After getting a new job from Kim Ji-soo, I started finishing my work faster and going home to get enough rest for better efficiency. I didn't want to admit it, but I slept better than I had in a long time. Now, I had hope, something I needed the most.
I woke up with a lot of energy, though my expression remained drained. I had a little extra time until the promised time, so I went ahead and took a bath.
I wore my damaged leather armor and picked up my backpack, which I relied on for my dear life. Then, I went outside the room. The ground was still wet from yesterday's rain, which gave the air a sensational feeling.
I asked for a taxi to reach the meeting point as planned. I also researched a little about the dungeon I was heading towards, just as I usually do.
After I arrived, I looked around for a while. It was a normal dungeon site, with little to no ordinary people around it. I could see some people who had armor and weapons in their possession, talking with each other in a friendly manner. I thought they might be my team, so I walked toward them.
"Hello, is this Leo's group? I hope I'm not interrupting," I asked with a professional smile.
One of the guys noticed me, turned around, and said, "Yes, I'm Leo, this party's leader. You must be the porter we requested. It's great to meet you."
He seemed to be just a little older than me. Based on what he was wielding, he was a swordsman. And his clothing, though not the best, was up to standard, which implied his experience in dungeon cleaning sessions.
Beside him, there was another person sitting, and as soon as Leo stopped, one of them said, "Hi there! I'm Vino, the team's archer. We're glad to have you in the team."
"It's nice to meet you as well," I said.
"We're just waiting for our last member. In the meantime, let me walk you through our battle strategy," said Leo with a professional tone.
"Sounds good,."
Knowing about the plan was a pleasant thing, especially after my previous dungeon session. In that session, I was mostly sure about the team dying inside the dungeon, based on what I had seen from the monster… but that wasn't the problem.
I put the extra thinking aside and listened to the leader's talk. The strategy wasn't anything more than a normal cleaning routine, but still, it was nice to hear it before going into action.
Jung-hue, the last member of the team, who was also an assassin, joined us, and we got ready to enter the dungeon.
The guard opened the portal to the inside, and we faced nothing beside the usual gate, yet it was as terrifying as ever. One by one, we entered the dungeon, with the hope of finishing our job without any issues.
Inside the dungeon, the crystals above us were emitting their usual light and showing us the different paths ahead of us. Each was barely visible.
[ Dungeon Mission
=—————=
> Objective: Defeat the Boss Monster.
• Time Limit: 51 Days, 23 Hours, 59 Minutes. ]
This was an E-rank dungeon, specialized for novice awakeners to level up their skills. This wasn't my first time dealing with an E-rank dungeon, since after I awakened, I also spent my time in such places.
"So, as planned, we are just here to kill at least twenty goblins without defeating the boss monster. Stick together and protect each other," said Leo while walking ahead.
By simply looking at Leo's face, I could tell he was full of stress but was hiding it so his teammates wouldn't notice. This was a brave and clever thing to do; after all, the teammates' lives were the leader's responsibility, and by showing a reliable side, members could trust a leader.
Even though I was experienced, this didn't mean I could go and clean this dungeon by myself, since I lacked [Skill], so I stayed sharp for any unexpected danger.
The walls of the dungeon were narrower and also greener in terms of herbs and color. With each step, I could sense the uneven ground, which wasn't out of the ordinary.
This calm walking session stayed the same until we met our first group of goblins.
"Ger-!" Everyone went into formation as we came face to face with a pack of five goblins ahead of us. The goblins had green skin and were low in height. They were carrying elementary level weapons, such as stone hatchets or flimsy spears... but of course, they mustn't be taken lightly.
"Vino, start attacking!" ordered Leo from the front.
Vino pulled out her bow and equipped it with an arrow. She then pulled the bowstring and let the arrow fly at high speed. The arrow hit one of the goblins ahead, but it was too shallow, so it did not immobilize it.
Leo and Jung-hue, who were preparing all along, started marching toward the goblins with a lot of confidence.
I stayed at the very back and just watched, since this was also a part of my job as a porter... until I saw something very odd.
Leo used one of his sword skills, which left a strong impression in my mind. The sword was elegant and profound—something I had never seen before, despite seeing many others using the same skill. It was as if he was deliberately using it with elegance... no, I was seeing it with more depth.
Those slight movements of his hand and the sharp blade of the sword were something I had never noticed before... or should I say, never seen before.
My heart pounded, and shivers ran down my spine... but it wasn't from fear, but excitement. This was the first time I had sensed such a feeling, and it was amazing.
By observing, I noticed something, and my whole body was telling me on and on... to use it. I unnaturally moved ahead and took out my old knife. I was getting closer to the goblins, but I couldn't stop, no matter how insane it seemed.
I could not understand the origin of what Leo was using, but by observing, I could understand the concept. I couldn't explain it, and I was sure no one else could, but somehow, I was confident it could work.
With my right hand, I moved the knife just like how I understood... with delicacy and feeling... and then, it happened.
Swoosh-! A movement, the speed was unlikely to be generated by a mere body. The blade moved through the goblin's skull and came out without a lot of friction.
[ Skill "Swift Slash ⌜1⌟" Acquired ]
[ Swift Slash ⌜1⌟
Rank: E-
=—————=
Increase the weapon's blade speed by 30%.
• Active Duration: 0.5 Second
• Mana Consumption: 5 Points
• Cooldown: 15 Minutes ]
... a new window appeared in front of me, explaining a completely new skill that I didn't have. My mind turned blank after I saw what shouldn't be possible... until,
"Ethan, fall back, now!" Leo shouted with urgency
I quickly noticed my situation and ran to the very back. I was confused and didn't know what was happening to me.
'I acquired a sword skill?' was the only thing inside my mind.
When a person awakens, they would get a class title and a skill that was under their class skill tree. After a newly awakened used their first skill, they could increase its level, and based on how and how many times that skill leveled up, they could acquire a new skill.
Under very special circumstances, a person could get another class's skill in their awakening, but this was rare to the point of sending anyone who got it into the news and promising them a bright future.
My first skill was [Dimensional Shift], which was maxed level by default, so I thought I couldn't get any other skill, which I had no problem with... but everything changed after I got another class's skill, not by leveling up my skills, but by understanding.
I was undergoing a deep thought process... until it clicked.
[ Advanced Learner
Rank: Ex
=—————=
User can Learn new Abilities. ]
By simply thinking, the window of [Advanced Learner] appeared in front of me. The description implied that I could learn new abilities, which made everything far more understandable.
I didn't have any idea what Traits should be. They weren't a skill, since they couldn't be activated like one... but I knew the reason why I learned [Swift Slash].
I looked in front of me and noticed everyone was finishing with the monster slaying. Leo seemed mad at me for recklessly coming to the front. He was coming towards me with the intention of scolding me.
He said, "Are you insane?! Do you know what-!" then was stopped by me.
"I'm very sorry for that. I got a little distracted and disbanded my formation," I said with a saddened expression, though fake.
He looked at me with pity and said, "It's okay. Just remember not to do that again. Can you take care of the corpses?"
"Right away."
After I received the command, I started taking the mana stones out of the goblins' bodies and put them inside my backpack, while others were waiting for me.
After that, we moved on to finish our job, and it took us less than 10 minutes to be confronted with another set of goblins.
I remained collected as the party was getting ready for the fight. I made sure to stay in the back and observe the team's skill movements so I could acquire something.
The party started attacking the goblins one by one. Leo used his sword skills, Vino used her archery skills, and Jung-hue used his assassin skills... but something was different.
The fact that I was seeing more than I previously could from the skills remained true, but I couldn't understand and grasp the skill just like I did with [Swift Slash], no matter how I tried. I knew everything I needed was in front of me, but I lacked the knowledge to completely understand the skill's reasoning, so I couldn't fully put it into my movement.
Although it was reasonable to not get every skill I came across, this frustrated me, since I wanted to see the [Advanced Learner]'s full potential.