The moment Silas stepped through the gate, the air suddenly shifted.
It was the sterile scent of the city smog. Here, it was sharp with sap and the coppery tang of something that was rotting.
He blinked a few times. The dungeon unfolded before him like a forgotten pocket of wilderness, lush green under an artificial sky, with trees large and thick, rising like ancient guardians.
Ferns sprawled across the forest floor, and vines crept along the tree trunks like veins under dead skin. The area was covered by a faint mist, which whispered promises of death and secrets.
"So this is an E-rank gate..." he muttered to himself.
It looked peaceful, but he knew better.
The space itself was limited—only about 500 meters in radius. A dome of mana pulsed above the tree canopy, like the ceiling of a sealed world.
The sunlight here was dim, filtered unnaturally, casting long shadows even though it was midday outside.
Silas tightened his fists, inhaled deeply, and let it out.
A chime echoed in his mind, followed by calm. A pleasant voice of the system then echoed in his mind.
"System..." he murmured. "What am I looking at here? What's this supposed to mean?"
[Scanning environment...]
[Detected monsters: Standard E-rank entities. Three primary types—Goblins, Dire Wolves, and Giant Centipedes.
[Mini-boss and Boss Room signatures detected, but blocked from scan due to mana distortion.]
Silas exhaled slowly. "That's fine; you helped me enough already. I'll handle the rest by myself, I hope so."
[Caution: Incoming threat. 11 goblins approaching from 10 o'clock direction.]
His spine then started to stiffen up a bit. He turned.
Through the trees, he saw them—small, hunched figures, with pale green skin and jagged rusted blades in their hands.
They chattered in high-pitched voices, shrieking tones as they ran, their yellow eyes glowing like embers.
"Shit, these fucking goblins."
His heart started to pound faster. Instinct screamed at him to turn back, to run to the exit and go back—
But the gate was already long gone; he was now trapped inside.
He gritted his teeth. "Why the fuck am I panicking? I won't even clear the rank F if I behave like this..."
He barked out a laugh—hollow, defiant.
"I was about to off myself a day ago. I got another chance, didn't I?" He sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Then let's take this goddamn risk; let's play a game with death today."
[Boss, shall I summon the weapon in your inventory?]
"Yes. Do it."
[Summoning: Standard Iron Sword.]
In a blink, the weight of a blade landed in his right hand—nothing special, just a plain longsword, but the steel glinted clean. Real.
He grinned. "Thanks, System."
[Of course, Boss.]
He took a deep breath—then exploded into motion, dashing towards the group of those goblins.
His feet slammed against the mossy ground as he motioned forward, sword half raised in air. Branches tore at his clothes. The goblins shrieked louder, claws flashing.
Silas didn't hesitate.
The first goblin lunged with a crude spear. Silas ducked under and slashed upward, splitting its throat wide open in one clean slash. Blood from that goblin sprayed across his cheek.
The second one jumped from a branch, but he spun and slammed his boot into its chest. The goblin flew back, crashing into a tree with a loud snap.
"Okay, two down," he said, voice low.
Another goblin came from his side—this one was faster than the others. It grazed his arm, a shallow cut.
Pain flared across his arm, but Silas didn't flinch. His blade flashed again, carving through its ribcage.
Adrenaline started to flood his body—he started moving on instinct.
They're weaker than I thought... or maybe I'm stronger than I remember I was.
Five more came at once.
He weaved between their blades. One of them slashed his shoulder—he hissed but countered instantly, stabbing its eye.
Another leapt on his back—he rolled, crushed it against the ground, and drove his sword through its skull.
His breathing started to grow heavy, but his hands didn't shake.
He was completely drenched in goblin blood, wounds stinging, but there was a fire in his eyes that hadn't been there before.
"Come on..." he muttered. "Is that all you have, you fucking filthy bitches?"
[Targets Eliminated.]
[Life-Stealing System activation possible.]
[Would you like to absorb the target's remaining life?]
Silas blinked. "What? What's this now?"
He stepped back a bit, sword still dripping with the goblin's blood. "System... what the hell are you talking about? Explain it to me."
[The host has permission to drain residual life force from fallen targets.]
[Command: say 'Life Steal' while maintaining contact with the corpse.]
He frowned a bit as he glanced downwards at the goblin's body. The thing was still twitching up a bit, eyes completely gone white.
"So, you're telling me to just simply touch it?"
[Affirmative.]
[Say: Life Steal.]
Silas hesitated a bit, but still he crouched beside it. His hand hovered over the corpse of the goblin—fingers were trembling slightly.
"Alright, I'll do as you say," he muttered under his breath. "Let's see what it'll do."
He pressed his palm against the chest of the goblin. "Life Steal."
The world tilted.
A faint red mist bled out of the goblin's wounds—threads of light that twisted upward, seeping into Silas's hand. His veins lit faintly crimson, like molten metal running beneath his skin.
He gasped. It wasn't painful—it was warm. It felt alive.
[Life absorbed: +1 Day.]
[Stats increased: +0.1 Strength | +0.1 Agility | +0.1 Endurance.]
Silas stared at his hand, flexing his fingers as the glow faded. His pulse raced—not from fear this time, but from disbelief.
"One… day?" he whispered. "It gave me… one whole day of extra life?"
[Affirmative. Weak targets yield minimal lifespan returns. Stronger entities provide exponentially greater results.
His eyes widened. He looked back at the goblin, then at the others creeping from the mist.
"So if I kill stronger enemies, I'll gain more than this?"
[Host will grow stronger. Faster. Live longer.]
Silas's lips curled into a slow, feral grin.
"Well then," he said, raising his sword up as he placed it at his shoulder. "Let's start collecting some time."
He dashed forward—steel flashing, blood flying. Each kill came with another whisper.
[Target eliminated.]
[Life absorbed: +1 Day.]
[Stats increased: +0.1 | +0.1 | +0.1]
Again and again, until his arms ached and the system's chimes began to ring in his mind again and again in a silent rhythm.
By the time the last goblin fell, Silas stood amidst a field of corpses—breath a bit ragged as his eyes had that blazing look in them. He felt alive. No—more than that.
For the first time in his entire life, he felt in control. Silas froze as the system chimed again.
The underbrush parted. A beast emerged—taller than a man, with fur as dark as night and fangs like ivory daggers. Its eyes burned red with dungeon energy, and its breath curled like smoke.
[New entity detected. Dire Wolf. Threat level: Moderate.]
Silas took one step back. "Holy shit..."
The wolf crouched, muscles coiled.
Move, NOW. You stupid body of mine.
He jumped sideways just as it pounced. The beast tore through the air where he'd just stood, claws shredding bark behind him.
"System," he grunted, dodging again. "Any tips?"
Aim for the underbelly or the throat. Avoid frontal engagement.
"Yeah, it surely is helpful."
He circled the wolf. It snarled, pacing, watching.
Silas glanced at his sword, still sharp and holding pretty well.
Then he charged towards it.
The wolf met him head-on, jaws snapping. Silas ducked under, rolled beneath its leap, and as he slid across the grass, he slashed upward with both of his hands.
The blade cut deep into its belly.
A scream tore from the beast as black blood gushed out of its body. It twisted midair, slamming him with its hind leg before crashing into a tree.
Silas tumbled across the ground, groaning from the excruciating pain. His ribs ached, his vision was blurry.
But still he stood back up.
The wolf staggered, growling low. It lunged again—but slower this time.
Silas sidestepped and plunged the sword into its throat with a roar.
The beast collapsed, spasming… then lay still.
Silas stood over the body, panting, chest rising and falling like a war drum.
Blood dripped from his chin. His clothes were torn. His hands trembled—not from fear… but from exhilaration.
He looked at the mess around him—the corpses of goblins, the dying wolf, the blood soaking into the earth.
Then he laughed. Low. Rough. Alive.
"I was supposed to die in some alley… And now look at me."
Excellent performance, Boss. EXP gained. Dungeon clearance: 14%.]
He sheathed his blade across his back and whispered, "Not bad for a suicidal newbie."