Chapter 5: Further Deeper

Zoey continued to stare at the status screen for what felt like hours, her mind struggling to comprehend the reality of her situation. With a trembling voice, she muttered: "A hundred times.....A HUNDRED TIMES!?" Zoey shouted her voice filled with trembling excitement.

"This is unreal...wha...how..." Zoey tried to make sense of it all, first, how come she had two Talents? Normally, there should only be one Talent a Hunter could have. Assuming that they got one upon Awakening of course.

Second, the glitched text and the ominous power the [A Hundredfold Ascension] provided her. The only text read "Once belonging to-" ends there, making her wonder who this power could've belonged to, and why and how she was tied to it all.

'This system was bound to me the moment I was born...meaning that I could share a greater destiny in this world, as such power doesn't just go to anybody without a purpose.' Zoey thought, contemplating to herself.

And lastly how will she hide her power once it surfaces in the media, will she be able to hide her [A Hundredfold Ascension] and [Heightened Senses] Talent.

Fear gripped her heart as she wondered how the media, and especially her family would react if they saw the Talents she had. Would she be bound by the nation and valued as a "Treasure", or would she be seen as a threat and eliminated for other reasons.

Either way, both futures were terrifying and something she would never want to experience in her life. One thing she was sure of, is that she needed power if she wanted to be able to live without these concerns.

"Sigh..." Zoey sighed in frustration, running a hand through her hair, "Let's check out [Heightened Senses] next." Zoey said as she focused on the Talent.

[Heightened Senses: An extraordinary talent that shatters the limits of human perception, elevating the Host's sensory capabilities to near-supernatural levels.]

[Effect 1 – Apex Perception

The Host's six senses are amplified by 300%, sharpening sight, sound, touch, taste, smell, and intuition to an unparalleled degree. Perceive the subtlest movements, hear the faintest whispers, and react to danger before it even manifests.]

[Effect 2 – Mana Gauge

A seventh sense is awakened—"Mana Gauge." The Host can now perceive the flow of mana itself, seeing its radiant aura around all living beings. Instantly gauge an opponent's power, sense the presence of hidden threats, and unravel the mysteries of magic with a mere glance.]

[Effect 3 – Hyper Instinct

The Host's reaction speed is supercharged by 300%, allowing for near-instantaneous reflexes. Every movement, every attack, and every decision is made with blinding precision—turning split-second reactions into a lethal advantage in battle.]

'This is amazing...' Zoey thougnt in awe as she read the effects of the [Heightened Senses] Talent, 'So this is what an A+ Talent could do.' She mused excitedly.

Zoey then slowly rose up from the ground, realizing that her stamina was back to a 100%, deciding it was now time to venture deeper into the dungeon. As she began to walk, her thoughts drifted to the early exchange with the goblins, as she immediately realized that her stamina was really low.

'My stamina isn't up to Hunter standards, I quickly become tired after running a little bit. That's not good at all for me, what if I were situated in a prolonged battle, my stamina could reach zero, and then I'll be in hot waters.'

Zoey thought with a sigh, gently tapping her cheek with her finger as she began to contemplate.

'I might have to begin going to one of those Hunter gyms to improve my physical stats, or better yet, those advanced Training Facilities to better my combat after this.' Zoey pondered.

When A Hunter Awakens their system, they can increase their stats by doing physical exercises, such as running, push-ups, squats, etc.

When the user starts to develop strong muscles, their strength and other stats increase as well, but only up to a certain point.

for example, if a skinny F-Rank Hunter, with pathetic stats were to start gyming, his base stats would begin to increase exponentially.

But once the F-Rank has become very strong, and gained a sculpted body, their stat gains will be heavily slowed down, as their bodies don't find the activities challenging anymore.

That's when you'll have to begin Hunting to level up and increase your Stats.

'Alright then...the Hunter gym it is. Then after that I'll have to enter a training facility, to better improve my combat.' She thought, a smile forming on her face.

As Zoey began to move deeper, she discovered a few figures in the distance standing before a flight of stairs that would lead you into the second floor. She narrowed her eyes as she began to concentrate, her vision zooming in on them with clean precision.

'Oh, I didn't think there'd be anymore goblins on the first floor.' Zoey pondered as she smiled lightly.

'Let me see....' Zoey began to sense the Mana the goblins emmited, it was a bit difficult, but after a few seconds of concentration, she was able to it.

Around the bodies of the goblins, a small, radiant aura surrounded their forms. Some of the goblins had a white, and weak aura, while other's had a more crimson, and chilling aura.

'Do these colours represent their strength levels?' Zoey contemplated, curiously. 

'Well, only one way to find out I guess.' She said, quickening her pace.

The goblins heard her approaching and turned their attention to her, the goblins cackled cheerfully as they saw Zoey, grinning maliciously while also grabbing their clubs tighter.

'They're awfully excited, though I'll be the one winning this battle.' Zoey thought, her eyes narrowing im deep concentration as she took a deep breath to steel herself.

The goblins immediately charged her, letting out creepy laughs as their feet pounded on the floor. The ones charging at her had white auras, while the ones remaining at the back had red auras.

Zoey's reaction speed was quick as she easily perceived the attacks of the goblins, dodging them effortlessly thanks to her [Heightened Senses] Talent.

She jumped back a bit to create distance between her and the goblins, while also calculating her next move.

The goblins didn't give her time to rest, as they charged at her again. Zoey, prepared herself as she was going to begin counter attacking. She dodged a swing from one of the goblins, side stepping swiftly, before driving her knife deep into it's stomach, making the goblin cry out in pain.

'Alright, he's going to die from blood loss, so about three left, before the last four.' Zoey contemplated, before dodging another attack from behind, already perceiving it.

The attack hit the injured goblin in the face, sending him stumbling back. Zoey chuckled a little under her breath, before slashing at another goblin's chest, leaving them heavily injured.

The battle raged on, with the goblins trying their hardest to kill Zoey, but ultimately being unsuccessful, as every attack, a suprise or not, she would be able to dodge them easily thanks to the abilities her [Heightened Senses] provided.

Zoey made quick work of the goblins, easily killing them by counter attacking when the time was right.

The bodies of the goblins lay on the ground, pooled in their own blood as Zoey stood among them, her hoodie stained with the drops of their blood, but she didn't care, as she opened her status window and stared at the Exp Bar.

[Exp: 5500/ 100,000%] I'm still so far away from leveling up...' Zoey thought, slightly frowning, but soon growing a small smirk on her lips as she started to approach the remaining four goblins.

'Doesn't matter, I can wait. The more floors I climb, the more stronger the monsters will be, and the more experience I'll gain.'

The goblins flinched slightly as they saw Zoey approach them, but they were ready, and quickly pushed that fear aside. The goblins then started to approach her, their eyes narrowed in concentration.

'These guys must be smarter, they didn't immediately charge at me upon seeing their comrades dead.' Zoey thought, nodding to herself 'Or...they could just be more brave than the first goblins I fought a while ago.'

The first goblin then charged at her, jumping in the air and raising it's club to deliver a devastating attack. Zoey, obviously seeing this coming, jumped to the side.

The goblin's club crashed into the ground hard, the ground breaking slightly as cracks formed beneath the force of the attack, small debris flying from the impact.

'Yeah, I was right. The red aura definetly means that these guys are stronger. But I also should've guessed that from the beginning, as red is also associated with danger.' Zoey thought, before delivering a slash at the goblin.

The goblin, barely reacting in time, used it's club to block the attack. A small slash appearing on it's club. The goblin then lowered the club slowly, grinning maliciously, chuckling lightly under their breath.

'I guess these guys are the real deal, he even managed to block my attack. Curse my pathetic stats.' Zoey thought with a small frown, taking a few steps back to begin assessing her next move.