Chapter 4: The Rise of the Player
Hayden stood outside the forest, the morning sun glinting off the Shadow Dagger at his side. The dungeon he had just cleared was only the beginning. The System had unlocked a world he never knew existed.
[New Task: Train and Explore Nearby Dungeons]
[Hint: Stronger enemies yield higher EXP]
He moved with purpose now, every step calculated. Monsters appeared in packs, but Hayden didn't fear them. Shadow Step let him dodge their attacks, while Enhanced Reflexes gave him the split-second edge to strike with lethal precision.
Within hours, Hayden had leveled up to Level 5. His stats had improved dramatically:
Strength: 35
Agility: 42
Endurance: 38
Skills: Shadow Step (Lv2), Enhanced Reflexes (Lv2)
The forest trembled as a massive presence stirred deeper inside a B-Rank dungeon boss, a beast of pure shadow and flame. It roared, its voice shaking the ground, a challenge to any hunter brave or foolish enough to face it.
Hayden's heart pounded with excitement. This was the moment he had been waiting for. No teammates. No backup. Just him and the system guiding every move.
[Dungeon Boss Appeared: Shadowflame Chimera | B-Rank]
[Reward: 8000 EXP | Unique Weapon Drop]
The Chimera charged, claws ablaze, teeth bared. Hayden vanished using Shadow Step, striking its flank with the Shadow Dagger. The beast swung, missed, and stumbled. Each kill granted him more EXP than he had ever earned in a lifetime of E-rank missions.
Minutes passed like hours. Sweat dripped down his face, but the system kept pushing him, alerting him to weaknesses and combos. Finally, with a swift, decisive strike, the Chimera fell, its body dissolving into dark energy.
[Boss Defeated! Level Up: 8 → Stats Greatly Increased]
[Skill Unlocked: Shadow Manipulation | Passive | Level 1]
Hayden grinned. This was the power of the Player.
Word of the "weak hunter returning from death" had already begun to spread. Guild leaders, curious and cautious, dispatched several hunters to investigate. Among them were S and SS-Rank hunters, drawn by rumors of a solo hunter taking down dungeons alone.
Selene was among them. She watched from a cliff as Hayden exited another dungeon, unscathed, radiating power. Her eyes narrowed, intrigued. He moved differently than any hunter she had ever seen calculated, confident, almost untouchable.
One of the S-Rank hunters, a brash man named Kael, scoffed. "That's the so-called dead weak hunter? He doesn't even look threatening."
Selene's gaze didn't leave Hayden. "Looks can be deceiving," she said softly, her voice carrying an edge of warning that even Kael noticed.
Hayden, unaware of the hunters watching him, continued his solo exploration. But the system was alert:
[Warning: High-Rank Hunters Nearby | Possible Threat | Recommended Action: Avoid or Test]
A smirk formed on Hayden's face. He didn't need allies. He didn't need approval. The world had written him off once, but the system had rewritten the rules. And now… he was unstoppable.