The goblin shaman's corpse began to dissolve into blue motes of light until only a faint shimmer remained. Then, something dropped into the grass—a ring, gleaming faintly in the glow.
It dropped an item. So Predation didn't work on Corpses that had item drops—it only worked on those that don't.
I crouched and picked it up.
[Item Acquired: Shaman's Ring (Rare)]
Description: For every 10 Mana, gain +1 additional Mana.
Impressive, though at my current 5 Mana, it wouldn't do much yet. Still, once I reached level 10 and unlocked a class, my stats would start scaling faster.
Now, only one ordeal remained—the Goblin Warrior King. A stronger variant of the champion, rumored to be the mightiest goblin beneath the rare Goblin Sage—a fusion of shaman and warrior, capable of both brute force and mana manipulation.
The Goblin Sage was the third boss and the 30th Ordeal, it was a distant dream—and one I didn't plan to chase. I'd reach the 20th, enter the 0th Floor, and that would be the end of my climb. This was my first boss test, and I wasn't about to waste it.
I checked my Essence.
[Essence: 119]
Not enough for anything new. I browsed the store one last time—nothing worth the cost. That meant one thing: go in as I was.
The prompt flickered above me:
[Proceed to the 10th Ordeal or Enter the 0th Floor]
"Proceed," I thought.
The world darkened.
The grassland around me shuddered under heavy wind. The sky dimmed into storm clouds, the air charged with tension.
Then the ground shook.
The Goblin Warrior King appeared with a thunderous roar, its muscles corded, its green skin marked by scars and crude tattoos. It wielded a double axe larger than its own torso, eyes gleaming with savage cunning.
It didn't wait. Neither did I.
As it charged, I lowered my stance, blade angled forward. The instant it swung, I triggered Dash—
—and shot forward like a released spring.
My blade drove clean through its chest. A shock ran up my arms, my bones screaming. My HP dropped hard.
[HP: 40/60]
But it wasn't enough.
The king's hand lunged for my leg—fast. If it threw me, I'd be finished. So I went all in.
[Bloodburst – 4x Activated]
A flood of burning energy surged through me. My veins glowed faint red as I forced the blade deeper.
[HP -24]
The King spasmed. Its chest caved, its body rippled—then went still.
[+100 Essence]
The prompt appeared, but my vision wavered. The world tilted. My body felt light, my mind swimming. Either blood loss or the backlash from Bloodburst—probably both.
"Not yet…"
I opened the store, shaky hands navigating to [Potions].
Minor Health Potion – 2 Essence each. Restores 20% HP.
Bought two. Downed both.
Warmth spread through me as my HP climbed back up.
[HP: 40/60]
Still weak, but stable.
I glanced toward the King's corpse, half-expecting it to vanish. My shadow pulsed instead—alive—and stretched forward, devouring the body whole.
[Corpse Devoured]
[+100 Essence]
The cold ripple of Predation coursed through me, followed by sudden warmth. My fatigue vanished, and I noticed something else—
[HP Restored]
[HP: 60/60]
So Predation heals me. My HP had never dropped low enough for it to matter, that explains why I hadn't noticed before.
Then, new prompts appeared—gold this time.
[Ordeal of Feral Blood – Completed]
[Title Acquired: Feral Conqueror]
+15% drop rate from goblin-type foes.
Goblins suffer morale loss when facing you.
Every 10 ordeals formed a set—and conquering them earned a title.
I exhaled slowly, lowering my sword. The stormlight faded, replaced by calm winds.
The next message flickered to life.
[Proceed to the 11th Ordeal or Enter the 0th Floor]