Level up the Colony

50, Maybe more.

Timothy's heart pounded as he took in the horde of goblins before him.

Alone, E-rank monsters weren't a threat to D- or C-rank hunters.

But in numbers? They became deadly.

And he was barely an E-rank.

To make matters worse, they had weapons.

Crude, yes but still capable of killing him.

His mind raced.

Running wasn't an option.

Behind him lay a sheer cliff.

A fall from that height? He wouldn't survive.

Fighting was the only choice.

A goblin charged.

Timothy wasn't a trained fighter.

He had no martial arts experience, no technique, only fists and desperation.

But he had to use what little he had.

Seize their weapons.

If he could overpower one and and take its club, he'd stand a chance.

The goblin closed the distance.

Timothy lunged first.

He tackled the creature, pinning it to the ground.

Then, using every ounce of his newfound strength, he began pummeling its face.

One.

Two.

Three.

By the fifth strike, its skull caved in.

Blood and gore splattered across Timothy's hands, the sickening squelch churning his stomach.

He fought the urge to vomit.

Then, a shriek.

The other goblins froze.

Their eyes locked onto their fallen kin.

Then, as if possessed, they went berserk and charged at him.

Timothy grabbed the fallen goblin's club.

A notification flashed.

[Weapon Restriction: Complete Dungeon Without Weapons.]

Before he could react, the club disintegrated.

His heart sank.

No shortcuts.

A goblin swung at him.

Another lunged.

He moved on instinct.

He hurled the corpse of the goblin he had just killed into the closest attacker, sending it sprawling.

Another charged, Timothy snatched it by the throat and flung it into the horde, toppling several over like bowling pins.

He barely noticed his own injuries.

A shallow cut on his arm.

A deep scratch along his side.

But he was too caught up in the chaos to feel the pain.

He kept fighting.

The goblins were small and frail, but their numbers gave them an edge.

Yet Timothy had raw strength.

Any hit he landed? It was devastating.

He ripped through them.

Fists.

Grabs.

Throws.

Crushing bones.

Smashing skulls.

By the time his mind cleared, the battlefield was unrecognizable.

Blood, Gore, and Limbs.

He panted heavily, chest rising and falling in ragged breaths.

His vision swam from exhaustion.

The system pinged.

[You have killed a Mountain Goblin.]

[You have killed a Mountain Goblin.]

[You have leveled up.]

[Silverback Termite (Gray) has leveled up.]

[You have killed a Mountain Goblin.]

...

The notifications piled up.

He ignored them all and opened his status screen.

---

[Status]

Name: Timothy Walters

Level: 4

HP: 100/400

MP: 20

Fatigue: 70

Strength: 24

Stamina: 14

Agility: 10

Intelligence: 10

Perception: 10

Free Stats (FS): 15

[Skills]

King (Unknown) – Lv. Max

Dash – Lv. 1

Pheromones (Passive) – Lv. 2

Clarity (Passive) – Lv. 1

[Colony (1)]

Silverback Termite (Gray) – Lv. 4

---

His HP had quadrupled.

His MP had doubled.

"Leveling up increases my health…" He muttered, realization dawning.

His fatigue, however, was at 70.

Timothy reached for his inventory.

A moment later, the flask appeared in his hand.

He took a long sip, feeling a cool wave of relief spread through him.

His fatigue dropped by half.

He sighed, then turned his attention to the 15 free stat points.

That alone made the battle worth it.

Then, something else caught his eye.

Gray was now Level 4.

"...It leveled up with me?"

Timothy frowned, scanning the battlefield.

He reached for his head, but the termite wasn't there.

Panic shot through him.

"Gray?"

A familiar tingling sensation brushed against the back of his mind.

It felt… different.

His gaze snapped to one of the goblin corpses.

Gray was burrowed inside.

Feeding.

Timothy's stomach twisted.

Termites consumed dead and decaying matter, but this was something else.

Slowly, he exhaled.

"...You ate the mana stone, didn't you?" He said recalling the incident without a doubt

The termite kept eating.

Timothy watched in silence.

Then, for the first time since entering the dungeon…

He grinned and looked around.

He surveyed the area and cautiously stepped forward.

The goblins had built a crude village here makeshift huts, scattered debris, and signs of daily life.

As he navigated through, he spotted something unusual.

Smoke.

It rose from a clearing ahead.

That could mean two things, either some goblins were still alive, or he was walking into a trap.

Footsteps.

Timothy froze.

From the smoke, a figure emerged.

A goblin shaman?

It was taller than the others, draped in ritualistic rags, a staff lined with bones in one hand.

But the most unsettling part?

Above its head, bold yellow letters glowed.

[Mountain Goblin Shaman]

The goblin's eyes flared brighter.

Its mouth opened, releasing a string of eerie, scratching sounds.

"A boss fight?" Timothy muttered, taking a defensive stance.

The shaman raised its palm.

Thick smoke billowed forward, engulfing Timothy.

He shielded his face, expecting the worst, but felt nothing.

Then an impact.

Something slammed into his chest.

Timothy rolled backward, gasping for breath.

[-10 HP]

Blood dripped from his lips.

He barely had time to process before the shaman raised its staff.

The smoke twisted into a sharp, spiraling drill, then shot straight at him.

Timothy dove aside, narrowly avoiding the blast.

A deep dent formed where he'd stood.

He clenched his fists.

"So the smoke is a weapon. The first attack was a distraction, the second a direct strike."

The goblin made another motion.

The scattered smoke gathered back around it, swirling like a living entity.

Timothy narrowed his eyes.

He had to figure out its abilities fast, but he needed to be able to dodge quickly, also.

His strength gave him speed, but that alone wasn't enough.

He was burning through stamina.

"System, distribute 10 points to Agility, 5 to Stamina."

---

[Updated Stats]

HP: 90/400

MP: 20

Fatigue: 35

Strength: 24

Stamina: 19

Agility: 20

Intelligence: 10

Perception: 10

Free Stats (FS): 0

---

Timothy felt the difference immediately.

His body felt lighter, faster.

The goblin attacked again.

The smoke lunged toward him.

He dodged.

A quick sidestep, clean, efficient.

The attack barely grazed him.

He sprinted toward the shaman.

Instead of panic, the goblin smirked.

The smoke reformed instantly.

This time, it curved into a U-shape, honing in on him from behind.

It's tracking me?! He thought in surprise.

Timothy gritted his teeth.

His speed wasn't enough.

The attack would reach him first.

Unless...

A gamble.

He pushed forward, faster.

The shaman stood just ahead.

At the last second before he got hit

[Dash Activated.]

His body exploded forward.

In one clean motion, he swung his fist.

BANG.

CRACK.

SHATTER.

The impact sent both of them flying.

Timothy rolled across the ground, wincing.

His hand throbbed.

But his gaze snapped to the shaman.

It had smashed into a hut, kicking up dust.

It's not dead.

The system hadn't confirmed a kill.

He flexed his fingers.

At the last moment, something resisted his punch.

A shield? He thought

The dust settled.

The goblin staggered out.

Blood dripped down its face.

One eye was swollen shut.

But, it was smiling.

A transparent barrier around its body flickered, then shattered.

Timothy exhaled sharply.

"So it really had a magic shield, huh?"

The goblin raised its staff again.

The smoke trembled, shifting into something new.

Timothy clenched his fists despite the pain

"Round two" he muttered.

It was time to end this fight.

The goblin shaman's twisted grin sent chills down Timothy's spine.

He had gotten faster and stronger, yet still struggled to take it down.

Unacceptable.

With renewed focus, he charged forward.

The shaman reacted instantly, chanting faster.

The surrounding smoke thickened, turning black, forming a protective circle.

Timothy didn't slow.

He weaved through, aiming to get within striking range.

Just as he was about to close in

BANG.

The shaman slammed its staff into the ground.

Timothy sidestepped, narrowly avoiding an unseen attack.

The smoke trembled.

Then flames erupted.

The shaman twirled its staff, gathering fire at the tip, before aiming directly at where Timothy should have been.

But, he wasn't there.

Timothy was already behind it.

With perfect timing, he delivered a crushing uppercut when it turned

The goblin reeled its fireball misfiring, barely missing him.

[Dash Activated.]

Timothy blurred, sidestepping, closing in again.

Sensing imminent death, the goblin gathered flames once more for a desperate final attack.

Too slow.

Timothy lunged from behind, locking his hands around its skull.

And with his body weight as leverage did an overhead throw to the earth.

He didn't let go still.

He planted his foot on its back, fingers digging into its flesh.

With one brutal motion, he yanked with everything he had.

Crack.

The goblin screamed.

Timothy kept pulling.

With a sickening tear, the shaman's head ripped free, spine still attached.

Silence.

The body crumpled.

Blood pooled around his feet.

---

[You have leveled up.]

[You have reached Level 5.]

[All fatigue has been cleared.]

[Silverback Termite (Gray) has leveled up.]

[You have defeated the Dungeon Boss.]

[You have Cleared a Floor]

[Do you want to proceed to the Next Level? Y/N]