As their vision blurred for a moment, Ash and his friends found themselves standing in the middle of a lush jungle.
"Is this… the dungeon?"
Breathing in the crisp, fresh air of the primeval forest, the three of them exchanged stunned looks.
In just the blink of an eye, they had been transported from the teleportation array in the dungeon hall to this mysterious forest. Such a feat could only be described as god-like!
As the realization settled in, tension crept over them. Their instincts screamed at them to be on guard.
On the side, their self-proclaimed team strategist and caretaker, Brock, took the lead:
"According to Miss Joy's explanation, the monsters in this dungeon range from level 1 to level 10..."
He paused, his voice deepening to emphasize the gravity of their situation.
"Even though we've changed classes and reached level 1, we can't let our guard down. This place is still dangerous."
The weight in his tone created an atmosphere of urgency and seriousness.
Ash and Misty, feeling the tension, instinctively crouched lower and held their breath as if it would help them stay undetected.
However, in reality, it was a completely useless effort.
At that very moment—
A sharp whistling sound sliced through the air from the dense forest beside them.
Whoosh—
Reacting on pure instinct, Misty whipped out her weapon in a flash.
Clang!
A flying stone struck her blade, sending a metallic reverberation through the air. The force staggered her, nearly knocking her off balance.
Rustling sounds emerged from the jungle.
And then—
Three green-skinned creatures with pointed ears and hunched backs crept out of the foliage.
The unmistakable figures of the Goblin Slingers.
Each one carried a rough, turf-woven pouch at its waist, filled with an assortment of large and small stones.
At the same time, system-generated information flashed before them.
[Goblin Slinger]
Level: 1
Description: The weakest members of the Goblin tribe. Unwelcome even among their own kind, they are forced to scavenge for insects and wild fruits outside the tribe. To survive, they have honed their stone-throwing skills to an impressive degree.
"It's the Goblin Slinger!!!"
Ash exclaimed, his voice filled with both excitement and anticipation.
The purpose of creating this world was to nurture stronger individuals, not to force humans from the Pokémon world into life-or-death struggles.
Because of this, Leo had designed several convenience systems to aid the players.
Before even stepping into the dungeon, Ash and his party had already studied information about the monsters they would encounter here.
And they knew—
The Goblin Slinger was the perfect monster for beginners to farm experience.
To further ensure a balanced gaming experience, the dungeon's teleportation array was equipped with an intelligent identification system.
Simply put, level 1 players would never be randomly thrown into areas with level 10 bosses, such as the Goblin King's lair.
The arrival of these three Goblin Slingers was no coincidence—it was a carefully calibrated encounter under the system's control.
The moment the goblins appeared, Ash and his friends sprang into action.
They had never fought in real combat before, but the moment they completed their class change, they had already become warriors.
The goblins wasted no time—
Rocks were hurled at them with deadly precision!
Brock quickly stepped forward, thrusting his hands outward.
A mysterious brown magic circle materialized in his palms.
"Earth Wall!"
Boom!
The ground surged, and in an instant, a sturdy, two-meter-high earthen wall rose before them.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The goblins' stones slammed into the wall with loud, dull thuds.
The entire structure trembled, showcasing the sheer force behind their attacks.
But the goblins weren't done.
Seeing their initial barrage fail, they reached into their pouches, retrieved more stones, and launched another wave of attacks.
The sound of repeated impacts echoed through the jungle.
Despite the cracks beginning to form on the wall—
Brock's magic held firm.
Cold sweat dripped down his forehead as he muttered, "Their attacks… are stronger than I expected."
Just then, Ash's eyes sharpened. His experience as a trainer kicked in.
"Brock! Drop the wall—they're out of strength!"
"Got it!"
Without hesitation, Brock dispelled the magic. The earthen wall crumbled and vanished as if it had never been there.
"Zhizhi?!"
The three goblins blinked in confusion, staring at the spot where their target should have been.
And in that moment of hesitation—
Two figures shot forward.
Taking full advantage of the goblins' momentary weakness, Ash and Misty launched their attack!
Bam!
Thud!
Despite being their first real battle, their strikes were swift and decisive.
In an instant—
Two goblins were taken down with a single well-placed blow.
All of this was due to the power boost granted to them by the world's rules after their class change.
After swiftly dealing with the two goblins, Ash and Misty immediately turned their focus on the last one, attacking without hesitation.
While the goblin's stone-throwing was dangerous, its close-combat abilities were laughably weak—comparable to that of a helpless child.
In just a few seconds, the final goblin met the same fate as its companions, vanishing into three streaks of white light that were absorbed into Ash and his friends.
Since they were in a party, even though Brock hadn't directly contributed to the fight, he still received a share of the experience points.
"Experience increased by 1 point," Ash noted.
Perhaps because the defeated monsters disappeared instantly without leaving corpses, there was no lingering unease about their first kills. Instead, they immediately checked their status screens to assess their gains.
Misty analyzed the numbers. "So each goblin gives 1 experience point, and we need 10 points to reach level 2..."
She paused, doing the math. "Which means we need to defeat 27 more Goblin Slingers."
"Twenty-seven..." Ash repeated under his breath, his fighting spirit igniting.
He clenched his fists and pumped one into the air. "Alright! Since there are Goblin Slingers in this area, that means this is their spawn point. We'll stay here and grind until we reach level 2!"
The weight of saving the Pokémon world and reuniting with his friends and parents pressed heavily on Ash's shoulders...
But for him, that burden wasn't something to fear.
It was the fuel driving him to grow stronger.
Inspired by Ash's determination, Brock and Misty had no objections.
Without wasting another second, the trio dashed through the dense forest, moving swiftly between the trees.
Unlike before, they now encountered more isolated goblins rather than full squads.
Their teamwork quickly became more fluid, allowing them to cut down goblin after goblin with increasing efficiency.
Their experience points climbed steadily.
But…
Compared to the vast number of goblins lurking within the dungeon, their kills were barely a drop in the ocean.
Every few minutes, they found themselves engaged in another fight.
Although they had figured out the Goblin Slingers' attack patterns, making them relatively easy to defeat, repetition had its own toll.
Even with their growing proficiency, constant sword swings still led to aching arms.
Before long, fatigue set in, forcing the group to retreat to a safe spot for a short rest.
"Whew~ Finally hit level 2."
Ash exhaled deeply as he leaned against a tree, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Then, he turned toward Brock with a hint of complaint. "This game isn't like what you told us before, Brock!"
Before entering the dungeon, both Ash and Misty had sought advice from Brock, the only one among them with prior gaming experience.
According to him, games usually let players level up quickly at the start, before gradually increasing the difficulty.
However…
An entire morning had passed, and they had only managed to go from level 1 to level 2.
More importantly—
Ash could feel his Nen energy running dangerously low.
Had it not been for the significant boost in stamina and energy he gained upon leveling up, he might have already considered leaving the dungeon to rest.
Brock, noticing Ash's frustration, let out a sheepish laugh. "Haha, my bad."
"I didn't expect a game in reality to be this different…" He sighed, scratching the back of his head. "It seems like a lot of my past gaming knowledge doesn't apply here."
Misty stretched her arms before speaking up. "By the way, we've already taken down thirty goblins, and not a single item has dropped. The loot rate in this dungeon is ridiculously low."
"Maybe it's because we're only fighting weak monsters," Brock speculated. "Higher-level monsters might have better drop rates."
"Hmm… that makes sense," Misty nodded, though she still seemed slightly dissatisfied.
At that moment, Ash suddenly clenched his fist and grinned.
"Alright then! Let's start hunting stronger monsters!"
Turning to Brock, he asked, "With your magic, you should be able to handle attacks from level 2 monsters, right?"
Brock smiled confidently. "No worries. As long as I have enough magic power, I can block attacks from anything below level 5!"
"Perfect!" Ash nodded, excitement flashing in his eyes.
Now that they had reached level 2, their strength had improved significantly.
However, because of their different class specializations, the way their power grew varied.
For Ash, in addition to an increase in Nen energy, his physical strength had also improved dramatically.
Brock, on the other hand, had gained both greater magic reserves and a slight boost in physical endurance.
This clearly hinted at what their future roles in battle would be.
Unlike Ash and Brock, Misty's growth took a slightly different path.
Although her physical strength had improved somewhat after leveling up, the effects were far less pronounced compared to the other two.
However, Misty didn't feel discouraged.
In addition to her increase in spiritual power, she also sensed a subtle but noticeable improvement in her grasp of Asauchi.
If this pattern continued with future level-ups, she had a strong feeling that she might be able to awaken her Zanpakutō before reaching level 30 and completing the job transfer quest!
That realization alone filled her with excitement.
As they rested, the three of them began chatting as usual, recovering their energy while sharing their thoughts.
After an hour, they were back on their feet, ready to resume the hunt.
But this time, rather than lingering near the dungeon's outskirts, they decided to venture deeper into the forest.
Before long, after cutting down more than a dozen Goblin Slingers, they finally encountered their first level 2 monster in the dungeon.
A massive, sharp-tusked wild boar loomed before them.
[Tusk Boar]
[Level: 2]
[Description: A beast that roams near goblin settlements. Once tamed by Goblin Warriors, it evolves into a mount for Goblin Riders, forming a symbiotic relationship with the goblin tribe.]
"A level 2 monster!"
With her refined spiritual perception, Misty was the first to detect the tusk boar's presence. She quickly relayed the information to Ash and Brock.
Hearing her call, the two immediately readied themselves for battle—Ash focused his Nen energy, while Brock began channeling his magic power.
The tusk boar, alerted by their voices, locked onto them instantly.
Its primal instincts kicked in, and the massive beast—easily weighing several hundred pounds—charged at them with terrifying speed.
"Brock, it's all yours!!!"
Seeing the boar rapidly closing in, Ash shouted.
Almost the moment his words fell, a massive earth wall rose from the ground, blocking the creature's path.
BOOM!!!
A thunderous impact shook the ground as the tusk boar collided head first with the earth barrier. The sheer force of the collision sent tremors through the wall, but this time, it held firm.
"Now!"
Ash and Misty exchanged a glance, their understanding of each other already instinctive.
Without hesitation, they both rushed around the wall, closing in on their stunned opponent.
The boar's two razor-sharp tusks had pierced deep into the wall from the impact, leaving it momentarily trapped. It struggled to pull free, but before it could—
Ash struck first.
Ducking low, he slid beneath the wild boar's massive body, channeling all his Nen energy into his fist before delivering a crushing blow to the creature's soft underbelly.
"Oooorh!!!"
The boar let out an agonized screech, its eyes rolling back as the force of the punch nearly knocked it unconscious.
A heartbeat later, Misty followed up.
With fluid precision, her blade flashed through the air, leaving a cold arc of steel as it slashed across the boar's back.
Then—
She twisted her wrist and drove the blade deep into the creature's flesh, seamlessly adjusting her stance before delivering a clean, decisive thrust straight through its neck.
Unlike Ash, who was left slightly off-balance from the attack, Misty's movements were sharp, precise, and unnervingly natural.
As if she had been born to wield the blade.
With a final, pitiful cry, the tusk boar collapsed.
Its body disintegrated into three streaks of white light, dispersing into their bodies.
"Wait… our experience actually increased by 3 points?!"
Ash scrambled to check his status screen, his eyes widening in disbelief.
Hearing him, Misty and Brock quickly checked their own interfaces.
A moment later, Brock's eyes lit up in realization. "So a Tusk Boar gives 3 experience points…"
He grinned. "That's way faster than farming Goblin Slingers!"
Misty, understanding the implications, smirked. "Looks like coming here was the right choice."
Compared to goblins, boars had significantly lower intelligence.
This meant they could exploit that weakness.
By using Brock's earth wall as a way to trap and control them, Ash and Misty could land powerful, coordinated strikes without much risk.
Even if they encountered groups of boars, their teamwork had already proven effective—Ash could hold his own temporarily, giving Misty and Brock time to quickly take down a target before moving to the next.
Excited by their newfound strategy, the three quickly analyzed their battle, refining their tactics for the fights ahead.
In the end, they all came to the same conclusion.
They would stay in this level 2 monster zone and continue grinding!