If I didn’t remove all the statues right now, I would certainly encounter them during the boss fight.

[The Man Who Overcomes Adversity duration: 0 hours 9 minutes 30 seconds]

Snap~

Blue flames crackled around my arm as I couldn’t control Odin’s Wrath that well yet, but this was the most destructive power I could make for now. I stretched out my fist and dashed towards the statue while scattering the sparks.

BAMM!

When I punched the statue, the sense of impact from the end of my fist radiated toward my arm, then chest. Cracks formed on the spot I had punched and spread all over the statue, then the fragments began to fall off. As expected, a medium-sized Graf emerged, but this tunnel had no space for it to move as the dungeon wasn’t built for them to crawl around. The one that I forced to wake up leaned heavily toward the corridor. As soon as its head hit the wall, it started to move a lot. However, it was still stuck in a cramped space no matter how much it wriggled. It repeatedly crumpled and unfolded its body to make a way, but it was too wide and long to escape the alcove. In the end, it was caught between the walls and couldn’t make threatening movements as its limbs were obviously stuck there. Even when I climbed on top of its back, this Graf could only whip at me with its antennae. I sprinted and punched its head. Although the shell didn’t break, I felt the hit go in.

The Graf was stunned for a few seconds, and I managed to thrust a dagger into its neck.

[The Clown’s Dagger has been activated.]

The message didn’t tell me any detail about the effect, but I could see that the wound became frozen and its head soon hardened. Just being around the Graf made me feel chilly. I punched it again.

[You have exterminated a medium-sized Graf.]

[You have been distributed 6 points.]

Its head shattered into pieces like broken glass, and its body stopped moving.

[The Man Who Overcomes Adversity duration: 0 hours 9 minutes 17 seconds]

It took thirteen seconds for me to kill a medium-sized Graf, and there were a total of twenty-six statues. The timing was tight since I had to fight against the boss monster. When I repeated the same thing six times, the pile of bodies was nearly nine feet high. Since then, the newly woken-up Grafs couldn’t even settle themselves in the corridor due to insufficient space. Their lower bodies were often stuck between corpses and they drooped their heads down first.

It was easy for me to kill them as I just needed to climb up, crack the stone encasing them, slice off their antennae, peel off the shell protecting their central nerve cluster, and stab. The bodies of medium-sized Grafs literally piled up like a mountain. Woo Yeon-Hee was following me by mounting the trail of corpses. At one point, I was smashing the statue’s head instead of its base. Soon, I destroyed the last one’s head, and I felt a terrifying presence below me.

“Geeeeaaaaeeeekkkkkk-”

I heard a shriek that rang through the entire corridor, and it felt like my eardrums were being stabbed by a sharp skewer. When I managed to open my eyes, I was already thrown off from the corpse. I hastily reached out my arm but couldn’t hold on to something. I was unable to arrest my fall and tumbled off the Graf’s carapace. Then, I saw the boss monster from a distance when it was supposed to be waiting for us like a king in its area.

It wasn’t as big as a medium-sized Graf. In fact, it resembled a human from afar and was bipedal. However, its face would be horrifying to humans as it had six eyes and sharp predator’s teeth up close. Hunters who saw it for the first time suffered nightmares afterwards.

“Woo Yeon-Hee!”

[Woo Yeon-Hee has used Physical Healing.]

However, my balance didn’t return as the healing effect only focused on my stab wounds in the abdomen. Meanwhile, the boss Graf was unwilling to approach me as it continued to shriek from a distance. Despite its efforts, no Graf child answered it as I had killed every single one of them.

You should’ve shown up sooner, you idiot!

“Hahahaha…”

[Devi’s Sword has changed to Shiva’s Knife.]

[You have used Shiva’s Knife.]

It was an intangible blade with destructive energy, and it shot out. However, the trajectory was off probably due to my loss of balance. It veered sharply and hit above the monster’s head.

BANG!

I heard the sound of a cave collapsing in the distance, and the Graf started rushing towards me as if it was a signal. It was venting its grudge, and it was such a bizarre sight. Every time it took a step, my fear aggravated as it grew additional legs. Viscous liquid oozed out from its legs and threads of adhesive liquid trailed behind it like a net. I rolled over to the side to avoid it and smelled something burn and melt. The monster was right in front of me at that time, and its six eyes were looking down at me.

It must have thought it could kill me, but approaching me was its fatal mistake. Its legs quickly bent back and flew at once to stab me. However, none of them reached me. Instead, it fell to the ground as I used my E-class Earthquake skill.

[You have used Earthquake.]

The whole ground rumbled, and dirt fell from the ceiling. I managed to stand up and headed toward the monster despite how the world shook around me. It got up hurriedly and jumped at me.

[You have used the Ring of Flames.]

When the Graf covered its face to block the fireball, I threw myself at it and saw its face through flames. It must have realized it would die, and that was true. I had already thrust a dagger into its forehead and kicked it. It flew away before collapsing, but the notification message that I had killed it didn’t pop up. I stumbled toward it, and the monster was looking up at me while laying down on the ground.

I kicked it in the face but controlled my power so I wouldn’t destroy it, and it was barely breathing in the corner. It was time for Woo Yeon-Hee to get the rewards, so I dragged the Graf toward her. She was crawling among the corpses, hiding as she should. I said after throwing the monster in front of her, “Finish it.”

Woo Yeon-Hee also had lost her sense of balance and couldn’t even get up. She crept to its head and grasped her dagger with both hands. Since its skin was rigid, she had to stab it multiple times to kill it.

[You have fulfilled the conditions required to complete the quest ‘End Zone.’ Please decide on the first and second person to finish the quest by agreement.]

She looked up at me, and we answered the System.

[You have completed the quest ‘End Zone.’]

[You have obtained 1,500 points.]

[You have obtained a ‘gold box’ for being the first one to complete the quest.]

[You have completed every quest.]

[You have obtained 1,500 points.]

[You have obtained a ‘gold box’ for being the first one to complete the quest.]

It was finally the time to receive trophies!

[You have opened the gold box.]

***

[Your Sense has increased by 37.]

Since I only needed thirty-seven points to upgrade the class of my Sense, that was the maximum number I could obtain. If I was lucky, I could have gotten enough points from a silver box. Oh well, but I was satisfied that at least one of my stats became upgraded.

[Your Sense class has increased. Change: F → E]

[You have completed the achievement ‘Five Senses.’]

[You have received the trait ‘Nimble’ for completing the achievement.]

That was my eighth trait, so I technically had completed another achievement.

[You have completed the achievement ‘Explosive Potential.’]

[You have received the trait ‘Gifted,’ but it has been canceled.]

[You have already acquired the trait.]

It was time to open the second gold box, and I hoped it would increase my Health. Please, Health!

[Your Health has increased by 50.]

Wait, what…?

[Your Health class has increased. Change: F → E]

[You have completed the achievement ‘Untiring.’]

[You have received the trait ‘Regenerator’ as your second place reward.]

[You already have a maximum number of traits. Would you like to remove ‘Regenerator?’]

“Yes, remove it.”

This wasn’t a big deal. I was just hoping to receive the first place reward for upgrading all my stats to E-class. A new message had to pop up!

[Congratulations! You are the first Awakened to upgrade all of your stats to E-class.]

[You have obtained a ‘master box’ as your first place reward.]

Oh, gosh. I wasn’t sure but a master box?! The system’s favoritism toward the people who obtained first place was very obvious as one master box was worth 472,000 points.

[You have opened the master box.]

[You have obtained an item: ‘Deva King’s Protective Gloves.’]