It was Friday night. The air in Zack's room felt still and heavy with expectation. Tomorrow was Saturday. On any other week, that would mean a chance to sleep in, to escape the pressures of his new life for a few hours.
But not this week.
Tomorrow, at 10:00 AM sharp, he had his official Hunter Rank-Up Examination for E-Rank. It was a test he knew he would pass, but the thought of standing in front of an Association examiner, of hiding his true power, made his stomach twist.
And then, immediately after, he was meeting Emily. She was taking him on his first-ever real dungeon dive. The "Kobold Mines," a D-Rank (Beginner) dungeon.
He looked at his Hunter Watch. His stats stared back at him, a jumble of uneven numbers.
Strength: 37.8
Agility: 38.3
Stamina: 37.9
Spirit: 36.7
Defense: 36.5
He was strong, yes. His 38.3 Agility made him faster than any E-Rank Hunter in the city. But was he strong enough?
Emily was a D-Rank (Mid). The dungeon was D-Rank (Beginner). This meant the monsters inside would be, at a minimum, D-Rank (Beginner). According to his System, the stat requirement for D-Rank was 50 points.
He, with his highest stat at 38.3, was going into a place where the weakest monsters would be significantly stronger than he was.
"I have to get stronger," he whispered to the empty room. "I have to."
His personal goal had been to hit 50.0 points before the dungeon. That felt like a safe number. Now, looking at the clock, he knew he had one last night to train. One last "grind" in his private dimension. He needed to get as close to 50.0 as he possibly could.
He locked his bedroom door, turned off the lights, and sat on the floor. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to clear his mind of the day's business. He was no longer Zack Cole, the company boss. He was the God-Eater.
He willed it, and the familiar, icy-cold sensation washed over him. The world dissolved. The scent of his room, the distant sound of city traffic, the very feeling of the carpet under him—it all vanished.
He opened his eyes. He was home.
The gray, endless void of the Parallel Dimension stretched out in every direction. The air was sterile, cold, and utterly silent.
[Welcome, Host. Current Stats:]
Strength: 37.8
Agility: 38.3
Stamina: 37.9
Spirit: 36.7
Defense: 36.5
[Host D-Rank (Beginner) Requirement: 50 points in ALL five attributes.]
The blue text hung in the air, a cold reminder of his goal. He was a long way off. He needed more than 10 points in every stat. He probably couldn't get all of that in one night. But he could try.
"I'm ready," he said, his voice the only sound in the emptiness.
He stood in the center of the void, his body relaxed but his mind sharp. He felt his 38.3 Agility, a coiled spring in his legs. He felt his 37.8 Strength, a dense core of power in his chest and arms. He was a weapon, and he was ready for the system to test him.
The air in front of him did not just shimmer this time. It seemed to tear. A large, dark patch appeared, and from it, the night's enemies began to step through.
Zack's eyes widened. This was not a simple wave of goblins. This was something new. This was a team.
[E-Rank (High) Assessment Wave Initiated.]
Eight figures stepped out of the portal and spread out, forming a perfect battle line.
In the front, two massive creatures lumbered forward. They were Orc Brutes. They stood over seven feet tall, with thick, green-gray skin that looked as tough as leather. They wore crude metal plates strapped to their chests and carried enormous, gnarled wooden clubs. They were Tanks. Their stats were probably all in the 30s, with a massive focus on Strength and Defense.
Behind them, four small, dark-skinned figures darted left and right, their movements quick and jerky. They were Goblin Stalkers. They were E-Rank (Mid) Rogues, and their short, wicked-looking daggers dripped with a faint, purple ooze. Poison. Their Agility was likely higher than his.
And in the very back, standing protected, were two creatures he'd never seen before: Kobold Shamans. They were dog-like humanoids, smaller than the goblins, but they held carved wooden staffs. Their eyes glowed with a faint, orange light. They were Mages.
Zack analyzed the threat in less than a second. Two tanks, four poison-rogues, and two mages. This was not a random wave; this was a balanced party designed to kill Hunters. The system was done testing him on simple monsters. It was testing him on tactics.
His eyes immediately locked on the two Kobold Shamans. They were the biggest problem. If they could cast spells—fireballs, slows, or even worse, heals—this fight would become impossible.
The Shamans began to chant, their staffs glowing.
Zack moved.
He didn't charge the tanks. He held up his left hand, his Healer hand. He poured every bit of his 36.7 Spirit stat into his one skill. "[Minor Soothe]!"
It was not a heal. It was a bomb.
An explosion of pure, blinding emerald light erupted from his palm. It was so bright it washed out the gray void, turning the entire world a brilliant green for one second.
The effect was instant. The four Goblin Stalkers shrieked, their sensitive eyes burning, and covered their faces. The two Kobold Shamans stopped chanting, their spells fizzling as they stumbled back, temporarily blinded.
But the two Orc Brutes did not stop. They roared, lowered their heads to protect their eyes, and charged blindly in his direction, swinging their giant clubs.
"They're not stopping!" Zack grunted.
He had no choice. He had to deal with the tanks first. He used his 38.3 Agility to become a blur. He zipped to the left, and a massive club smashed the ground where he had been standing. The impact sent a tremor through the floor.
He was now facing one of the Brutes. The other was still a few yards away. He had a moment.
"My turn."
He ducked under the Brute's clumsy, follow-up swing and drove his right fist—cloaked in the dark, swirling energy of the [God-Eater]—deep into the Orc's stomach.
THUD.
It was like punching a brick wall that was covered in rubber. His 37.8 Strength was high, but the Orc's Defense was higher. The monster grunted in pain, but it was not dead. It wasn't even close.
It roared in its face, a spray of hot, foul-smelling spit, and swung its club again.
Zack was already moving back, his mind racing. Too tough. I can't punch through its defense easily. I need to be smarter.
Then, from the corner of his eye, a shadow moved.
A Goblin Stalker, its eyes now adjusted, lunged from his blind spot. Its poisoned dagger flashed. Zack twisted, his 38.3 Agility just barely letting him avoid a fatal blow to the neck. But he wasn't fast enough. The dagger scraped along his forearm. It wasn't a deep cut, but it broke the skin.
Tss!
A sharp, stinging pain, far worse than the cut itself, shot up his arm. He felt a wave of dizziness, and his arm suddenly felt heavy.
Poison.
His 37.9 Stamina and 36.7 Spirit flared. His body's natural resistance kicked in, fighting the foreign toxin. The dizziness faded, but the stinging remained. The poison was slowing him down. His arm felt like lead.
"No!" he snarled.
The Orc Brute saw its chance. It charged, club raised high for a killing blow. At the same time, the second Goblin Stalker lunged at his back.
He was trapped.
At that moment, his training, his anger, and his ruthless nature took over. He was done being kind.
He did not dodge the Orc. He met its charge.
Just as the club began its downward swing, Zack ducked inside the Orc's guard, so close he was pressed against its chest. The club whistled harmlessly over his head.
The Goblin Stalker, aiming for his back, was now face-to-face with the Orc Brute it was trying to help. It couldn't stop its lunge.
Squelch.
The Stalker's dagger plunged deep into the Orc Brute's own stomach.
The Brute roared, a sound of pure agony and surprise. It forgot Zack completely and swatted the tiny goblin, sending the Stalker flying across the room where it lay in a broken heap.
Zack used the chaos. His dark-glowing [God-Eater] hand shot up and clamped onto the Orc's thick, corded neck. He didn't punch. He drained.
"Go to sleep!" he yelled, pouring his power into it.
The Orc's roar choked. Its massive body shuddered, its muscles locking up. The life faded from its eyes, and the seven-foot-tall monster collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.
[You have killed an E-Rank (Mid) Orc Brute. Strength Cube (Red) x3, Defense Cube (Red) x3 obtained.][You have killed an E-Rank (Mid) Goblin Stalker. Agility Cube (Red) x2, Stamina Cube (Red) x1 obtained.]
One Brute and one Stalker down. Six enemies left.
He turned, breathing heavily, his arm still stinging from the poison. The remaining four enemies had recovered.
The second Orc Brute was charging him. The three remaining Goblin Stalkers were spreading out, fanning around him to attack from all sides. And in the back, the two Kobold Shamans had started chanting again. This time, they weren't just chanting. One was pointing its staff at the charging Orc Brute, a faint green light covering its body.
It was healing it, making it tougher.
The other Shaman pointed its staff at Zack. A small, flickering ball of orange light appeared. A fireball.
This is the real test, Zack thought.
He had to end this, now.
He ignored the charging Brute. He ignored the circling Stalkers. He put all his faith in his 38.3 Agility and 36.5 Defense.
He ran.
He sprinted directly at the two Shamans.
"Raaaah!" the Orc Brute roared behind him, its heavy footsteps shaking the ground, trying to catch up. "Sss!" the Stalkers hissed, closing in from the sides. The fireball from the Shaman shot toward him.
Zack didn't slow down. He planted his foot and jumped, leaping clear over the low-flying fireball. He landed right in front of the two terrified Kobold Shamans.
They were Mages. They had no close-combat skills. They were frail.
Zack was ruthless.
His right hand, dark as night, grabbed the first Shaman by the face. It didn't even have time to scream. The [God-Eater] power turned its head to dust. [You have killed an E-Rank (High) Kobold Shaman. Spirit Cube (Red) x4 obtained.]
The second Shaman tried to swing its wooden staff like a club. Zack caught it, snapped the wood in his hand, and drove his other fist through the creature's chest. [You have killed an E-Rank (High) Kobold Shaman. Spirit Cube (Red) x4 obtained.]
The casters were dead. The healing was gone. The fireballs were gone.
Zack spun around, his chest heaving. The poison in his arm was making his head swim, but the adrenaline was stronger. Now, it was just him. Versus one very angry Orc Brute and three very fast Goblin Stalkers.
The Orc Brute was slow. The Stalkers were the immediate threat. They lunged at him as a team.
Zack stood his ground. He let them come. The first Stalker jumped at him, dagger first. Zack caught its wrist. His 37.8 Strength crushed the small goblin's bones. It shrieked. Zack didn't let go. He used the goblin. He swung the screaming, living goblin like a club, smashing it into the second Stalker. CRACK! The sound of their bones breaking echoed in the void. He threw them both aside. The third Stalker, seeing this, hesitated. It was a fatal mistake. Zack was on it in an instant, his dark-cloaked hand ending its life.
[You have killed an E-Rank (Mid) Goblin Stalker x3... Stamina Cube (Red) x3, Agility Cube (Red) x4 obtained.]
Now, only one monster remained. The last Orc Brute. It stood there, alone. Its healers were dead. Its friends were dead. It looked at Zack, and for the first time, Zack saw something new in a monster's eyes. Fear.
It turned to run.
"No," Zack said. He was the predator here. He chased it down. His 38.3 Agility was more than double the Brute's. He got in front of it and faced it.
This time, there were no tricks. No tactics. Just pure, focused rage. The Orc swung its club. Zack ducked under the swing, just as he had before. But this time, his target was different. He didn't punch its stomach. He drove his fist, glowing with dark power, into the Orc's knee. The joint shattered.
The Brute roared and fell. It was helpless. Zack stood over it. He was kind to his friends, but to his enemies, he was brutal. He ended its suffering with a single, powerful blow to the head.
[You have killed an E-Rank (Mid) Orc Brute. Strength Cube (Red) x3, Defense Cube (Red) x3 obtained.]
Silence. The dimension was empty again. Zack fell to one knee, his whole body shaking. His arm burned from the poison. The adrenaline faded, and exhaustion hit him like a physical blow. That fight had taken everything he had.
But he had won.
His vision swam as he looked at the ground. It was littered with red cubes. The rewards for a high-risk, high-difficulty fight were massive.
He crawled, picking them up one by one. 6 Strength cubes. 6 Agility cubes. 4 Stamina cubes. 8 Spirit cubes. 6 Defense cubes. Total: 30 cubes.
He held them in his hands, a massive pile of glowing red light. He smiled, his body aching. "Worth it."
He crushed them all at once. A wave of power, stronger than any he had ever felt, surged through him. It was not a gentle warmth. It was a hot, electric jolt. The poison in his veins was instantly burned away. The soreness in his muscles vanished. The exhaustion was replaced by a vibrating, thrumming energy.
He stood up, feeling new. He felt stronger.
[Stats Updated.]
Strength: 37.8 -> 38.4 (+0.6)
Agility: 38.3 -> 38.9 (+0.6)
Stamina: 37.9 -> 38.3 (+0.4)
Spirit: 36.7 -> 37.5 (+0.8)
Defense: 36.5 -> 37.1 (+0.6)
His stats were all clustered in the high 30s. He was stronger, but he still wasn't at 40.0. He was still a long way from his goal of 50.0. He needed more.
He looked up at the empty gray void. "I'm not done," he said, his voice hard. "Send me the next wave."
[E-Rank (High) Assessment Wave 2 Initiated.]
Zack planted his feet, his hands glowing with dark energy. He was ready for the final push.
[Reader's Note: Zack's Stats ]
(Grind: 1 E-Rank (High) Assessment Wave)
Rank: E (Beginner) / (System Rank: E (Beginner))Class: Healer / God-Eater (Mythical)
Strength: 38.4
Agility: 38.9
Stamina: 38.3
Spirit: 37.5
Defense: 37.1