–5348!
The dwarf miner staggered back as its health bar dropped by nearly a fifth in one brutal strike.
"What the hell?"
Lucas curled his lips, irritation flashing across his face. He was far too used to instantly cutting down monsters with a single stroke, and this pitiful damage left him feeling disgusted.
"I have such a high attribute panel, such a powerful exclusive skill—Shadow Stealth combined with Serpent's Bite—and the result is just this?"
It wasn't that the dwarf miner's defense was impossibly strong. The real issue was that his Talent skill had been passively disabled.
Without the devastating 1000% bonus from his God-Slaying Blade Talent, Lucas didn't even have a 1% damage boost. His strikes landed with nothing more than base attack power and the modest 150% skill coefficient from Serpent's Bite. Even the lowest F-grade Talent would outclass this crippled state.
Of course, the situation wasn't hopeless. He hadn't yet marked the miner's weakness with the Delusion-Breaking Eye, nor had he triggered Shura Blood Rage to push himself into an explosive berserk state. That was why the numbers looked so pitiful.
Still, Lucas reflected grimly, if not for the sheer strength of his attribute panel and the raw attack value of the Pale Blade, he wouldn't even have scratched out that five thousand damage.
"Pathetic," he muttered.
As the battle engaged, Lucas naturally slipped out of Shadow Stealth, the invisibility effect dissipating around him.
Luckily, the miner wasn't retaliating. The Serpent's Bite had stunned it, leaving the stocky creature swaying on its feet, cartoonish stars spinning around its head.
Seeing this pitiful state, Lucas didn't hesitate. He casually raised his blade and slashed down once more.
–31864!
The second strike exploded with far greater force. The dwarf miner collapsed instantly, health completely emptied, dying in its stupor without even realizing what had hit it.
Lucas smirked. Now that is real damage output.
Shadow Stealth combined with Serpent's Bite? Useless garbage. He wouldn't even let a dog use those skills.
They couldn't compare to simply cleaving down his enemy with a clean, brutal swing of his blade.
One elaborate combo, flashy as a tiger's leap—yet the damage was barely half a scratch. Meanwhile, a straightforward cut with the Pale Blade ended lives outright.
"Sure enough, invisibility just isn't for me," Lucas sighed, shaking his head. "Even with Shadow Stealth, I'm better off being direct and reckless."
Unless a mission explicitly required sneaking, or unless he needed a tactical retreat, Shadow Stealth was practically pointless. It might serve as an escape tool—but in combat? It only slowed him down.
To stun an enemy with Serpent's Bite? He scoffed. It was faster, easier, and infinitely more satisfying to cut straight to the kill.
Why waste energy on complicated maneuvers when raw, overwhelming damage solved every problem?
This was the path of a berserker-style assassin: direct, unstoppable, and invincible.
If the target fell, the method didn't matter. Kill cleanly, and you were the strongest assassin alive.
"Well then," Lucas muttered, spinning his dagger between his fingers, "time to test some of the new skills."
With his mood adjusted, he pressed deeper into the mine.
---
Unlike the Level 20 dungeon Spider Cave, the dwarf mine wasn't shrouded in darkness. No torch was necessary here.
The dwarves had embedded strange luminous stones into the ceilings. The glow wasn't strong—soft, pale, and somewhat eerie—but it was enough to illuminate the tunnels. Lucas could clearly make out the jagged walls and winding pathways.
It was convenient. He didn't need to waste energy on lighting tricks. He simply followed the path he had scouted in advance, heading deeper into enemy territory.
---
Bang! Bang!
The metallic clang of picks striking stone echoed through the tunnel.
Soon Lucas stumbled upon another group of dwarf miners—not just one, but several, scattered along the tunnel walls. Each swung its pickaxe in rhythm, humming in their gruff voices as they chipped away at the ore.
The miner at the mine's entrance earlier had clearly been a guard, idly standing watch. These ones were actual workers, laboring at their craft.
The problem was obvious: they were a group. If he struck one, the entire cluster would be alerted.
This was the greatest challenge of solo dungeon crawling—monsters rarely came alone. They appeared in packs, forcing a fighter to face them all at once.
But Lucas only grinned. The idea of being surrounded thrilled him.
The more enemies, the more experience points. With his double-experience buff active, every swarm was an opportunity to rake in gains faster.
The only drawback was the map itself. The Level 40 dwarf mine was sprawling, full of forks and scattered monster placements. It wasn't well-suited for grinding hordes at once.
Still, he didn't mind. His true goal wasn't farming—it was reaching the deepest chamber.
The boss awaited there.
And Lucas wanted nothing more than to test his second-turn awakening skill—Shura Blood Rage— on a worthy opponent.
---
"Alright then," Lucas muttered, eyes gleaming, "let's test these new skills on you lot."
Instead of hiding in stealth, he charged forward openly, blade flashing.
"Night Blade Assault!"
His dagger blurred into two streaks of cold shadow. They struck the nearest dwarf miner before it could even lift its pick.
–62,000!
The poor creature's health was shredded instantly. It crumpled before its companions could react.
"Another nasty thief stealing our ore!" one miner bellowed in dwarvish.
Lucas didn't understand the words, but the tone was clear enough: they were furious.
Thief? He smirked. I may be an assassin, but I'm no pickpocket.
The remaining miners roared with rage, charging forward. Pickaxes gleamed in the dim stone light as they sought to crush his skull.
Lucas chuckled. "Bad tempers—just what I like from dwarves."
He moved first.
"Netherworld Assassination!"
His dagger pierced through one miner's chest. Dark mist erupted from the wound, consuming its body from the inside.
"Kiss of Death!"
He followed with a wide slash. A cross-shaped wound split across another dwarf, blood gushing out. The miner shrieked once, then collapsed lifelessly.
"Instant Shadow Strike!"
Another raised its pick, ready to smash down—but Lucas dissolved into darkness. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared behind it. His dagger drove into its waist, leaving the miner screaming before it toppled forward.
"Silent Killing!"
One miner opened its mouth to curse, but its voice caught in its throat. Clutching at its neck, it collapsed to its knees, choking silently until death took it.
"Serpent's Fang!"
Another miner staggered as its face flushed green. Poison coursed through its veins, and within seconds it convulsed and died on the spot.
"Blade of Severed Limbs!"
The final miner tried to rush him. But blood burst from its legs, spraying the floor. Its movements slowed to a crawl, like a crippled animal. It fell face-first into the dirt, dead before it hit the ground.
---
Silence fell.
Bodies of dwarves littered the tunnel floor, each cut down by a different skill.
Lucas straightened, dagger glinting faintly in the luminous stone light. His breathing was calm, his eyes bright.
The new skills were brutal, stylish, and devastating. Every strike had landed with flair. The damage output far surpassed the clumsy, old general skills he had once relied on.
They were mysterious, lethal, and incredibly cool.
Lucas couldn't help but smile. This is how an assassin should fight.
The test was complete. He was satisfied.
Now, only one thought remained: to face the dungeon's final boss.
Deep in the mine, past winding tunnels and scattered dwarves, the true challenge awaited.
And Lucas was ready to unleash Shura Blood Rage, his awakening talent, upon it.
The Pale Blade quivered in his grip as though thirsting for blood.
"Let's go," he whispered, striding forward into the darkness.
The real battle was about to begin.
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