As saw the six boxes of bombs and started loading twenty into the pouches before putting health and mana potions in the remaining two. Following that, he said goodbye to the duo before leaving the shop.


    He noticed it was still early and decided to explore the quarry in the east, so As started walking that way and saw ordinary people doing their business. It took him an hour to reach the area where the quarry was located.


    Before approaching the gate, he checked his status as he leveled up again.


    [Level Up: 70→72]


    [Experience: 580/2000]


    [Experience Gained: 4500]


    [Health: 482→504]


    [Mana: 2692→2832]


    [Strength: 490→500]


    [Stamina: 554→610]


    [Charisma: 364→370]


    [Intelligence: 406→420]


    [Core Points: 250→3850]


    [Core Points Gained: 3600]


    [Void Bullet: 2→3]


    [Void Arrow: 2→3]


    [Void st: 1→2]


    [Void Wave: 0→1]


    [Void Step: 2→3]


    [Dual Wielding: 2→4]


    [Dimensional Storage: 1→2]


    [Maskweaving: 0→1]


    ''Oh, nice. That was a nice upgrade,''As thought as the excitement boiled up inside him.


    There was a guardpost that led into a steep drop that a gate blocked. When the soldiers spotted him, they stepped forward as one of them spoke, ''''Young adventurer, what brings you to this haunted ce, and can I see the guild card?''''


    When As heard this, he grinned before answering confidently and determinedly, ''''To grow stronger, I must put myself in a dangerous situation. I''m here to clear the quarry and level up.''''


    ''''Many have tried and failed. The quarry is unforgiving, and even seasoned adventurers struggle,'''' another soldier said with augh. ''''Look at the party who entered earlier; they won''tst much longer once the Crawlers get them.''''


    ''''I''m not going there to die. I''m going to find out if I''m really alive,'''' As responded while handing themander his guild card. ''''Now let me pass so I canplete my quest.''''


    The soldiers moved out of the way as themander unlocked the gate. He looked at As and spoke, ''''We''ve lost dozens of adventurers, boy. I have a feeling about you, and know that if you can reach the entrance, we will do our best to help you.''''


    After speaking, themander returned As''s guild card and watched as he stepped into the cold, echoing quarry. As the gate nged shut behind him, the path ahead was swallowed by darkness.


    As''s Night Eyes soon adjusted, revealing the shadows in sharp relief. He found himself on a broad pathway that gradually descended into the abyss. Peering over the edge, As saw nothing but a yawning chasm, its walls alive with the fluttering of bats.


    A chill ran down his spine as he wondered, ''What horrors lie below?''


    He started walking down the only path forward while readying his des in case any monsters attacked. As As walks, Amethyst sends him a message through the lover''s band, [We''re headed for the Wildheart Kingdom to help Grishna''s sister, who is leading the Bloodfang Orcs against the Southmen who beat thest Wildheart army who was holding the King''s Pass. I do hope you''re okay, Azahar''Zul]


    As smiled before quickly replying, [I''m going to be traveling south to heal Lilith, then will get a train north as I have Morozov Train Card that some woman gave me for ying bandits attacking them. I''m in a city named Tajariyah that''s built into some mountains. I miss you girls and will send you a message tomorrow morning]


    Continuing down the path, As deflected a projectile aimed at his head with his helmet. A dozen more whizzed towards him as he steadied himself, only to rebound harmlessly off his armor.


    He scanned the new monsters, which bore a striking resemnce to giant cockroaches. Their stone-like color blended seamlessly with the cave walls, but their appearance was far from harmless; these creatures exuded a menacing, predatory aura.


    [Stone Crawler]


    [Rank: E - 200 Exp]


    When As saw this, he fired a Void Bullet at the monster that blew it into pieces; the only evidence of its existence was an orange Monster Core that he threw into his storage before continuing.


    As eliminated four more Stone Crawlers as they lunged at him from the shadows, but he had no problem dispatching them before reaching a tunnel that reeked of decay. "What is that awful smell?" he muttered.


    As he stepped across the threshold, a screech reached his ears as a humanoid sprinted out of the shadows and swiped at As, who leaned back before casting Void st into the creature''s chest.


    The spell hurled the monster to the ground, allowing As to rush forward and drive his de through its skull. As the creature fell lifelessly, he looked closer at the new enemy, and a shiver ran down his spine.


    ''This thing belongs in a horror novel,'' As thought. ''Where are theying from?''


    It had once been human but had been grotesquely warped into a nightmare. Its body was a dark, blood-red hue, marred by deep, gnarled scars that covered every inch. Its eyes were hollow and ck, thest vestiges of humanity fading into its monstrous form.


    Something radiated from it, which made As cringe as he recognized that feeling, ''Chaos! Who are they?''


    While contemting, footsteps could be heard, causing him to raise his des to defend against a set of ws. As''s arms felt the strain, but he pushed past that and cast Void Wave to get the creatures away from him.


    This gave him a chance to scan them.


    [Dreadfiend]


    [Rank: E - 200 Exp]


    ''Experience farms,'' As thought as his excitement grew.


    He dashed forward, ducking under a swipe, before driving his de through the creature''s jaw and piercing its brain. He then cast a Void st at another creature, getting close, which blew it away.


    As engaged the Dreadfiends with precise agility, deftly weaving through their attacks while delivering a flurry of shes, stabs, and spells. Chaos erupted throughout the tunnels as he fought, but his armor absorbed most of the damage, allowing him to remainrgely unscathed amidst the fray.


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    ''I''ll continue fighting until my muscle hurts,'' As thought with a smile while stabbing a Dreadfiend through the eye as it tried to bite him.


    He spun around when feeling another behind him and plunged his Blood Knife into its chest before casting Void Bullet. The spell caused the creature to explode from the inside out and covered him in bits of flesh.


    As shook his head and dispatched the remaining monsters with a flurry of Void Arrows. Each arrow pierced through their bodies, and they fell to the ground, lifeless. He sheathed his Nightde and used the knife to cut out the Monster Cores.


    ''Eight green cores,'' he thought while storing them away. ''I''ll continue to collect these.''


    As continued down the tunnel until he entered a vast underground chamber. Scanning the area, he spotted a descending path that led into the encroaching darkness. "The creatures must being from this way," he mused.


    A rattling noise echoed through the chamber, piquing his curiosity. As he turned to investigate, a sudden barrage of arrows struck, forcing him to leap back. He quickly cast Void Guard, shielding himself from the onught.


    ''What the hell!'' he thought while spotting the culprits, which were skeletons, but they were his size, ''Dead dwarves?''


    [Dwarf Skeletons Miners]


    [Rank: G - 50 Exp]


    As shook his head and noticed the undead were marching up the path he needed to take. With a smile, he started casting Void st, which collided with the skeletons, causing explosions to send them flying into the darkness below.


    He dashed forward and started striking the surviving enemies; his attacks shattered their skulls. As made his way down the path while spamming spells into the crowds of skeletons that wiped them out.


    It took him close to an hour to reach the bottom, where an entrance to an unexpected dungeon was overflowing. More Dreadfiends rushed out of the entrance, forcing As to dodge their attacks before sting them away with Void sts.


    Having dispatched the creatures, As crouched down, startled by a chilling chuckle echoing through the entrance. Reacting swiftly, he sprang to his feet and activated Void Scan, quickly spotting a monster lurking nearby.


    [Forgotten Lurker]


    [Rank: D+ - 350 Exp]


    ''What kind of monster is this,'' As pondered while readying for another fight as his breath was heavy.


    The creature crawled out of the shadows on all fours, which made him gulp. It moved like a spider but was humanoid, with two arms and legs that ended with sharp ws. Its body was covered in strange scales that he knew would be tough to break through.


    ''This is going to be tough,'' he thought, gripping his des tightly.


    It let out another chuckle as its ck eyes pierced As''s soul. Its mouth was shaped into a creepy smile with shark-like teeth. The monster suddenly shot forward like a rocket, causing him to yelp while casting Void Step.


    He vanished from the spot just as the Lurker mmed into it. This gave him enough time to pepper the monster''s body with Void Bullets and Void Arrows, which caused it to screech in pain.


    As grinned behind his helmet, ''This creature won''t go down easy,'' he thought while getting ready to attack.


    Without thinking, he burst forward like a bullet and started striking the Lurker with dozens of attacks, hitting it with Void Bullets that exploded on contact and confused the monsters. He rushed in, skidded under it, and ran his des down its torse, causing it to spasm before dropping to the ground.


    He rose to his feet, the Nightde aimed squarely at the monster''s skull. With a voice crackling with fierce excitement and unyielding resolve, he dered, "Chaos scum. This time, we will end this eternal game once and for all. I will be strong enough to frighten the Dark Gods."