"I'll survive this… and make you all regret it." Arthur gritted his teeth fiercely as he stood up, taking in his surroundings.
This was an E-rank dungeon, and he knew he couldn't be careless. After all, he was merely a level 1 player…
'In the past, I only explored F-rank dungeons due to my meager strength while trying to increase my level to where I could awaken a physique. But unfortunately, my level seems stagnant no matter how many F-rank beasts I kill!'
Arthur was angered by his own fate.
In truth, Arthur wasn't a soul from this world. He was a youth who loved playing fantasy games despite being diagnosed with cancer.
After his inevitable demise, he reincarnated into this world and gradually grew from a baby into the sixteen-year-old youth he was now.
'Damn, is it because I'm not a transmigrator that I don't possess a cheat?' Arthur cursed internally, then sighed and moved his thoughts toward his spatial ring.
This was a mysterious ring crafted by blacksmiths who had awakened a space-related ability. Using it, one could store all sorts of things within.
As Arthur accessed the ring, he retrieved an item and muttered aloud,
"Stats!"
Immediately, a glowing golden panel materialized in his line of sight.
After going through the stats, Arthur sighed and tightened his grip on the longsword in his hand.
Normally, anyone belonging to the Pendragon family awakened as a warrior. The same was true for his three sisters.
It was a surprise when Arthur, the only son of the king, actually awakened as a summoner—moreover, a variant class called Calamity Summoner.
Just as Arthur was lost in the memory of his class awakening, a loud noise tore through the air.
"Uk glu tu…" Arthur's gaze snapped in that direction.
Goblins!
His eyes grew stern as he stared at the green, humanoid creatures before him. Their eyes glowed with a ferocious light, and in their hands, they held all sorts of crude weapons.
Numbering up to five, they charged at him simultaneously.
Arthur tensed, a trickle of sweat sliding down his bald head as he too charged at the approaching goblins. He couldn't give them a chance to close the gap, or he'd quickly fall into a disadvantage.
Swoosh!
Arthur's sword moved swiftly toward the head of the goblin in front, his hand gripping the hilt tightly.
Bang!
The sword collided with the goblin's head, crushing its neck. It vanished into golden specks of light that drifted through the air.
[Goblin killed. Loot dropped.]
The moment he delivered the strike, he swiftly rolled on the ground, dodging the attacks of the remaining goblins as they struck where he had been a moment before.
Arthur stood up, his breath ragged as he lunged forward again while the goblins were slightly distracted.
Swish!
He swung his sword with his right hand. This time, the goblin had expected the attack.
'Damn! They're far stronger than those things in the F-rank dungeon. Compared to this, those ones were merely child's play!'
Arthur's expression turned grim, his face pale.
Compared to the chaotic strikes of the F-rank goblins, these ones moved in coordination—far more dangerous than anything he'd faced before.
The battle had only just begun, yet Arthur already felt as though he might lose his life at any moment.
The instant his sword met the goblin's, Arthur retreated once again, keeping a safe distance. He watched carefully, studying their movements for an opening.
Swoosh!
Unfortunately for Arthur, the moment he stepped forward for another strike, a spear flew from his blind spot—heading straight for his bald head.
'Damn, not my precious, flawless head…' Arthur exclaimed internally as he swung his sword to block it.
This gave the other goblins time to regroup, and one of them launched a fierce kick at him.
"Fuck you!" Arthur spat at the goblin who had thrown the spear as he staggered backward.
Pant… pant… pant…
He inhaled and exhaled, trying to steady his breath and calm his racing heart.
"Auk hauk taai!" The goblins chattered among themselves, gloating as they eyed Arthur.
'I'm being mocked by creatures with low intelligence?' Arthur's eyes twitched in disbelief and fury.
This was all his damned father's fault!
He steadied himself, thinking quickly and coming up with a plan.
Studying the movements of the rushing goblins, Arthur reached into his spatial ring and retrieved an item.
Despite his arrogance, he always remained cautious internally—in case of danger like this.
Swoosh!
He tossed the object to the ground, and it exploded with a loud bang, releasing a cloud of thick smoke around them.
Arthur moved instantly, dashing through the fog toward the goblin he'd targeted earlier—the one with the spear.
Bang!
His sword pierced straight through its heart.
[Goblin killed. Loot dropped.]
Without wasting time, Arthur struck again while the others were still blinded.
[Goblin killed. Loot dropped.]
He grinned wickedly as the scene of carnage was revealed to his eyes.
"So, the E-rank dungeon is pretty easy after all. Can't wait to get back to my relaxing life at home…" Arthur smirked.
But his grin froze the next moment as he felt something pierce through him.
'Shit!' Arthur cursed internally as he realized a sharp spear had impaled him.
He turned his gaze toward the goblins in the distance.
At some point, more than twenty goblins had arrived—and leading them was a massive goblin twice the size of the rest.
'This…' Arthur's mind went blank as the pain spread through his body. He coughed lightly, blood dripping onto the cold stone floor as his vision began to blur.
He saw the muscular goblin grab a spear from one of its underlings, aim it at him, and hurl it forward.
Swoosh!
Before Arthur could react, the spear struck his shoulder, crushing it and sending him flying like a rag doll across the dungeon floor.
Arthur hit the ground hard, dazed.
'Fuck… fuck… fuck… is this where I die? I've always read about evil fates befalling villains—is that my case now?'
In the last moments of his life, Arthur reflected on how he had lived—and couldn't help but curse the gods.
'I lived the way I wanted. What the fuck is the problem with that?'
Just as he thought all hope was lost, the golden panel before him flashed to life.
[Detected that the host is in danger. Automatically activating the host's class.]
[Preparing to summon… Insufficient Celestial Stone.]
[Scanning one-meter radius for Celestial Stone… None found.]
[Scanning ten-meter radius for Celestial Stone… None found.]
[Scanning hundred-meter radius for Celestial Stone… One found.]
[Activating summoning portal…]
[Summoning a Calamity from the Ancient Era…]
[A summon has answered the call.]
[Congratulations on summoning Dragon Knight as your first summon. Please explore the system for corresponding information.]
Arthur was speechless as he stared blankly at the glowing golden words infront of him.
It was like a golden beacon of light he could cling onto.
Overjoyed yet on the verge of losing consciousness, he fixed his fading eyes on the dark portal that had appeared before him. It resembled an abyss filled with unspeakable power.
There was no time to think. As his consciousness dimmed, Arthur muttered weakly—
"Please…save me… my summon…"
The abyssal, shimmering black portal flared with multicolored runes as a figure clad in reddish-golden armor stepped out.
Its body was covered entirely in steel, and beneath the mask, its eyes were unreadable.
Its armor bore countless battle scars, radiating an intense, oppressive might that made even the goblins freeze in terror.
Then, purple lightning crackled around the Dragon Knight as it raised its gleaming golden sword high into the air—
and vanished from everyone's sight.
For the sake of its master…
a bloodshed had begun.