"Well… I think this basement is the second dungeon."
Carl looked around the dungeon basement he had just stepped into through the gate, until a sound rang in his ears.
Ting!
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
[Main Quest]:
– Destroy Arcadia Academy.
– Rewards: A short date with me and a tongue kiss from your wife if you complete the quest flawlessly.
[Side Quest]:
– 1: Clear your first dungeon.
Reward: Dimensional Slash Skill.
– 2: Kill 20 Ogres (0/20) + 1 Hobgoblin Shaman (0/1)
Reward: ?????
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
System Notice: Be careful… This place is very dangerous.
"Huh?" Carl felt a bit suspicious, because if his wife said so, this basement must really be dangerous.
His wife would never be wrong.
"Okay, my wife!"
He nodded happily without worry, since his wife's concern was so warm, erasing all his anxiety. That even swept away all his insecurity at this moment.
He guessed his wife's worry was about the Hobgoblin Shaman, because its abilities were pretty strong.
A sort of goblin capable of using magic. Its attacks had a wide range, and this narrow place wasn't really an advantage for Carl to move smoothly.
"But… the problem is, where are they?"
Carl used [Dragon Sense] to search for any trace of the monsters, but found nothing. Still, he kept his skills active until they showed up.
His caution even caught the candidates' attention nearby. They found it funny, thinking he was just wasting his mana on the [Draconic Physique ] skill.
But they wouldn't bother saying such basic things to him.
They only smiled and prayed for the dead god to take him away.
Yeah, the dead god had come here, but not for Carl.
Suddenly, a massive torrent of flames burst out from the passage ahead, like a dragon breathing fire at them. Making everyone freeze in astonishment before their emotions turned into horror.
"Watch out!" a big guy roared in warning, instantly triggering [Dragon Physical].
And of course, he became Carl's chosen shield, since his big frame was wide enough to block the incoming flames for him.
The river of flames swept through all of them and then dissipated.
It was a violent flame, dealing heavy damage to everyone there. Some guys had quickly received consequences for carelessness and cursed Carl the previous period.
Then, the noise began to echo through the dungeon basement as the Ogres charged at the candidates.
"Well, good timing."
Carl glanced at the Ogres. They were way bigger than he expected—their height reached nearly three meters.
Fighting them head-on was tough. Each smash from their clubs might carry enough power to instantly kill anyone at F-Rank like him.
Just as Carl predicted, an unlucky guy at the front line quickly experienced the Ogre's brutal strength.
His body was practically torn apart after a single strike, and he died on the spot.
"What a waste!" Carl clicked his tongue in regret as one of them fell. If only he could have devoured that guy's dragon soul before that guy fell down. But keeping such useless emotions was unnecessary—he quickly moved on to prepare for the next step.
He drew his sword from its sheath and took a long breath. Then, in an instant, he dashed through the rows of candidates who weren't steady mentally. He rolled his eyes around rapidly, searching for proper prey for his ability.
He used the [Basic Swordsmanship] skill to deflect and block any random strikes aimed at him, while moving smoothly and dancing with his sword. He weaved through the fight and leapt up. Some candidates were locked in battle with the Ogres, occasionally casting Carl a glance, wondering what the hell that idiot Carl was doing.
Was he fighting? Or was he fleeing?
They didn't know. As long as he didn't do something stupid that affected them, everything was fine.
"You are here!"
Carl finally found a proper target for himself. More precisely, he would take care of the Hobgoblin Shaman first. He couldn't feel any peace fighting Ogres while a caster was always ready to throw a fireball at him from the shadows.
More importantly, he guessed it was the leader of the Ogres. Destroying the enemy's brain first was never a bad choice.
"What a coward! Hiding behind walls, reloading mana, then waiting to sneak-bite me?"
Carl squinted at the Hobgoblin Shaman. A hobgoblin dressed in makeshift clothes patched together with bits of armor and rags, it looked far smarter than the rest of its team.
The Hobgoblin Shaman shot Carl a hostile look and stepped back, as if it was still reloading its mana before casting another fireball.
"Tsk! I won't let you use it again!" Carl brandished his sword while, at the same time, glancing at a guy rushing over. It seemed Wilbur had realized what needed to be handled first.
What Carl felt unpleasant, though, was that the Venom Lizard even shouted to his team, announcing that he would take care of the Hobgoblin Shaman and ordering the candidates to hold back the Ogres.
Wilbur looked like a true leader, and that made Carl feel really bad—not out of jealousy, but out of hate. Wilbur carried the scent of the type of people Carl always despised: the scent of a hypocrite.
Or maybe he was just too obsessed, remembering those damn guys in the Ryan Family who had always acted the same way.
"Wanna be a leader? Fine. I'll let you be the Forerunner."
Carl's steps slowed down. He would let Wilbur go ahead while he observed from behind and made a new plan based on the fight between Wilbur and the Hobgoblin Shaman.
"Hey, Venom Lizard! I'll back you up!"
Wilbur only nodded, barely showing any expression. It seemed he accepted the nickname Carl had given him. He began using [Dragon Physical], parts of his body shifting into a half-dragon form. At that moment, Carl was surprised—he saw Wilbur having the dragon wings, which meant Wilbur possessed at least three-star dragon souls.
"Uhm, understandable…" Carl nodded. He quickly accepted reality as he witnessed Wilbur's skill.
Wilbur was using poison-based skills in Mystery Class. He spread Poison Mist to cover the area, giving the Hobgoblin Shaman no chance to escape.
Moreover, Wilbur's combat ability was impressive.
Of course, not as good as Carl's—Carl was confident of that. His combat technique had been unique within the Ryan Family. Still, he wasn't too proud of it, because he understood that only the strongest mana could carry him further.
''But what the fuck, man? Why did you even join this land of misery's exam, meant only for one- or two-star dragon soul candidates? I can't beat you!