[Ding! Congratulation, Host. After realizing that you have soloed the level 1 dungeon, the Will of the World has rewarded you with the Body Strengthening Manual!]

The manual consisted of several postures, executing which would enhance one’s physical capabilities.

It was a rarity that was hard to come by in the outer region of the kingdom. Maybe only the young masters hailing from noble families of the kingdom’s inner region might have access to such a technique.

“It’s amazing.”

Val felt glad to have obtained such a spectacular reward.

Just then, a horrifying notification sounded in his mind.

[The dungeon has started to break!]

And then… He saw something even more horrifying happening.

Suddenly, cracks appeared in the sky above him. It seemed like the sky itself was about to fall and crush the world under its weight! 𝓞𝒱𝓛xt.𝗇𝓔t

Val knew why this was happening. The dungeon core supported the existence of the dungeon. Once it’s destroyed, the dungeon would also cease to exist.

Where is the exit?

It was mentioned that once a dungeon was completed, an exit would open up.

Val searched for it.

[The Will of the World has opened a way out of the dungeon. Please use it to get to safety!]

The Devil’s System notified Val.

At the same time, a crack opened up in the fabric of reality nearby. Val sprinted towards the gaping rift as fast as he could, diving in just as the sky crumbled apart and fell down, disintegrating the dungeon.

[Ding! You have been teleported out of the dungeon!]

The sensation of teleportation was as disorienting as always, but Val managed to regain his footing quickly.

When his vision cleared, he found himself back in the secret chamber of the cave that was located in the Evernight forest.

Venturing outside, he spent some time hunting local beasts local to the outskirts of the forest in order to get the remaining EXP to level up. While doing so, he realized that the EXP level 1 to 10 beasts used to give him when he was a level 1 bloodline user had decreased by half as he had become a level 2 bloodline user.

As he killed another beast of the evernight forest, he gained the last remaining point to level up.

“I have done it!”

He felt a surge of accomplishment as his EXP bar hit the maximum limit of 100.

Immediately, a notification of his system popped up before him.

[Ding! Congratulation, Host! You have ascended to level 5 from level 4 Bloodline User. You have earned +2 Stat Points and your Level 1 Blood Devil Bloodline has been upgraded slightly.

[It has reached maturity!]

[It has been upgraded to level 2.]

[Congratulations, Host on becoming a level 2 Blood Devil Bloodline User!]

These were followed by another system alert.

[Ding! Congratulation, Host! With the evolution of your Blood Devil Bloodline to Level 2, you have obtained a new Bloodline Skill: ‘Blood Rush’. This skill allows you to double your speed for a cost of 1 unit of blood per second.]

Val smiled, ‘My life in Eldrich is indeed getting more intriguing by the minute.’

Returning to the secure confines of Whitemore Manor, Val retreated to his room, ensuring the door was locked securely behind him.

Pulling the collected cores from the folds of his windbreaker, he analyzed them. Some of these cores promised an increase in strength and stamina, others boasted a boost in dexterity and agility.

He sat down on his bed cross-legged.

After that, he started consuming them, one after the other.

As he absorbed the cores, a flurry of system notifications appeared before him.

[Your Strength has increased to 22 points!]

[Your Agility has increased to 23 points!]

[Your Reflexes have increased to 15 points!]

[Your Stamina has increased to 17 points!]

Afterwards, Val made a conscious decision to invest the stat points that he had gained by reaching level 5 into Ref. It raised to 17 points, matching his stamina.

The Ref stat played a crucial role in determining how swiftly and effectively he could react to incoming attacks. A higher Ref meant that he could evade attacks more easily, respond quickly to unpredictable movements, and generally exhibit improved control over his physical actions.

Earlier, when Val had clashed with the Green Devil, his reflexes had been his weakness. It was the primary reason the Green Devil had managed to land a successful blow. But now, with his Red elevated to 17 points, Val was confident that if he were to engage in battle with the Green Devil again, the fiend would struggle to land even a single hit on him.

He scratched his chin, thinking, ‘My overall performance in a fight would undoubtedly be significantly better as compared to before, thanks to my upgraded Reflexes.’

…

Later that night, after laying down on his bed to sleep, Val thought, ‘I can’t sleep.’

Val, having augmented his stamina with the cores of dungeon monsters, found himself neither tired nor sleepy.

His new energy levels left him restless, so he decided to take a stroll around the manor.

To his surprise, while he was strolling through the dark, moonlit corridors of the mansion, he encountered his father, Joshua, whose eyes lit up at the sight of him.

“Val, I’ve been looking for you,” Joshua said, his eyes betraying a serious demeanor.

“Father, why have you been looking for me?” Val asked, furrowing his brow.

Why was this old fox looking for him so late at night?

Joshua inhaled deeply before revealing, “We found evidence of our family priest, Bartholomew, poisoning you during the bloodline awakening ritual. He’s currently locked in our private jail. You can decide how to deal with him.”

Val’s mood improved for the better as he heard the news.

“The local church allowed this to happen?” Val queried, surprise creeping into his voice.

“They did dare to argue, but I gave them a clear warning. In the face of a powerful bloodline user like myself, they were deterred,” Joshua said, a fierce glint in his eyes.