As another hobgoblin fell, a warm current suddenly surged through Ying Ping's body.
He closed his eyes, feeling the surging power within him.
He had indeed leveled up!
As usual, he allocated the 10 attribute points gained from leveling up to Strength and Agility!
[Level increased to LV4]
[Shadow Monarch Leveling System]
[Level]: LV4
[Strength]: 56 → 66
[Agility]: 37 → 47
[Stamina]: 30 → 35 (Equipment +5)
[Intelligence]: 15 → 20
[Magic Power]: 11 → 16
[HP]: 120 / 120
[MP]: 16 / 16
[Skills]: Shadow Step, Crippling Strike, Charged Strike, Eagle Eye
[Free Attribute Points]: 0
After leveling up, he felt a powerful surge of strength in his muscles, making him clench his fists involuntarily.
"Master, congratulations on becoming stronger!"
Kokoloo looked up at him, her ruby-like eyes shimmering with admiration.
"Mm, let's go."
Ying Ping's confidence greatly increased. He stretched his shoulders, "Let's go check out the fifth floor."
Even LV1 adventurers could descend to the 13th floor.
He was already LV4 and still wandering around on the fourth floor with Kokoloo; this was indeed a bit too cautious.
Passing through the passage deep within the fourth floor, the two arrived at the fifth floor.
The air here was even more damp and muggy, and the surrounding rock walls were covered with glowing moss.
[Fifth Floor Quest Triggered]
[Kill 50 Ugly Demons (0/50)]
[Reward: Magic. Lightning Enchantment]
"Finally, a magic skill."
Ying Ping's spirits lifted. He drew his fine steel longsword, "Kokoloo, this is the Ugly Demons' territory, don't be careless!"
No sooner had he spoken than several hideous creatures darted out of the shadows.
[Encountered Ugly Demon, Level LV1]
[Traits: Sonic Attack, Agile Type]
They had grayish-green skin, disproportionately large heads, and slender limbs, resembling distorted gnomes.
The most unsettling feature was their large mouths, which almost covered half their faces and were filled with sharp teeth.
"Gah ah ah ah —"
The Ugly Demons let out ear-piercing screams, and the sound waves made the loose rocks on the cave walls clatter down.
Kokoloo immediately covered her ears: "Master, be careful! This is their sonic attack!"
Ying Ping merely frowned. His LV4 physique made him almost immune to this level of sonic attack.
He flashed, and his longsword cut through the air in a silver arc.
"Puff!"
The first Ugly Demon's head flew off.
[Killed Ugly Demon (1/50)]
[Reward: 15 Experience Points]
Seeing this, the remaining few immediately scattered, climbing and leaping on the rock walls with astonishing speed.
"They're quite fast at escaping."
Ying Ping sneered, "Shadow Step!"
His figure instantly vanished from its original spot, and the next moment, he appeared behind one of the Ugly Demons.
His longsword swept across, and another monster turned to dust.
[Killed Ugly Demon (2/50)]
Kokoloo wasn't idle either. She raised her staff-spear, aiming at an Ugly Demon attempting to sneak attack: "Holy Light Arrow!"
A green beam of light shot out, precisely hitting the Ugly Demon's chest.
Although the damage wasn't high, it successfully interrupted its actions.
Ying Ping seized the opportunity to follow up with a sword strike, easily finishing it off.
The subsequent battle was almost a one-sided slaughter.
LV4 Ying Ping moved through the fifth floor of the dungeon as if it were uninhabited, and the Ugly Demons' speed appeared to him as slow-motion, frame by frame.
"Shadow Step!"
He transformed into an afterimage and charged forward, his longsword aimed directly at the Ugly Demon's throat.
"Puff!"
Amidst the muffled sound of the blade entering flesh, the Ugly Demon's scream abruptly ceased.
But more monsters were already surging from all directions, their sharp claws scraping against the rocks, emitting a grating sound that set teeth on edge.
"Master, be careful!"
Kokkoro's staff-spear glowed green, and a Song of Courage! instantly surged through Ying Ping.
He was already far stronger than the ugly goblins, but now, with Kokkoro's blessing magic, he was like a god of war!
Three attack skills were unleashed in quick succession.
The longsword drew crimson arcs in the dim passage, each strike accurately hitting the goblins' vital points.
"Killed Ugly Goblin (15/50)"
"Crippling Strike!"
Ying Ping slid to avoid a pounce, then backhanded, severing the legs of two ugly goblins.
As they fell, the longsword plunged through the head of a third.
"Killed Ugly Goblin (23/50)"
As his proficiency increased, Ying Ping began to experiment with new tactics.
He would deliberately lure monsters into a cluster, then suddenly activate Shadow Step to circle around to their flank, sweeping with a charged attack that often took down three or four at once.
"Master is amazing!"
Kokkoro exclaimed in awe while collecting magic stones.
She occasionally lent a hand, her staff-spear precisely picking off any stragglers attempting a sneak attack.
"Killed Ugly Goblin (30/50)"
"Killed Ugly Goblin (35/50)"
"Killed Ugly Goblin (38/50)"
When the kill count reached 40, a noticeably larger Ugly Goblin Leader appeared.
"Ugly Goblin Leader discovered, Level LV2+"
"Traits: Enhanced Sonic Wave, Group Summon, Magic Attack"
It held a bone staff embedded with magic stones, muttering incantations.
"Master, be careful! It's casting a spell!"
Kokkoro quickly warned.
The Ugly Goblin Leader waved its bone staff, and three dark purple energy orbs flew towards Ying Ping.
Ying Ping, however, did not dodge; a red light suddenly flared on his longsword.
"Charged Strike!"
He charged towards the energy orbs, his longsword drawing a perfect arc.
"Crippling Strike!"
The three energy orbs were shattered by a single sword stroke, and the momentum of the sword light continued, cleaving the Ugly Goblin Leader in half.
After the Ugly Goblin Leader died, it also dropped loot.
"Killed Ugly Goblin Leader"
"Obtained: Magic Crystal x1"
"As expected of Master!"
Kokkoro scurried over, her face filled with admiration.
"Magic Crystal: Permanently increases Magic Power by 5 upon use."
Ying Ping picked up the dropped crystal and handed it to Kokkoro: "This is for you. It can increase your magic power."
For a support healer like Kokkoro, her mana bar was crucial.
Only with more magic power could she better assist Ying Ping and sustain prolonged battles.
"Alright, thank you, Master!"
Kokkoro nodded, crushed the Magic Crystal, and immediately felt a new surge of power within her.
About twenty minutes later, as the fiftieth ugly goblin fell, the system's notification arrived as expected:
"Mission Complete"
"Killed Ugly Goblin (50/50)"
"Reward: Magic - Lightning Enchantment"
A scorching power surged into Ying Ping's body, and he felt a new memory of how to use magic appear in his mind.
He raised his hand, and with a thought, purplish-blue electric arcs crackled on his tempered steel longsword.
"Is this the power of magic…?"
"It's truly amazing. This sword shouldn't be insulated, right? The electricity it emits doesn't even numb me…"
Ying Ping felt the power contained within the flames and nodded with satisfaction, "Not bad, and it's a no-chant magic."
"Magic - Lightning Enchantment"
"Effect: Can imbue objects with lightning properties. Attacks can paralyze enemies, and prolonged attacks can scorch enemies, dealing more damage."
"Consumes 1 Magic Point per 10 seconds of duration."
"You've got a new skill, Master, you're so amazing!"
Kokkoro's eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands: "Now we can challenge even stronger monsters!"
"That's right. I'll name this move 'Chidori Blade'."
"Kokkoro, let's continue to the sixth floor!"
"My goal today is to level up to LV5!"
Ying Ping felt invigorated.
Having obtained lightning magic, he was eager to find some stronger monsters for a grand battle!