Noir was ready to fight, gripping an ordinary sword. The Hound of the Abyss drew closer, but then, unexpectedly, it passed him by.
Noir turned around, his eyes widening as he saw the Hound of the Abyss sitting and closing its eyes in front of the large gate he had seen earlier.
"It didn't attack me?"
He stood there for a while, unmoving, but the Hound of the Abyss remained still. It seemed completely uninterested in him.
Noir let out a sigh of relief. Without hesitation, he walked away.
"I need to raise my level first," Noir muttered.
***
A monster without a proper level can die at any time. It was incredibly risky. That's why Noir needed to farm experience points first. He had to raise his level as soon as possible. He didn't know what would happen next. For all he knew, the Hound of the Abyss might come after him later.
There were many monsters on the ninth floor. They ranged from level 20 to 40. Of course, the best option among them were those around level 20. Still, even that was very dangerous, considering Noir was only level one.
As he walked, he frowned and glanced back toward the Hound of the Abyss once more. "There's something stronger than that thing here? Could this be a mistake?"
It felt strange, but upon further thought, it wasn't impossible. Monsters could evolve, and maybe their level reset back to one each time they evolved.
That was just an assumption Noir made himself. He wouldn't know for sure until he tried.
"Looks like I have no choice," he said.
He held the sword he had picked up earlier. In front of him were several level 20 goblins. They each held small wooden clubs in their right hands.
There were about twelve goblins. Not an easy fight, even if they were just goblins. Noir understood that he was merely a level one skeleton. The goblins were likely stronger than him.
"Alright, no choice then."
He took a stance and sprinted toward the goblin group. At first, they didn't react since he was also a monster, but the moment he began running—
All of them turned to him. Quickly, Noir threw one of the swords he had picked up. It flew fast, but one goblin managed to deflect it. However, Noir wasn't stupid in combat.
He channeled Mana into his legs and launched his body forward with all his strength. In just two seconds, he was already in front of that goblin.
"Got you!"
The goblin was caught off guard. It didn't have time to defend. Noir knew his attack wasn't strong—his STR was only 14. That wouldn't kill a level 20 goblin in one hit. He needed to aim well.
"Stab the neck."
Splurt!
Blood gushed from his slash. The goblin collapsed immediately, Noir's strike landing cleanly on its neck. It was an instant death. Every creature had an instant death point, usually the head—except for Skeletons or other undead.
Noir had taken down one of the twelve goblins. Seeing one of their own fall, the remaining goblins charged at him.
[LEVEL UP!]
[Name: Noir Valenhardt]
[Race: Normal Skeleton]
Level: 1 → 3
+6 Stat Points Acquired
Noir's body trembled slightly. He heard a sound like bones fusing and strengthening. A faint purple aura surrounded him briefly before fading. He blocked a goblin's incoming strike just in time.
"Ah… my movement's gotten faster."
[Health Point +50, Mana Point +15, Strength +4, Agility +4, Vitality +4 have been auto-distributed.]
"I gained... two levels at once?" Noir was surprised. "Does killing a monster far above my level really give that much of a boost?"
He didn't have time to think more. The remaining goblins attacked again, swinging their clubs at Noir's skull. Three at once.
Clang!
Noir blocked with his sword. His body was pushed down, but he held firm and forced the clubs upward. The three goblins staggered. Noir grinned, then performed a spinning slash, slashing their chests.
With increased speed, he spun again and cut off one goblin's leg. It fell, screaming in pain. Noir stabbed its heart. Another goblin down.
[EXP +80]
Noir turned to the next goblin. "You're next!"
Noir moved swiftly. He leaped, dodged a strike, and thrust his sword upward into a goblin's chin. His movements were impressively precise. No foolish openings. He was once a sword hero, after all—an expert in battle.
Craassh!
Blood sprayed, another goblin down.
[LEVEL UP!]
Level: 3 → 4
+3 Stat Points Acquired
The remaining goblins began to panic. They weren't intelligent, but instinct told them: this one is different. That realization brought relief to Noir. This was his golden opportunity—an enemy in panic is easier to defeat.
"If I can just hold out a bit longer…" Noir steadied his breath, even though he didn't technically breathe. He could feel something growing inside him—strength, instinct, and... a hunger for more power.
Three goblins attacked at once. Noir focused Mana into his legs and dashed behind one of them. He stabbed its back, spun around, and sliced the arm of another goblin. With a single strike, he took down yet another.
[EXP +80]
[EXP +80]
Two more gone.
Noir was hit from the side. A goblin took advantage of a brief opening. His bones cracked slightly, but he didn't feel it was life-threatening. He only lost a bit of HP.
[HP: 160/195]
Noir took his stance again, ready to fight. "Let's go... just a few left!"
He charged again. Now stronger, he no longer felt afraid. The level difference was still huge, but his experience as a sword hero was a priceless blessing. It was the only reason he had survived this long.
"Come at me, you green freaks!" Noir shouted.
***
After a fierce thirty-minute battle, Noir had defeated all the goblins. He now sat atop a pile of goblin corpses, staring at his status screen, smiling.
[LEVEL UP!]
Level: 4 → 6
+6 Stat Points Acquired
"Only level six… but the difference is massive."
Noir opened his status panel.
[Name: Noir Valenhardt]
[Race: Undead]
[Class: Normal Skeleton]
[Level: 6]
[HP: 90/245]
[MP: 30/80]
[STR (Strength): 24]
[AGI (Agility): 19]
[VIT (Vitality): 20]
[DEX (Dexterity): 16]
[LUK (Luck): 1]
[EXP: 45/200 (Next Level)]
"Still far from enough to fight the Hound of the Abyss…" he muttered. "But at least now, I can survive."
Noir looked around. There were plenty of monsters here. He could continue farming levels before deciding to face the Hound of the Abyss. But before doing that, he had something more urgent to consider.
"I need to decide where to allocate my bonus stat points."