2''>21+35[56]</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>CHA:</td><td colspan=''2''>09+10[19]</td><td colspan=''2''>LUK :</td><td colspan=''2''>10</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Status Points:</td><td colspan=''4''>0</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>Perks:</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''8''>Skills</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>[The Gamer''s Observation]( New)


    [Sneak] (New).</td></tr></tbody></table>


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''Ok. Looks like I just need 50 Exp. more to level up. Then I can get the perk for STR. I think I''ll get put some stat points into VIT too, cause right now I need a lot more SP to support my skills.''


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[INT+ 1]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[WIS+ 1]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''Nice. Now if only I could get the other stats that easily.''


    Putting everything everything except the club in his storage, Adam , now equipped with a weapon and new skills, set out to hunt more prey. Occasionally activating Sneak to gain exp., the prey slowly started to become the hunter.


    .


    .


    .


    Due to still being severely under leveled and in danger of being surrounded and killed if the enemy was alerted of his presence, Adam chose to still remain hidden and hunt lone goblins for now, and then face smaller groups when he levels up sufficiently.


    Stalking the forest and slowly raising his [Sneak] skill experience, Adam finally found another lone goblin after an hour or so. Using the same tactic as previously, he took out this goblin as well without it getting the chance to even say anything. And now, finally..


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Exp+ 50]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[30% Bonus = 15 Exp.]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Level Up]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''Yes, finally.Now then, let''s hope I get something good.''


    Putting 4 of the 5 SPs in STR and the remaining 1 in VIT, Adam waited, and he was rewarded with


    <table><tbody><tr><td>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[For having STR over 20, you have gained the Perk [PowerBuff] ]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[ PowerBuff ]


    Born with strength far surpassing the normal person, these are natural born warriors who''s feats are a sight to behold. Are said to be created by accident after a ****** accidentally added Chemical Z to the new souls being created, thus bestowing them with tremendous strength.


    STR +25


    AGI +10


    Grants skill [Strongarm] </td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[ Strongarm ](Active)


    Reinforces the users next attack with increased force, allowing it to do more damage. This skill is normally used by warriors when during a charge towards the enemy.


    Increases next attack by 25%(+0.5% per level)


    Cost: 10 SP per use (-0.05 SP per level)


    Can only be used on arms. Does not work with magic spells.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''This...this is it. Finally a skill I can immediately put to use. With this skill, [ Aura strike], and the extra STR added to my STR Stat, I could probably kill one of those goblins in one hit if I hit it in the right place.I''ll check out it''s stats next time I challenge it.''


    With new found confidence in himself and his new skills, Adam grabbed his club and put the loot from the goblin which he had just killed, which was: some teeth, nails, coins and more money, into his storage. Then he set out again, determined to massacre the monsters in this dungeon, and get out of there.


    .


    .


    .


    ''Alright, let''s get down to business.''


    Looking over at a group of 3 goblins, he said.


    ''First let''s Observe them''


    <table><tbody><tr><td>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''8''>Goblin</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Lv :</td><td colspan=''4''> 5</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Condition :</td><td colspan=''4''>Starving</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>.</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>HP :</td><td colspan=''4''>280/280</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>SP:</td><td colspan=''4''>200/200</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>MP :</td><td colspan=''4''>50/50</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>STR:</td><td colspan=''2''>16</td><td colspan=''2''>AGI :</td><td colspan=''2''>15</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>VIT:</td><td colspan=''2''>20</td><td colspan=''2''>DEX :</td><td colspan=''2''>12</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>INT:</td><td colspan=''2''>5</td><td colspan=''2''>WIS :</td><td colspan=''2''>5</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>CHA:</td><td colspan=''2''>3</td><td colspan=''2''>LUK :</td><td colspan=''2''>10</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>Perks:</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>none</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''8''>Skills</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>Club bash</td></tr></tbody></table>


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    This was the average status that he saw among the three goblins. Looking at their HP, he calculated the amount of damage he could do.He asked the system


    ''How much damage does 1 STR do ?''


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[1 STR = 10 Attack]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''Hmm. That means right now I have about 420 damage with the new boost from the PowerBuff perk, 430 with the club. That means I can take out any of them with one good hit to the head, but if they swarm me I''ll be in trouble. So it''ll be best to be fast and brutal, blitz them before they have the chance to group up.


    Making his strategy, he slowly approached from the shadows. Going to stand behind them, he bided his time, waiting for the perfect opportunity. After a while, two of the goblins became distant from the last one, giving him an opening.


    Seeing his chance, Adam rushed out, preparing [Aura strike] and [Strongarm], his new agility allowing him to reach Olympic level speeds.He reached the first goblin right as the it sensed something approaching and turned around. Seeing Adam, it opened it''s mouth to scream and raised it''s club to attack him, probably using it''s Club bash skill; unfortunately Adam was faster, his double skill enhanced club coming down upon it''s head accurately, his 79% enhanced attack and great strength seizing it''s life immediately.Not stopping, he continued to run to the 2 remaining, both of them spotting him and running towards him at the same time.Gauging the distance, he waited for the right time, then [Sprint]ed towards one of the two goblins, jumped up, then drop kicked the monster with an [Aura strike] enhanced foot, killing it in the process.Rolling away from the last living goblin, Adam stood up and faced his last foe. Originally a cowardly race subservient to those in power, this monster knew it couldn''t hope to live by fighting Adam. All thoughts of meat gone from it''s head, it turned and started to run from Adam as fast as it could. Surprised by this turn of events, it took Adam a while before he gave chase, killing the goblin to gain some more exp. and prevent it from sounding the alarm to the others.


    With this business done he collected his loot,which were: loads more cash and a coins, some more goblin teeth and nails,and the three clubs he''d seen all three goblins holding.


    Then he checked the gains he''d made.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Killed Goblin x3]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Exp. +50](x3)</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Bonus 20% of Exp. = 10 Exp.](x3)</td></tr></tbody></table>


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Lv : 3 ( 195/250 )</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>HP :</td><td colspan=''4''> 205/205</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>SP: </td><td colspan=''4''>60/130</td></tr></tbody></table>


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''Well, I think that went very well.'' Feeling pleased with himself, Adam thought to himself.


    "Let''s hope they all go like that. I''ll hunt a few more lone and 3 monster groups first, then move start taking on higher numbers later. " He said


    Setting off once again, he headed deeper into the dark forest, towards the Exp. points just floating around, waiting for him,a smile on his face, and his hand gripping tighter around his club, which was starting to look more and more worn out and about to break.


    ''I should probably replace this.'' He though


    ''Ah whatever, even if it does break, I still have more in my storage, and even if they break too I still have my fists and legs.The hunt is just beginning.''


    And so the massacre of The Goblin Village continued.

 Enter the Dungeon - Getting Schooled and the Art of Running Away

    ''So, it''s 5 of them this time.''


    Looking over at his latest prey; who were squabbling over some minor issue, unaware of the imminent danger that approached, Adam said.


    After killing his first batch of goblin monsters, Adam had set out to hunt even more, gaining more and more experience.He was planning on eliminating all the normal monsters this way, then moving on to the boss, with enough levels and skills. However, it seemed the monsters weren''t so stupid, as all the lone monsters had seemingly disappeared, leaving only the groups, who also started to be in groups of 4 or 5, making the difficulty of Adam''s mission to stay hidden while eliminating as many goblins as he could increase significantly. Deciding to revise his plans, he changed his strategy to


    Hit and Run tactics, getting in and out as quickly as he could (( ?¡ã ?? ?¡ã)). This would be his first hunt using that strategy.


    .


    Preparing himself, Adam took out his club(his fourth one so far ), then gauged the group to see which ones he could take out the fastest. Two of the goblins seemed unarmed, seemingly unarmed fighters by the looks of their sharper- than- usual nails, while one of them was holding a bow, with a quiver of arrows strapped to it''s back, looking vigilantly around. The final two seemed to be the usual kind, having a normal club in hand. A group of this diversity was a first for Adam, who was used to facing just the club user''s, but he didn''t think it posed too much of a problem.


    ''Looks like these monsters don''t just use clubs. That could be a problem. For now I should take out the archer, it''ll cause trouble if left alone. Then I''ll handle the normal goblins, seeing as the fighter goblins will be annoying to kill, before confronting the final two. It looks like it won''t be an easy fight, but thankfully I''ve got a lot more SP now.''


    Looking at his Status and contemplating, Adam said.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''8''>STATUS</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Name :</td><td colspan=''4''> Adam "Kweku" Greene</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Age :</td><td colspan=''4''> 18</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Lv :</td><td colspan=''4''> 5 ( 300/380 )</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Condition :</td><td colspan=''4''>Normal</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Title :</td><td colspan=''4''> None</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>.</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>HP :</td><td colspan=''4''>205/205</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>SP:</td><td colspan=''4''>460/460</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>MP :</td><td colspan=''4''>460/460</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>STR:</td><td colspan=''2''>21+35[56]</td><td colspan=''2''>AGI :</td><td colspan=''2''>12+10[22]</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>VIT:</td><td colspan=''2''>21+25[46]</td><td colspan=''2''>DEX :</td><td colspan=''2''>15</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>INT:</td><td colspan=''2''>21+25[46]</td><td colspan=''2''>WIS :</td><td colspan=''2''>21+35[56]</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>CHA:</td><td colspan=''2''>09+10[19]</td><td colspan=''2''>LUK :</td><td colspan=''2''>10</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Status Points:</td><td colspan=''4''>0</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>Perks:</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>


    [ Iron Body ] ( New)


    Iron Body


    With body''s twice as strong and as tough as Iron, these hard to beat warriors would normally be defenders. Using their body as their greatest defense , they can and will fight to their last breath without moving giving an inch to any who want to harm the ones they protect.


    VIT+ 25


    STR+ 10


    Grants skill [ Physical Attack Resistance]</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>Skills</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>[Sprint](Active)[ Lv. 5 Exp. 65/100] (Level Up)


    .


    [Aura Strike](Active)[Lv. 4 Exp. 75/80] (Level Up)


    .


    [Sneak](Active) [Lv. 5 Exp. 15/100] (Level Up)


    .


    [ Strongarm ](Active)[Lv. 3 25/40] (Level Up)


    .


    [ Physical Attack Resistance]( Passive ) [Lv. 1 Exp. 0/10] ( NEW ! )


    A fundamental skill needed in the arsenal of any true warrior, this skill has been known to save the lives of many. It is usually extensively trained and and used by warriors that fight with their bodies, cultivating the skill by forging their bodies in harsh battle.


    Passively resists any physical attack or skill released with SP by 10%( +0.5% per level).</td></tr></tbody></table>


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    Looking at his new and improved status, Adam smiled and felt relieved at his new strength. He had hunted two more groups of goblins, killing 6 of them in the process, gaining enough experience to level up twice and gaining more skill exp. The three birds with one stone project was going quite well.


    With his new strength, Adam now had confidence to face this latest enemy, however he didn''t have the confidence that the monster''s wouldn''t notify the rest before he had the chance to take them all out. Realizing this he changed his strategy from blitzing and collecting the spoils, to hitting as hard as he could, collecting the spoils as quickly he could, then running away before the other goblin groups showed up and swarmed him. Finishing his preparations, Adam stalked the archer goblin, slowly getting in range. Then, he checked out it''s status.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''8''>[Goblin(Archer)](Rare)</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Lv :</td><td colspan=''4''> 5</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Condition :</td><td colspan=''4''>Starving</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>.</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>HP :</td><td colspan=''4''>250/250</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>SP:</td><td colspan=''4''>180/180</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>MP :</td><td colspan=''4''>50/50</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>STR:</td><td colspan=''2''>14</td><td colspan=''2''>AGI :</td><td colspan=''2''>18</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>VIT:</td><td colspan=''2''>18</td><td colspan=''2''>DEX :</td><td colspan=''2''>15</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>INT:</td><td colspan=''2''>5</td><td colspan=''2''>WIS :</td><td colspan=''2''>5</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>CHA:</td><td colspan=''2''>4</td><td colspan=''2''>LUK :</td><td colspan=''2''>10</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>Perks:</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>none</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''8''>Skills</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>Archery</td></tr></tbody></table>


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''Wha? a rare monster ?, then that means.... ''


    Realizing he might have made a mistake, he checked the goblins that looked like they had sharp nails as their weapon. Observation revealed...


    <table><tbody><tr><td>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''8''>Goblin</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Lv :</td><td colspan=''4''> 5</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Condition :</td><td colspan=''4''>Starving</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>.</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>HP :</td><td colspan=''4''>350/350</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>SP:</td><td colspan=''4''>180/180</td></tr>This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>MP :</td><td colspan=''4''>50/50</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>STR:</td><td colspan=''2''>20</td><td colspan=''2''>AGI :</td><td colspan=''2''>15</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>VIT:</td><td colspan=''2''>25</td><td colspan=''2''>DEX :</td><td colspan=''2''>17</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>INT:</td><td colspan=''2''>5</td><td colspan=''2''>WIS :</td><td colspan=''2''>5</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>CHA:</td><td colspan=''2''>4</td><td colspan=''2''>LUK :</td><td colspan=''2''>10</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>Perks:</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>none</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''8''>Skills</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>Unarmed Fighting Technique</td></tr></tbody></table>


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    Realizing the difficulty was a bit higher than he expected, Adam still chose to attack. Even though there were three Rare monsters in the group, he assumed they would respond to attacks just like the normal goblins, and a good hit to the head would be able to take care of all of them quickly. With confidence in himself and his unbeaten record, as well as his new skills, Adam prepared for battle.


    .


    Watching the archer turn opposite to where he was hiding, Adam prepped his combat skills ( [ Aura strike ] and [ Strongarm ] ), then charged out with [ Sprint ]. Barely 2 seconds after revealing himself, the archer immediately sensed him, turning around and yelling out as soon as it saw him. It''s comrades turned around, seeing him as well. Not minding his cover being blown and focusing only on completing the objective as quickly possible, he headed straight for the archer. Seeing him coming towards itself, the archer retreated hastily, taking out an arrow and attempting to kite Adam; however, it didn''t account for how fast a [Sprint]-ing Adam was. Fast approaching, Adam tensed himself, watching the arrow nocked and ready in the bow. Shifting to the side the instant he saw the finger release the arrow, he dodged the arrow by barely a margin.


    ''Man that was close.'' He thought.


    With no arrow in the bow now, Adam fearlessly charged forward towards the archer, swinging the club with all his strength at its head, killing it in. After dealing with the archer, he now turned towards the remaining 4 goblins, to see them all running towards him together.


    .


    ''Ok, let''s do this.''


    Taking out another club, he held one in each hand. Gauging the timing correctly, Adam rushed forward, jumped forward with [Strongarm] reinforcing each arm, then swung them at each of the fighter goblins. The momentum of the powerful blows hit the crossed arms of the 2 goblins, sending them flying, and splitting them away from the normal goblins in the process. With only the 2 normal goblins remaining,Adam took them out with ease, using just [Aura strike] on each hand, using it as a chance to train the skill in the process. Now all that was left was the two fighter goblins.


    ''I might actually be able to do this silently.'' Adam thought silently, then immediately regretted it.


    Suddenly, the 2 fighters started yelling out, screaming at such a high volume it was basically impossible for the other goblin groups to not have heard them, running towards Adam with their dangerous-looking sharpened claws. Reading himself, he raised his weapon to defend against the first fighter which came at him. It jumped into the air and swung a claw at Adam with full force.


    The attack was blocked however, by the club which was raised horizontally by it''s opponent.


    .


    Blocking the first strike, Adam retaliated. Pushing the goblin back using the advantage of his high STR and it''s small stature, he countered by slamming his second club straight into the side of the monsters head,saving SP by not using any skills, stunning it in the process. After all, help would be coming to aid the monsters any minute, and he would need any and all SP he could have to run from there. Using the chance, Adam rushed towards the second monster.


    [Sprint]-ing towards the monster, he jumped and slammed a club towards it. Unfortunately, his streak of one hit kills seemed to be over; as the fighter goblin, anticipating an attack, rolled out of the way and dodging the attack. Getting back on it''s feet, it counterattacked by rushing forward and swiping his thigh.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[-180 HP]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Taking quite the chunk of HP from him and possibly incapacitating him were it not for [The Gamer''s Body] skill,the monster then backed off, remaining ever vigilant of it''s opponent and the club he was holding. Seeing these actions, Adam realized these fighter goblins were very different from the normal goblin monsters. They knew tactics, and weren''t brainless idiots ( like the club wielding goblins ), waiting to be hit before reacting like some they were in an RPG or something. They''d obviously learnt how dangerous he was, and were avoiding his attacks or defending against them like they did in the beginning by crossing their arms to bear a hit, and also calling for help, knowing they couldn''t win against him.


    Meanwhile he, Adam, had learnt nothing. Gaining a bigger and bigger ego after succeeding in attacking a few small groups of weak and stupid monsters, he''d assumed the rest of the monsters would be this easy and breezed through fights while relying solely on skills he''d gotten from the game, not putting in any effort at all to actually gain some fighting experience, he now found himself in trouble facing 2 monsters that weren''t even rare. His lack of growth was also shown by the lack of an increase in any manual increase in stats whatsoever, despite the great environment for doing so.His crude attacks with a weapon he hadn''t gained a skill for, showing his complete lack of knowledge on how to actually use it, was completely useless against a monster that had full control over it''s body and abilities, utilizing its stats to its full potential. This rude awakening helped bring Adam back down to earth and humbling him, opening his eyes to the fact that was not a game but reality, and any mistakes on his part could be fatal.


    ''Sh*t, how can rare monsters be so strong? I could be in trouble here if I''m not careful. If this is how strong rare monsters are, then what about elite ones, or the strongest in this dungeon, the boss ? Seems I became quite arrogant there, I actually forgot it takes a team of awakened to clear a dungeon. Did I really think I could do it so easily? I better learn to never underestimate a monster or even a human just because my stats are higher than theirs. For now there''s not really anything I can do to solve this issue, so I''ll clear the dungeon with skills for now, then learn to fight properly later.''


    Realizing his errors and vowing to change them, Adam turned to face the goblin again, his presence changed now. His guard up and vigilance in his eyes, he rushed towards the monster again, trying to dispose of it before it was joined by the other goblin, currently still stunned.


    .


    Reaching the goblin, this time Adam held nothing back. Feinting with his arm, swept the goblin''s feet from under it with his foot. the goblin, which had been guarding an attack from above and never experienced a dirty trick like this, fell prey to this trap. Falling to the ground, it had no way of dodging the [Aura strike] and [Strongarm] empowered attack which fell upon it''s head, killing it instantly.


    After crushing the head of the fighter goblin, Adam rose up, ready to go finish off the last one, when suddenly...


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[-180 HP]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    He felt a sting from his back. Realizing the other goblin must have gotten free from the stun, he turned around, only to see nothing there.Confused, he suddenly felt another sting from his back .


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[-180 HP]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''Damn it, it must be behind me. Discovering this, Adam made a split second decision, jumped up, then fell on his back. Feeling something cushion his fall, he rolled away quickly, finally finding the culprit also rolling away from him. Eyeing it carefully, Adam then checked how much HP and SP he had left


    .


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[HP: 200/740]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[SP: 260/460]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''That was waay to close for comfort. A few more hits and I would''ve been done for. These monsters are seriously cunning. I gotta finish this as fast as possible and go hide and recover, cause if I''m in this much danger with just 2 of these guys now , I don''t even wanna think about what will happen when 10 more show up.''


    ''Deciding to end it as soon as possible, Adam rushed the fighter, determined to finish things. Using [Strongarm] on his arm, he threw out one of the clubs in his hands with all his strength. Not expecting this, the unsuspecting goblin was hit in the temple by this attack, dazing it in the process. Not stopping for a second, Adam used this chance to rush up to the goblin, grabbing it by the throat and lifting it up with his free arm. Then activating his skills for the last time, he bashed it in the head, crushing its skull and thus finally killing the last of the 5 monster group. Emotionally exhausted, he finally sat down to rest, waiting for the systems messages.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Exp. +50] (x5)</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Level Up]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''Hmm, I guess the archer and fighter goblins also give the same amount of Exp. huh ?'' Looking at the message from the system, Adam concluded.


    ''My HP and SP didn''t fill back up after I leveled up. Damn, that would''ve been super convenient. Let''s take my loot and get out of here as quickly as possible then.''


    After finishing his rest and checking his growth, Adam stood up and went around collecting his loot, which was the same as usual: Nails , teeth, coins and some cash.Done with that, he prepared to leave when he heard the sound of bushes rustling and the sounds of lots of different footsteps crunching the dead grass growing louder by the second.


    Suddenly a goblin archer burst through the vegetation, instantly spotting their quarry. Yelling out to attract it''s companions, the monster positioned itself well and began to prepare to shoot at Adam.


    Seeing its actions, Adam knew he was merely seconds away from being surrounded and killed by them. Putting in 101% effort, he started running away yet again, utilizing as much of the boost that [Sprint] could give as possible, and not a moment too soon, since more and more monster groups started appearing out of the dark vegetation, all roaring towards him. One prominent figure which drew his eye rather, was a larger than usual goblin, about 5 feet tall instead of the normal 3 he''d seen in the goblins he''d faced so far. It also seemed to be wearing a red hat, instead of the usual green, like their skin.


    ''Oh no, please don''t tell me...''


    Seeing all these clues, Adam was convinced he knew what it was. Using [The Gamer''s Observation ], his suspicion was confirmed.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''8''>Redcap(Elite)</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Lv :</td><td colspan=''4''> 9</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Condition :</td><td colspan=''4''>Starving</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>.</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>HP :</td><td colspan=''4''>550/550</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>SP:</td><td colspan=''4''>300/300</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>MP :</td><td colspan=''4''>50/50</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>STR:</td><td colspan=''2''>40+`10</td><td colspan=''2''>AGI :</td><td colspan=''2''>21</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>VIT:</td><td colspan=''2''>30</td><td colspan=''2''>DEX :</td><td colspan=''2''>16</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>INT:</td><td colspan=''2''>5</td><td colspan=''2''>WIS :</td><td colspan=''2''>5</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>CHA:</td><td colspan=''2''>5</td><td colspan=''2''>LUK :</td><td colspan=''2''>10</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>Perks:</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>none</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''8''>Skills</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>Berserk Strength


    Roar


    Charge


    Power bash</td></tr></tbody></table>


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''God**mn it. Why does this keep happening to me.''


    Seeing this status page, Adam knew he was screwed.

 Enter the Dungeon- To Hunt a Redcap

    Looking at the bloodthirsty expression on the Elite goblin monster as It chased after him, Adam knew it''d rip him apart piece by piece. And looking at his HP...


    .


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[HP: 200/740]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    .


    That might just be possible.


    ''How the hell am I supposed to beat this thing?''


    .


    Looking at it''s status, Adam Observed the name.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Redcap]</td></tr>


    <tr><td>An elite version of the goblin, these monsters are wild and mad about battle. Seeking to fight to the death any opponent they deem worthy; these goblins are known to dip their caps in the the blood of their enemies, giving these caps it''s characteristic coloration and their bloodthirsty reputation.


    As elite monster, they have greater physical than their normal variants. They also gain the race skill [Berserk Strength].</td></tr></tbody></table>


    .


    Reading this message, Adam also checked out the Skill.


    .


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Berserk Strength]</td></tr>


    <tr><td>A skill that can only be gained at the sacrifice of one''s Intelligence. It is only used by the most crazed and stupid of species, raising their STR and offsetting their lack of ability to think for themselves.


    Grants +10 STR.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    .


    .


    '' That''s quite the monster. I don''t understand though, It''s stats are way over 20, but there''s no Perks.''


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[ Perks are gifted by *** ****** to awakened only. Monsters cannot obtain Perks, but can have racial skills.]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Seeing this information, Adam had no more time to check out the rest of the skills, seeing as the Redcap was speeding towards him, murder in it''s eyes. Knowing he''d die if he faced this monster, he turned and ran, yet again, strategic retreat his ever ready excuse.


    Utilizing [Sprint] and his ( fortunately) slightly higher AGI, Adam raced off, pulling further and further away from death.Fortunately, the Redcap seemed to be more STR and VIT focused, with AGI and DEX being secondary.With no Perks to add bonuses to its attributes, Adam was saved by the +10 bonus to his AGI from the PowerBuff perk; and with the [Sprint] boosting his AGI to 24, he was able to escape. Utilizing the trees and bushes as cover, he slowly but surely lost his pursuers one by one, the Redcap being the most persistent and hardest to lose. With a bit of stealth however, he was able to finally get to safety.


    .


    Finding a big tree with large branches, he climbed up high, using the leaves to hide himself.


    Resting and recovering after such a close call, He knew he can''t allow a situation like that to happen again. Revising his Hit and Run tactic, he decided he had to cut out the picking up the loot aspect, and using all his skills to deal with the monsters as quickly as possible. This would really help save time, and give him some breathing room to recover from the fight and escape as quickly as possible.


    '' I think I''ll also try my best to get some fighting experience from the rare goblins. If I can''t learn how to fight properly,forget the boss, just that elite goblin is gonna wreck me.Time seems to pass here, so If I wait for nightfall, I can ambush a few of them too. Make it easier on me. I sure hope the Gamer''s Mind can help.''


    ''This is gonna be brutal.''


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[INT +1]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[WIS +1]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''And it seems the system agrees with me.''


    .


    Sitting down to rest and wait for nightfall, Adam silently trained his skills, activating then turning them off again. After such a long and exhausting day, this was the only semblance of peace and relaxation.


    ''It''s gonna be a long night.'' With the setting sun casting shadows over the entire forest, a lone teenager in a extremely hostile environment, sat and thought to himself. Closing his eyes, he relaxed and waited for the sounds of the system informing him of the increase of his skills levels.


    .


    .


    .


    Rays of sunlight shone through the canopy of trees, illuminating the brown earth littered with green and brown leaves, an earthy scent in the air. A peaceful scene, belying the chaos which had occurred the night before. A prone form was gradually revealed in the light of the rising sun. Lying high up in the trees, he seemed to be asleep. Gradually opening his eyes, he said..


    " Guess I don''t get the bonus if I don''t sleep for a few hours huh? And not to mention I''m not even in a bed."


    Groaning as he sat up, he rubbed his black curly hair, muttering" That was the wildest night of my life." Filled with loads of running, running and more running, It certainly was.


    .


    .


    After the sun had fully set, Adam had watched the day get darker and darker. As the forest became more and more silent, he stopped training his skills, recovered his SP, then set out.


    The night was filled with ambush after ambush, assassinating normal and rare archer goblins, fighting rare fighter goblins to get fighting experience, then running away and hiding when more groups inevitably showed up. Repeating this over and over, the night slowly passed. After all this work, the rewards started to pay off. Constant fighting had improved his STR and DEX, getting injured and healing multiple times had improved his VIT, and constant running had improved his AGI. All in all..


    <table><tbody><tr><td>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[ STR +2]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[ AGI +5]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[ VIT +3]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[DEX +3]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    Mentally exhausted,he finally went back to rest when he saw the sun rising.


    .


    Sitting up, he checked where his status for improvements.


    ''Status Page''


    <table><tbody><tr><td>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''8''>STATUS</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Name :</td><td colspan=''4''> Adam "Kweku" Greene</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Age :</td><td colspan=''4''> 18</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Lv :</td><td colspan=''4''> 8 ( 450/800 )</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Condition :</td><td colspan=''4''>Normal</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Title :</td><td colspan=''4''> None</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>.</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>HP :</td><td colspan=''4''>785/785</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>SP:</td><td colspan=''4''>490/490</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>MP :</td><td colspan=''4''>460/460</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>STR:</td><td colspan=''2''>24+35[59]</td><td colspan=''2''>AGI :</td><td colspan=''2''>17+10[27]</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>VIT:</td><td colspan=''2''>24+25[49]</td><td colspan=''2''>DEX :</td><td colspan=''2''>18</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>INT:</td><td colspan=''2''>21+25[46]</td><td colspan=''2''>WIS :</td><td colspan=''2''>21+35[56]</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>CHA:</td><td colspan=''2''>09+10[19]</td><td colspan=''2''>LUK :</td><td colspan=''2''>10</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Status Points:</td><td colspan=''4''>15</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>Perks:</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>...</td></tr>


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.<tr><td colspan=''8''>Skills</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>


    [Sprint](Active)[ Lv. 8 Exp. 65/180]


    A skill usually utilized by athletes and thieves.


    Increases sprinting speed and decreases SP cost per second while sprinting.


    Sprinting increased by 16%(+2% per level)


    Cost: 10 SP/sec


    [Aura Strike](Active)[Lv. 7 Exp. 75/150]


    The most basic attack used by an awakened, it is also useful for setting a foundation for aura use and control, before they learn to achieve releasing aura outside the body.Then this skill is inevitably forgotten and left un-mastered. The user reinforces an object or part of their body with aura, then unleashes a powerful strike on their opponent.


    Increases attack of reinforced object by 57%( +1% per level)


    Cost: 24 SP per use ( -1 SP per 5 levels)


    [Sneak](Active) [Lv. 10 Exp. 90/250]


    A basic skill usually used by thieves, this skill allows the user to decrease their presence and approach targets without their knowledge.


    Decreases presence of the user by 14%( +0.4% per level)


    Reduces all noise by 50% ( fixed)


    Cost: 15 SP/sec


    [ Strongarm ](Active)[Lv. 8 25/180]


    Reinforces the users next attack with increased force, allowing it to do more damage. This skill is normally used by warriors when during a charge towards the enemy.


    Increases next attack by 29%(+0.5% per level)


    Cost: 9.6 SP per use (-0.05 SP per level)


    Can only be used on arms. Does not work with magic spells


    [ Physical Attack Resistance]( Passive ) [Lv. 5 Exp. 30/100]


    A fundamental skill needed in the arsenal of any true warrior, this skill has been known to save the lives of many. It is usually extensively trained and and used by warriors that fight with their bodies, cultivating the skill by forging their bodies in harsh battle.


    Passively resists any physical attack or skill released with SP by 12.5%( +0.5% per level).


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''That''s quite the improvement. But somehow, I feel like I made a lot more improvement in fighting experience, which is awesome. Now I''m able to fight and beat the fighter goblins in just a few exchanges.Now I really feel like I''ve grown. I seriously need to find someone to teach me to fight well. Although I did get this new skill.''


    Looking back at his status page, he looked at the new skill he''d gained.


    ....


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Unarmed Fighting Technique]( Passive ) [Lv. 3 25/40]</td></tr>


    <tr><td>The basic form of martial arts, this is the foundation upon which specialized techniques are built. Includes all forms of techniques which do not use any weapons except the fists and feet.


    Increases unarmed Attacks by 28%( +1% per level).</td></tr></tbody></table>


    .


    .


    After wrecking goblins for a while without being able to pick up loot, eventually Adam had run out of clubs to use. With no other weapons to turn to, he then fell back on his most trustworthy weapons, his fists. After that,using the opportunity of fighting experts in unarmed combat, he quickly learned and gained experience for this technique.Thereafter, he made the decision to pursue this technique as his main mode of attack, seeing as it''s basically impossible to cripple or incapacitate his limbs.


    Done checking his current state, Adam now planned his next step. After passing level 5, he''d been getting less and less exp from the monsters he killed. Apparently the bonus exp. he got for killing higher level opponents also worked the opposite way, deducting more and more exp as he became higher leveled. Right now It would be a waste of time to keep doing this, seeing as he wanted to leave the dungeon as soon as possible. Deciding to take a risk, he made a plan to take out the Redcap goblin. Getting down from the tree, he set out on a dangerous hunt.


    .


    .


    .


    Finding a group which consisted of 7 goblins now, 2 normal goblins, 2 archers and 3 fighters. It seems they had increased their numbers even more in a bid either defeat or delay him for the other groups to catch up. Unfortunately for them, their chances to do so had passed, as Adam was now a lot stronger and more experienced than before. Treating this battle as simply a way of baiting out his real objective, he attacked the group. Taking out the archers quickly with his superior speed, he then casually moved on to the normal ones, dealing with them in a single hit each. Treating the fighter goblins as a warm up, he calmly executed them both after a short fight, all without using a single skill. Done with the preliminary battle, he sat down to wait.


    .


    A few minutes after the battle, the sounds which Adam had become so accustomed to hearing started to sound off in the dense forest. Approaching footsteps growing louder by the second, announcing the presence of the hunters that were frantically rushing to capture him.Getting to his feet, Adam waited for just the right time. The instant he saw the Redcap burst through the vegetation, eagerly looking at him as it raced towards him, Adam took off into the woods, not utilizing any skills or using his full speed. Seeing his retreat, the Redcap roared in anger and gave chase,slowly catching up but unknowingly leaving all it''s comrades behind.


    After leading the Redcap on through the woods for a while, Adam stopped at a clearing in the forest. Turning to face the monster, he readied himself for a hard battle. Deciding to test himself on his progress, he resolved to fight solely by utilizing his stats, and no skills, at least for the time being. Once he was certain he couldn''t beat it without skills he would use them. But if he could, it would prove to be highly useful for gaining experience. Putting up his guard, he waited for the monster to make the first move.


    .


    The Redcap, seeing Adam no longer running, became instantly enraptured. Charging towards him, it was finally able to give it''s first attack. Getting within arms reach, it swiped a dangerous sharp claw swipe at his chest. Spotting this attack in time, Adam sidestepped to the opposite side of the attacks direction, twisting his body to dodge at just the right time. Or at least that''s what he meant to do. Instead what he got was deep claw marks in his chest, evidence of his stupidity in attempting such an advanced technique. In an instant this injury was healed however, leaving only a torn T- shirt to show that the attack actually happened.


    ''Sh*t,well that didn''t work. I gotta dodge with a much wider margin it seems. Next time I''ll counter.''


    Thinking this, he prepared to dodge another swipe, only to witness the monster jumping forward and throwing a punch of unbelievable speed. Unable to dodge again he could only cross his arms and brace himself , then felt a huge impact on his arms, breaking them and sending him flying. Hitting a tree, his momentum was stopped, and he fell down, coughing up some blood.Feeling dazed, he was able to come to his senses long enough to see another hit coming toward him, and rolled ungraciously out of the way, barely avoiding the hit in the process.


    '' This monster is simply relentless. It hits hard and fast, and it won''t stop attack till you''re dead.''Getting back on his feet and retreating from the elite goblin to a few feet away, Adam thought to himself.


    ''That fast attack was probably it''s [Charge] and [Power Bash] used together. *Sigh*, I didn''t think I would get combos used against me like this. This is gonna be one hard fight.''


    .


    .


    And one hard fight it was, mostly involving Adam rolling away to avoid the monsters combo attack, slowly but surely adapting to it''s techniques, and honing his own in the process. Learning how to move faster and control his body better, Adam slowly started to access the true potential of his stats. Using the Redcap as a teacher, albeit probably an unwilling one, He finally started to be able to move at his true capabilities. Little by little he started to catch up, and then eventually surpass the speed of the monster. Adapted now, Adam, with his superior speed, started to counter attack. He started out by returning attacks with light jabs in the flank and back to get accustomed, then next he started throwing hooks powered with [Strongarm], of which the goblin was initially being hit by as it wasn''t expected to be countered . Finally fully comfortable with countering ,Adam started to go on the full offensive, however, this goblin wasn''t an elite monster for nothing.Getting used to Adam''s tempo, it also started to anticipate and react to his attacks. This exchange would''ve continued for a while, with the honorable warrior and monster putting their life on the line to fight to the death, with the more skilled turning out victorious. If it was an honorable warrior that is.


    .


    .


    .


    Focusing solely on the fight and this amazing warrior in front of it, the Redcap didn''t notice the foot that was swung at the side of it''s knee until it was too late. Feeling a crack from it''s knee joint and a sudden weakness in one of it''s legs, the pain came a moment later, paralyzing it in it''s sheer intensity. Supporting itself on it''s good leg, the goblin was unable to move fast enough to move fast enough to dodge the fist which connected with it''s abdomen, almost piercing through it. Collapsing forward from the blow, it felt it''s head being grabbed and pulled forward. Looking down, it saw a knee coming towards it''s face at a high speed, before feeling a huge impact, and then everything went black.


    .


    .


    .


    Feeling pleased that his combo move of disable, weaken and stun combo had worked, Adam then carried on to finish off the Redcap, and finally put an end to the "epic battle", with him being victorious. And then...


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[ Exp. +200]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Bonus 10% Exp= 20 Exp.]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''Awesome.''


    Checking his Status page, it seemed he would need only 95 more Exp. to level up.


    Engrossed in inspecting his gains, Adam didn''t notice another presence until,


    "Fiiyaa Ball"


    Hearing a sound being made behind him, he turned around just in time to see a ball of fire headed straight for him. Self preservation instincts kicking in, He instantly dived to the ground, feeling a wave of heat pass over his head. Looking up again, he saw a figure standing right at the edge of the clearing he had fought the elite goblin. Glancing at the status screen above, what Adam saw was


    <table><tbody><tr><td>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[ Goblin Mage]</td></tr>


    <tr><td>Lv. 10


    Boss</td></tr></tbody></table>


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    "Oh f**k."

 Enter the Dungeon- the Conclusion

    "Oh fu*k."


    Looking at the creature standing at a distance away from him, this is what Adam said. Glancing at it''s Message box floating above it''s head, he had seen...


    <table><tbody><tr><td>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Goblin Mage]</td></tr>


    <tr><td>Lv. 10


    Boss</td></tr></tbody></table>


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    Using [ The Gamer''s Observation] he sought more information.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''8''>Goblin Mage(Goblin Chief)</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Lv :</td><td colspan=''4''> 10</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>Condition :</td><td colspan=''4''>Super Powered(Supported by Dungeon)</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>.</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>HP :</td><td colspan=''4''>600/600</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>SP:</td><td colspan=''4''>400/400</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''4''>MP :</td><td colspan=''4''>700/700</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>STR:</td><td colspan=''2''>30+10(40)</td><td colspan=''2''>AGI :</td><td colspan=''2''>17+10(27)</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>VIT:</td><td colspan=''2''>30+10(40)</td><td colspan=''2''>DEX :</td><td colspan=''2''>14+10(24)</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>INT:</td><td colspan=''2''>50+20(70)</td><td colspan=''2''>WIS :</td><td colspan=''2''>40+20(60)</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''2''>CHA:</td><td colspan=''2''>6+10(16)</td><td colspan=''2''>LUK :</td><td colspan=''2''>10+10(20)</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>Perks:</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>none</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''8''>Skills</td></tr>


    <tr><td colspan=''8''>Blessing of the Dungeon


    Blessing of the Goblin Totem


    Roar


    Charge


    Mana bolt


    Fire magic


    Mana shield</td></tr></tbody></table>


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[ Goblin Mage ]


    A rare variant of the goblin race, these monsters are known to be strong beings which have broken the shackles of Idiocy which limits them. Having both pen and sword in hand, they are not to be underestimated.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[ Goblin Chief ]


    Leader of the Goblin Village


    Grants +5 CHA.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Blessing of the Dungeon]


    As the protector of the crystal which supplies the dungeon, the Boss is in turn rewarded by support from the dungeon in executing it''s responsibilities. Extent of support depends on grade of dungeon.


    Grants +10 to all stats.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Blessing of the Goblin Totem]


    As the shaman who leads the worship of their God, they are rewarded for their faith and devotion by being blessed with great ability and leadership.


    Grants +10 INT, +10 WIS, +5 CHA .</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''With those INT values, if I get hit with his magic just once I''m dead.'' Adam thought, and he was right.


    Just like how Physical attacks depended on the STR value( 1 STR = 10 ATK) +Bonuses from any skill being used, MATK or Magic Attacks, depended on INT values ( 1 INT= 10 MATK ) + Bonuses from the magic being cast.Thus with Adams'' STR, as long as he could make a clean hit on a fatal area, he could one hit kill all the monsters in the dungeon.That was a fantasy though, as was proved by the fighter and elite goblins. Looking at the skills the boss had in it''s arsenal, Adam didn''t doubt for a second that A single fire ball or mana bolt would enough to kill him or at least put on the brink of death. And if that wasn''t enough...


    ''If that mana shield skill is what I think it is, then I''m in trouble.''


    Observing the skill, he saw...


    .


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Mana Shield]


    A magic spell which foiled many an assassination plan, this spell serves as a guardian of mages who would be otherwise killed by warriors in a few moments.


    Creates an omni-directional shield around the user. Endures a certain amount of damage before breaking.


    Endurance of mana shield = 25% of Max MP(fixed)


    Cost: 50 SP (- 1 per 4 levels)


    Cool-down of 3 seconds after first shield is broken.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Looking at these humongous stats,and that ridiculous skill, Adam almost fainted from jealousy. Who says not having Perks puts monsters at a disadvantage? Looking at the bonuses this monster had, it was even more than what his perks gave. The only advantage was these blessings seemed to mostly be for the leader, or at least, that''s what he''d seen so far. Looking at it''s CHA stat, he noticed it was quite high, higher than his in fact.


    '' Wait, isn''t charisma supposed to be a measure of one''s attractiveness? Does this mean that this goblin is more handsome than me ?'' Adam thought. Conjuring up images of this monster being surrounded by fan girls, shrieking in high pitched tones and fainting as it bares a smile at them.


    Shaking this horrific image out of his head, he looked at the system''s answer.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[CHA is a measure of the influence one has over an Individual or a group, thus it can also be a measure of one''s leadership abilities.]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''Ohhh, now that makes a lot more sense. Now I see why those goblins seemed to be using strategies to try and catch me.'' Understanding after the system''s explanation,Adam mentally nodded his head, the pieces falling together.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ''But how and why did the boss appear here though?, Did it hear me and the redcap fighting and come to help? Well I''ll never know, what I do know is that I need to concentrate.''


    Getting his head back into the issue at hand; mainly the matter of him about to get brutally killed if he doesn''t figure a way out of this,Adam did what he was best at, make a strategy on how to kill the boss . It seemed like the situation was bleak; however, thinking about it, this was the best chance he had to get out of here. Right now all the goblin villagers were not around, just him and the boss. Granted he had lost some HP and SP fighting the Redcap, but he would die from a single Magic attack anyways, and he still had quite a lot of SP remaining.Checking the 2 values, he found


    .


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[HP: 450/785]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[SP: 390/490]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    His health was almost down to half, but it wasn''t like it being full would make the situation any less dangerous. Seeing that he had almost 400 SP to use, he grew more confident. Standing up, his determined face showed his conviction in facing this foe to the death..Gauging the distance, Adam took off running, speeding towards the mage, the only way he could beat it would be to punch it into oblivion.


    .


    .


    .


    Seeing Adam running towards it, the goblin mage raised it''s lips into a semblance of a grin, possibly amused by the antics of the prey which it had finally caught. After chasing and searching for it for a whole day, sacrificing so many of the villages warriors and even the sole Elite goblin they had in the process, the prey had finally been caught. Not wanting to lose anymore villagers, the boss of the dungeon had personally come when it had received the news from it''s subordinates that the Intruder into the dungeon had been found, It raced off to deal with the problem personally. Getting there just in time to see it''s most competent subordinate defeated with dirty tricks, it had no qualms about retaliating in kind. Unfortunately, the attack seemed to have failed, however the boss didn''t mind. It was going to enjoy this fight.


    .


    .


    .


    (Back to Adam''s POV)


    Running towards the monster, Adam jumped to the side just in time as a bolt of energy flew past where he was standing just moments earlier. Not minding this he resumed running, only to find his opponent retreating,it''s AGI boosted by the dungeons blessing causing it to be on par with Adam''s. Continuing this chase for a while, occasionally dodging the mana bolt or two which came his way; staying cautious and learning to evade them better and better, slowly he drew closer, until they were separated by just a few feet of distance.


    Suddenly his speed increased, [Sprint]-ing the last few feet with as much speed as he could muster. Startled by the sudden change in speed, the playful goblin mage suddenly became serious . Casting a mana shield around itself, it raised it''s hand with scorn on it''s face, fire blooming from it''s fingertips and flaring into a ball which shot off towards Adam as a spell was cast.


    Seeing the fire ball come towards him, Adam stopped advancing and jumped back, widening the distance again as the mage also retreated ,barely leaving the fireball''s range as an ominous feeling swept through him. A short moment after this decision two mana bolts flew past on either side of the fire ball, having been cast just few moments after the fire ball spell.


    Feeling a cold shiver run down his spine, Adam knew he had just avoided death by following an instinct and not exploiting the opening in the mages attack, and thus ultimately falling for it''s trap and dooming himself.Now they were back to square one, with a big distance between them. Cautiously observing the goblin, Adam knew he was facing a foe just as cunning as he is. He would have to either tread carefully, or brute force his way to victory; and as it stood right now, he was leaning more towards the latter. Getting all this experience fighting mages, albeit one that was playing with him, Adam knew the best way a physical- oriented attacker could win was through overwhelming AGI to not only catch up to beat senseless these annoyingly relentless magic users, but also to perform evasive maneuvers to avoid getting hit by the magic.


    Right now, Adam had neither, so he had to use the former tactic, although it was a lot more dangerous. Slowly but surely losing SP, he would at some point be unable to dodge these attacks,which he somehow felt was the goal of the goblin looking at him like some kind of play toy.


    Growing angry at being treated like an object for amusement, Adam, now fed up, decided to end things. Preparing himself, with a crazy plan in mind, he looked at the boss and said..


    "You made me angry, you''re not gonna like me now that I''m angry."


    After saying this he began to run at a moderate pace, going towards his foe in a determined fashion. Waiting for the inevitable spell which was thrown his way again, he faced it on this time, upping his speed to the max and adding [Sprint] to the mix. Instantly accelerating abnormally, he sidestepped to the right, narrowly passing by and continuing to run instead of diving to the ground and waiting to be shot down there. Looking at the second spell following quickly on the firsts heels, Adam reinforced his legs with [Aura strike] as he bent his legs together, pushed hard from his heels, then jumped,focusing on only going up as his momentum carried him forward. He watched as the second attack flew under his bent feet, then landed and continued running safely behind it, [Sprint] still active and boosting him ever closer. Within a few feet of distance again , this time Adam did not relent, using his agility to just reach the edge of the fireball approaching him, spinning on his heel to avoid it, although it didn''t go perfectly.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[-100 HP]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    '' And that''s just for it brushing me as I dodged it.''


    Not thinking about it he faced the mage goblin again as It cast the second magic, stepping forward with [Aura Strike] reinforcing his foot, he stepped hard on the ground, shifting horizontally in the opposite direction from the powerful force of him kicking the ground. Once again the magic spell flew by him, and this time he didn''t give the mage a chance to repeat it''s actions. Stepping hard again on the ground, this time he flew out in the forward direction, [Strongarm] and [Aura strike] already loaded on his arm. Swinging his arm with his fist clenched with all his might, Adam yelled out...


    "H*lk Sm*shhhhh."


    Crashing into the translucent blue mana shield surrounding the mage in a sphere, a sound of something breaking was heard. With an effective ATK of 590 increased by 75% by skills, the mana shield was not able to block even a single blow.Breaking through the shield, the residual energy in the punch struck the boss of the dungeon, sending it flying.Lying on the ground, it didn''t seem to be disappearing and giving out loot, which showed that it was alive.


    Walking towards it to finish it off, Adam saw it twitch slightly, then lay still again. Getting a bad feeling, he stopped approaching, thinking it probably had some trick up it''s sleeve, being the cunning creature that it is. Deciding to finish it off from a distance, Adam finally took out the one weapon he had not used or even touched since he entered the dungeon, the gun.


    With only 2 bullets left in the gun, Adam had felt it simply a waste to use it to shoot a normal or rare monster. Fighting the Redcap, he had been able to cheat his way to victory and thus didn''t need it, and against the boss, the bullets would''ve been stopped with the mana shield. But now, with the shield gone, the gun could finally prove it''s use.


    Taking the gun out of storage and holding it in his right hand, Adam aimed it at the goblin mage and shot, hitting it right in the side of the head. Instantly a huge ball of fire burst out of the goblin mage''s hand, heading upwards extremely quickly. This final cheap trick angered Adam, and thus getting a bit closer, he shot the second and final bullet into It''s head, bursting it open and spilling brain over the forest bed. To further confirm the goblins death, Adam watched as it''s corpse disappeared, replaced by the normal loot as well as An old book and the head of the goblin mage.


    Taking all these into his status, Adam finally sat down to relax and catch his breath. Calming down a bit, he finally checked the new messages he''d gotten from the system.


    " Oh, my ,goodness, what the.... ?"

 The Way Home

    <table><tbody><tr><td>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Exp. +250]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[20% Bonus Exp. = 50 Exp.]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[ You have defeated the Boss of F- Dungeon]


    [Reward]


    Exp. + 1000</td></tr></tbody></table>


    .


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Level Up]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Level Up]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    .


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[For Reaching Level 10, you have unlocked the Legacy Perk: Legacy of the Spider]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Legacy of the Spider]


    The Spider that rose from mortality to ascend to ****** status relying only on it''s wits and trickery.


    It left 3 legacy''s for it''s descendants. These legacies can only be acquired when one has reached the appropriate strength.


    Lv. 10


    [The Trickster]


    The spider that would fool any and all, friend or foe, gaining the best advantages even when it seemed that it was the biggest loser.


    -Gains 100% Exp. to all skills which require Illusion or manipulation.


    - Gains 100% bonus effect to all skills which require Illusion or manipulation.


    -Grants +25 CHA and +25 LUK


    -Grants +25 INT and +25 WIS


    - Grants skill [Mimic].</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Mimic]( Active) [Lv. 1 0/10]


    A skill for tricksters, this is an essential skill necessary for practicing their craft.


    - Grants ability to imitate physical shapes with mana. Mastery grants skill [Perfect Mimicry]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[For Performing a specific action, You have gained Skill [Movement Technique]]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Movement Technique](Passive) [Lv. 1 Exp 0/10]


    Basic skill for performing evasive maneuvers, this skill sets the foundation for the development of specialized movement techniques.


    -Increases movement speed and evasiveness during combat by 50%( +1% per level)</td></tr></tbody></table>


    .


    .


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    "Holy sh*t." Seeing the messages from the system, Adam involuntarily said.


    The skill aside, Just the reward of the bonus stat points gave him 20 levels worth of stats. Then there was the bonus exp. Although he didn''t really use many manipulation skills, at least for now, it was still an amazing bonus.


    ''I should probably put it to use and not let it go to waste. Then there''s the new skill. With this it should help me be a close quarter''s combat type. But what''s this Legacy thing?''


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Legacy''s are perks passed down by the ****** to those they deem worthy to receive it. Most Legacies are split up, and can only be fully inherited by having the necessary strength. Once one has received the full legacy, they may choose to ****** or become the ****** of their benefactor.]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''More censored stuff. Seems Legacies are quite the powerful stuff to have,the bonus stats are way out of the league of normal perks. Too bad mine is a magic and trickery based one. I have no idea how to use a mage properly in games, much less now in real life. I''ll have to find some way to use my mana for close combat. It''s a larger value than SP after all, It should have some use. Now let''s see what this stuff is.''Adam said.


    Taking up the old book, he Observed it.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Skill book, teaches the skill [Mana Shield] ].</td></tr></tbody></table>


    " Whoaaaaa!" Super surprised, Adam exclaimed involuntarily.


    Holding up the book, he studied it well.


    ''How does it work?, do I just open it ?


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[ Do you want to learn the skill [Mana Skill ?]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Seeing the notification, Adam looked curiously at the message. Raising his hand, he pressed the ''Yes'' button.


    Looking in astonishment, Adam watched as the book started to disintegrate into particles and flying into his body. Suddenly, a flood of information seemed to be implanted into his head. Methods of circulating and releasing mana started being understood in his mind. After a while, the tide receded, and he felt his head clear up. Shaking his head to clear away the momentary dizziness, Adam checked his status, verifying it''s presence on his skill tab.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Mana Shield]


    A magic spell which foiled many an assassination plan, this spell serves as a guardian of mages who would be otherwise killed by warriors in a few moments.


    -Creates an omni-directional shield around the user. Endures a certain amount of damage before breaking.


    -Endurance of mana shield = 25% of Max MP(fixed)


    -Cost: 50 SP (- 1 per 4 levels)


    -Cool-down of 3 seconds after first shield is formed.(-0.025 sec per level)</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''This is awesome. Skills can be acquired with Books?, I better read some books and see if I can gain anything.'' Adam said.


    ''Ok then, let''s find this dungeon crystal and go home.''


    Confirming all his gains, Adam stood up, collected the loot, then set off to try to find a way out. Practicing casting mana shield as a way to make use of his MP and train the usable skill at the same time, Adam searched. Not knowing what he was looking for, and without any prompts from the system, not that he hadn''t asked it, it proved to be an exercise in futility, as the forest was simply too big for him to hope to find it.


    ''How the h*ll am I gonna find this thing? wait, I feel like I might''ve made a mistake. I asked the system the exact location of the crystal, but I should''ve asked something more general instead.''


    Thinking this, Adam then rephrased his question. He then asked.


    "Where is the dungeon crystal usually located in a dungeon."


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Dungeon crystals are usually found at the lowest floor of the dungeon, at it''s center.]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''Yup, that was the problem. I should ask general questions like this more often. Now, how do I find the center?''


    With no knowledge of forest navigation, Adam was still stuck. Even with the possible location of the dungeon crystal now known,he still had no way of getting to it as he was currently lost.


    ''Wait, I''m complicating things too much. If I wanna find the source, why don''t I just follow the breadcrumbs?'' Getting an Idea, Adam went back into hiding again, turning off mana shield to prevent any noises. Sneaking through the forest, his blue eyes wandered back and forth. Finally, he spotted what he was looking for. A group of goblins were wandering around, warily searching around, as if afraid some huge monster was going to pounce and devour them all, although that wouldn''t be too far from the truth.


    Stalking the group for a while, he slowly discovered the perimeter they were moving around. Not one to leave any easy exp. behind, Adam engaged them. With powerful skills in his arsenal, he employed them all in disposing off the group, no longer interested in combat training. Retracing their steps after killing them all quietly, He went deeper in the circle. After a while, he found another group, also patrolling. Using the same method as before, he entered even deeper, gradually getting used to signs of their presence and more capable of finding them, his experience also ticking up, albeit very very little, gaining only half of the usual for killing a goblin.After a while...Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[By performing a specific action, you have gained the skill [ Tracking] ]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[ Tracking ]( Passive)( Lv. 1 Exp. 0/10)


    Mostly used by hunters and dungeon explorers, this skill is a basic tool needed to find monsters or paths through dungeons.


    -Makes it easier to find trails and the tracks of monsters


    - Increases tracking ability by 50% ( +1 per 2 levels)</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[By performing a specific action, you have gained the skill[Sneak Attack] ]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Sneak Attack](Active)[Lv. 1 0/10]


    A skill mostly employed by thieves and trainee assassins, this skill is a basic one which helps in setting the foundation for killing in one strike.


    - Gives a boost to the next attack the user uses while hidden from the opponent.


    - Increases next attack by 25%(+1% per level)</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ''Well these seem quite useful.'' Adam thought, watching the skill immediately begin to gain experience as he continued to track the trail of the goblins and taking them out as quietly as possible. With the boss and the strongest minion dead, he didn''t fear anything as he got closer and closer to the center of the dungeon, a cold and focused gaze in his eyes as feet silently stalked through the forest, his stealth, movement technique and tracking skills increasing in level quickly, followed by his combat skills which he already had some proficiency in also increasing little by little. There was no other thought in his mind, only freedom, freedom from this hellish and almost fatal event.


    .


    .


    .


    After a few hours of this constant stalking and killing, he saw the messages informing him of skill level ups, a Level Up message, and a message he''d not seen before.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[For fulfilling certain conditions, you have gained the Title [Goblin Slayer] ]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Goblin Slayer]


    A merciless killer, this is an individual that has managed to switch the role of Monster to themselves. Destroying so many goblins with the single-minded intent of wiping them out, they are extremely feared by their prey, to the point some goblins become paralyzed when they see these hunters.


    -STR, AGI and VIT +5


    - Has a chance to cast [Fear] on any goblin in vicinity. Fear reduces the stat''s of goblin''s in vicinity by 25%. Lower probability to affect higher level enemies.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    "A title huh? I was wondering when that would show up." Adam said, no trace of emotion, his face devoid of all emotion.


    After mechanically killing so many monsters, he had watched that brief moment between it''s life and it disappearing into smoke. The pain and despair on their faces as death slowly laid it''s icy hand on them, the cries of grief and loss he heard from their comrades, as well as the fear on their faces as he had turned to them to continue the slaughter, he had slowly become numb to it all emotion, distancing himself from his actions in a bid to cope with these mixed feelings he''d have. Putting only the thought of going home in his mind, he forced himself to continue, knowing not doing this could lead to trouble if he was later ambushed because he left some roaming around due to pity or hesitation. Trusting [The Gamer''s Mind] to keep him focused and mentally healthy, he had thrown all morals aside for now, looking at it all as just a game, and continued to kill and kill, eventually leveling up, and gaining this title.


    ''They don''t really look like they give much benefits, so I won''t really focus on getting them for now. Now, I should be close to the center. Most of the monster''s I''ve face have been rare types, that must mean the mana here is a lot more concentrated to sustain them. I can go home soon.'' Adam thought.


    Carrying on, he continued to track and approach the center. Finally, after a few more engagements with monsters, he had reached the center. Passing through really dense vegetation and trees which were quite a bit bigger than what he''d seen when he''d first entered the dungeon, he came to a clearing.In it''s center, was a large crystal embedded in the center of a large tree, shining with a light blue radiance. With large roots piercing into the earth, faint blue lines pulsing occasionally could be seen on leading from the roots to the crystal. Looking quite holy, Adam however felt a very sinister aura from it.


    ''This must be the dungeon crystal. If I smash it I''ll finally be able to go home.'' Looking closely at the crystal, he Observed it to verify his suspicions.


    .


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Dungeon Crystal]


    HP: 20,000/20,000


    MP: ---/---</td></tr></tbody></table>


    .


    The core of a Dungeon, which steals the mana from the **** and supplies it to everything inside the dungeon. It has no attacking capabilities, and relies solely on the Boss of the dungeon to defend it.


    Destroying the crystal will lead to the dungeons collapse.


    .


    With a determined look on his face, Adam thought as he approached it . As he got closer and closer, he could feel a sort of panic and rejection from the crystal; It seemed to start flashing faster and faster, somehow calling for aid. Looking at all this unconcernedly, he came closer as he said..


    "If you''re looking for someone to help you, you''re not gonna find any. I killed most of the monsters in here, and the ones I didn''t manage to kill are only alive because they''re too far away. It''s just me and you here."


    Reaching the crystal and clenching his fist as he readied his combat skills, he spoke again.


    " Although, If I think about it, I should really thank you. Even though this dungeon tried to kill me with everything it''s got, it ended up helping me quite a lot. I''ve grown quite a bit in just this one day I''ve been here, and it''s not really something I could have gained just by staying in some park and swinging my fists. So, allow me to thank you for this unforgettable experience you''ve given me, and use the teachings I''ve learned in here against you. In this place, it''s eat or be eaten, and I''m the one who''s gonna have the last bite."


    Showing a sadistic smile; the first emotion he''d shown in hours, he threw back his hand, gathering every bit of strength he had, and punched with all his might.


    All his combat skills activated, his fist struck true with a fearsome might, crashing hard into the crystal with a loud noise. However, it seems that it was not enough, as only a few small cracks were seen, and the destruction that he had envisioned had not occurred. However, this seemed to excite him more, as the smile on his face deepened, craziness flashing through his eyes before coolness took over again.


    "Yeah, I didn''t think it would be that easy. However, what has been easy in this place? I''ve suffered for so long just for this moment, and I''m going to enjoy it. I''m gonna beat you until you break into f**king pieces you piece of sh*t."


    Continuing to ram his fists against the crystal, Adam spoke out these words. Appearing to have found an outlet, he unleashed all the pain and mental stress he''d suffered in this dungeon. Hitting it again and again, he used up over 80 % of his SP. Not caring, he stopped utilizing skills, and continued pounding on it, lost in the satisfaction of destroying his adversary that had trapped him in this hell, with almost certain chance of death had he not struggled with all his might, with his bare hands. Finally, he saw the cracks spread to the whole crystal, and the light weaken a lot. Gathering up the last of his SP, he activated his combat skills again for the last time, and striking at the crystal with all the strength he had fought with his life to gain, exhaustion flooding him. Appearing to have reached it''s limit, the crystal could not bear the powerful attack, and with a loud shattering noise, broke into pieces, releasing a wave of mana.


    Not expecting this, the surprised Adam was hit by this wave and blown back, landing on his back hard and losing some HP in the process. Not seeming to care however, the smile remained still on his fact, not sadistic this time, but peaceful, satisfied.


    " I... I did it." He muttered


    " I did it. I can go home. I can see my mum again. I can be free."


    Filled with so many emotions and somehow impossibly cool-headed, the young adult Adam was finally free of this nightmare.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Dungeon crystal has been destroyed, the dungeon will now collapse. All awakened will be teleported outside the dungeon in 10 seconds.]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Closing his eyes after seeing this message, Adam waited calmly with a peaceful expression on his face, as a light slowly enveloped him, and then, he vanished


    .


    .


    .


    Inside an alleyway, 8 o''clock in the evening.


    8 hours after Adam had mysteriously vanished inside the dungeon, causing the gang members chasing him to lose him and later leave, he appeared again. Seemingly popping into existence in the alley, he continued to lie down as his SP slowly recovered. As he looked into the night sky, which seemed so beautiful despite the lack of stars decorating it, Adam said..


    "I''m .... home."


    And so, the dungeon was cleared, and the ordeal passed.

 A Boys Determination.

    ''Where the hell is he ?He better have a good excuse for being this late or he is gonna be in for it when he gets home.''


    Pacing around the living room, Hannah thought to herself.


    After seeing him off in the morning for his mandatory three hours outside exercise, Hannah had gone off to work in her company, her post as a sales manager being quite demanding. After a hard day at work, she''d come home at 5, groceries in hand, fully expecting to see her son back in his cave, slumped in a chair with a controller in his hands; only to be informed by Emerald, her second daughter, that he had yet to return. Angry at first,she had begun planning his punishment. Sitting comfortably on the couch and contemplating if she should ground him for a while to teach him a lesson, and then wondered if that was his goal, growing angrier at the thought. She then proceeded to think of any other alternatives, muttering "he''s in so much trouble" as she did.


    Two hours later however,and still no sight from him, all thoughts of punishment had gone out of her mind, anxiety and guilt replacing it as she began to worry.All attempts to reach him had failed, and contacting his friends, little as they were, also proved futile. Getting up from the couch, she started to pace, checking the clock every five minutes and keeping her eyes on the door. Blaming herself for this mess, she wondered if something had happened to her only boy, and the carrier of her husbands legacy. With thoughts of these nature on her mind, she remembered the feeling of losing her husband to cancer, the grief and despair she''d gone through, and how helpless she had felt. As another hour and half passed,and the clock struck 8:30, her heart clenched at the thought of this happening again, only this time the dead one being her son, tears began to gather in her eyes. Blinking them away hastily, she convinced herself that wasn''t the case. Deciding to wait 30 more minutes, and then call the police , she sat down again, taking out her phone and keeping her eyes on the clock,old bittersweet memories of the family''s past going through her mind.


    .


    Hanna Akua Greene had experienced many joys and sorrows in her life. Growing up in Africa to loving, albeit financially insecure parents that had lost their assets and riches through schemes of "friends", she had grown up in wealth and later poverty, teaching her various life lessons in the process. She grew to value the sincere love and affection of her mother and father, a trait which unfortunately was not shared by her older siblings, that sought to take any advantage in a home that had lost the pleasures of life and was filled with hardship. Vowing to honor her parents, she pursued an education to better her life and her parents.


    .


    Growing up into a beautiful young lady, she had been confessed to multiple admirers, all of whom she had rejected, knowing their aim. She later on ended up falling in love with a certain suave and romantic foreign student in her university however, An African American by birth, Edward Greene was every bit the gentleman. Tall, smart and handsome with an exotic air, he was the talk of the whole faculty that he and Hannah were affiliated.


    Charmed by both her beauty and brains, Edward pursued her with dogged determination, the stories of their romance filled with enough drama to be worthy of a Spanish telenovella. Eventually they were married, and she moved to the states with her husband, in a different and foreign environment.


    Feeling out of place and unwelcome sometimes, she ignored this and instead found happiness in her loving husband and the beautiful children they had made together. Four girls and finally a boy, the last one a pleasant surprise to the couple that had decided to stop having children, she gave them ''Fie Din'' as their unofficial name to remind them of their ancestry, and Hannah was truly happy. And then, disaster struck.


    .


    Like a cruel, sadistic joke by fate, Hannah experienced loss after loss in the coming years. It started with her husbands health. Then first her mother, then her fathers death. Her husband, the pillar of support in her heart and home, soon followed, losing the battle to cancer. With the schemes of her siblings taking any inheritance of her parents away from her, and her husbands family basically alienating her, Hannah was left to her self. Alone and in a hostile world that sought to exploit her as much as possible, she found solace in her children, they gave her the strength to carry on, and fight against all odds. A sweet and kind woman to all in her youth, she had been tempered by all the hardships that life could throw at her, refusing to break, and had come out a woman of steel. She became the new pillar of support for the family, raising her children to value family above all else, and with all the death, sorrow and alienation by others they had witnessed, her children did. A family unbelievably united was born.


    .


    .


    While remembering these memories as time passed, Hannah continued to glance occasionally at the clock .At the fourteenth minute, she started to dial, getting ready to file a missing person report, calm and reasoning slowly vanishing from her mind and replaced with panic. Then, she heard something. Looking up from her phone, she saw the doorknob slowly turning, giving way as the door opened. And there, before her eyes, was her son, his clothes ripped and torn, with blood all over him. But he was alive, hurt but alive. With tears in her eyes, Hannah raced to her son, all facade of strictness and anger gone, grabbing him tight and never wanting to let go. Pulling him close to her chest , she whispered


    " You''re home."


    .


    .


    .


    ( Back to Adam''s POV)


    After being unceremoniously dumped into the alley which had being the entrance to the dungeon, Adam lay there for a while, recovering the SP he''d spent previously, and also trying his best to calm down and not be so excited. Finally picking himself up again, he noticed a few more messages from the system, but not in the mood to read them, turned to face the direction of his house, racing to reach home as soon as possible.


    Along the way, with no threat of death at every corner, and his mind no longer racing and filled only with survival, Adam started to think about all the actions he had performed in the alley, and in the dungeon.


    All the lives he''d taken, just for experience, and levels. Probably crippling a human being and almost killing another.


    ''Although he had been trying to kill me first.'' He thought.


    ''But why did I take him out like that? It''s like I instinctively thought of how to kill him rather than incapacitate him. And I did all that with no hesitation. I didn''t even feel anything later on, I''m not even feeling anything now. And what about those monster''s I killed? The were sapient to at least a small degree, seeing as they were so furious and sad when I killed their kin. And yes it was necessary to survive when they were hunting me, but when I was on my way to escape the dungeon, I didn''t need to kill them. But I still did it, cause I wanted the experience, like it was a game or something. I lied to myself in the beginning that It was to make sure I didn''t get swarmed, but if I was able to avoid that when I first entered the dungeon, then It''d be a piece of cake now. I did it, wanting to level up, and I don''t feel anything from that either.


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.Who...or rather what am I now? What has this game, this [Gamer''s Mind] skill turned me into?


    Can I even feel anything now? Love, Loneliness, Hate, Remorse. Will I be able to experience that? If I can''t , then can I even be called a human? Am I just going to become an emotionless murderer, slave to the game and hunting anything for experience? Will I hunt humans for experience?''


    As he fell deeper and deeper into this rabbit hole of self analysis and contemplation of the psychological effects of the [Gamer''s Mind] on him, Adam drew closer to his house.


    Stopping in front of the door, his hand on the doorknob, he hesitated. In the 24 hours that had passed in the dungeon, Adam had changed so drastically that he didn''t even recognize himself. Could he really just go back and pretend like nothing ever happened ? What was he going to do from now on? What would he tell his mother?The last one was especially important, as Adam thought of how mad his mum would be.


    All these thoughts went through his mind as he turned the knob, deciding to face his mum and get through the ordeal as quickly as possible.Opening the door as quietly as possible, he entered the house half-expecting to see his mother holding a huge cleaver, ready to lob his head off. Instead he saw something that shocked him to his core. His mother, the woman of steel was running towards him with no composure whatsoever, tears in her eyes. And then, still shocked, he was enveloped, her arms going around his waist tightly, seeming to cover him completely despite the 5 inch difference in their height, him at 6"2'' and hers at 5"7''.


    And then they were still, the night calm and silent, the only sound the quiet crying of his mother. Finally she spoke, saying a sentence all but brought Adam to tears if not for the skill preventing him from doing so.


    "You''re home." she whispered to him.


    And then Adam realized it, what he had been fighting for, why he would do anything to go home. Cripple a guy, wipe out a whole village just for a minuscule amount of experience. Just to get that strength, that ability to protect his family, he would do it with no remorse. Because his family was his everything, and he now understood just how true that was.


    As an awkward introvert with no people skills and no special talents, Adam had felt completely un-needed in his family. Always messing up, always disappointing, not as good as his sisters, he''d always felt it in the looks his peers and sister''s friend gave him, and accepted it as he grew older. Turning to games and fantasy books to escape this world, he turned away from society, having only a few friends throughout his whole school life. At first he was content, but slowly a sense of uselessness and self hatred rose up in him, threatening to swallow him whole. As these emotions grew bigger and bigger in his heart, his only help was in his family, who loved him unconditionally, but paradoxically it also made him hate himself more, seeing how perfect all his sisters were and how ... not he was, compared to them. And so this cycle continued, he becoming more and more withdrawn into games, not knowing his purpose.


    .


    But now, he knew. As he looked at his mother, a woman that seemed so little and weak, and yet, had fought for so long, he knew. His was the role of the protector; one that would bring happiness to them, make sure they smile all the time. And if any forces were to threaten them, the one that would cut them down mercilessly. The role of the pillar of the home had been on his mother''s shoulders for long enough, it would be his time to bear it soon, and he''d do it with pleasure.


    .


    With this decision made, Adam suddenly felt like some shackle on his mind had been broken, and his murky consciousness had suddenly become crystal clear, his eyes opened. Suddenly, a flood of notifications appeared.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Conditions have been met]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[User is undergoing awakening]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Awakening has successfully been completed]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[ Congratulations on becoming an awakened]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[You have awakened the skill ''Split Mind'']</td></tr></tbody></table>


    .


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[ Split Mind] Unique ability.[Passive](Lv.1)


    An ability awakened in very few, this inborn power gives one the ability to perform completely different actions, simultaneously .


    -Allows user to perform 2 different actions( + 1 per 10 levels)</td></tr></tbody></table>


    .


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[ Checking compatibility with classes...]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[ You have awakened the class "Jack of All Trades"]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[ Jack of All Trades has been absorbed into the game system]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[ Class has evolved]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[ You have awakened the class "Sage of All Trades"]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    .


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[ Sage of All Trades]


    A class that specializes in not being good in just one area, but all of them. Unlike the [ Jack of All Trades] class, this class gives the ability to not only learn the basics, but the advanced or even ultimate skill of any field.


    -Grants +1 to all stats per level


    -Grants +1 to STR, AGI,INT and WIS per level.


    - Grants compatibility to all magic and skills.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    .


    .


    .


    Looking at these messages, Adam was shocked again. If he hadn''t been an awakened, then what was the Game, and how did it work?


    Were there others like him, people that are part of the game?


    ''None of these are important right now'', he thought as he put these thoughts to the back of his head. Standing in the hallway with his mother, his conviction set, he looked down at her, love flowing through his heart and yet his mind cool as always. Lifting his arms, he wrapped them around her as well, whispering as well to her, a sentence and a silent promise.


    "I''m home."


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[ Welcome to the Abyss].</td></tr></tbody></table>


    .


    .


    .


    .


    End of the First Encounter

 A New Direction

    ~An alley, New York, Earth~


    Late in the afternoon, a few days after the dungeon incident.


    In the darkness of the shadows cast by the towering concrete jungle of the city, a vague silhouette can be seen moving at a superhuman speed, yet their steps silent as they casually seemed to jog through the alleyway.


    Arriving at a dead end of the alley the thugs Adam had fought, who seemed to have left it, had been using, the figure, vaguely feminine gracefully stopped at the spot where the entrance to the dungeon was previously. Looking around, her blue eyes seemed to shine, the upper part of her face that wasn''t covered by the half mask she wore expressionless and cool.


    With a nice fitting catsuit that seemed to be made of animal leathers that had been dyed black and a jacket with multiple pockets in them on her body, a utility belt strapped to her waist, her hands covered with what appeared to be modified motorcycle gloves with no finger covering and metal on the knuckles, and dark combat boots which seemed to fade in and out of the shadows, the figure seemed to be a nimble, close range fighter.


    Standing still, a weak presence of sharpness seemed to emanate from her as she closed her eyes, appearing to be contemplating something. Suddenly, a flash of murderous intent appeared in her eyes and then was quickly gone, as a knife with a fatally deadly double edge appeared in her hand and seemed to disappear again, a low whistling sound of the wind being cut at a high speed sounding out.


    With a boom and a flash of blue light, the knife was sent flying back, followed quickly by a flowing stream of blue fire which somehow seemed to be condensed and not dispersing as it streaked towards the female.


    With an annoyed expression on her face, the female figure jumped back from the attack right as it about to hit her with a sense of practiced ease. Landing on her feet, she studied the opponent hidden in the shadows closely as her hands slipped into her pockets, guarding against any sudden movements.


    Not seeing any abnormal movements, she took her hands out of her pockets while holding two dense balls of metal in each hand. 8 more balls floated up from her pockets, spreading out and gravitating around her. Then, flowing like mercury, the balls began to shift and change shape, condensing and sharpening into deadly knives floating around and two short swords in each hand.


    Her expression appearing to become colder and sharper, the presence of sharpness around her seemed to grow thicker and thicker, and then exploded as a wave of faint green-colored aura rushed out of her body, causing the air to scream again, this time even louder as wind started picking up, flowing around the area and causing her hair to flow with it.


    Drawn towards the blades in her hands, the aura surrounding her moved towards them and coated the weapons, giving the already dangerous looking weapon an even sharper look, a look fatal danger.


    .


    Seeing this change in her, the hidden foe seemed to stare in disbelief, before snapping out of it and going on guard as well, a thick shield of blazing blue fire appearing in front of them.


    .


    Seeing this , the female figure decided to go on the offensive, a strategy for victory already being formed in her mind, when suddenly a voice spoke out of the blue.


    "That''s enough."


    .


    The voice of an aged elder spoke these words. Turning slightly to the left towards the direction of the voice, the female figure saw a new figure approaching from behind her opponent in the shadows. Stepping into the light,the figure was revealed to be a middle-aged Asian man in blue traditional Chinese robes, with a Tai Chi sword sheathed in his hand, sporting quite the annoyed expression. His surroundings seemed to distort continuously, as waves of heat emanating from him.


    .


    ''He''s strong'' the female figure thought. Cautiously backing off from the new possible threat, she spoke.


    "Pardon the intrusion into this fight, but I thought it quite cumbersome to watch a pointless battle unfold over a misunderstanding."


    With an extremely intimidating air about him, he leisurely strolled towards her as he said with an arrogant smirk on his face, his expression saying he would brook no argument.


    " Why were you stalking me then?" She said with suspicion, her guard still up.


    "I''m afraid you''re mistaken, this is merely a coincidence.This is the territory of the Soul Flame Clan. My disciple and I came here to investigate after there was report of a dungeon being cleared in this area, thus disappearing. However,no one from our clan claimed the credit of subjugating it, thus we believe there might be a rogue awakened involved."


    The middle-aged man stated, as he came to stand a few meters away from the female figure; a trivial distance for powerful awakened such as them, but done nevertheless as a formality to show respect.


    "So then, what is your reason for being here, Madam Winter?"


    Looking toward the mysterious lady, who had now been identified, the man asked with a serious tone.


    Relaxing her guard and putting her weapons away, Madam Winter looked at the man square in the face, her expression frosty and unreadable again, as she answered with a tone that was cold enough to live up to her name.


    "That''s none of your business, but I just happened to be in the vicinity when I heard about the situation. There have been reports of a rogue awakened haphazardly clearing dungeons without permission from the Guild, so I thought about checking it out when I heard of this new incident. The Guild has issued a quest to capture the culprit and bring them in for questioning."


    Taking one last look at the man and the figure behind him, which seemed to be a young adult male with a pale, icy blue left eye, Madam Winter turned around and started walking back into the darkness, saying over her shoulder as she went deeper and deeper into the shadows which her skin blended in so well with.


    " Since this is your territory, I''ll leave the task of capturing to you. I''m on a break right now, and I don''t care what you do.Just make sure you don''t cause a disturbance or trouble me."


    Pausing for a second, she added


    "Or else."


    A flood of sharpness, killing and blood-lust seemed to gush out of Madam Winter and flood over, engulfing the middle-aged man and the teenager. Raising a shout, thee middle-aged man released his aura, a beautiful albeit deadly blue flame which spread out and covered both his and his disciple, who seemed positively petrified by this attack.


    Shaking his head at this disciples weak willpower and also grimacing at what was probably the Madam''s way of punishing him, he said to his frozen in shock disciple.


    " Do not mess with that woman. She... is very dangerous."


    Saying this with narrowed eyes,he looked at the location where Madam Winter was previously, noting that she had completely vanished with no clues, he then went to bring the disciple out his mind trap, all the time trying to forget the brief moment of fear he''d experienced as the wave him, his fear of death so powerful he''d involuntarily shook for a bit.


    Convinced to not mess with her himself, he left the alley way with his disciple in tow, a strange expression on his face, and a sword in his right hand.


    "Madam Winter huh?" he whispered under his breath as he left, a late afternoon sun casting a warm orange glow over the horizon, Illuminating the deserted alley for a brief moment.


    .


    .


    .


    ~Adam''s House.~


    "998,999,1000,1001....."


    .


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[STR +1 for exercising]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    "Well that took a while."


    Getting up from the ground and taking a break, a tired but satisfied Adam said.


    After the dungeon incident and his return home, the euphoria of coming home was short lived as he was subsequently questioned intensely by his mother, who had almost gotten a heart attack after seeing the bloodstains on his clothes. Not wanting to scare her even more and not knowing the consequences of revealing the existence of awakened, he decided to tell her half of the story.


    So he told her he was accosted and chased by some thugs, and had to hide out for a while.


    After making sure that he was ok, she then apologized to him. Feeling like it was her fault, she told him it was fine for him to stay inside if he wanted.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.Looking at her eyes that were still slightly reddish from crying, Adam felt a pang of guilt, and once again vowed to protect her and his sisters. Telling her he was fine and didn''t blame her, he then asked her for a pair of dumbbells so he could train in the house to get in shape, so he wouldn''t be pushed around again. Agreeing with him, Hannah even offered to pay for a gym membership for him, but he decided to wait and get some experience at home first before stepping in a gym.


    .


    .


    And so, after a few days of consistent push-ups,squats,sit-ups and other exercises, he had gained


    +8 STR


    +6 VIT


    +5 AGI


    +3 DEX


    The AGI was gained by sprinting around the house, much to the amusement of his mother and sister; And the DEX was gained by making use of his [Split Mind] skill to perform multiple tasks.


    Finally having gained over 20 stats in each, he''d unlocked the first perk for both of them.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[For having AGI over 20, you have gained the Perk [Fleet-foot]]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[For having DEX over 20, you have gained the Perk [Acrobat]]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    .


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Fleet-foot]</td></tr>


    <tr><td>Naturally gifted at running away from any and all forms of conflict, these talented ones are best known for their ability to quickly exit the scene at any sign of trouble


    -Grants +25 AGI


    -Grants +10 DEX


    -Grants skill [Dash Step]</td></tr>


    <tr><td>[Dash Step](Active)[Lv.1 Exp. 0/10]</td></tr>


    <tr><td>Basic movement skill, allows the user to cover short distances by increasing acceleration.


    - Grants 50% boost to speed for 1 second.(+1% per level)


    - Cost: 25 SP</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Acrobat]</td></tr>


    <tr><td>Masters of bodily control, these skilled individuals have the ability to expertly control each part of their body perfectly, and have incredible balance and stability.


    -Grants +25 DEX


    -Grants +10 LUK


    -Grants skill [Limber]</td></tr>


    <tr><td>[Limber](Active)[Lv.1 Exp. 0/10]</td></tr>


    <tr><td>A skill greatly utilized as a basic combat technique by thieves and assassins, it allows the user to perform sudden attacks from unexpected places.


    - Grants 50% increase in attack speed(+1% per level)


    -Cost 25 SP</td></tr></tbody></table>


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    .


    He had also borrowed a few textbooks from the family library, mainly medical books which used to belong to his older sister Elizabeth. Taking his time to go through various books over and over again, he gained


    .


    +4 INT and +2 WIS.


    He had also gained the Skill [Anatomy:Human] from constant reading of


    those huge books.


    .


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Anatomy:Human](Passive)[Lv.1 Exp. 0/10]


    A skill held by those that have extensively studied the human body in all it''s entirety. It can be used as both a tool for life or death, depending on who wields it.


    - Grants the ability to analyze the structure, capabilities and possible weaknesses of the target.


    - Higher skill levels increase accuracy of analysis.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    .


    With the addition of these new skills and stats, Adam could now be said to have reached a new level of strength.


    "Ok, I think I''ll raise my STR to 35, AGI to 25 and VIT to 30 before I start going to the gym. That way I don''t lose out on any possible growth that I could''ve achieved." He said while looking at his status.


    "But man, raising stats is getting hard already. I think the threshold I can reach in all physical and mental stats is around 50 before I have to start focusing on just leveling up to increase them. Any more than that, and I''ll be wasting time since I can just use stats points to increase them, time I could be using to increase my skill levels.I should probably also try and get some more stat enhancing skills." He reasoned.


    "Well,I''m done with working out for now. Time for magic and martial arts practice, then."


    After resting for a while to recover SP, he got up from the floor and sat down in the half-lotus position, his arms palm up and resting on his bent knees. Breathing in and out for a while, he then began to release little wisps of aquamarine colored gas from his fingers and palms, an intense look of focus on his face. Slowly, the gas seemed to twist, little by little, winding around itself in a slow whirlpool, growing thicker and more condensed as time passed. After a while the gas stopped appearing from his hands, and the whirlpool quickly began to collapse, then dissipated.


    Breathing in and out slowly again, he got up from the ground and headed towards his computer.Navigating to his internet browser, he clicked on a paused video he''d been watching the night before. Playing the video, he went stand in an area of the room that he''d cleared out, and then assumed the same stance that the person in the video was demonstrating. Copying the guys movements, he slowly learnt the basics of martial arts.


    After the dungeon incident, Adam had learnt to not put trust in any weapon apart from his fists. Deciding to train them to be deadly should he be found wanting for a weapon, he made sure to find time every day to get some [Unarmed Fighting Technique] experience and possibly learn some skills, the latter of which wasn''t working out so well.


    After trying unsuccessfully to mimic Bruce Lee''s famous one inch punch technique for hours, Adam came to the conclusion that it wasn''t possible to be copied, or at least not yet possible. It seems that specialized skills like killing techniques of various martial arts needed a base or foundation; the user of the technique must be extremely familiar with the principles of the technique before being able to actually use it. After these have been learned, then the user can now increase their proficiency with the killing technique.


    After coming to this conclusion, Adam therefore decided to start from the basics of the basics.Scouring the internet for all the useful information he could find, he slowly started the forms and stances of different martial arts, major and minor. Seeing the experience he was gaining for [Unarmed Fighting Technique] going up faster and faster, he knew he was on the right track.


    After the video of the man demonstrating the martial arts stances ended, Adam then took some time to understand them well, repeating the stances and attacks over and over. trying his best to ingrain them into his mind. He added to this training by cycling through [Aura Strike], [Strongarm], and finally [Sneak] and [Sneak Attack] together, raising their proficiency and getting used to using them along with his fighting techniques.[Split Mind] was coming in quite useful in this situation, and it was even gaining proficiency as well. Effectively, this was hitting three birds with one stone.


    After tiring himself out doing this, and running out of SP, he''d sit on the ground again, breathe for a while, then practice magic skills again. On and on this cycle went, as it slowly became an almost robotic repetition. Suddenly, a wave of nostalgia seemed to wash over Adam, as he fondly( and also with dread) remembered the days of a certain game that involved him dying much more than actually playing the game. He''d once trained for hours just learning to dodge random mob attacks and mastering how to avoid getting hit before finally attempting to challenge the bosses,whom he''d then die to anyways.But throughout all the deaths and frustration, he''d learnt a very valuable lesson.


    .


    Git Gud


    .


    These two simple words became a mantra that kept him going in the game, and now, he would use it in real life. He would constantly refine and improve his techniques and abilities, till he was a force to be reckoned with.He would git so gud that his enemies would be the ones facing the Nameless ****. Any threats that endangered his family would be dealt with as quickly as possible, with no suspense. That was the power that he wanted, and the power that he would seize with the power of The Gamer.


    Done with his latest magic skill training, Adam got up and prepared to go over his martial arts, when..


    "Kweeeekuuu,come downstairs, you have some visitors" His mum''s voice called from the hall.


    "Yeesss maa" Adam answered


    ''Great, must be maa''s old friends again. ~sigh~... let''s get this over with then I guess.''


    Thinking this, Adam stopped his training, wore some clean(ish) clothes, then stepped out of his room, a decently friendly expression on his face as he slowly descended the stairs.


    Reaching the bottom of the stairs, he saw two figures standing next to his mother, talking casually.


    Recognizing them, he involuntarily said.


    "What are you guys doing here?"