“That powerful attack just now…it was that Howler’s tail right…?”

{Shadow Howler has inflicted large damage to user}

My back was wedged firmly into the freshly cracked stone from the impact. My energy had faded and there didn’t seem to be a way of freeing myself.

Both my ears twitched to the subtle pitter-patter of paws racing in my direction.

The Houndlings were charging at me in a uniformed line, clearly taking advantage of my staggered state.

“Don’t think I’ll just lie here...devour.” I muttered with a short breath.

The corpses of Shadow Prowlers littered across the pit filled my eyes. They were all that was left from my killing spree before, more than I cared to count.

I planted my hand over the dirt beside me and the aura of my skill flooded out, covering the bodies and dirt alike.

A thick layer of black mist spread over the ground like morning dew as the bodies lying lifeless on the ground were consumed by my skill like a void.

{User has learned new skills}

Moments before the hounds could reach me, the window of the skill menu closed abruptly and my body was surrounded by a heavy black aura.

“Shadow Step.” As my lips finished muttering the words my body burst into a light cloud of smoke and vanished in front of their eyes.

The Houndlings crashed into the pillar, cracking it further as their shadowy heads collided with the stone.

The second burst of smoke indicating my reappearance was triggered on top of the stone pillar. I extended my leg out as I kicked off from the structure.

{User has activated Strike kick}

If I pull back the destructive power a bit, I can send it flying!

With a powerful blow to the top of the wall, the entire structure went falling over and crushed the pack of shadows under its colossal weight.

A pulse of black dust burst out from the sides of the toppled structure. The chilling sounds of howling beasts were instantly silenced once the structure touched the ground.

I can’t give him a chance, I need to take care of him before he can regroup!

{Rush activated}

I jumped over the collapsed ivory pillar and sprinted swiftly to the defenceless figure at the centre of the pit.

“Graaaaaargh!”

The Howler let out a monstrous moan as my Chakram sliced across its side. I buried my feet into the ground to halt the momentum and go back for another strike but once I stopped I noticed the thin black whip heading toward me.

Swish

I can’t take that head-on again, I need to cut them loose!

With an acrobatic leap through the air, I flipped upside down over the attacking whip and cut off a sizable portion of the tail.

I didn’t give it a chance to react, once I landed my feet shuffled back for another jump.

“Hyaa!” I shouted as the second tail went flying off.

That should make things slightly easier, I just have to worry about him now-

The warm breath of the Howler's open jaws crept over my shoulder. I ducked down under the Howler's body and rolled out behind it in one rough motion.

My face cringed thinking back to the first Prowler that managed to grip hold of my shoulder.

That memory is still pretty fresh in my mind…this guy’s bringing up bad memories.

{Strike Kick activated}

A powerful white aura focused around my foot as I sent it flying up into the jaw of the beast. Its head cocked back from the huge crash against its lower jaw and chipped away a sizable chunk from its HP.

{Strike Kick has reached the required proficiency to level up}

Good timing! I need to use everything if I want to kill this guy, everything I got!

I dove in with my Chakrams extended in both arms and cross chopped at its chest, cutting out a large X into its body. A spray of blood followed my blades as they left its body, staining the ground with wide splatters of dark blood.

In a fit of rage from my chain of attacks the Howler vanished into a burst of black smoke and appeared behind me with open jaws.

I have my speed boost back but even so…this guy is really fast!

The Shadow Howler lashed out with a continuous series of Shadow Steps and slashes. Using my Rush Skill I managed to keep a small distance between us as it chased after me in a game of cat and mouse.

It emerged from another burst of smoke only to slash at empty air.

{User has activated Shadow Step}

Appearing over its body I pulled back my arms as far as possible and launched a Chakram with as much force as possible.

Both blades sliced through the monster's sides but it endured, jumping back toward me.

“I can't do it endlessly like you but…”

{User has activated Shadow Step}

“I can do a lot more than you!”

{User has activated Strike Kick}

A powerful blow launched the Shadow Howler into the air, dropping its HP dropped into the red. Without any Chakrams to hold on to I forced another Shadow Step toward the floating Howler.

{Shadow Claw activated}

A series of extensive cuts and gashes covered the Shadow Howlers body as I let go of all form and technique, gouging at it like a wild beast.

“Gyaaah!”

{User has slain the Dungeon Boss}

{1000 Exp gained}

{Level up}

I collapsed to the floor, with every muscle in my body aching and screaming worse than before. I cocked back my head and breathed heavily as if it were my first breath in days.

“I didn’t…know the Tower…had this kind of experience…”

I had spent a week hacking away at Funks as if it were life and death, never in a million years would I have guessed that I’d be in a dungeon a week later.

I want to learn more, like why Ellios did this for me when he had no reason to. What was that fight that left him like that?

If I want to learn more I’ll need to reach the highest parts of the Tower…I need to get stronger.

My eyes drifted to the Shadow Howlers corpse lying beside me carved up with scratches. I devoured the body and instantly went to my skill menu to see the rewards.

A new icon for the Shadow Howler emerged which connected to the Shadow Prowlers skills. From what the descriptions tell me, it was just an evolved version of the Shadow Prowler.

It’s safe to say that consuming either species will further the skill tree for both.

From what I skimmed over in the skill tree I managed to unlock quite a few new skills that were left grey before.

Perhaps there’s another requirement to unlocking them that I don’t know about,

I wondered while rubbing my chin and staring at the greyed-out skills.

{User has reached level 10}

{System upgrade is available, will User accept the upgrade?}

An upgrade? What will this change, well so far everything’s been good so I doubt I wouldn’t enjoy the rewards.

“It should be fine.”

In response to my words, Uriel's message disappeared along with my HP bar that was in the corner of my eye.

“Uh…Uriel, where did my health points go?”

With no answer, I grew anxious.

Does the upgrade take him away completely, I didn’t sign up for that?!

“Huff~”

I took a deep breath in and out to clear my nerves.

Standing around and stressing out wouldn’t fix the situation, he said he needed an upgrade so I’m sure he will be back. For however long, I am without Uriel and the system…

I tried focusing on the wreckage of pillars and stones behind me but the usual glow indicating the appraisal wasn’t appearing either. All forms of the system were gone, it was as if I had returned to being as I was before.

My eyes flickered at the thought and I swung out my arm and pointed it to the air.

“Devour!” I shouted tensely.

Black mist shot out and retracted back to my hand as normal, triggering a sigh of relief on my end. I don’t know what I would have done if all my powers were gone while in the Tower.

“So I’m still me…just without Uriel for a while. I can survive on my own while he’s resting, I’m done here anyway.”

The portal reopened a few steps away from me identical to that of the one that brought me there.

A smile overtook me as I crossed through.

“Dungeon cleared.”