"Are you guys angry that I took the last hit?"
Raven asked Alec, Eve, and Curtis after seeing them looking at him weirdly.
"Erm... Not really."
Then Alec answered on their behalf.
"We're just surprised at your last attack."
Alec followed.
"Ha? What's there to be surprised about?"
Raven then asked again with a frown.
"Well, you ended the boss monster in a single slash..."
And Alec replied.
"Well, it was weakened, I just ambushed it when its guard was off."
Raven responded casually.
"But–"
"Ohh."
Alec was about to say something again when Raven's attention shifted.
Raven is still looking in Alec's direction but for some reason...
Alec feels like Raven is looking at something else.
And his intuition is right, Sariel sent a message to Raven.
And this is what the message says:
[Raven, you've ranked up again.]
"Umm, I'mma go look around for a bit."
Raven said to Alec, Eve, and Curtis after seeing Sariel's message.
He didn't even wait for their reply as he immediately walk off after saying that.
"Vicious Lightning... Huh."
Then Curtis mumbled the name of the sword technique that Raven used earlier as he watches him walk away.
"It's my first time hearing it."
He then followed.
"It's most likely that he created it himself."
Eve stated after staying silent for a while now.
"Destructive and fast..."
"What a nasty sword technique."
Alec mumbled with a smile.
"..."
"..."
Eve and Curtis agreed with his words, but they didn't say anything.
"Hey, guys!"
It was then, the 3 of them heard a familiar voice.
They looked where it came from...
And saw Adelle, Aoi, and Blake running toward them!
And seeing Alec, Eve, and Curtis looking at her...
"Wanna see what our ranks are now?"
Adelle excitedly exclaimed!
*****
"Status."
Raven mumbled as soon as he got his privacy.
Then a transparent window appeared in front of him, displaying his stats.
And as soon as Raven saw it...
A smile crept up onto his face!
=====
[STATUS]
Name:Raven Obadiah
Rank:D
Mana Control:D
Strength:D+
Agility:D++
Stamina:D+
Intelligence:D++
Luck:D
Charm:D++
[SKILLS]
<Monarch's Presence Lvl.5>
<Insight Lvl.5>
<Psychokinesis Lvl.4>
<Thought Acceleration Lvl.3>
<Mana Path Preset Lvl.3>
[TRAITS]
<Calm Thinker>
<Understanding>
<I like the spotlight>
<Master of Levina>
<???>
=====
Raven is now <D> rank!
That's why he easily took care of the Hell's Prisoner earlier in its weakened state!
"I ranked up 4 times, I'm glad I challenged this dungeon with the others."
Raven mumbled with a satisfied expression on his face.
But it didn't last though...
Just seconds after, Raven remembered something that made him frown unconsciously.
'I reached my rank limit...'
That's right... Raven hit the end of his potential.
[Well, do you know any way to surpass your limit?]
Sariel then asked after reading Raven's thought.
"I don't."
Raven bluntly answered.
"But I don't plan to stay in <D> rank for long."
Then he added.
...
"Anyway, any news about the transcended shits?"
Raven asked not long.
[Oh, yeah, I almost forgot.]
"What is it?"
[Your reward was just decided.]
"It better be good, those pieces of shit altered a lot in this dungeon."
Raven grumbled in annoyance.
As he and the others were going deeper into the labyrinth...
Raven encountered more things that were different from the novel!
He tried to complain to the Higher Beings.
But they said that after killing the final boss, they would bestow a great reward on Raven!
So Raven endured the changes, expecting a good reward for doing so.
[Here's your reward.]
Swish-
Sariel then said as a scroll similar to the <Item Upgrade Scroll> appeared out of thin air.
"What the hell is this?"
Raven asked after catching the said scroll.
[Oh... Hmmm... Wait...]
Sariel wasn't able to answer immediately, it's as if he was confirming something from the Higher Beings.
[Holy shit...]
Sariel then cursed unconsciously.
"What?"
[That scroll...]
"Yeah? What of it?"
[Upon tearing it, it will max out the level of one of your skills!]
Sariel then declared!
"..."
"Are you joking?"
Raven was doubtful at what he just heard.
[Fortunately, I'm not.]
But upon confirming that what Sariel said is true...
"Holy shit."
Raven felt an undescribable excitement rushing through his body!
"Can I choose what skill to be maxed out?"
He asked.
[Unfortunately, no.]
And Sariel answered.
"Well... That's too bad."
Raven mumbled.
"But I think any skill of mine getting maxed out is good anyway."
And after saying that...
Riiip–
Raven tore up the scroll given to him by the system!
And as soon as he did...
Swaaa~
Bright light covered Raven's whole body!
It didn't last long as it disappeared not long.
"Sariel, status!"
Raven immediately exclaimed after the light died down.
[Got it!]
And Sariel displayed Raven's status right in front of him!
And upon seeing what skill of his was maxed out...
"What the..."
Raven got complicated emotions.
*****
Meanwhile...
"Ahhhh... I can't believe it."-Blake
"I didn't expect the results to be like these too..."-Aoi
"Am I dreaming...?"-Adelle
"You're not."-Eve
"I got a new skill!"-Alec
"Me too."-Curtis
Blake, Aoi, Adelle, Eve, Alec, and Curtis are happily looking at their new stats!
Alec and Curtis are now <D+> ranks!
Eve, Adelle, and Aoi are <D> ranks!
And Blake is <D-> rank!
Their skills leveled up a lot too!
And that's not all...
Alec acquired the skill <Counter Impact>!
This skill required precise timing of activation to take effect...
But if Alec were to counter an enemy's attack and successfully use this skill, then the power of his attack would be twice more powerful than the enemy's!
Next, Curtis acquired the skill <Burst>!
This skill doubles all of his stats upon activation for the next 30 seconds!
It might not seem that much, but it's a very useful buff-type skill!
Especially in the hands of the main characters like Curtis!
Anyway, the point is all of the members of the group got a lot stronger in just a week!
And they're really in a good mood!
But as they were quietly celebrating and enjoying the moment...
SWOOOOH–
Cold air covered the whole dungeon floor!
Fwooooo~
And silence engulfed the area!
Then a strong pressure bore down on everyone seconds after that!
The pressure wasn't focused on the group, but even with that, it was still strong enough to make them flinch!
"Keuk... What the hell is happening?"-Curtis
"Shit..."-Alec
This situation alerted the group and it made them put their guards up!
They're now in their battle positions!
"".....""
Eve, Adelle, Blake, and Aoi were even too nervous to let out a noise...
"Fucking hell..."-Curtis
"What is it this time..."-Alec
Cold sweats were forming on everyone's foreheads, and chills were being felt all over their body!
Then...
Tap-
They heard a footstep!
The sound of it reverberated throughout the floor!
Tap-
Tap-
Tap-
The footstep was getting closer every second.
And along with it...
"Shit shit shit shit..."-Curtis
"Keuk..."-Alec
"Gugh..."-Eve
"Khhh..."-Aoi
"Nggghh..."-Adelle
"Fuck..."-Blake
The pressure pressing down the group was getting stronger!
It was now stronger than the pressure that the boss monster was emitting earlier!
Gulp-
The tension in the air was making the group's throats dry.
'Whatever is coming, it's something dangerous!'
They thought.
The group couldn't even run away because, in the first place, they have nowhere to run as the portal that will bring them back to the surface hasn't appeared yet!
It's supposed to appear after 5 minutes of killing the boss monster, but it's only had been 4 minutes since it died!
"We only need to survive a minute, and we can escape."
Eve whispered.
The others heard her and nodded their heads in unison.
'Where the hell is that idiot, we need him...'
Eve thought, the idiot was referring to Raven.
'He must have felt the same thing as us, so he'll come soon, then we'll all be able to safely escap–'
Tap-
Eve's thought was cut off when another footstep was heard.
Tap-
"Fuck..."-Eve
Tap-
"I don't like this..."-Adelle
Tap-
"Me either..."-Aoi
Tap-
"This tension is killing me."-Blake
Tap-
"We should attack at the same time."-Curtis
"I was just about to suggest it."-Alec
Tap-
Then, the footsteps stopped.
But the last time they heard it, they estimated the one making them was only just a few meters away from them!
Or to be precise, they're behind the rock a few meters away in front of them!
Also, the pressure was now so strong, it was getting harder for the group to breathe!
Tap-
When the next footstep was heard.
The group caught a glimpse of the one where they were coming from!
"They're coming!"
Eve exclaimed as she clenched her spear tightly and ready herself to attack!
"Huh, who is?"
Then Raven came out behind the rock and asked Eve innocently.
"..."
"..."
"..."
The area was again engulfed in silence, but now for a different reason.