A Week Later...
"Useless trash! You can't even heal a small wound. I don't understand why a weak healer like you would be in our party. Tch!"
With so much indignation, Leo Weinster, the B-rank swordsman and leader of the hero party, kicked Ethan in the stomach. Ethan felt Leo's words more painfully than his kicks. But he knew Leo was right. He was just a weak healer who was never meant to be a hero. He was weak, couldn't heal small wounds quickly, and couldn't defend himself from low-level monsters. He knew it was his end, and there was nothing he could do about it.
"I wonder why God would reincarnate me in this world just to let me die again," Ethan muttered, staring at the palm of his hand. "I've never been a protagonist in my life, always an ordinary, useless side character. If I'm given another chance, I hope I won't lead the same life again."
As his party left him in the dark, Ethan heard footsteps approaching. They were just low-level goblins, but he was afraid of them. Without Leo's swordsmanship and Celia's magic spells, there was nothing he could do but wait for his death. There was no point in fighting or healing himself. He couldn't do any of that anyway.
The goblins ran towards him and used their tools to inflict pain. The hero party did nothing but laugh as they heard Ethan's screams, which were like music to their ears, from the long passageway of the dungeon.
"That weak guy is surely dead by now," Leo said. "We have finally gotten rid of the dead weight. We can now advance as the hero party. We can't defeat the demon lord with such a weak healer. Let's go to the capital and find someone we can replace for him."
***
A few moments later, Ethan opened his eyes and spat out blood. He didn't know how he had survived those goblins. He sat up and looked at his hands. He felt different. His body—it was dark and heavy, like a shadow.
A weird system notification popped up in front of him. It looked like something out of the games he used to play at home when he was bored.
System: You have entered the shadow state. Be a player and level up. Tap decline and you'll disappear forever.
Accept or Decline?
Ethan couldn't believe what he was seeing. But there was no time to think about it. He didn't want to die yet—not until he could avenge himself on those scums who only thought about themselves and abandoned him. He wanted to grow stronger, to become the strongest in this world so that nobody would bully him again.
Without hesitation, Ethan tapped the Accept button.
System: Congratulations! You've become a player. As a welcome bonus, you've received 12 emblem points. Use them to level up your stats.
The system displayed Ethan's current state.
Level 1
HP: 100 | MP: 10
Strength: 00 | Perception: 00
Agility: 00 | Vitality: 00 |
Intelligence: 00
Attribute Points Available: 12
Skills: Natural Healing, ??????????
Ethan used the emblems to level up his strength and agility. Then, he stood up. He realized he didn't feel any pain at all, and all his wounds had disappeared. But he was still in a bad situation. Those goblins would surely come back and attack him. There was no way he could get out of this dungeon without facing the floor boss.
"Now then, let's see how much I can level up," he said, determined. "I'll never waste this chance again."
Without a weapon, Ethan gathered his strength and courage to face the goblins he had once feared. But this time, his knees refused to tremble. One by one, the goblins attacked him. Using his fists, Ethan knocked them off. He was surprised by his own strength and quickness. It made it easy to dodge their attacks and counterattack.
System: Level Up! Level Up!
"Seems like I receive emblem points and EXP by killing these goblins," Ethan said, looking at the system. "Alright then, let's see how much we can get."
In his excitement, Ethan lost track of time. He knocked down every goblin along the way until he reached the door of the floor boss. He had never felt this way before. A strong power was radiating from behind the door. Without hesitation, Ethan opened it.
As the entrance opened, Ethan saw a huge goblin charging towards him as if it had been waiting. He remembered that humongous goblin he saw before his vision had blacked out. It was indeed stronger than the little ones he had fought earlier. Its name was written in red, which meant it was stronger than him.
Shriek: King of Goblins
The huge goblin swung its massive chunk of wood. Every strike had a strong impact, sending pressure into the air. Ethan knew he'd surely die if he got hit by that thing, so he did his best to dodge the attacks and find an opening to counter.
Finally, Ethan managed to get past the king goblin's guard and knocked it down with his strongest punch. As the system notification sounded, the king goblin vanished into thin air, leaving behind only the fading sparks of its existence, and a portal appeared. Ethan stepped into the portal and was teleported outside the dungeon.
Seeing the bright world outside—though it no longer felt as bright as it used to—Ethan felt relieved. However, his body felt completely different. No, he had definitely died for a second time back there. He wondered if the people of this other world could still accept him for what he had become. He knew he needed to hide his power from everyone. He could pretend to be dead forever; that way, nobody would bother him anymore, especially those who had abandoned him.