Chapter 35: Killing the Goliath

I have to go and check it out! Akira made up his mind. Since the Goliath seemed to have been defeated, there was no harm in taking a look. Thinking this, Akira casually walked toward the entrance up ahead. Just as he stepped into the center of the massive cavern, preparing to proceed further— Bang! The wall, glittering like crystal, let out a sudden crackling explosion. Jagged fissures webbed across its surface with a sharp bang, as if something monstrous was about to burst out from within. With a deafening crash, a black hole erupted in the wall. From it, a massive head emerged. "ROARRRR—!" A ferocious roar assaulted Akira's ears, the sheer sound forcefully vibrating his chest. The creature's massive hands slammed against the wall. With terrifying power, it pried the wall open wider, causing the crystalline structure to collapse entirely—revealing the beast within. Amid the shattering debris, a towering giant over ten meters tall stood revealed before him. "You've gotta be kidding me... it really just shows up like that?!" Akira stared at the monster in disbelief, his mood quickly souring. "This damn dungeon is just...!" The Goliath's gray-brown skin bulged with terrifying muscles. Oily black hair, slick like grease, hung to its neck, and a pair of burning scarlet eyes locked directly onto Akira. With each slow, thundering step, the massive Goliath approached. "This thing... isn't something I can deal with using just a one-handed sword." Although this wasn't the enhanced black variant, it was still a bona fide Level 4 monster—complete with a ridiculously massive HP bar. A frontal confrontation wouldn't end well. Akira's instincts kicked in. In a flash, he leapt left—just in time. The monster's fist smashed into the ground he'd been standing on, reducing it to shattered rubble and blasting chunks of rock outward. Dozens of spear-like ice crystals shot into existence, spinning through the air and crashing into the Goliath's face. The giant staggered backward, dazed. Not missing a beat, Akira raised his hand and summoned a massive fireball. BOOM! Flames exploded across the Goliath's head. The stench of scorched hair filled the cavern. Black burns marred its face, with drops of blood trickling down grotesquely. With a snarl, the Goliath retaliated, swinging a monstrous punch that gouged a trench into the nearby Wall of Sighs. Akira activated his teleportation, vanishing into the air and reappearing above, transformed into his Swift Master form. Fierce gusts howled around him, swirling into a coalescing tornado. The Goliath below sensed the shift and its crimson gaze darted up. With a roar, it heaved a massive chunk of stone at Akira midair. Unfazed, Akira focused on strengthening the storm. The winds intensified, whirling faster and faster. The boulder disintegrated at the edge of the vortex, shredded into fragments by the sheer force. He pushed both hands forward, channeling the cyclone. A glowing magic circle ignited beneath his feet, and then— Whoooosh! A massive ten-meter-wide tornado surged downward. The Goliath crossed its arms instinctively to shield its head. The storm ripped into its flesh like thousands of blades. The cavern floor itself was soaked red. Ordinary Goliaths lacked the regenerative abilities or magic resistance of enhanced species. All they had was brute strength and a roar meant to terrify weak adventurers. Now, before Akira's storm and tactics, it was nothing but prey. Akira's shoulder-length hair slowly drifted with the wind. A faint coppery scent of blood clung to his body. His crimson eyes narrowed as he watched the dying Goliath twitching on the floor. When the Goliath's dimming eyes met his own, the beast suddenly gasped and swung one final palm strike at Akira. "Oh?" Akira smirked and lightly raised his hand, as if to greet the monster. CRACK—! With a burst of blood magic, the blood pooled around the Goliath's body was instantly weaponized. Blood-red spears impaled its body from every direction. One particularly large stake pierced it straight through the chest. The massive hand that had been reaching toward him froze in mid-air. Moments later, the Goliath's magic stone fell to the ground with a dull clink. Its massive body broke into ash, dissolving into the air. All remaining blood energy in the area surged into Akira's Dark Eyes, strengthening it. [Personal Information] Name: Akira Age: 13 Level: 30 Now that his level had reached thirty, his strength had taken another massive leap. For the first time, Akira seriously considered advancing to a new class—Dimension Walker. As the thought surfaced, his appearance changed yet again. At the same time, the Dark Eyes underwent another transformation. A flood of new knowledge rushed into his brain—techniques for wielding dimensional energy, theories of space manipulation, and even the operation of a strange tool known as a Dimensional Distortion Device. The moment he transformed into a Dimension Walker, his perception of the world shifted dramatically. He could sense unseen movements, formless flows, creeping presences—and even eyes watching him from beyond. As his gaze swept across the Wall of Sighs, he spotted several bizarre creatures slinking about. When they noticed Akira observing them, they shrieked eerily and vanished. Akira exhaled and switched back to Elemental Blaster, still slightly dizzy. Though he'd taken no damage in the battle, the inherent power of the new class had nearly overwhelmed him. He was just about to collect the fallen magic stone and head for the eighteenth floor when a glowing screen suddenly appeared in front of him. [You have activated the power of all male mage sub-classes and met all the system's criteria. System update in progress. Estimated time: 3 days.] "...The system can update?" Akira muttered, eyes blinking as the screen faded. Well, nothing he could do now but wait and see what the update brought. He bent down and picked up the massive one-meter-tall magic stone, carefully placing it into his [Backpack]. With nothing more to do here, he headed toward the entrance of the safe floor. What awaited him was a place of mystery and breathtaking beauty—the 18th floor. Majestic wetlands to the north, enchanted forests stretching to the south and east, sparkling lakes and scattered islands to the west, and in the east of one island stood the small adventurer town, Rivira. Prices there were outright extortionate, yet the constant stream of goods proved just how essential it was to keep supply chains flowing even inside the dungeon. Though Rivira had been destroyed and rebuilt over three hundred times, it always stood again. Its self-appointed administrator was a man named Bors Elder. Akira, finally able to breathe, sat by a stream, cleaning his gear and clothes. After crawling around a collapsing cave and battling monsters, he was absolutely covered in dirt and dust. He dunked his head directly into the flowing river, letting the cold water wash the grime from his hair. Afterward, he channeled wind fused with fire to create warm air, drying his hair with comfort. Sometimes, Akira couldn't help but marvel at just how useful elemental magic really was.