His Soul Devour skill had evolved. The possibilities churned in Kaelen's mind. He could grow stronger not just through death, but through domination. Through victory itself. The entire academy, with its thousands of students and instructors, suddenly looked less like a school and more like a buffet. But he had to be cautious. His current strength was still at the absolute bottom. His victory over Joric was a trick he could not repeat often. He needed real power. Real stats.
The training woods and its Shadow Rats were no longer sufficient. The experience they provided was too little, the chance for a skill drop too low even with the increased percentage. He needed better prey.
From the original Kaelen's memories, he knew about the public dungeons on the outskirts of the city. These were controlled zones, stabilized by the Adventurer's Guild, where low level monsters would constantly spawn. They were used by aspiring adventurers and academy students for training. The weakest of them all was the 'Goblin Caves'. Access cost five silver coins, a fortune for him. But his victory in the corridor provided an unexpected opportunity. Joric, in his haste to attack, had dropped his coin purse. Kaelen had discreetly picked it up as he walked away. It contained six silver coins and some copper. It was a fitting first payment for the debts Joric owed.
The following day, Kaelen skipped his afternoon classes and headed to the Adventurer's Guild outpost that managed the dungeon. The place was bustling with loud, boisterous adventurers in worn leather and steel armor. They paid him no more mind than a piece of furniture as he paid his entry fee.
The entrance to the Goblin Caves was a dark, gaping fissure in a hillside. A foul, damp stench wafted out, smelling of mold and waste. He clutched the same sturdy branch he had used against the rats, his only weapon for now.
He stepped inside. The air was cool and heavy. The cave was a series of narrow, winding tunnels lit by faintly glowing moss on the ceiling. He activated Stealth for a brief moment, his mana draining quickly, just to get a feel for the area. Up ahead, he could hear the guttural chattering of goblins. He let the skill fade and pressed himself into a recess in the rock wall.
A goblin patrol, three of them, shuffled past. They were short, hunched creatures with sallow green skin and pointed teeth. They were armed with crude clubs and rusty daggers. They were more dangerous than rats, but they were also stupid and disorganized. He was a Grand Marshal. He had shattered armies of tens of thousands. He would dismantle these creatures with clinical precision.
For the next several hours, Kaelen did not attack. He explored the upper levels of the cave, mapping them in his mind. He observed the goblins' patrol routes, their guard rotations, their habits. He learned their crude language, which consisted mostly of grunts and snarls. He found choke points, dead ends, and places where the ceiling was low and unstable. His hunt was not a matter of charging in. It was a matter of execution.
He chose a long, narrow tunnel as his first killing ground. He spent an hour loosening rocks on the ceiling with his branch, creating a precarious deadfall trap. Then he found a lone goblin, its back to him as it relieved itself against a wall. He crept forward, his footsteps silent on the stone floor. He brought his branch down hard on the back of its skull. A sickening crack echoed in the tunnel.
[Goblin has been defeated.]
[Devour soul remnant? Y/N]
Yes. A much more substantial black wisp flowed into him compared to the rats.
[Ding!]
[You have absorbed a portion of the Goblin's stats.]
[Strength +0.1]
It was a minuscule gain, but it was far more than he got from dozens of rats. This was the place. He dragged the goblin's body into the narrow tunnel, beneath his deadfall trap. He waited. Soon, another patrol of three goblins came searching for their missing companion. They saw the body and rushed forward, chattering angrily. Kaelen, hidden on a ledge above, kicked the keystone loose. Rocks and earth rained down, burying two of the goblins instantly. The third was injured, its leg crushed. Kaelen leaped down and finished it with a swift, brutal strike.
He devoured all three souls. Another small stat gain. And something more.
[Ding!]
[A skill has been absorbed from the soul remnant.]
[You have learned "Dagger Proficiency (Rank F)".]
He felt a sudden, intuitive understanding of how to wield a small blade. The knowledge simply appeared in his mind. It was a welcome gift. He took the rusty dagger from one of the dead goblins. It was a shoddy weapon, but far better than a tree branch.
He spent the entire day in that cave. He turned it into his personal abattoir. He used hit and run tactics, luring goblins into traps, using the darkness and his Stealth skill to his advantage. He never engaged more than one at a time. Every kill added to his power. Slowly, painstakingly.
When he finally emerged from the cave that evening, the sun was setting. He was covered in green blood and filth, but his eyes blazed with a fierce light. He pulled up his status screen.
[Kaelen]
[Level: 1]
[Health: 55/55]
[Mana: 12/12]
[Strength: 7]
[Agility: 9]
[Endurance: 6]
[Intelligence: 10]
[Skills: Soul Devour (F+), Stealth (F), Dagger Proficiency (F)]
His stats had almost doubled. He was still weak, but no longer completely powerless. Far away, back at the Crimson Rock Academy, a quiet, observant instructor named Anya reviewed the attendance logs. She noticed Kaelen's afternoon absence. It was the second time this week. It was strange. Failures like him were usually desperate to keep up appearances. A flicker of curiosity sparked within her. Something about that boy was not what it seemed.