Chapter 11: A New Record!

Ethan raised his hand.

"Shadow Strike."

Dozens of Shadow Wraiths attacked at once, their blades tearing through the immobilized goblin from every direction.

The Goblin Boss struggled desperately against the Shadow Bind, but there was nowhere left for it to run.

Its traps were useless. Its teleportation was useless and all that remained was its frail body.

[You have killed Goblin Boss (Level 5).]

[Experience +100]

Ethan lowered his hand as the Goblin Boss’s body began to dissolve and an essence orb appears in its place

He picked it up and held it against the light.

A small yellow brain floated inside the translucent orb, its surface pulsing with a faint, almost imperceptible glow.

Ethan stared at it for a moment.

"Spirit..."

This was exactly what he had come for.

Unlike Strength, Agility, and Constitution Essences, which could be found among ordinary monsters, Spirit Essences were usually obtained from creatures with exceptional intelligence, mental abilities, or unusual spiritual qualities.

And this Goblin Boss possessed all of those qualities

[Congratulations!]

[You have successfully cleared the First-Order Goblin Dungeon.]

[Difficulty: Hell]

[Clear Time: 1 Hour, 30 Minutes]

[Dungeon Clear Rewards:]

[Experience +500]

[Free Attribute Points +100]

[Goblin Trailrunner(common tier)]

[Reward Distribution Complete.]

Ethan calmly read through the notifications before they disappeared

For a moment, everything was quiet.

Ethan turned toward the massive stone gate.

He had done it.

He had cleared the Hell Mode Goblin Dungeon alone.

[New Dungeon Record!]

[Record Announcement]

[Player Ethan is the first individual to solo the First-Order Goblin Dungeon on Hell Difficulty.]

[Record Reward: Hell Slayer]

[Additional Record Reward: Spirit Essence taken from the goblin boss is Permanently Retained]

"There’s actually something like this?"

Ethan stared at the final notification.

He hadn’t expected that.

He had only wanted to clear the dungeon as quickly as possible. He never imagined that doing so alone would actually set a record.

The surprise lasted only a moment before he glanced toward the portal that had appeared at the edge of the chamber.

He could check the rewards later.

For now, there was no reason to remain here. He turned and walked into the portal.

The moment Ethan stepped out of the portal, he found himself back in the stone hall outside the Hell trial.

He had barely taken a step when a stunned voice came from nearby.

"You actually made it back?"

Ethan looked up.

The Village Elder stood a short distance away, staring at him as though he had seen a ghost.

He had been waiting for Lucian, Elena, and the others to return.

He had never expected Ethan to walk out of the Hell portal.

In fact, after so much time had passed, he had already assumed the young man was dead.

Yet Ethan was standing right in front of him.

The Elder stared at him for several seconds before finally finding his voice.

"How...?"

Ethan glanced at the Hell portal behind him.

"I cleared it."

The Elder froze.

"You... cleared it?"

Ethan nodded.

"Yes."

The Elder’s expression became increasingly complicated. He looked at the Hell portal, then back at Ethan.

"You mean you actually survived?"

"I didn’t just survive."

Ethan raised the hand holding the Spirit Essence Orb.

"I cleared the dungeon."

The Elder’s mouth fell slightly open.

For a moment, he didn’t know what to say.

Then a thought seemed to strike him.

"Alone?"

Ethan nodded again.

The Elder’s expression went blank.

"Alone..."

He repeated the word slowly, as though trying to understand what he had just heard.

Ethan raised the hand holding the Spirit Essence Orb.

"I believe that should be enough to assure you that I can handle your request."

The Elder stared at him for another moment before slowly nodding.

"Yes..."

"If you can clear Hell Mode alone, then perhaps I was wrong to worry about whether you could make the journey."

Ethan didn’t say anything more.

He walked to the side of the entrance and opened his panel.

[Panel]

Name: Ethan

Race: Human

Level: 4(21%)

HP: 200/200

Profession: Legion Summoner (EX)

Innate Talent: One Mind, One Legion

Title: Hell Slayer

Attributes

Strength: 100

Agility: 100

Constitution: 100

Spirit: 120

Unassigned Attribute Points: 100

Skills

• Shadow Veil (Divine)

Ethan looked over the numbers for a moment.

Reaching Level 4 had increased each of his basic attributes by forty.

The dungeon itself had also given him a large amount of experience. Between the hundreds of goblins he had killed and the Goblin Boss, whose experience reward had been doubled because of its status as the dungeon boss, he had gained enough to break through.

The hundred free attribute points were different.

Those could be placed wherever he wanted.

Ethan didn’t spend them yet.

His gaze shifted to the item he had received from clearing the dungeon.

[Inventory]

[Uncommon Supply Package]

[Goblin Trailrunner]

[A transportation device created by an exceptionally inventive goblin.]

[Function: High-speed ground transportation.]

Ethan’s eyes paused on the second item.

He knew this thing.

The Goblin Trailrunner had originally been designed by goblin inventors to travel through rough terrain while searching for ore and other resources.

It wasn’t particularly impressive compared to the transportation methods of the wider world, but it was cheap, fast, and surprisingly capable of crossing terrain that would stop ordinary vehicles.

That practicality eventually made it popular far beyond the goblin settlements.

Then Ethan turned his attention towards the new title section that had just appeared in his panel.

[Title: Hell Slayer]

[A title earned by overcoming a trial meant to be challenged by an entire party alone.]

[Effect: Damage dealt to dungeon monsters is slightly increased.]

[Effect: Damage dealt to dungeon bosses is slightly increased, while damage received from them is slightly reduced.]

[Growth Condition: Clear additional Hell Mode dungeons to strengthen the title.]

Ethan’s eyes brightened slightly.

The effects weren’t overwhelming, but they were useful.

More importantly, the title could grow stronger.

Hell Mode dungeons would only become more dangerous as he advanced, which meant this title could become increasingly valuable over time.