Robin woke to sunlight streaming through his narrow window. His body ached not from weakness anymore, but from combat. The wounds on his chest had mostly healed thanks to the life force absorption, but the skin was still tender.
He sat up carefully. Pulled off his torn, bloodstained shirt and examined the damage.
Four parallel claw marks ran across his chest. Scabbed over now, no longer bleeding. But they'd leave scars. Permanent reminders of his first real battle.
Robin hid the ruined shirt under his mattress. He'd burn it later. Changed into clean clothes or as clean as the cursed child's wardrobe allowed.
[LEVEL 3: 270/300 EXP]
Thirty experience points from level 4. One more good hunt and he'd level up.
But going back to the dungeons tonight would be pushing his luck. The Duke's surveillance might have noticed his absence. Questions might be asked.
I need to be smart about this.
Except Robin wasn't feeling patient. Not after last night. The rush of combat, the satisfaction of the kill, the surge of power from leveling up, it was addictive.
And he was so close.
Robin made a decision. One more hunt. Tonight. Then he'd lay low for a week, complete daily quests, maintain the facade of gradual improvement.
Just one more.
The day passed slowly. Robin attended the sparse lessons a bored tutor provided basic reading and arithmetic meant for servants' children. He ate his meager meals. Walked the corridors at appropriate times.
All while his mind planned the night's hunt.
He'd learned valuable lessons from the Void Hound fight. Don't overcommit. Use terrain advantages. Target mobility before going for kills.
And most importantly: respect enemies above your level.
That Hound had nearly killed him. If he'd been a second slower, if his blade had been an inch off target...
But I wasn't. And it wasn't.
Night fell. Robin waited an extra hour past his usual departure time. Let the castle settle deeper into sleep.
Then he moved.
The route to the dungeons was familiar now. Robin navigated it with practiced ease, avoiding guard patrols by timing rather than luck.
The door. The lock. Thirty seconds of work.
Inside.
The darkness welcomed him like an old friend. Robin descended the stone steps, his enhanced perception mapping the corridors ahead.
He could hear them immediately. More Void Rats than last night. The dungeon was teeming with them.
Perfect.
Robin drew his dagger. The blade felt comfortable in his hand now. An extension of his will.
He moved deeper, hunting.
The first rat died quickly, a thrust to the eye socket, the blade punching through into the brain.
[VOID RAT DEFEATED]
[+15 EXP]
[LEVEL 3: 285/300 EXP]
Fifteen more experience points. One more rat and he'd level up.
Robin continued stalking through the dark corridors. His breathing was controlled. His footsteps silent. Every sense extended, searching.
There. Movement ahead. Two rats, fighting over something probably territory or food.
Robin approached from behind. The rats were distracted, focused on each other.
He killed the first with a single strike to the spine. It dissolved before the second one even registered the threat.
[+15 EXP]
[LEVEL UP! YOU ARE NOW LEVEL 4]
The sensation hit Robin like a wave. Warmth flooding through his entire body. Not just pleasant but transformative.
His muscles firmed. Tendons strengthened. His breathing deepened as his lungs expanded slightly. The chronic ache in his bones, a constant companion since awakening in this body vanished completely.
Power. Real, tangible power.
[ALL ATTRIBUTES INCREASED]
[STR: 7 → 8]
[AGI: 5 → 6]
[END: 5 → 6]
[DEX: 6 → 7]
[MAX HP: 52 → 56]
[MAX STAMINA: 35 → 40]
[MANA SEAL DEGRADATION: 78% → 76%]
Robin stood in the darkness, testing his new capabilities. Flexed his fingers, they moved faster, more precisely. Shifted his weight balance was better, more stable.
Eight strength. That was four times what he'd started with. Four times stronger than the dying child who could barely complete three push-ups.
Still pathetically weak by warrior standards. But progress. Real progress.
The second rat, finally registering danger, lunged at Robin.
He sidestepped easily. His improved agility made the movement feel effortless. His dagger flicked out—a precise strike to the throat.
The rat died mid-lunge.
[+15 EXP]
[LEVEL 4: 15/400 EXP]
Three hundred and eighty-five experience points to level 5. Where Time Echo unlocked. Where his first SSS-rank skill became accessible.
Twenty-six more rats. Or five more Void Hounds. Or some combination.
Robin continued hunting. The dungeon became his training ground. Each rat was practice. Each kill refined his technique.
[+15 EXP]
[+15 EXP]
[+15 EXP]
His weapon mastery was climbing too. Every thrust, every slash, every kill added to the progress bar.
[WEAPON MASTERY (DAGGER): 47/150]
Robin found another rat nest, a collapsed cell where four rats had made their den. He killed them systematically. Lured them out one at a time, used the narrow doorway as a chokepoint.
[+60 EXP]
His technique was improving visibly. Movements that had been clumsy a week ago were now fluid. His body was finally catching up to Justin's knowledge.
[LEVEL 4: 135/400 EXP]
Robin paused in a quiet corridor. Caught his breath. Checked his condition.
[HP: 56/56]
[STAMINA: 32/40]
Still good. Still capable of fighting.
One more nest. Then I leave.
He ventured deeper into the dungeon than before. Into sections he'd avoided last night because they felt more dangerous.
And he found what he was looking for.
A large chamber. Once a torture room, probably. Chains still hung from the walls. And in the center, at least a dozen Void Rats swarmed over something, a collapsed section of ceiling that had created a small warren.
[VOID RAT NEST DETECTED]
[ESTIMATED ENEMIES: 12-15]
[THREAT LEVEL: MODERATE]
Twelve rats. Potentially 180 experience points.
But fighting them all at once would be suicide.
Use the environment. Fight smart, not hard.
Robin studied the chamber. The entrance was narrow, only wide enough for one rat at a time. The chains on the walls could be used to create obstacles.
He picked up a loose stone. Threw it into the nest.
The rats exploded into activity. Shrieking, scrambling, searching for the threat.
Robin positioned himself at the entrance. Dagger ready.
The first rat charged through. Robin killed it with a throat strike.
[+15 EXP]
The second came. Same result.
[+15 EXP]
They were coming faster now. Robin's enhanced agility let him keep pace. Thrust, withdraw, reset. Thrust, withdraw, reset.
The narrow entrance was perfect. They couldn't swarm him. Could only come one at a time.
[+15 EXP]
[+15 EXP]
[+15 EXP]
Robin's arms burned from the constant motion. His stamina was draining. But he was in a rhythm now. A deadly, efficient rhythm.
[+15 EXP]
[+15 EXP]
Seven rats down. At least five more to go.
His stamina was getting low. Each strike took more effort. His breathing was labored.
[STAMINA: 18/40]
But he couldn't stop. Stopping meant losing the advantage. Meant letting them swarm.
[+15 EXP]
[+15 EXP]
Nine kills. The rats were getting smarter. Waiting. Trying to coordinate.
They're learning. Adapting.
Two rats charged simultaneously. Robin cursed. Managed to kill the first but the second got through his guard.
Claws raked his arm. Pain flared.
[-6 HP]
Robin twisted. Drove his dagger into the rat's side. It shrieked and dissolved.
[+15 EXP]
Three more rats remained. They hung back now, cautious.
Afraid. They're actually afraid.
Robin didn't give them time to think. He charged into the chamber. Abandoned the defensive position for aggressive assault.
His improved stats made the difference. He was faster than the rats now. Stronger.
He killed the first with a overhead strike. The second tried to run, he threw his dagger, catching it in the spine.
[+15 EXP]
[+15 EXP]
The last rat tried to flee through a crack in the wall. Robin grabbed it by the tail. Slammed it against the stone floor. Finished it with a stomp to the skull.
[+15 EXP]
Silence.
Robin stood in the chamber, surrounded by dissolving corpses. His chest heaved. His arm bled from the claw marks. His stamina was nearly depleted.
But he'd done it. Cleared an entire nest solo.
[LEVEL 4: 315/400 EXP]
[ACHIEVEMENT: NEST CLEARER]
[BONUS: +10 EXP]
[LEVEL 4: 325/400 EXP]
Robin retrieved his dagger. Wiped the blade clean. His arm was healing already—slowly, but noticeably. The life force he'd absorbed from a dozen kills was knitting flesh.
[HP: 53/56]
Seventy-five experience points from level 5. From Time Echo.
So close.
But Robin's stamina was at 8/40. His body was exhausted. His concentration was slipping.
Time to leave. I've pushed enough for one night.
He made his way back through the dungeon. Didn't hunt. Just moved toward the exit with purpose.
Emerged into the pre-dawn darkness. Locked the door. Navigated back to his room.
Collapsed on his bed, not bothering to remove his bloody clothes.
[DAILY QUEST AVAILABLE]
[COMPLETE BASIC CONDITIONING III]
[REWARD: +50 EXP]
Robin smiled despite his exhaustion.
Tomorrow's daily quest would give him fifty experience. Combined with his current progress, that would be 375/400.
One more small hunt. Maybe two more rats.
Then level 5.
Then Time Echo.
Robin's eyes closed. Sleep pulled at him.
But his dreams were filled with blue notification screens. With numbers climbing. With power growing.
And with a three-second rewind that would change everything.
Soon, he thought as consciousness faded.
Very soon.
The cursed child had killed over a dozen Void Rats in one night.
Soon, he'd be able to rewrite death itself.
Three seconds at a time.