Deep within the cavern network, the damp air grew thicker with the scent of copper and decay. Kai moved through the shadows like a ghost, his black cloak blending perfectly into the subterranean gloom. His SSS-Rank talent allowed him to bypass traps and track enemy movents long before they knew he was there.
A pack of three green-skinned monsters guarded a narrow junction ahead, chewing on raw cave rat bones.
[Entity: Forest Goblin]
> Rank: F-Rank (Level 2)
> HP: 60/60
> MP: 0/0
> Strength: 8
> Agility: 12
> Endurance: 6
> Weakness: Throat.
Kai tightened his grip on his obsidian hilt. With his effective Strength sitting at 15, he didn't need a complex strategy for basic F-Rank mobs. Speed and positioning were enough.
He surged out of the dark.
Before the first goblin could drop its bone, Kai's Abyssal Steel Shortsword cleaved horizontally. The refined black tal sliced effortlessly through its neck, killing it instantly.
The remaining two screeched in horror, raising their rusted clubs, but Kai was already spinning into their blind spots. A downward vertical hack split the skull of the second creature, while a swift, fluid backhand thrust pierced the heart of the third.
The trio collapsed into a silent heap within five seconds.
[System Notice]
> Gained 60 EXP.
[System Notice]
> Level Up!
> You have reached Level 2. All attributes increased by 2. Mana and HP fully restored.
A surge of warm, revitalizing vitality washed over Kai's muscles. The exhaustion of his frantic sprints vanished instantly, replaced by a profound sense of physical density. He held up his hand over the corpses.
*Extract all.*
Violet tendrils erupted from his palm, pulling three distinct gray orbs from the fresh carcasses.
[System Notice]
> Extraction successful.
> Acquired 6 Evolution Points (EP).
> Total EP: 9
>
Kai opened his updated status interface to check his growth.
INFINITE EVOLUTION SYSTEM
> Host: Kai Raven
> Level: 2 (10/200 EXP)
> Talent: Eye of the Primordial Sovereign (SSS-Rank)
> HP: 120/120
> MP: 12/12
> Strength: 12 ( 5 from Abyssal Steel Shortsword)
> Agility: 13
> Endurance: 11
> Evolution Points (EP): 9
His base attributes were climbing rapidly. An ordinary student would take weeks of grueling party training, expensive mana potions, and strict rest schedules to level up once inside a managed dungeon. Kai had achieved it alone in less than an hour, and his total combat power was already rivaling top B-Rank vanguards.
I have enough points to upgrade my armor or my boots, Kai thought, looking down at his standard-issue linen academy boots. Mobility was king in solo dungeon crawling. System, evolve my boots.
[System Notice]
> Expending 5 Evolution Points (EP)...
> Evolution process initiated...
The worn leather and linen fibers of his boots dissolved under a cloak of violet cosmic energy, knitting back together into an ultra-lightweight, midnight-blue leather. The soles were reinforced with a dampening material that completely eliminated the sound of his footsteps against the damp cavern stone.
[Item: Shadow-Tread Boots]
> Grade: Refined Leather (E-Rank)
> Durability: 100/100
> Attributes: 4 Agility when equipped.
> Evolution Available: Requires 25 EP and 1x Wind Elent Core to upgrade.
Kai took a step forward. He felt incredibly light, as if gravity had lost a portion of its grip on his body. With his Agility now pushed to an effective 17, his movents would appear as nothing more than a blur to the low-level monsters of this cave.
Suddenly, a resonant, low boom vibrated through the stone walls, followed by the distant scream of a female student.
Kai's eyes narrowed as his passive talent picked up massive spikes of thermal mana deep in the eastern tunnels. That was Leo's Fla Burst, but it was firing erratically, accompanied by the heavy, rhythmic thumping of sothing much larger than a standard goblin.
Silently, his footsteps muffled to absolute zero by his new boots, Kai lted back into the shadows and ran toward the commotion.
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