Chapter 100: Power in the Shadows
---
Dabi awoke to the first light of dawn filtering through his window. Today was an important day—he had planned to enter a high-mid-level dimensional gate, a place that promised dangerous monsters but equally rewarding treasures. Stretching his muscles, he sat up, running a hand through his hair as he mentally prepared for the day ahead. His siblings, Eli and Mira, were already awake, sitting at the table and studying. Loira, his injured guardian, sat beside them, her eyes watching the children carefully.
"Good morning," Dabi said, moving to the kitchen.
"Morning, brother!" Mira called without looking up from her books.
Dabi began preparing breakfast, moving through the familiar motions of cooking as he kept his mind focused on the task ahead. In a few hours, he would be stepping into a gate filled with monsters that could kill even seasoned adventurers. But he had prepared thoroughly, and he knew he could handle it. He wasn't the same weak boy from a few months ago.
After breakfast was ready, he brought the plates over to the table, placing food in front of everyone. Eli looked up and grinned. "Thanks, brother. This looks delicious!"
Mira nodded in agreement, and even Loira gave him a small smile.
Once they finished eating, the children gathered their things for school, and the nanny arrived to take them. Dabi watched as they left, waving at them from the doorway before sitting down on the sofa next to Loira.
"You need to heal faster," Dabi said, his tone firm. "I have something to give you."
He reached into his inventory and pulled out two glowing mana stones, offering them to her. Loira's eyes widened in surprise as she looked at the stones in his hand.
"You're wasting resources again," she said, her voice filled with concern. "My mana veins will heal in time. There's no need to waste precious mana stones on me. You should use them for yourself."
Dabi shook his head. "For your veins to heal naturally, it would take over 900 years. I think you're aware of that."
Loira sighed, her expression softening. "I know. My race, the Dimension Gatekeepers, have lifespans of thousands of years. To be specific, it should be around 4,000 to 5,000 years. I have time, Dabi. I'll recover."
"No, we don't," Dabi replied, his voice firm. "We don't have the luxury of waiting. You need to heal quickly. Did you forget about the enemy we will be facing?"
Loira fell silent, her gaze lowering. "What about you, Dabi? You push yourself too hard. Don't neglect your own needs."
"I have my ways," Dabi said with a small smile. "Don't worry about me. What's important now is for you to get stronger. If you regain your power, you'll be able to help me. I need your strength."
Loira hesitated for a moment but finally nodded. "Alright. I'll take the mana stones."
She stood up, taking the stones from Dabi's hand and heading toward the training room. "I'll start absorbing the mana right away," she said quietly before disappearing into the room.
Dabi watched her leave, feeling a sense of relief. He needed her at full strength if they were to survive the coming battles. He couldn't afford to wait for her to heal naturally.
Once Loira was gone, Dabi turned his attention to his mission for the day. He checked his gold balance, noting that he still had 532.5 million gold coins remaining. Deciding that it was time to maximize his gains, he opened the system shop and bought a 10x Experience Boost Card for 30 million gold. This would give him a significant edge in the upcoming fight.
Note: ("Experience Boost card- can boost the experience gain from monster for 12 hours."
"X mean how many time it will multiply. 10 means 10 times more experience.")
"Current balance: 502.5 million gold."
With everything set, Dabi made his way to the dimensional gate, his heart steady but ready for the challenge ahead.
---
After coming at the entrance of the Dimension Gate-
The gate loomed before him like a tear in reality, swirling with dark energy. Dabi stepped through, the familiar sensation of being pulled into another realm washing over him. As he crossed the threshold, the landscape changed drastically. He found himself in a dense, dark forest, the air thick with the scent of moss and decay. This was no ordinary forest—the monsters lurking here were far stronger than anything he had faced in the lower-tier gates.
Dabi tightened his grip on his weapon and activated his Sovereign of Space class abilities, enhancing his senses and preparing himself for battle. It wasn't long before the first wave of monsters appeared. Emerging from the shadows of the trees were three massive creatures, each towering over Dabi. Their bodies were covered in thick scales, and their eyes glowed with an unnatural light.
Without hesitation, Dabi launched himself into the fray.
The first monster, a hulking beast with tusks the size of swords, charged at him with surprising speed. Dabi sidestepped just in time, his agility saving him from being impaled. With a swift movement, he summoned a spatial rift, warping space around the creature and slashing through its thick armor with a blade of condensed space.
The beast roared in agony, but before it could react, Dabi teleported behind it, striking again with precision. The monster's legs buckled under the attack, and with one final slash, Dabi severed its head clean off.
The second and third monsters roared in unison, their massive claws cutting through the air as they rushed at him. Dabi smirked, knowing he couldn't let his guard down. His agility boosted by his stats, he moved like a blur, dodging and weaving between their attacks.
The second beast tried to trap him with its long, barbed tail, but Dabi was too fast. He jumped into the air, avoiding the tail's deadly swipe, and unleashed a flurry of spatial blades from above. The blades cut deep into the monster's hide, and it let out a guttural scream as its body was torn apart.
The third beast, enraged by the death of its companions, charged at Dabi with renewed fury. Its mouth opened wide, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth. Dabi narrowed his eyes and prepared his next move.
With a flick of his wrist, he summoned a dimensional rift, creating a tear in space between him and the monster. The creature stumbled, confused, as it tried to cross the rift, only to find itself trapped in an endless loop of space. Dabi used the opportunity to strike at its weak points, cutting through its limbs and finally delivering a killing blow to its chest.
The beast let out one final roar before collapsing to the ground, dead.
Breathing heavily, Dabi wiped the sweat from his brow and glanced around, ensuring that there were no more immediate threats. The battle had been intense, but he had handled it with precision and efficiency. The real challenge, however, lay ahead—the boss of this gate.
---
The boss monster -
The gate's boss was unlike anything Dabi had seen before. Standing at nearly twice the height of the other monsters, the creature was a grotesque fusion of man and beast, with thick, leathery wings and eyes that glowed with an eerie red light. Its body was covered in black armor, and in its hand, it wielded a massive war axe, crackling with dark energy.
Dabi knew this would be a tough fight. He took a deep breath, activating his full arsenal of abilities.
The boss roared, swinging its axe toward Dabi with terrifying speed. Dabi barely managed to dodge the strike, feeling the wind from the weapon pass by his face. He retaliated by creating multiple spatial rifts around the boss, slashing at it from different angles. The boss roared in pain but did not falter.
It charged at him again, its wings flapping violently as it attempted to take flight. Dabi knew he couldn't let it gain the high ground, so he activated his Gravity Control skill, increasing the force around the boss and dragging it back to the ground.
As the boss struggled to move under the increased gravity, Dabi seized the opportunity. He teleported behind it, delivering a devastating strike to its back. The armor cracked under the force of the blow, and dark energy seeped from the wound.
But the boss wasn't done yet. With a furious roar, it broke free of the gravitational pull and unleashed a torrent of dark magic. The blast hit Dabi head-on, sending him flying backward. Gritting his teeth, Dabi quickly recovered, using his spatial manipulation to warp space around him and avoid further damage.
The boss charged at him once more, its axe glowing with dark power. Dabi summoned a dimensional barrier just in time, blocking the attack. He could feel the strain on his mana, but he wasn't done yet. With one final push, Dabi activated his ultimate move—Dimensional Collapse.
Space around the boss distorted violently, crushing the creature under the weight of collapsing dimensions. The boss let out a final, agonized scream before it was completely obliterated, leaving nothing behind but a cloud of dark mist.
---
With the battle finally over, Dabi checked his system notifications, which he had ignored in the heat of the fight. The flood of messages was overwhelming, but one thing immediately caught his eye: he had gained 14 levels in a single battle, thanks to the experience boost card.
He now stood at Level 94, with a total of 62 stat points to allocate. His skills had also leveled up significantly, with his Storage Skill evolving into Dimensional Storage, and his Insight Skill gaining even greater clarity.
Before leaving the gate, Dabi sat down and allocated his new stat points carefully.
---
Previous Status (Level 80):
Name: Dabi (Level 80)
Class: Sovereign of Space (Mythical Class)
Strength: 122
Agility: 120
Endurance: 118
Intelligence: 83
Mana: 1000
Memory: 59
Dabi began allocating his newly earned stat points carefully. He decided to focus on increasing his intelligence and memory, which would help him in both combat and strategy. He also put a few points into strength and endurance to balance out his physical abilities. His main gola is cross the 100 point in all his stats.
New Status (Level 94):
Name: Dabi (Level 94)
Class: Sovereign of Space (Mythical Class)
Strength: 124(+2)
Agility: 120
Endurance: 120 (+2)
Intelligence: 100 (+17)
Mana: 1500 (Mana increased by 500)
Memory: 100 (+41)
Satisfied with his adjustments, Dabi felt the surge of power coursing through his body as his stats updated. His mind sharpened, his mana pool grew, and his physical abilities were now more balanced. He had grown stronger in ways he could not have imagined just a few months ago.
Dabi stood up and glanced at the empty battlefield. The boss monster had been obliterated, and the eerie silence that followed was a reminder of his hard-won victory. He took a deep breath and stretched his body, feeling the lingering adrenaline from the fight.
"Not bad," he muttered to himself, feeling the weight of his new strength.
As he exited the dimensional gate, the cold, oppressive energy that had filled the air dissipated. He glanced back once more at the ominous tear in space that marked the gate's entrance before stepping away.
---
Outside the gate, the afternoon sun was beginning to dip lower in the sky. Dabi pulled up his system menu to check his balance. After purchasing the 10x experience card earlier, his current balance stood at 502.5 million gold coins—an amount that would allow him to continue making investments in his strength and gear as needed.
His mind drifted back to Loira. He hoped she was making progress with the mana stones he had given her. Dabi knew the enemies they would eventually face would not wait for her to heal naturally. Time was running out, and they needed every advantage they could get.
With his business in the dimensional gate complete, Dabi started heading toward his home, his body still buzzing with energy. His siblings would likely be back from school by now, and he needed to check in with them.
The day had been a success. He had gained levels, upgraded his skills, and earned valuable stat points that would serve him well in future battles. But there was always more to do, more to prepare for. The enemies that lay ahead were stronger, smarter, and more dangerous than any he had faced before.
Dabi walked toward the horizon, his mind already thinking of the next challenge.
---