The cave entrance was half-hidden beneath the roots of a glowing tree, pulsing with faint energy. To anyone else, it might look like a death trap.
To Zairon?
It screamed starter dungeon.
"Ah yes," he whispered, peering into the shadows. "The Tutorial Cave of Growth and Destiny. I bet it's full of low-rank monsters, basic loot, and possibly a talking sword that only bonds with me."
He stepped inside without hesitation, dragging a broken branch like a makeshift weapon.
The air was thick with humidity and faint bioluminescent spores. The walls glowed faintly blue. Small chittering sounds echoed through the tunnels.
[Dungeon Entered: Forgotten Burrow]
Recommended Rank: F
"Perfect," Zairon grinned. "Right where I belong."
The first creature he met was a mole-rat thing with spikes growing out of its back. It hissed as it lunged.
Zairon dodged to the side and jabbed his stick into its neck. It let out a wet squeal and slumped.
[You have slain: Spiked Tunnelrat (F-Rank)]
+50 EXP earned.
"That's right. Fear me, moles. The king has returned."
[Level Up! You have reached Cultivation Rank: E-Tier!]
All stats increased.
New trait unlocked: Survivor's Instinct (Passive)
Zairon stared at the screen.
"...I did it. I ranked up. E-Rank. Just like that."
He waited.
Nothing else popped up.
Then, curiosity getting the better of him, he tapped the Cultivation Rank bar.
[Current Rank: E-Tier]
Progress to next rank: 0 / 10,000 EXP
He paused.
"Wait, what?"
He tapped again.
Still 10,000 EXP.
He tilted his head. "So the first one was… what? A freebie?"
He nodded sagely to himself. "Ah. Of course. A reward for chosen ones. A gentle push from the universe. You may rise once for free… but beyond that? You earn your greatness."
He grinned wide.
"Fine by me."
He slammed a fist into his palm. "If it takes 10,000 EXP to rise again, then I'll just kill 10,000 monsters. Or maybe 100 big ones. Or a few mini-bosses. Whatever. It doesn't matter. I'll slay the world if I have to."
Over the next hour, he killed everything in sight: tunnelrats, sludge-spitting bugs, a bat that looked like it was made of rock, and one very angry mushroom that exploded on death.
His HP dropped a few times—apparently he had HP now—but he didn't care.
He was grinding.
And then—after slicing open what seemed to be a mini-boss (a Tunnelrat Alpha with glowing red eyes and a lot of attitude)—a system notification chimed loudly in his brain.
[Total EXP: 4,010 / 10,000]
He leaned back against the cave wall, grinning wildly, his clothes singed and torn but his eyes full of madness and fire.
"That's 4,000 EXP already. A quarter of the way there. All from this tiny dungeon. I'm amazing."
He stood up, pacing.
"Now… should I return to civilization? Get registered as a Hunter? Let them witness my greatness?"
He imagined it: grand gates opening, a shocked guild receptionist fainting, crowds gasping, cameras flashing, someone shouting "It's him! The one from the prophecy!"
He smirked.
"...No. That's too soon."
He pointed to the sky—well, ceiling.
"If I just show up now, it'll ruin the drama. But if I disappear for a while… then reemerge later with thousands of elite followers behind me, emerging from a higher Gate, cloaked in shadows…"
He shivered in excitement.
"They won't know what hit them."
He turned on his heel. "Alright. Step two: find a higher-tier dungeon. Something where E and D Rank monsters roam free, where the danger's higher and the EXP flows like wine."
He jogged out of the burrow, his coat fluttering, his mind buzzing.
"Zairon's coming, world."
He threw his arms wide, laughing to the wind.
"And this was just the tutorial."