DriftingLeaf

Thank for reading. 

Enjoy the chapter.

“Phew, it’s done,” he said, his face glowing with joy. No matter how easy it was, he still felt a certain sense of accomplishment after clearing his first dungeon. Also,  now that the boss was down, he could finally check his rewards, one if not the main reason he went through the hassle of clearing this dungeon.

Even though he wasn’t expecting too much from those rewards as his power already exceeded the dungeon, he was still curious about them. There could be a nice surprise waiting for him among them. So, with some expectations, he moved on to check the notifications he received after the death of Slosh.

[You have defeated Slosh..]

[Congratulations you have cleared the rank E dungeon Slosh’s Lair.

Completion grade: Low]

[You receive: 1500 CP, 2 SP, 4 AP, Rank E skill card x1]

‘A few credit points, and half a level worth of skill and attribute points.’  As he looked at the measly rewards he received, Leo couldn’t help but let out a bitter sigh. Anyway, there was no need to complain as this much was already good and also somehow expected. Besides, there was the rusty treasure chest he hadn’t opened yet.

‘Let’s use this first,’ he thought as he activated the skill card while moving toward the treasure chest. For this one too, he didn’t have too many expectations.

[You have used a skill card. You have obtained the rank E Cleanse]

[Cleanse:

Use the power of the elements to remove any trace of filth on your target

Cost: Variable]

‘Well, I guess this is useful,’ he muttered as he closed the system. At least, with this skill, he wouldn’t have too much trouble keeping himself clean.

‘Now, let’s hope I can find something better in there,’ he thought hopefully and put his paw on the chest. With a click, the chest was unlocked, and a dim glow spilled from under its lid. In front of this scene, Leo's eyes lit up with expectation and he eagerly lifted the chest’s lid and started checking its content.

Inside the chest, in a corner, he found a bunch of cores, 10 to be exact, all belonging to rank E monsters. Besides those cores, there were a few potion vials and after appraising them, he found most of them to be mana and health potions. Other than those two, there was also a potion of haste, a detoxification potion, and two vials filled with slime juices. The last items in the chest were a pair of shiny water gems, at his greatest dismay, and an old and tattered scroll.

[Summoning scroll:

Can be used to summon a rank E slime]

‘Well, I guess that’s it,’ Leo said as he put all the content of the scroll inside his inventory. As soon as the treasure chest was emptied, it vanished and in its place appeared a blue swirling portal.

‘This should be the exit, right?’ Leo asked as he looked at the portal in front of him.

[Yes, it is.]

‘Alright, let’s go home then.’ Since there was nothing left to do inside the dungeon he didn’t hesitate and immediately stepped inside the portal.

****

BOOOM

‘What the heck?’ Leo cursed when as soon as he returned to the settlement he saw a freaking 50 kg mace flying toward him. This was the last place he would expect to be attacked. Completely caught off guard, he was unable to dodge the club which was already too close by the time he noticed it. The timing was too good. It almost looked like someone knew where and when he was going to appear and ambushed him.

“What the heck is going on?” he thundered as he turned to look at the culprit behind that ambush. However, as he saw the said culprit, he couldn’t help but be dumbfounded.

“Huh! What are those things doing here?” he exclaimed, completely speechless as he stared at the 7 ft pig-headed monster standing in front of him.

At the same time, the orc who was going to crush a weak catwoman was also looking at Leo in wonder. One instant he was going to happily squash the feeble woman and a cat suddenly appeared in front of him, taking the hit in her stead. Even weirder was that the hit seems to have done nothing to the cat at all. Flustered, he shifted his gaze between his club and the furious cat, wondering if his loved weapon was faulty.

Meanwhile, Leo oblivious to the dumb orc’s dilemma was doing his best to calm down as too many questions went through his head. When did the orcs attack? How could they get here without him and Celia noticing? How long was he gone? 

Still, it wasn't the time to think. Rather, it was the time to act. So without hesitation, he spread his senses as far as he could and started to check the situation in the settlement.

Not far from the entrance of the settlement, he saw Tiran, the calm Worgen who was fighting against five orcs by himself. Right now, he looked nothing like the calm and collected guy Leo remembered. With his steel-like claws smeared with blood, his muscles even more bulging than before, and a bloodthirsty expression distorting his face, he let his nature run wild as he fearlessly charged against the five orcs. He fought as if he didn't care for his life, completely dropping his defenses and trading blow for blow in a maddening show of pure violence.

Beside him, was his friend, Koko. Just like him, she was doing her best, her petite body, constantly fluttering between the orcs and her daggers reaping a life with each strike. A nimble and fast warrior like her was the natural enemy of the clumsy orcs. As she fought, she seemed to turn in a manifestation of death, elusive and decisive, leaving her opponents completely helpless as she coldly slit their throats.

Along with those two, he saw Sheila. The lamia was doing her part too. And as he saw her fight, he knew all her training wasn’t for show. Despite being weaker than the other two, she wasn’t any less efficient than them. Her spear art, which was focused on deadly accurate and fast thrust along with the natural nimbleness of her snake constitution made her into a true killing machine.

Covering the back of those three was an archer he hadn't met previously. Calmly, she stood on the back, raining her poisoned arrow on the orcs, and making sure that no accident befalls on the frontline warriors.

Last but not least, was Celia who was by her own, fighting against two rank C orcs, the shaman and another hammer bearing orc Leo supposed to be the chief. Though she was struggling against that combination, she did her best to resist as long as she could. With her feet covered with what looked like fire boots, she was constantly moving around the battlefield while drowning her opponents under a barrage of spells. From time to time, she would create little explosions under her heels, using the short burst of speed to keep her distance with her foes.

 Although the five of them were able to resist now, it was clear that they would be unable to keep up for much longer. There were just too many enemies for them to handle alone. Tiran was already covered with wounds and looked like he could collapse anytime, Koko and Sheila were also showing clear signs of exhaustion, and Celia and the unknown archer would probably run out of mana soon. 

Luckily, he came out now or things could have gotten out If hand. Still, it was already too late as some orcs already managed to slip through the defensive line and started to wreak havoc in the settlement. 

An example was the orc that attacked him the first time. As he remembered that orc, Leo turned to look at him, only to see the fool rushing toward him, his club raised high in the air. Seeing such a display, Leo snorted and the next instant, the headless body of the orcs slid down and came to a stop in front of him. At the same time, six wind blades flashed through the settlement and beheaded the other orc that went past Celia and the others.

‘I need to calm down,’ Leo muttered as he walked toward the frontline. However, he wasn’t able to. For the first time, he was unable to look at things calmly.

He wasn’t sure what feeling it was. Was it just anger? Was it wrath? Or was it fury? He wasn’t sure. But as he saw those damned orcs bring pain to those he considered his, as he saw them invade his territory while he had his back turned, he saw red, and he wished nothing more than to tear them apart. He wanted to teach them why they should never touch a Lion’s pride.

It may be foolish to charge head-on, but today, he was going to act the way he wanted to. He was going to vent all the frustration he kept in his heart all this time. He had enough confidence in his power to do that.

With those thoughts in mind, he moved forward and with each step he took, the pressure he unleashed grew heavier. Before long, everyone noticed his presence and unconsciously they all stopped fighting, turning their attention toward him.