Rise of the System Slayer

After that, the system notification rang, confirming Cerberus's death. The rewards and other details appeared on the screen.

[You Have Successfully Killed The Level 25 Cerberus.][You Have Received A Reward.][You Obtained The Stone Abyssal Bone.][You Have Gained Experience.][You Leveled Up!]Level 30 → 31

After that, he received another notification from the system.

[Your shadow army has gained the ability to grow stronger. Do you wish to level them up?]

[Yes/No]

Ares' eyes twinkled after seeing the notification, and he quickly tapped the [Yes] option in the notification, Now his shadow reached level 2, They glowed for a few seconds as they received their new level.

And every time he killed a monster on each floor, he would have a chance to level them up, Each time Ares slays a monster, his shadow army devours the essence of the monster, converting that power into growth and bringing them closer to the next level.

He accepted all of his rewards, and one after another, the details appeared on the screen.

The first one that appeared was the details of the Abyssal Bone.

DESCRIPTION → A cursed relic that merges with the shadow army, transforming them into monstrous, stronger versions. Their attack and defense power surge, and their defense will increase by 10% every time Ares obtains another Abyssal Bone.

After seeing it, Ares's eyes widened, and he licked his lips. This was another chance to enhance them faster. As an assassin, this was his opportunity to deceive enemies into thinking he was a mage necromancer who relied on his shadow.

[Do you wish to accept the fusion of the Abyssal Bone into your army?]

[Yes/No]

He immediately accepted it, and his shadow army glowed for a second, receiving the effect of the Abyssal Bone. "Now they're tougher. If this continues, my shadow will become unstoppable, and they'll be the ones killing monsters for me," Ares murmured, clenching his fist.

Ares couldn't help but smile, feeling a surge of pride as he watched his shadow army grow stronger. He knew this was just the beginning—soon, they would be his unstoppable force, fighting his battles and making him more powerful than he'd ever imagined.

After that, he opened his reward, and the ten unassigned points appeared on his screen.

- Unassigned Points: 10

Ares felt a little disappointed, thinking he could get another skill, but his expectations were dashed when only the points appeared.

Ares stared at his status screen, contemplating where to place his 10 points. His strength was already high, and his agility was decent, so he decided to focus on areas that would truly aid him in battle. With a decisive nod, he placed 5 points into Sense to sharpen his perception and awareness and the remaining five into Intelligence, knowing that smarter tactics would help him command his growing shadow army with greater precision.

- Strength: 35

- Agility: 15

- Sense: 11 [+5]

- Intelligence: 10 [+5]

- Fatigue: 0 

His body glowed for a second as he received the effects of the points he allocated.

Then, Ares gazed at his surroundings after receiving all the rewards. "Now, it's time to wake up," he murmured, staring at the Cerberus's lifeless body.

"Rise, my shadows," Ares whispered, his voice cold as he focused on the Cerberus.

The air around him seemed to buzz with dark energy as his shadow began to stir, slowly forming around him and dissolving into dark energy. Slowly, it reformed as part of Ares's shadow army, now under his command.

After completing the process of turning Cerberus into his shadow, Ares looks around his surroundings. Everything is quiet and still. He sharpens his senses, anticipating a surprise attack, but as he walks further, no one shows up.

Standing at the center of the castle's ground floor, he notices there's nowhere to go. His surroundings are engulfed in flames, burning the stone around him.

Until a screen notification appears:

[You have received the key to the first floor of the castle]

[Each key is unique and forged from the essence of the defeated floor. Since this is just the beginning, the first floor will have a boss that serves as both proof of victory and the gateway to greater challenges ahead]

"What?! Why didn't you say it earlier? I've already been looking around for 20 minutes!" Ares said, angered.

[Oh? But you never asked, did you?] The system's voice chimed in, teasing him.

[I simply assumed you enjoyed the extra exploration.]

Ares's eye twitched. This damn system…

He immediately uses the key, and within seconds, the system teleports him to the first floor.

A massive monster stands before him, its huge body towering over the area. Its red eyes glow fiercely.

Ares narrows his eyes at the sight, and a system notification appears, displaying the monster's details.

[Dread Ghoul Level 35]

Skill-> Its "Wailing Torment" unleashes a chilling screech, sending a wave of fear through its enemies, their bodies freezing in terror as if death itself had called their names.

The Dread Ghoul's decayed flesh barely clung to its bones, patches of decay exposing the dark tendrils of cursed energy writhing beneath its skin. Its hollow, glowing eyes locked onto its prey with an unnatural hunger, its jagged teeth chattering as if savoring the meal before the feast even began.

[Your task is to kill the Dread Ghoul. A reward will be given upon its defeat]

As Ares gazes at the screen, he initially worries about how he can counter the Dread Ghoul's skills.

He asks the system if he can acquire a skill to counter it. "How can I de—"

Before he can finish his sentence, another text appears on the screen:

[I'll let you off for now. Good luck surviving against the monster. I will appear again after you defeat the boss. (¬‿¬)]

And the screen quickly disappeared.

"This system is really pissing me off... I swear, if I could change its personality, I would," Ares muttered through gritted teeth, clenching his fists as the teasing message lingered on the screen, mocking him.

He had no choice but to deal with it himself. As planned, he summons his shadows around him, encircling the Dread Ghoul.