Chapter 5: Chapter 4: Powerful Ascension

The air around the dungeon was even more thicker now that one of the goblins have perished, both Zoey and the remaining goblins locked eyes.

Her expression was serious and focused, while the goblins were trembling uncontrollably, their grips on their weapons loose, as if it felt like they were carrying something heavy and unbearable.

‘They’re terrified…’ Zoey thought, her eyes lingering on their hands for a moment, before meeting their gaze again, a smirk on her face.

‘Why do I feel so excited?’ Zoey’s heart started to race, a low giggle escaping her lips ‘Is it because I’m overjoyed? Or is it because I enioy seeing them like this, all scared to even move a muscle.’

Zoey shook her head, slapping her cheek gently with her free hand to disperse her thoughts, a more calm and composed look appearing on her face.

‘Doesn’t matter now. What matters is killing these monsters infront of me!’ Zoey thought as she broke a sprint, dashing towards the monsters with renewed vigor.

The goblins shrieked in fright, before dropping their clubs and running away, trying to lose her by going deeper into the dungeon. Sweat formed on their bodies as all they could think of was escaping Zoey’s wrath and getting reinforcements on the later floors of the dungeon.

‘They’re running?’ Zoey thought, before an excited laugh left her mouth “Hahaha! How cute, but you’re not getting away from me!'”

Zoey yelled behind them, her voice reverberating across the walls and reaching their ears, making their skin crawl. She took a deep breath as she gathered the air in her lungs, her eyes closed as she started to focus.

‘[Heightened Senses], huh?’ Zoey thought, recalling her Talent name for a moment, trying to focus on her hearing.

She could hear the pounding of her, and the footsteps of the goblins on the ground, the way their chest contorted with every, shaky breath. Their wails vibrating off the walls, was everything she could comprehend clearly.

‘So that’s how I use it…I see…’ Zoey thought with a small grin, slowly opening her eyes. She decided that she had let the goblins run for long enough, ‘It’s time to pull up speed.’

“Huff, puff, huff…” Zoey’s breaths grew more hot as she began to increase the force of her footsteps, swinging her arms harder and running with all the strength and stamina her body could muster.

[ Stamina: 48%] A small window materialized beside her, showcasing her current stamina. It was rapidly decreasing as the seconds dragged on, making Zoey realize that she needed to reach the goblins before they could get away, thus, doubling her efforts.

“Haa!” Zoey yelled as she started to run faster, her body started to heat up as she began to sweat a little inside her jacket, but she couldn’t care in that moment, all she could think about was: ‘I gotta run faster, faster, faster!’

Zoey’s footsteps echoed behind the goblins, growing louder and louder with every second that passed. One of the goblins looked back in fright, seeing that Zoey was right behind them.

‘Got you!’ Zoey yelled inwardly, her expression full of amusement as she delivered a strong slash on their backs, cutting in a clean vertical motion that made sure to hit them all.

“Kyeh!” The goblins cried out in unison as they felt the knife cutting deep onto their backs. They fell to the ground, grunting in pain, while also panting tiredlessly to catch their breaths.

The goblins stared at Zoey with wide eyes as she loomed over them, a cruel smirk on her face as she started to catch her own breath. They started trembling even more in that moment, as they knew the end was in sight for them.

“You guys are incredibly nimble for goblins…heck, I almost could’ve lost you there.” Zoey said, her eyes glancing over at the small screen next to her.

[Stamina: 9%]

‘I need to rest for a while, my lungs are on fire.’ Zoey thought, before returning her gaze to them “But not without killing you first.” Her words sent a chill down the spines of the the goblins.

With quick movements, Zoey sliced the throat of one of the goblins, immediately beginning their end as they began to choke on their blood.

The sight was disgusting and horrific, but Zoey needed to do this, as it was the fastest way she could kill them without wasting too much stamina.

[You Have Killed A Goblin! +5% Exp!]

[Activating Talent: A Hundredfold Ascension]

[+500% Exp!]

‘Strange…Why am I not leveling up?’ Zoey pondered, she recalled from reading about Hunters that they have something called an [Exp] Bar.

The bar needed 100% Experience from killed monsters to make a Hunter level up, and once they do, they receive 3 Stat Points, that could be use to make themselves stronger.

Taking Zoey’s contemplation for a distraction, one of the less terrified goblins tried to get up and make a run for it, but Zoey could already feel the vibrations their body made as they pushed themselves off the ground, allowing her to react quickly.

Zoey stabbed the goblin in the chest, piercing their heart as she drove the knife deep into their chest.

The goblin coughed blood as blood pooled from their wound, before being pushed by Zoey and falling limp onto the ground, taking their last breath.

‘I have to finish them off before they can think of trying something like that again.’

Zoey turned her sights on the remaining goblins, before starting to slaughter them. Blood and cries of pain filled the air as Zoey got to work. after a while, Zoey sat on the ground, leaning against the wall of the cave as she rested.

Zoey watched as the bodies of the goblins immediately began to disintegrate in a shimmering light, before dissapearing completely, leaving not a trace behind.

Once the light vanished, Zoey’s face faltered, a flash of dissapointment flickering in her eyes.

‘Aww..no drop.’ Zoey thought, with a small sigh.

Upon defeating a monster, it would have a chance to drop a material, or a Core. These two items were valued by the Hunter community, as they could be sold for Money, or could be used to better themselves.

‘Oh wait, that’s right. I still have yet to see what my two Talents are about.’

Zoey took a deep breath, steeling her nerves. “Based on how I fought those monsters, I doubt it’s anything impressive.” She muttered to herself, before narrowing her eyes and visualizing the status window pop up infront of her.

‘I just need to concentrate a small bit of Mana infront of me using my eyes…then I’ll be able to see it.’ Zoey concentrated, her crimson eyes lighting up slighty as a small amount of Mana entered them.

[Status Window]

[Name: Zoey Monroe]

[Level: 1]

[Stats]

[Health: 46/100%]

[Mana: 99/100%]

[Stamina: 70/100%]

[Strength: 1] [Vitality: 5]

[Intelligence: 5] [Defense: 2]

[Talent(s): A Hundredfold Ascension(-), Heightened Senses (A+)]

[Skills: None]

[Inventory]

[Exp: 3000/ 100,000%]

“Cough! Cough!” Zoey suddenly chocked on her own spit in suprise as she gazed at her own stats, “Holy smokes these stats are garbage.” Zoey let out a small laugh at her predicament, clutching her face as she found the situation funny.

The average F-Rank Hunter starts with 10-20 Stats in everything, while a few exceptional people start at much higher levels due to the enormous Mana they absorbed from their parents while in the womb.

“If I had absorbed my parent’s Mana while I was still in the womb, I definetly would’ve been much stronger than I am currently.”

Zoey said to herself, her mind drifting to them for a moment before shaking her head at the thought. No, she wouldn’t go back there, not after how they treated her.

She turned her focus on her two Talents next, [A Hundredfold Ascension], and [Heightened Senses].

[A Hundredfold Ascension(-): Once belonging to the-@#$/@#$@*#@$…..]

‘What the….?’ Zoey’s eyes widened in shock and massive confusion as she read the description, the words all appeared as glitched text and strange symbols she had never seen before. Additionally, she couldn’t see the rank the skill was, deepening her confusion.

She couldn’t make out any words, but other than that, there were three effects of the Talent she could read, the rest of them were [Locked] for an unknown reason.

[Effect 1 – Boundless Growth:

Slaying enemies grants 100x the EXP, accelerating the Host’s evolution at an unprecedented rate. However, to balance this immense power, the Host requires 100x more EXP to level up. In return, each level-up rewards 100 Times More Stat Points, allowing for exponential growth beyond mortal limits.]

[Effect 2 – Infinite Bounty:

Loot from defeated enemies—whether Skill Books, Weapons, Armor, or Materials—is multiplied a hundredfold, ensuring an endless supply of resources. All acquired items are instantly transported to the Host’s [Inventory], eliminating the hassle of storage or collection.]

[Effect 3 – Power Conversion:

Anything can be transformed into strength. The Host can convert Items, Armor, Weapons, and Materials into raw EXP, fueling rapid progression or enhancing existing skills. Nothing goes to waste—every resource is a stepping stone to supremacy.]

[Locked]

[Locked]

‘….’ Zoey stared at the screen with a dumbfounded expression, before snapping out of her thoughts. A single word exited her mouth, trembling with excitement and something akin to fear.

“W…what?”

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