Chapter 14: Buying Monsters (part 1)

Chapter 14: Chapter 14: Buying Monsters (part 1)

Ragnar looked down at his hands.

He could feel the difference.

It wasn’t some ridiculous transformation that suddenly turned him into a monster capable of crushing mountains.

Instead, it was a subtle increase, his muscles felt stronger, body felt lighter, and his endurance had improved.

Even the slight fatigue he had accumulated over the past few days seemed to have disappeared.

Ragnar couldn’t help but grin.

"Not bad."

He looked toward one of the massive stone pillars inside the throne room. Curiosity got the better of him.

Ragnar approached the pillar and placed his palm against it. He hesitated for a moment.

"Don’t break my dungeon."

He muttered to himself before throwing a controlled punch.

Bang!

The impact echoed throughout the chamber. Ragnar immediately pulled his fist back.

His knuckles were slightly red, but there was no serious pain.

He stared at the stone pillar. There wasn’t much damage.

At most, there was a tiny crack on the surface.

"...Okay."

Ragnar shook his hand.

"I definitely shouldn’t test my strength against the walls."

He chuckled before opening the Skill Shop again.

Two Soul Points remained, his gaze immediately settled on the next skill.

[Minor Regeneration]

[Cost: 2 Soul Points]

[Purchase?]

Ragnar didn’t hesitate this time.

"Buy."

[Ding!]

[Minor Regeneration has been acquired.]

[2 Soul Points have been consumed.]

[Remaining Soul Points: 5]

The moment the purchase was completed, Ragnar felt another strange sensation.

Unlike the physical enhancement, this one didn’t strengthen his muscles.

Instead, a gentle warmth flowed beneath his skin.

It was almost like countless tiny threads were moving through his body, repairing things he couldn’t even see.

Ragnar stared at his hands, there wasn’t any visible change.

"How do I test this?"

He looked around the throne room. His gaze eventually landed on his own hand.

Ragnar hesitated.

"...I’m not going to hurt myself just to test a healing skill."

He shook his head, there was no reason to do something stupid.

He could simply wait until he received an injury.

But as he examined his body, he suddenly noticed something.

Several tiny scratches that he had received during his previous hunts were slowly disappearing.

The shallow cuts along his forearm gradually closed.

The faint bruising around his wrist faded until his skin returned to normal.

Ragnar’s eyes widened.

"That’s actually pretty fast."

He moved his fingers several times. There was no pain, or stiffness. The injuries had simply vanished.

"This is definitely worth two Soul Points."

Ragnar smiled.

With this skill, small injuries wouldn’t accumulate over time.

That alone was extremely valuable.

Ragnar smiled as he looked at his completely healed arm.

With Minor Regeneration, the small injuries he received during his hunts would no longer accumulate, and Basic Physical Enhancement had already given his body a noticeable boost. For the time being, there was no urgent need to purchase another skill.

More importantly, Ragnar had another resource that he needed to consider.

His Soul Points.

After checking the system once more, he noticed that he still had five Soul Points available.

"Six Soul Points..."

Ragnar rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

He had originally considered purchasing another skill, especially Basic Mana Manipulation, but after thinking about it for a while, he decided against it.

Mana was certainly important.

However, a single skill wouldn’t suddenly make him powerful.

At his current level, what he needed more than anything else was manpower.

His dungeon only had eleven goblins.

Eleven.

Even though the goblins had performed surprisingly well against Kyle, Ragnar knew that they were still beginner monsters. If a properly equipped group of adventurers entered his dungeon, eleven goblins might not be enough to defend the entire place.

And if several waves of enemies arrived, they would eventually be overwhelmed.

Ragnar leaned back against his throne and crossed his arms.

"I’ll save the Soul Points for now."

He stared at the system interface.

"I already have enough skills to survive for the moment."

"Instead, I need more monsters."

With that decision made, Ragnar closed the Skill Shop.

The familiar system interface disappeared before being replaced by the Dungeon Shop.

Ragnar selected the Monster category.

The moment the menu opened, dozens upon dozens of creatures appeared across the screen.

"Here we go."

His eyes immediately brightened.

The Monster Shop was one of the most important functions available to a Dungeon Boss.

He slowly scrolled through the list.

The first section contained the weakest creatures.

[Forest Rat Group]

[Contains: 5 Forest Rats]

[Cost: 1 Soul Point]

[Description: Small rodents commonly found in forests. Weak individually, but capable of surviving in large numbers. Useful for basic dungeon activity and scouting.]

Ragnar tilted his head.

"Five rats for one Soul Point?"

He continued reading. The next option appeared.

[Poisonous Bat Group]

[Contains: 3 Poisonous Bats]

[Cost: 1 Soul Point]

[Description: Small flying creatures capable of producing a weak natural poison. Their poison is rarely lethal, but repeated bites may cause dizziness and temporary weakness.]

"Hmm..."

Ragnar imagined a group of bats flying through the corridors of his dungeon.

Ragnar stared at the description for a moment.

"...Horned rabbits?"

He couldn’t help but chuckle.

"Even rabbits are monsters in this world."

He continued browsing.

[Forest Wolf Group]

[Contains: 3 Forest Wolves]

[Cost: 2 Soul Points]

[Description: Common predatory monsters found within forest regions. Possess superior physical abilities, keen senses, and basic pack instincts.]

Ragnar’s expression immediately became more serious.

"Wolves."

If three wolves were added to the dungeon, they would undoubtedly provide more combat power.

He scrolled further.

[Giant Spider Group]

[Contains: 3 Giant Spiders]

[Cost: 2 Soul Points]

[Description: Large arachnid monsters capable of producing sticky webs. Their webs can restrict the movement of weaker creatures and are particularly effective within narrow corridors.]

Ragnar’s eyes lit up.

"Now that’s interesting."

He immediately imagined several giant spiders hiding along the dungeon’s corridors, covering the passageways with webs before ambushing intruders.

That kind of monster wouldn’t necessarily need to be powerful.

It could weaken enemies before the goblins finished them off.