Good Old Grinding…
After the two days of indulgence, Galen and Rhea once again left the apartment.
They were en route to the same forest they had ventured into the last time.
While Rhea drove the car, Galen silently sat on the passenger seat with closed eyes.
As he fully spread his mana sense, a vivid map of the surrounding area soon appeared in his mind.
He was currently searching for something with all his focus.
After a while, he suddenly opened his and exclaimed with a smile.
"Found it !"
"Take the next right, wifey."
"Okay.~"
A few twists and turns later, both of them stood before an abandoned underground mining entrance, situated on a small hill a few miles away from the city.
A few hundred meters deep inside the cave that is structured like a complex maze, a dimensional gate stood, not yet discovered by anyone so far, its crimson colour slightly illuminating the immediate vicinity.
"You remember what we've discussed, right dear?"
"Hmm...~"
"You are going to try and finish your promotion quest by killing the monsters inside the dungeon. Meanwhile, I have to raise my levels as much as possible by raiding the gates.~"
"That's pretty much everything."
"After you are done with this gate, you can search around for another one or just contact the government for any uncleared gates."
"They wouldn't turn down a helping hand since most of the common populace had stopped trying at this point."
"But remember this. No matter what, you are not allowed to enter a D – Rank Gate without me, got it?"
Galen commanded her with a serious expression.
As a precaution, he had already upgraded her twin daggers to the uncommon level yesterday and spent 80 Origin Mana units for that, but that's beside the point.
"Aye, aye, Sir."
Rhea nodded in understanding before giving a playful salute to him, lightening the tense atmosphere.
Shaking his head with a smile, Galen approached Rhea, pulled her into a tight hug and locked his lips with hers.
The kiss wasn't anything lewd, just his lips pressed against hers for a few seconds.
But Rhea still felt a myriad of intense emotions conveyed through that simple gesture, mainly the intense love he had for her, and his current reluctance to part with her – even if only for a short time.
Taking a short step back, Galen gently caressed her cheeks before muttering in a soft voice.
"I'll see you soon, dear."
"Hmm... See you soon, darling.~"
Rhea replied just as softly, her melodious voice filled with tenderness.
Then, without another word, Galen vanished.
There was only a light breeze blowing against her as Galen left the place with supersonic speed, showing how advanced his mana manipulation was.
For a few minutes Rhe just stood there, absentmindedly watching the place where he had been standing moments before.
In the end, taking a final lingering look, she decisively turned her away and began walking toward the gate.
*
On the other side,
Galen had already arrived at the entrance of the C – Grade Dungeon, Goblin's cave, its wide maw swallowing him in its darkness as he walked.
Once again, standing in the same hallway, Galen felt somewhat lonely without his cheery wife at his side.
Exhaling a short breath, he put away those melancholic thoughts aside.
"It's time for some good old grinding..."
Soon, an excited and almost manic grin appeared on his perfect face – thinking of him facing against the Peak C–rank Boss of this whole dungeon.
Unable to contain himself anymore, he whipped out his sword and began running through the long corridor.
Not long after, he was inside the first hall facing a lone goblin.
Well, *facing* might not be the right word as he didn't even look at the creature before a single swipe of his sword sliced the monster cleanly in half before it could even properly register his presence.
All the while, his feet hadn't stopped moving for even a moment and continued carrying him through the second door that appeared on the other side of the hall.
The following halls weren't any different.
All the goblins simply dropped dead the moment Galen swung his sword, whether they are goblin underlings or goblin warriors, whether they are alone or together, all their fates were the same with no exceptions.
Even the Goblin Boss, who had given so much trouble to the blindfolded Rhea, hadn't survived his initial strike.
Before long, Galen was descending through the stairs leading to the next level of the dungeon, his clothes still immaculate and his breathing perfectly even.
Not a shred of exertion could be seen on his handsome face and no trace of the massacre he had just committed could be found on his person.
The only thing confirming his handiwork was the appearance of constant system notifications every time he killed a monster.
[ You have killed a level 1 Goblin underling. ]
[ You have earned some exp. ]
[ You have killed a level 2 Goblin underling. ]
[ You have earned some exp. ]
[ You have killed a level 3...
[ You have killed a level 4...
[ You have leveled up. ]
[ You have killed a level 5...
[ You have killed a level 6 Goblin warrior. ]
[ You have earned some exp. ]
.
.
.
[ You have leveled up. ]
.
.
.
[ You have killed five level 6 Goblin warriors. ]
.
.
.
[ You have killed five level 9 Goblin warriors. ]
[ You have earned some exp. ]
[ You have killed the first floor boss, Goblin Chief. ]
[ You have leveled up. ]
[ Congratulations. ]
[ You have obtained the common grade weapon – Steel Club, from the floor boss. ]
On just the first floor alone, including the Goblin Chief, Galen had killed a total of 44 monsters, which took him to level 10 even with the reduced exp gain from dungeon monsters.
{ A/N : Dungeon monsters only give out 10% of the total exp when they are killed.
And you can't source any materials from them since their bodies will just disintegrate after death, reabsorbed by the dungeon. }
Of course, he immediately asked his dependable Beth to store those levels in the system, once again bringing him back to level 1.
Previously, when he came here with Rhea, because of the rank difference between her and the monsters, both of them barely got any exp from the killing.
But now, since he was alone, he could make significant progress in his ranking quest while also farming levels on the side.
Without a doubt, it was definitely a win-win situation for Galen.
***
Galen's current stats ;
—
Level : 1 –> 10 –> 1
Strength : 95 (77+18)
Strength : 95
Vitality : 95
Agility : 95
Dexterity : 95
Intelligence : 195
Charm : 95
—
Mana : 1950
Origin mana : 33 units (38+25+25–80+25)
—
Stored Levels : 21 –> 30
System Points: 12210 (11,200+500+500)
{ A/N : Galen had received 500 SP for fucking Rhea inside a dungeon from his naughty system, and another 500 for fucking her out in the wilderness. }
***