The air shimmered, and ten goblins appeared. It was a mix of Warriors and Rogues. Zack was used to six. Ten was a crowd. He didn't hesitate. Flash! [Minor Soothe]! The emerald light blinded them. He became a shadow. His 34.6 Agility was more than enough. He moved through them like a ruthless ghost. His [God-Eater] hand chopped, punched, and clawed. He was an E-Rank (Beginner) Healer with the stats of a high-end Warrior and the speed of an Assassin. The goblins didn't stand a chance. In thirty seconds, all ten were dead. A small pile of red cubes appeared. [Wave 1 Cleared.][Wave 2: E-Rank (Mid) x5 Spawning...]
Five new goblins spawned. But these were... different. They were bigger than the first wave. Their skin was a darker green, and their wooden clubs had crude metal spikes hammered through them. They wore bits of leather armor. Zack used his flash-bang. The five goblins roared in anger, but they recovered in half the time. One Warrior charged. Zack met it with a dark-cloaked fist. THUD! Zack's punch, which killed a (Beginner) goblin instantly, only made this one stumble back. It was tougher. Its stats were higher. The goblin swung its spiked club. Zack dodged, but a Rogue was already on his flank, its dagger stabbing at his ribs. Tink! His 34.0 Defense held. The dagger couldn't pierce his skin. The Rogue's eyes went wide. It underestimated him. Zack grabbed its head. [God-Eater] activated, and he drained it, throwing the husk at the Warrior to block its charge. This was a real fight. He couldn't just one-shot them. He had to dodge, block, and strike twice. It was work. It took him almost three minutes to kill all five E-Rank (Mid) goblins. He was breathing a little harder.
[Wave 2 Cleared.][Wave 3: E-Rank (High) x3 Spawning...] Three more spawned. These were huge. They were almost as tall as he was. They weren't just goblins; they were Hobgoblins. They wore chainmail vests, and their eyes glowed with a mean, hateful intelligence. One was a Shaman, but its staff was covered in runes. One was a Warrior with a metal axe. The third was an Assassin with two long, curved daggers. The moment they spawned, the Shaman pointed its staff. "Fireball!" it screeched. A large, orange ball of fire shot at Zack. Zack didn't have time for his flash-bang. He dove, rolling across the gray floor. BOOM! The fireball exploded where he had been, scorching the ground. This was serious. This was an E-Rank (High) monster. Its stats were probably in the low 40s. It was almost as strong as him. The Assassin was on him, moving in a blur. Zack met its charge. Clang! Clang! Clang! Zack used his shadow-cloaked forearms to block the daggers. His 34.0 Defense was just barely enough. Sparks flew. This was a real, one-on-one fight. He was faster, but the Assassin was more skilled. Zack saw an opening. He punched the Assassin in the chest. It staggered. "Fireball!" Another fireball was coming. Zack grabbed the Assassin and threw it directly into the path of the fireball. BOOM! The Assassin shrieked as it was cooked alive. Zack was already moving. He was ruthless. He used the explosion as cover, appearing right in front of the Shaman. The Shaman's eyes went wide with terror. Zack's hand chopped down, killing it. The last Warrior roared and swung its axe. Zack blocked it with his arm. The axe bit deep, but his 34.0 Defense stopped it from cutting to the bone. Pain shot up his arm. "Grr... my turn," Zack snarled. He punched the Warrior in the face, then again, and again. He was furious. He grabbed its head, and the dark mist of [God-Eater] drained it completely.
[Wave 3 Cleared.] Zack stood there, breathing hard. His arm was bleeding. He held his left hand over the wound. [Minor Soothe]. His 34.0 Spirit made the green light bright and warm. The gash stitched itself closed in seconds. "Good," he panted. "Perfect cover." He looked at the pile of red cubes. They were... bigger. [System: E-Rank (High) cubes grant 0.2 stat points each.] "Oh," he said. That was new.
[Final Wave: E-Rank (Peak) Spawning...][Spawning: 'Mutant Goblin Warrior'.] The air shimmered. The monster that appeared was the one from his nightmares. It was six feet tall, with sickly green skin, a skull tattoo, and a giant, rusted metal axe. It was the same E-Rank (Peak) monster he had fought before. It looked at Zack. It remembered him. It hated him. It didn't roar. It snarled. It didn't underestimate him. It charged, but it was smart. It held its axe low, ready for a fight.
Zack shot his [Minor Soothe] flash-bang. The mutant roared and closed its eyes, swinging its axe in a wild circle, knowing Zack would charge in. Zack had to skid to a stop to avoid being cut in half. It adapted! This was a real threat. This was a monster with the stats of a D-Rank (Beginner) hunter. The mutant opened its eyes and charged, its axe held high. Zack met it. He was a Healer, but he fought like a Barbarian. He didn't try to dodge. He ran at the monster. The mutant swung its axe down, to split him in two. Zack punched the axe. CLANG! The sound was like a church bell. The axe, cloaked in Zack's 35.0 Strength and [God-Eater] shadows, cracked. The mutant's eyes went wide with shock. Zack punched the axe again. CRACK! It shattered. The mutant roared in pain and fury, its hands now empty. It punched Zack in the chest. THUD! It felt like being hit by a small car. Zack was thrown back, his chest aching. His 34.0 Defense held, but he was hurt. The mutant charged, ready to finish him. Zack lay on the ground, the wind knocked out of him. He was furious. Not at the monster. At himself. He had gotten sloppy. He thought he was strong. "Not... strong... enough..." he hissed. He was ruthless. He didn't get up. He waited. The mutant was right on top of him, its giant green fist pulling back for a final, bone-crushing punch. Zack's left hand shot up. [Minor Soothe]! He didn't flash it. He focused it. He aimed the bright, emerald light right into the mutant's open eyes. "AAAAAGH!" The mutant dropped to its knees, clawing at its face, screaming in real, blinding pain. It was the opening. Zack exploded off the floor. His shadow-cloaked [God-Eater] hand wasn't a fist. It was a spear. He slammed his hand, not at the goblin's chest, but at its throat. The goblin froze. It gurgled. Zack didn't let go. He drained it. He felt a river of dark energy flow from the monster into his arm. It was ten times more than a normal goblin. The mutant shuddered, its big body shrinking, turning gray and brittle. It crumbled to dust. [You have killed a 'Mutant Goblin Warrior' (E-Rank, Peak).][Special Reward: Agility Cube (Purple) x1 obtained.]
Zack stood there, breathing hard, his chest aching. A purple cube. [Purple Cube: 1.0 stat point.] He crushed it. A warm, strong jolt of power shot into his legs. He had twenty minutes left. He held his left hand to his bruised chest. [Minor Soothe]. The green light glowed, and the pain faded. "More," he said. [No more opponents of this rank. Resetting wave...][Wave 1: E-Rank (Beginner) x10 Spawning...] He went back to work.
When the hour was up, he was exhausted, but he was smiling. [Time limit reached. Exiting dimension.] He appeared in his room. He opened his hand. A huge pile of red cubes (some small, some bigger) and one empty spot where the purple one had been. He crushed them all. The power flowed into him. He checked his watch.
[Reader's Note: Zack's Stats]
(Grind: 1 Night in E-Rank Dimension - All Waves + 1 Peak Boss)
Rank: E (Beginner) / (System Rank: E (Beginner))Class: Healer / God-Eater (Mythical)
Strength: 35.8(+0.8 from 35.0)
Agility: 36.3(+1.7 from 34.6 - includes 1.0 purple cube)
Stamina: 35.9(+0.8 from 35.1)
Spirit: 34.7(+0.7 from 34.0)
Defense: 34.5(+0.5 from 34.0)
(Note: Zack has gained a total of 4.5 stat points. He is now at an average of 35-36 points. His next System goal is still 50 points in all stats. He has 3 days left until the dungeon.)