Luke picked up the pace. There was no time for stealth anymore. Trying to sneak would be useless, all three enemies were in open view, and they'd see him regardless.

  "Hisss!" One of the lizard-creatures spotted him and let out a sharp cry, alerting the others.

  Luke aimed a knife and threw.

  He missed.

  "Shit!"

  The monsters charged.

  The first sprinted straight at him, tail sweeping low in a wide arc.

  Luke dodged by instinct, he’d seen that move before, back with the rat.

  The second kobold lunged from above, slamming into him and knocking him down.

  A punch landed against his ribs.

  Luke kicked back, forcing the creature away, and immediately stabbed it in the shoulder. Without stopping, he pulled another blade from his holster and threw it.

  The knife struck the creature's leg. The kobold screamed in pain.

  I missed!

  He had aimed for the face, but hit the thigh instead.

  No time to dwell on it.

  A heavy blow slammed into his back.

  The third kobold had struck him with its tail.

  Luke rolled, gasping for air, but one of the creatures barreled toward him like a bull and grabbed him.

  With both knives in hand, Luke began stabbing its back over and over, climbing the creature like a living wall, each strike carving into flesh.

  He reached the neck.

  The blade plunged in from the side.

  The kobold staggered back, coughing blood, one hand pressed against its throat.

  It collapsed to its knees.

  Luke rolled away.

  The kobold fell.

  [You have slain Cave Kobold – Lvl 2]

  The other two stared at him, snarling.

  One reached down, yanked the knife from its leg, and pointed it at Luke.

  "Peace?" The question came out reflexively,sarcastic.

  The kobold growled in reply and charged.

  The other began circling him, trying to flank.

  Luke kept backing up, dodging strikes. The one with the knife was even more dangerous now.

  He kicked it hard, sending it stumbling back, and ducked just in time to avoid another tail sweep.

  Then, he tossed the smoke bomb.

  The black sphere hit the ground and burst with a dry crack. A thick cloud of gray smoke spread outward, swallowing everything.

  The kobolds lost sight of him.

  That was all he needed.

  Luke lunged toward one of them, leaping onto its back with all his weight. They rolled across the ground and Luke was already moving.

  Knife in hand.

  Striking the neck.

  Fast. Repeated. Precise.

  Instinct took over.

  The area was vulnerable.

  His hand knew where to strike.

  Blood spurted.

  The kobold thrashed.

  Claws scraped at the ground, until the spasms stopped.

  [You have slain Cave Kobold – Lvl 2]

  *Your class [Assassin] has reached Level 1!*

  *Assassin has granted bonus attribute points: +2 Agility, +1 Strength, +1 Vitality, +1 Perception, +1 Free Point*

  I did it.

  Luke could hardly believe it, he’d narrowed the odds.

  Two down.

  One left.

  The smoke was starting to clear as he rose to his feet on the battlefield.

  Then... he felt it.

  A sharp pain, like a burning needle stabbing into his lower back.

  He staggered, twisting his body.

  The last kobold was there, breathing hard, bleeding, but furious.

  It held two knives.

  He picked up the one I threw!

  The monster spun, and Luke raised his arm to block.

  The blade sliced through his skin like paper.

  Before he could react— a tail slammed into his ribs. Luke hit the ground hard.

  And then... the kobold struck without mercy.

  It leapt onto him and drove a knife straight into his gut.

  Pain exploded.

  Luke screamed, grabbing the creature. With sheer effort, he twisted, shoving the monster off... and stabbed his own blade into its back.

  He kicked the kobold away and rolled back, gasping, bleeding, barely on his feet.

  "Hisss!" The creature growled and charged again.

  Luke was in a panic.

  Blood poured out hot. He had been stabbed.

  He could barely breathe.

  Desperate, he pulled knives from his holster,one after another, and threw.

  [Mana: 60/70 -> 55

  -> 50

  -> 45

  -> 40

  -> 35

  -> 30

  -> 25

  -> 20

  -> 15

  -> 10

  -> 5

  -> 0]

  The knives flew, slamming into the kobold’s shoulder, chest, neck.

  But it didn’t stop.

  It kept running.

  Kept shrieking.

  Luke dragged himself backward.

  No mana.

  No strength.

  The kobold leapt.

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  And in the middle of its jump, Luke kicked.

  The blade on the ground flipped up into the air.

  He caught it and drove it into the creature’s neck with all the fury he had left.

  The kobold still grabbed him, its blood spilling onto Luke’s chest.

  But its grip weakened.

  Luke pushed the knife deeper, groaning in agony.

  The monster went limp.

  And they collapsed, together.

  [You have slain Cave Kobold – Lvl 3]

  Luke could barely breathe.

  "Shit… I’ve been stabbed… this is it. I’m gonna bleed out..."

  Heat pulsed around him, the pain burning bright.

  His vision started to fade.

  [You have reached Level 1! Human (Rank F)]

  **Race Level Up Bonus Stats: +1 Strength, +1 Agility, +1 Endurance, +1 Vitality, +1 Perception, +1 Intelligence, +1 Free Point**

  Something changed.

  A different kind of warmth spread through his body, not feverish, but renewing.

  The pain vanished.

  Luke’s eyes widened.

  His breathing steadied.

  He touched his abdomen, where the knife had pierced him, There was nothing.

  The wound was gone.

  I heal when my race level increases?

  [You have acquired a Race Skill]

  He slowly got to his feet, stunned, and looked around.

  Silence.

  The bodies were still. There were no more enemies.

  Luke ran his hand over his body. No cuts, no bruises, no hole in his stomach. Everything was gone. More than that, his HP, his mana, even his stamina were fully restored. He felt fresh, as if that brutal fight had never happened.

  Luke tapped on the new skill.

  A description popped up in front of him:

  [Identify (Common)]: Allows you to analyze objects, equipment, and creatures to reveal basic information. The higher the skill level, the more detailed the analysis becomes.

  Wasting no time, he sprinted toward the gazebo.

  The structure was simple, a circular stone shelter with a wooden table and a single chair. Everything was coated in dust and age. On the table lay an old leather pouch.

  "The key has to be here..."

  Luke opened the pouch in a hurry.

  As he shook it, a piece of paper slipped out, but he ignored it at first, his eyes locked on the contents. Something dropped onto the wood with a dull thud. A flicker of hope lit in his chest.

  But when he looked...

  Just a stone.

  Then another.

  The pouch was full of them.

  "...Seriously?"

  He frowned, disappointed.

  "Maybe the previous owner used these to throw at monsters..."

  And that’s when his mind caught something he had missed.

  "A pouch..."

  Luke froze.

  An actual bag.

  "So... where’s the owner?"

  He looked around.

  Only the kobold corpses. No other signs of human presence.

  Could monsters carry gear like this? Or...

  Maybe they weren’t the owners.

  He turned back to the paper he had ignored.

  Now, more alert, he picked it up.

  His hands froze the moment he saw what was written, and worse...

  It was in his language.

  “God have mercy on me. I’m trapped in this place with no way out.”

  Luke swallowed hard.

  "Other people were here..."

  His gaze slowly drifted back toward the tunnel and the waterfall. Was the leap the only entrance? The note didn’t clarify.

  Maybe it referred only to this dungeon floor.

  Maybe it spoke of the entire world down here.

  At that moment, Luke realized it didn’t matter.

  If someone else had been here...

  If someone left this message...

  That meant they never found the key and never activated the portal, and that thought burrowed into him, a slow, cold pressure of dread.

  ***

  Luke moved through the shadows of the underground forest, circling around the field toward the second lit area. Along the way, he encountered more enemies, rats and kobolds scattered throughout the terrain. But something inside him was changing: the fear, the hesitation to kill.

  Fading.

  Maybe it was the growing urgency or maybe... he was just getting good at this.

  Finally, he saw it.

  A massive double stone door stood before him, sealed, with two torches lighting its face. In front of it stood two armed kobolds, motionless.

  "Guards?"

  It made sense.

  This was probably the official entrance to the floor, the path taken by challengers who came the normal way, descending the dungeon's steps.

  Luke approached cautiously.

  But something in the air felt wrong.

  Heavy.

  A bad feeling.

  The kobolds spotted him.

  "Hisss!"

  Both charged.

  One slid low across the ground like a crawling predator.

  Luke threw a knife, missed.

  The creature closed in and swung a fist.

  Luke dodged, then drove both knives into its side.

  The second kobold came from behind.

  Tail sweeping.

  Spinning.

  Luke ducked.

  WHACK!

  The tail hit the first kobold, sending it flying.

  Seizing the opening, Luke stabbed the second one in the gut.

  Not going for the neck, which it instinctively protected, but driving the blade upward with repeated, brutal strikes until the throat was exposed.

  The final thrust ended it.

  [You have slain Cave Kobold – Lvl 2]

  The other kobold was already up, lunging.

  Luke slashed its leg.

  It stumbled back.

  He threw two more knives, missed again.

  But he didn’t stop.

  He ran.

  Jumped.

  Tackled the kobold mid-movement.

  Came down hard, driving the blade in deep.

  Thick flesh resisted, he forced it through.

  [You have slain Cave Kobold – Lvl 3]

  **Your class [Assassin] has reached Level 2! (Class Bonus Points Acquired)**

  [You have learned a Class Skill]

  Luke rose to his feet, shaking.

  His legs felt weak. The weight of recent violence pressed against his thoughts. He looked at the scratch on his arm.

  "So... class level ups don’t heal."

  His HP, mana, and stamina... unchanged.

  "Looks like only race levels do that."

  He scanned the area.

  No sounds.

  No movement.

  He exhaled.

  Then opened the system screen and read the new skill description.

  [Knife Throwing (Common)]: A true assassin never wastes an attack. Grants proficiency in throwing knives and light projectiles, making ranged strikes feel natural and deadly.

  Luke’s eyes widened.

  Knowledge crashed into him like an unstoppable wave.

  Now he knew. How to grip the blade with precision. How to adjust the angle, the spin, the force. How to compensate for wind—even in a closed space. How to calculate rotation, impact point, trajectory.

  It felt like he’d spent years training with throwing weapons.

  Luke drew a knife from his holster.

  His gaze locked onto a nearby tree.

  The moment he chose his target, his body moved.

  The arm snapped forward. The knife spun.

  He didn’t think. Didn’t need to calculate anything. His brain had already done all the math the instant he took aim.

  The blade cut the air clean.

  Tac.

  It landed, dead center in the trunk.

  Perfect.

  Luke stared at his hand, surprised.

  Only one word came to mind.

  “Impressive.”

  It was like the skill had fine-tuned everything, his aim, his reflexes, even the way he pulled knives from the holster. Each draw was smooth, fluid, instinctive. But he couldn’t afford distraction. His goal stood ahead: the massive double stone doors.

  Luke approached and pushed.

  Nothing.

  He shoved again, this time with his whole weight.

  The towering slabs didn’t budge. Mocking him with their stillness.

  Then... a system window appeared in front of his eyes:

  [Notice]: This is the final floor of the Dungeon and houses the Forgotten Temple. These doors can only be opened from the inside if you possess the Statue Key, currently guarded by a Boss.

  Luke froze.

  His mind trying to process every word.

  Boss?

  The note.

  The bag.

  The silence.

  It all made sense now.

  He stared at the door and looked around. The air here was sacred, too still.

  “Don’t tell me... I have to defeat a boss to get out of here…”

  The words slipped out, drowned in rising panic.

  Because suddenly— everything clicked.

  The abandoned pouch at the gazebo.

  The desperate note.

  The inactive portal.

  The sealed door.

  No one had ever completed this challenge.

  Luke felt the weight of truth settle over him.

  The statue hadn’t lied.

  Death was waiting.

  ***

  Elsewhere, in the depths of darkness, a breath echoed, slow and ancient. Something was waking. From the center of that abyss, two eyes opened, and a voice followed, deep as the stone itself.

  “Who dares disturb my sleep?”

  The creature focused, and then images of the floor flooded its mind, flashes of the subterranean forest, dense trees, the faint pulsing glow of purple crystals lining the cavern’s edge. It swept across the terrain with its mind, like a spirit spreading through the ground, its awareness drifting, scanning every inch of the forgotten floor, until it stopped.

  There.

  By the sealed gate stood a human, young, breathing, alive, standing there, staring at the door as if waiting for it to open on its own.

  “Well...”

  A smile touched the lips of the being in the dark.

  “It seems the System has delivered me a new visitor.”

  The words echoed softly, like muffled thunder.

  “Let’s see if this human is worthy of facing my challenge... and earning my attention.”

  There was something in the voice.

  Excitement.

  Expectation.

  Because in all these years, no one had ever awakened it.

  “I see… an assassin,” the being whispered, a grin curling across its face.

  Eager to see how the human would handle what was coming next.